MONITORING AND EVALUATING EROSION AND DEPOSTION RATES BY WIND IN OASES AREA | ||||
Journal of Soil Sciences and Agricultural Engineering | ||||
Article 6, Volume 29, Issue 7, July 2004, Page 4325-4335 PDF (3.37 MB) | ||||
Document Type: Original Article | ||||
DOI: 10.21608/jssae.2004.242510 | ||||
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Authors | ||||
S. F. T. Sharkawy; A. A. Ali; I. A. Ashour; M. M. Wassif | ||||
Soil Cons. Dept., Desert Research Center, Mataria-Cairo, Egypt | ||||
Abstract | ||||
Oases of New Valley governorate lie in hyperarid zone, where wind erosion and deposition by wind threaten sustained agricultural production. The annual rate of sell mass transport by wind was measured by installing BSNE samplers on the flat, bare fields in different sites of EI-Kharga, EI-Dakhla, EI-Farafra and Paris oases during the period from 1/211999 to 10/6/2004. Data showed that wind soil erosion and deposition rates in the study area are very high and differ from site to another. The annual rate of soil mass transport by wind was dependent on soil texture, percentage of dry stable aggregates,>0.84mm, soil surface conditions and wind erosivity. At each oasis, the average annual soil loss decreased as percentage of dry stable aggregates >0.84mm increased. Soil losses rates due to wind erosion varied from 1.15ton.ha·1.y(1 at Abu-Monkar area (Clay soil, EI-Farafra oasis) to . 16.43ton.ha·1.y(1 at EI-Qase area (Sandy loam soil, Paris oasis). In average, wind soil erosion is significant in the case of sandy and sandy loam soils. The rate of deposition by wind is more pronounced than soil erosion by wind in the studied area. The annual rate of soil materials being deposited over agricultural soils varied from 4.4ton.ha·1.y(1 at EI-Kharga oasis (East Well 2 EI-Kharga area) to 110.6ton.ha·1.yr'1 at EI-Farafra oasis (Qarween plain area), which corresponds to addition of 3.1 to 76.9mm depth of aeolian sediments on top soil each year. In each oasis, the average annual deposition of windblown materials was greater than the average annual eroded soil by wind. For further studies, the classification of New Valley oases according to the deposition or erosion rate by wind should be put under consideration. This study confirm the urgent needs for implementation of a successful soil conservation practices to combats the hazards of erosion and deposition by wind in order to attain the potential productivity of the New Valley oases. | ||||
Keywords | ||||
Western desert; EI-Kharga oasis; EI-Dakhla oasis; EI- Farafra oasis; Paris oasis; wind soil erosion rate; wind deposition rate | ||||
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