Monitoring land degradation using remote sensing and GIS techniques in an area of the middle Nile Delta, Egypt

Detecting soil degradation and recognizing its various types is a necessity to take the practical measures for combating it as well as conserving and keeping the agricultural soil healthy. The present study aims at monitoring soil degradation process within the last four decades in the middle part of Nile Delta. To fulfill this objective, Landsat ETM images and digital elevation model (DEM) are used to produce the physiographic map of the studied area at the landform level. Land degradation rate, causative factors, degree, and land degradation status in the study area were assessed using GIS techniques. The results indicate that the most active land degradation factors in the studied area are; water logging, salinization, alkalinization and compaction. The main causative factors of human induced land degradation types in the area are excessive irrigation, human intervention in natural drainage, improperly time use of heavy machinery and the absence of conservation measurements. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.