%0 Journal Article %T Evaluating the potential soil erosion rate based on RUSLE model, GIS, and RS in Khawabi river basin, Tartous, Syria %J DYSONA - Applied Science %I E-NAMTILA %Z 2708-6283 %A Abdo, Hazem G. %D 2022 %\ 01/01/2022 %V 3 %N 1 %P 24-32 %! Evaluating the potential soil erosion rate based on RUSLE model, GIS, and RS in Khawabi river basin, Tartous, Syria %K RUSLE %K Erosion simulation %K Land maintenance %K Syria %R 10.30493/das.2021.311044 %X Soil erosion is a serious global eco-threat to the sustainability of agricultural and ecological systems. In Syria, the issue of soil erosion represents a spatial challenge, especially during the last years of the war. The overall objective of this research is to assess the potential spatial distribution of the annual soil erosion rate in the Khawabi river basin in western Syria. The study relyed on the integration of multi-source data and the revised universal soil loss equation (RUSLE) in a geographic information system (GIS) environment. Soil erosion modeling inputs included the criteria of rainfall erosivity (R), soil erodibility (K), hill slope length and steepness (LS), and the vegetation factor (C). the annual rate of potential soil loss reached 35.86 ton ha-1 year-1 with a spatial average of 16.55 ton ha-1 year-1. The percentage of lands with high and very high erosion exposure was more than 29 % of the total area. Moreover, most of the lands of the study area exceeded the critical tolerance limits of erosion for the western Mediterranean regions (2 - 12-ton ha-1 year-1). The spatial outcomes of this study provided objective evidence that could support local environmental planners in the conservation and maintenance of soils in the studied basin.    %U https://applied.dysona.org/article_139895_778ed388017213d0d45d4f4d616bfd0a.pdf