Soil erosion susceptibility maps and raster dataset for the hydrological basins of North Africa
Abstract Soil erosion in North Africa modulates agricultural and urban developments as well as the impacts of flash floods. Existing investigations and associated datasets are mainly performed in localized urban areas, often representing a limited part of a watershed. The above compromises the imple...
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Nature Portfolio
2025-01-01
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| Series: | Scientific Data |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41597-025-04406-0 |
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| author | Adil Salhi Sara Benabdelouahab Essam Heggy |
| author_facet | Adil Salhi Sara Benabdelouahab Essam Heggy |
| author_sort | Adil Salhi |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Soil erosion in North Africa modulates agricultural and urban developments as well as the impacts of flash floods. Existing investigations and associated datasets are mainly performed in localized urban areas, often representing a limited part of a watershed. The above compromises the implementation of mitigation measures for this vast area under accentuating extremes and continuous hydroclimatic fluctuations. To address this deficiency, we use the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation to map surface erosion, providing the first insight into the decadal impacts of land degradation, which are largely unconstrained on North Africa’s continental scale. We generate soil erosion maps for the major hydrological basins of North Africa using Google Earth Engine and multiple hydroclimatic and land use datasets, covering 5.8 million square kilometers. The generated geospatial dataset integrates land use, soil erodibility, slope, vegetation cover, and land practices. The resulting product is an expansive and publicly available Soil erosion susceptibility maps and rasters dataset (SESMAR). This dataset is a crucial step toward understanding the drivers of soil erosion in this vast, poorly characterized area as well as its potential to be used for future soil conservation campaigns for both agricultural and urban planning. We validate SESMAR using the Global Rainfall Erosivity Database (GloREDa) and the European Soil Data Centre (ESDAC) datasets as well as published peer-reviewed reports across 20 watersheds, demonstrating a robust agreement in assessing the average annual soil loss values and soil erosion classes in local areas covered by independent study teams. Our continental maps show commendable accuracy, supporting scientists, practitioners, and policymakers in their efforts for more resilient land management practices across North Africa to mitigate rising hydroclimatic extremes. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-59079433f2ad4565a0028939025731ca |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2052-4463 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
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| series | Scientific Data |
| spelling | doaj-art-59079433f2ad4565a0028939025731ca2025-01-19T12:09:44ZengNature PortfolioScientific Data2052-44632025-01-0112111410.1038/s41597-025-04406-0Soil erosion susceptibility maps and raster dataset for the hydrological basins of North AfricaAdil Salhi0Sara Benabdelouahab1Essam Heggy2Geography and Development group, Abdelmalek Essaadi University, FLSHEconomic and Environmental Geology and Hydrology group, University of BarcelonaUniversity of Southern California, Viterbi School of Engineering, 3737 Watt Way, Powell Hall of EngineeringAbstract Soil erosion in North Africa modulates agricultural and urban developments as well as the impacts of flash floods. Existing investigations and associated datasets are mainly performed in localized urban areas, often representing a limited part of a watershed. The above compromises the implementation of mitigation measures for this vast area under accentuating extremes and continuous hydroclimatic fluctuations. To address this deficiency, we use the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation to map surface erosion, providing the first insight into the decadal impacts of land degradation, which are largely unconstrained on North Africa’s continental scale. We generate soil erosion maps for the major hydrological basins of North Africa using Google Earth Engine and multiple hydroclimatic and land use datasets, covering 5.8 million square kilometers. The generated geospatial dataset integrates land use, soil erodibility, slope, vegetation cover, and land practices. The resulting product is an expansive and publicly available Soil erosion susceptibility maps and rasters dataset (SESMAR). This dataset is a crucial step toward understanding the drivers of soil erosion in this vast, poorly characterized area as well as its potential to be used for future soil conservation campaigns for both agricultural and urban planning. We validate SESMAR using the Global Rainfall Erosivity Database (GloREDa) and the European Soil Data Centre (ESDAC) datasets as well as published peer-reviewed reports across 20 watersheds, demonstrating a robust agreement in assessing the average annual soil loss values and soil erosion classes in local areas covered by independent study teams. Our continental maps show commendable accuracy, supporting scientists, practitioners, and policymakers in their efforts for more resilient land management practices across North Africa to mitigate rising hydroclimatic extremes.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41597-025-04406-0 |
| spellingShingle | Adil Salhi Sara Benabdelouahab Essam Heggy Soil erosion susceptibility maps and raster dataset for the hydrological basins of North Africa Scientific Data |
| title | Soil erosion susceptibility maps and raster dataset for the hydrological basins of North Africa |
| title_full | Soil erosion susceptibility maps and raster dataset for the hydrological basins of North Africa |
| title_fullStr | Soil erosion susceptibility maps and raster dataset for the hydrological basins of North Africa |
| title_full_unstemmed | Soil erosion susceptibility maps and raster dataset for the hydrological basins of North Africa |
| title_short | Soil erosion susceptibility maps and raster dataset for the hydrological basins of North Africa |
| title_sort | soil erosion susceptibility maps and raster dataset for the hydrological basins of north africa |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41597-025-04406-0 |
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