Prioritization of the Tassaoute Watershed (Morocco) for soil erosion using analytical hierarchy process (AHP) and geospatial techniques
Identifying areas vulnerable to soil erosion is essential for the sustainable management of natural resources and the implementation of effective prevention strategies. This study proposes a robust multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA)framework integrated with geographic information system (GIS) t...
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Elsevier
2025-05-01
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| Series: | Geosystems and Geoenvironment |
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| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2772883825000391 |
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| author | Khalid Ziadi Ahmed Barakat Abdenbi Elaloui Mustapha Ouayah Mustapha Namous |
| author_facet | Khalid Ziadi Ahmed Barakat Abdenbi Elaloui Mustapha Ouayah Mustapha Namous |
| author_sort | Khalid Ziadi |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Identifying areas vulnerable to soil erosion is essential for the sustainable management of natural resources and the implementation of effective prevention strategies. This study proposes a robust multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA)framework integrated with geographic information system (GIS) technology to evaluate susceptibility to water erosion in the upstream watershed of Tassaoute (Central High Atlas, Morocco). Elevation, slope, SPI, TWI, NDVI, LULC, lithology, rainfall, distance from river, and drainage density were the ten factors we employed to establish the soil erosion vulnerability map. Criteria weights were measured using the AHP method based on suggestions from different studies and research that ensured an effective way of soil erosion control. The final susceptibility map, created from GIS data and a classification of natural phenomena, identified five distinct levels: very low, low, moderate, high and very high. It reveals a significant erosion threat, with around 60 % of the study area showing moderate to very high levels of erosion. On the other hand, 40 % of the area studied is considered to be at low risk of erosion. Areas at high risk of erosion are more common on steep slopes, with high rainfall and rocks of the marl and clay formation. The accuracy of the results is assessed using the ROC (receiver operating characteristic) curve. The area under the curve (AUC) is 0.782, equivalent to a prediction accuracy of 78.2 %. In conclusion, this model is proving to be a valuable tool for effectively guiding future planning with regard to sustainable soil and water management, in particular by addressing the problem of soil erosion. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-88fc25aebd0c4cd7bd3911f21f73deb5 |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 2772-8838 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-05-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
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| series | Geosystems and Geoenvironment |
| spelling | doaj-art-88fc25aebd0c4cd7bd3911f21f73deb52025-08-20T02:17:06ZengElsevierGeosystems and Geoenvironment2772-88382025-05-014210038910.1016/j.geogeo.2025.100389Prioritization of the Tassaoute Watershed (Morocco) for soil erosion using analytical hierarchy process (AHP) and geospatial techniquesKhalid Ziadi0Ahmed Barakat1Abdenbi Elaloui2Mustapha Ouayah3Mustapha Namous4Sultan Moulay Slimane University, Geomatics, Georesources and Environment Laboratory, Faculty of Sciences and Techniques, Beni-Mellal, MoroccoSultan Moulay Slimane University, Geomatics, Georesources and Environment Laboratory, Faculty of Sciences and Techniques, Beni-Mellal, Morocco; Corresponding author.Sultan Moulay Slimane University, Data Science for Sustainable Earth Laboratory (Data4Earth), Beni-Mellal, MoroccoSultan Moulay Slimane University, Data Science for Sustainable Earth Laboratory (Data4Earth), Beni-Mellal, MoroccoSultan Moulay Slimane University, Data Science for Sustainable Earth Laboratory (Data4Earth), Beni-Mellal, MoroccoIdentifying areas vulnerable to soil erosion is essential for the sustainable management of natural resources and the implementation of effective prevention strategies. This study proposes a robust multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA)framework integrated with geographic information system (GIS) technology to evaluate susceptibility to water erosion in the upstream watershed of Tassaoute (Central High Atlas, Morocco). Elevation, slope, SPI, TWI, NDVI, LULC, lithology, rainfall, distance from river, and drainage density were the ten factors we employed to establish the soil erosion vulnerability map. Criteria weights were measured using the AHP method based on suggestions from different studies and research that ensured an effective way of soil erosion control. The final susceptibility map, created from GIS data and a classification of natural phenomena, identified five distinct levels: very low, low, moderate, high and very high. It reveals a significant erosion threat, with around 60 % of the study area showing moderate to very high levels of erosion. On the other hand, 40 % of the area studied is considered to be at low risk of erosion. Areas at high risk of erosion are more common on steep slopes, with high rainfall and rocks of the marl and clay formation. The accuracy of the results is assessed using the ROC (receiver operating characteristic) curve. The area under the curve (AUC) is 0.782, equivalent to a prediction accuracy of 78.2 %. In conclusion, this model is proving to be a valuable tool for effectively guiding future planning with regard to sustainable soil and water management, in particular by addressing the problem of soil erosion.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2772883825000391Soil erosion susceptibilityMulti criteria decision analysisAnalytical hierarchical processPairwise comparison matrixValidation AUCTassaoute Watershed |
| spellingShingle | Khalid Ziadi Ahmed Barakat Abdenbi Elaloui Mustapha Ouayah Mustapha Namous Prioritization of the Tassaoute Watershed (Morocco) for soil erosion using analytical hierarchy process (AHP) and geospatial techniques Geosystems and Geoenvironment Soil erosion susceptibility Multi criteria decision analysis Analytical hierarchical process Pairwise comparison matrix Validation AUC Tassaoute Watershed |
| title | Prioritization of the Tassaoute Watershed (Morocco) for soil erosion using analytical hierarchy process (AHP) and geospatial techniques |
| title_full | Prioritization of the Tassaoute Watershed (Morocco) for soil erosion using analytical hierarchy process (AHP) and geospatial techniques |
| title_fullStr | Prioritization of the Tassaoute Watershed (Morocco) for soil erosion using analytical hierarchy process (AHP) and geospatial techniques |
| title_full_unstemmed | Prioritization of the Tassaoute Watershed (Morocco) for soil erosion using analytical hierarchy process (AHP) and geospatial techniques |
| title_short | Prioritization of the Tassaoute Watershed (Morocco) for soil erosion using analytical hierarchy process (AHP) and geospatial techniques |
| title_sort | prioritization of the tassaoute watershed morocco for soil erosion using analytical hierarchy process ahp and geospatial techniques |
| topic | Soil erosion susceptibility Multi criteria decision analysis Analytical hierarchical process Pairwise comparison matrix Validation AUC Tassaoute Watershed |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2772883825000391 |
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