Monday, November 13, 2006
101-12

Land Degradation Assessment in Middle Nile Delta Using Remote Sensing and GIS Techniques.

Alaa H. ElNahry, National Authority for Remote Sensing and Space Sciences, 23 Joseph Brows Tito, ElNozha ElGedida, Egypt

Using satellite images and GIS techniques represent the most efficient tools for assessment of land degradation and to study the extension and the geographical distribution of the main land units of the study area which located North of Kafr El-Shiekh Governorate.  It is bounded to the north by the Mediterranean Sea, to the south by El-Gharbia Governorate, to the west by Alexandria Governorate and to the east by El-Dakahlia Governorate 31o 00- and 31 o 15- latitudes   and 31 o 45- and 31 o 00 longitudes. Three main landscape could be identified I) the coastal plain, II) the fluvio-marine plain And III) the flood plain. The coastal plain contains many landforms namely ; sand flats, sand sheets, depressions, barchans dunes, in addition to small areas representing another landforms such as bogs, hill, backshore sand dunes, fluvio-lacustrine marshes and lake beds. The fluvio-marine plain includes these landforms, decantation basins, recent river terraces and man made terraces. The flood plain includes recent river terraces, decantation basins and overflow basins. Land degradation was assessed using change detection technique during the period of 1981 and 2005 depending on GLASOD/FAO integration approach. Six types of land degradation were detected in the investigated area i.e. water erosion, wind erosion, salinization, alkalinization, compaction and water logging. Degrees and Rates of land degradation were calculated. Land management program was suggested for overcoming or reducing the impacts of land degradation to the accepted limits.