Erosion sensitivity analysis with gis and remote sensing techniques: Boğacay example

Erosion, one of the most important problems of our age, is the event of materials being eroded and transported from their current location to another area due to natural forces such as water and wind on sloped lands due to land use and human destruction. It is estimated that 75 billion tons of soil is lost due to erosion every year worldwide and 500 million tons in Turkey. For this reason, different methods have been developed in order to detect and prevent soil erosion in the world and in Turkey. The most widely used of these methods is the Modified Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE) model. In this study, it is aimed to determine and map the erosion risk areas of Antalya province-Boğaçay Basin with the Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE) Method. For this purpose, both Remote Sensing data and Geographic Information Systems based data sets were created and erosion sensitivity analyses of the area were performed with these data sets in line with the content of the RUSLE method. The study area is the Boğaçay basin located within the borders of Antalya-Konyaaltı, Mediterranean Region. In the southern and low-lying parts of the basin, settlement areas occupy a significant place, and these areas are intertwined with fertile agricultural lands and forest areas. It is observed that there is a significant urban pressure in the southern parts of the basin. In addition, no comprehensive study on erosion in the basin has been found in the literature studies conducted. As a result of the study, the erosion susceptibility map of the region was created and categorized into seven classes. According to the results obtained, it was determined that 80.72% of the basin has low and very low erosion risk. However, it was also revealed that 11.92% of the basin has erosion risk and these areas are under threat. In this context, it was concluded that land management and land use in the region should be monitored very carefully. This study provides important information in terms of determining soil erosion in Boğaçay and making predictions about its future.