Soil Erosion Prediction Using Morgan-Morgan-Finney Model in a GIS Environment in Northern Ethiopia Catchment

Even though scientific information on spatial distribution of hydrophysical parameters is critical for understanding erosion processes and designing suitable technologies, little is known in Geographical Information System (GIS) application in developing spatial hydrophysical data inputs and their a...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Gebreyesus Brhane Tesfahunegn, Lulseged Tamene, Paul L. G. Vlek
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wiley 2014-01-01
Series:Applied and Environmental Soil Science
Online Access:http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2014/468751
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1849305146470694912
author Gebreyesus Brhane Tesfahunegn
Lulseged Tamene
Paul L. G. Vlek
author_facet Gebreyesus Brhane Tesfahunegn
Lulseged Tamene
Paul L. G. Vlek
author_sort Gebreyesus Brhane Tesfahunegn
collection DOAJ
description Even though scientific information on spatial distribution of hydrophysical parameters is critical for understanding erosion processes and designing suitable technologies, little is known in Geographical Information System (GIS) application in developing spatial hydrophysical data inputs and their application in Morgan-Morgan-Finney (MMF) erosion model. This study was aimed to derive spatial distribution of hydrophysical parameters and apply them in the Morgan-Morgan-Finney (MMF) model for estimating soil erosion in the Mai-Negus catchment, northern Ethiopia. Major data input for the model include climate, topography, land use, and soil data. This study demonstrated using MMF model that the rate of soil detachment varied from <20 t ha−1 y−1 to >170 t ha−1 y−1, whereas the soil transport capacity of overland flow (TC) ranged from 5 t ha−1 y−1 to >42 t ha−1 y−1. The average soil loss estimated by TC using MMF model at catchment level was 26 t ha−1 y−1. In most parts of the catchment (>80%), the model predicted soil loss rates higher than the maximum tolerable rate (18 t ha−1 y−1) estimated for Ethiopia. Hence, introducing appropriate interventions based on the erosion severity predicted by MMF model in the catchment is crucial for sustainable natural resources management.
format Article
id doaj-art-089538d83e1f4ed6a30da034479fbc9d
institution Kabale University
issn 1687-7667
1687-7675
language English
publishDate 2014-01-01
publisher Wiley
record_format Article
series Applied and Environmental Soil Science
spelling doaj-art-089538d83e1f4ed6a30da034479fbc9d2025-08-20T03:55:32ZengWileyApplied and Environmental Soil Science1687-76671687-76752014-01-01201410.1155/2014/468751468751Soil Erosion Prediction Using Morgan-Morgan-Finney Model in a GIS Environment in Northern Ethiopia CatchmentGebreyesus Brhane Tesfahunegn0Lulseged Tamene1Paul L. G. Vlek2College of Agriculture, Aksum University, P.O. Box 287, Aksum, EthiopiaInternational Centre for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT), Chitedze Agricultural Research Station, P.O. Box 158, Lilongwe, MalawiCollege of Agriculture, Aksum University, P.O. Box 287, Aksum, EthiopiaEven though scientific information on spatial distribution of hydrophysical parameters is critical for understanding erosion processes and designing suitable technologies, little is known in Geographical Information System (GIS) application in developing spatial hydrophysical data inputs and their application in Morgan-Morgan-Finney (MMF) erosion model. This study was aimed to derive spatial distribution of hydrophysical parameters and apply them in the Morgan-Morgan-Finney (MMF) model for estimating soil erosion in the Mai-Negus catchment, northern Ethiopia. Major data input for the model include climate, topography, land use, and soil data. This study demonstrated using MMF model that the rate of soil detachment varied from <20 t ha−1 y−1 to >170 t ha−1 y−1, whereas the soil transport capacity of overland flow (TC) ranged from 5 t ha−1 y−1 to >42 t ha−1 y−1. The average soil loss estimated by TC using MMF model at catchment level was 26 t ha−1 y−1. In most parts of the catchment (>80%), the model predicted soil loss rates higher than the maximum tolerable rate (18 t ha−1 y−1) estimated for Ethiopia. Hence, introducing appropriate interventions based on the erosion severity predicted by MMF model in the catchment is crucial for sustainable natural resources management.http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2014/468751
spellingShingle Gebreyesus Brhane Tesfahunegn
Lulseged Tamene
Paul L. G. Vlek
Soil Erosion Prediction Using Morgan-Morgan-Finney Model in a GIS Environment in Northern Ethiopia Catchment
Applied and Environmental Soil Science
title Soil Erosion Prediction Using Morgan-Morgan-Finney Model in a GIS Environment in Northern Ethiopia Catchment
title_full Soil Erosion Prediction Using Morgan-Morgan-Finney Model in a GIS Environment in Northern Ethiopia Catchment
title_fullStr Soil Erosion Prediction Using Morgan-Morgan-Finney Model in a GIS Environment in Northern Ethiopia Catchment
title_full_unstemmed Soil Erosion Prediction Using Morgan-Morgan-Finney Model in a GIS Environment in Northern Ethiopia Catchment
title_short Soil Erosion Prediction Using Morgan-Morgan-Finney Model in a GIS Environment in Northern Ethiopia Catchment
title_sort soil erosion prediction using morgan morgan finney model in a gis environment in northern ethiopia catchment
url http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2014/468751
work_keys_str_mv AT gebreyesusbrhanetesfahunegn soilerosionpredictionusingmorganmorganfinneymodelinagisenvironmentinnorthernethiopiacatchment
AT lulsegedtamene soilerosionpredictionusingmorganmorganfinneymodelinagisenvironmentinnorthernethiopiacatchment
AT paullgvlek soilerosionpredictionusingmorganmorganfinneymodelinagisenvironmentinnorthernethiopiacatchment