Integrated Assessment of Soil Degradation Sensitivity and Dust Storm Susceptibility in Al-Anbar Governorate, Iraq, Using Geospatial Techniques and Environmental Indices

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

Aseel Mezher Hussein ¹

Alireza Emami ¹

Mohammad Yousif Fattah ²

Saleh Abdullahi ¹

¹ Isf.C., Islamic Azad University, Isfahan, Iran

² University of Technology , Iraq.

10.22067/jrrp.v15i4.2607-1174

Abstract

Purpose- Land degradation and severe dust storm dynamics represent major environmental threats in arid and semi-arid zones across the Middle East. Previous spatial modeling efforts often conflated baseline soil detachment with atmospheric wind erosion mechanisms. In this study, we present a re-framed conceptual framework that explicitly decouples baseline water-induced topsoil degradation sensitivity, quantified using the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE) from wind-driven dust storm susceptibility modeled via ERA5-Land wind velocity vectors, Aerosol Optical Depth (AOD), and Normalized Difference Dust Index (NDDI).
Design/methodology/approach- The entire analysis was systematically executed across the Al-Anbar Governorate, Iraq (total area ≈ 138,500 km²). Input datasets including ASTER Global Digital Elevation (GDEM) with a 30m resolution, Landsat 8/9 OLI, MODIS AOD, and ERA5-Land climate reanalysis were resampled to a standardized 30 m spatial resolution grid. Model validation was conducted using empirical soil loss observations from seven (7) field soil sampling profiles across diverse geomorphic units, yielding robust goodness-of-fit statistics (R² = 0.78, RMSE = 1.12 t/ha/year, MAE = 0.89 t/ha/year).
Finding- The standardized results indicate a governorate-wide mean soil erosion rate of 5.33 t/ha/year. High to very high erosion susceptibility zones (covering 28.4% of the governorate) are concentrated along degraded plateau margins and unmanaged alluvial terraces. Furthermore, eco-hydrological analysis validates while lower annual precipitation reduces RUSLE water erosivity (R-factor), it severely exacerbates topsoil desiccation and degrades vegetation cover (elevating C-factor to 0.60 in bare lands), thus fueling wind-driven dust emissions. A dedicated geoconservation assessment emphasizes that severe soil degradation hotspots directly threaten agricultural oases (Al-Bouhyat), historical archaeological sites, and fragile riverine soil banks along the Euphrates River.

Keywords

Al-Anbar Governorate

Soil Degradation Sensitivity

RUSLE Framework

Dust Storm Susceptibility

7 Soil Profiles Validation

Geoconservation

Subjects

• Rural Studies

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