Understanding the spatiotemporal variations in sediment yield and the drivers of these dynamics is crucial for effective soil and water conservation. This study investigates soil loss and sediment deposition patterns in the Wadi Ouahrane Basin, north-central Algeria, from 1980 to 2017 using the Water and Tillage Erosion Model Sediment Delivery Model (WaTEM/SEDEM). In this study, the WaTEM/SEDEM model was applied to simulate the spatial patterns of soil erosion and sediment deposition. This model is based on the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE). The rainfall erosivity factor (R) was calculated using daily precipitation data provided by the Agence Nationale des Ressources Hydriques (ANRH) and the National Meteorological Office of Algeria. The soil erodibility factor (K) was derived from the gridded soil dataset available through OpenLandMap. The topographic factor (LS) was obtained from the MERIT Hydro dataset. The cover management factor (C) was derived from mean Normalised Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) values, calculated using satellite-based MODIS products, while the support practice factor (P) was set to 1.0. The results reveal that total sediment production reached approximately 355 tonnes, with sediment deposition of 72 tonnes, sediment export of 283 tonnes, and total river export (TRE) estimated at 39 tonnes. The findings suggest that converting cultivated zones into arable land can enhance landscape sustainability by reducing soil erosion, sediment transport, and reservoir siltation.
Santos et al. (Tue,) studied this question.