Contribution à la cartographie de l'érosion spécifique du bassin versant de l'Oued Mina en zone semi-aride de l'Algérie septentrionale

Abstract

Considering the complexity of the hydric erosion processes in the Wadi Mina basin, due to significant soil heterogeneity, scattered or nonexistent vegetation, and the space and time variability of rainfall, a mapping of the random variable “specific erosion” is attempted. The purpose is to assess the source zones of sediments for an eventual soil conservation strategy upstream from Sidi M’Hamed Benaouda Dam and the associated irrigation perimeter. A principal components analysis and a step-by-step multiple regression have led to a better understanding of the process through the search for functional relationships which can help explain it and which can be transposed to other areas. This attempt at mapping based on kriging shows two different zones: one in the north of the basin, characterized by significant erosion, exceeding 20 t ha-1, and the other, less affected, in the south.