Estimating the Volume of Water Erosion in Shor Ab Valley، East of Wasit Governorate، Using the EPM (Gavrilović) Model with GIS and RS

Abstract

      Water erosion is one of the most significant geomorphological processes affecting semi-arid environments، as it contributes to soil disintegration and the alteration of landforms، which in turn negatively impacts agricultural productivity and the sustainability of land use. This study aims to estimate the volume of water erosion in the Shor Ab Valley، located east of Wasit Governorate، by applying the Gavrilovic Model (EPM) integrated with Remote Sensing (RS) techniques and Geographic Information Systems (GIS). Topographic، climatic، and geological data، along with satellite imagery، were employed to derive the variables influencing erosion such as slope، soil characteristics، vegetation cover، and drainage network. The analysis revealed that the Shor Ab Valley is exposed to varying levels of erosion، with moderate to severe categories dominating large parts of the basin، while limited areas exhibited very low to low erosion. The findings also showed that the absence of vegetation cover and the intensification of human activities such as grazing، plowing، quarrying، and land clearing have contributed to the acceleration of erosion، especially in areas of steep slopes. Consequently، the study demonstrated that integrating the EPM model with GIS and RS provides high accuracy in identifying erosion hotspots and producing spatially precise maps، which support decision-making for sustainable land management and mitigating the risks of environmental degradation.