GIS–Based Runoff Estimation in Atbara Area, Sudan
[1]
Khalda Y. Ibrahim, Remote sensing and Seismology Authority, National Center for Research, Khartoum, Sudan.
[2]
Insaf S. Babiker, Department of Geology, Faculty of science, University of Khartoum, Khartoum, Sudan.
[3]
Abd Alhafiz G. El Mula, Department of Geology, Faculty of science, University of Khartoum, Khartoum, Sudan.
[4]
Abu Elela A. Mohamed, National Institute of Astronomy and Geophysics, Cairo, Egypt.
Runoff is one of the most significant hydrological properties that are used in many national works, for optimum design of reservoirs and for flood forecasting. The main objective of this study was to estimate surface runoff in Atbara area, North Sudan, using GIS. The curve number (CN) method of the soil conservation service (SCS) was employed. GIS was used to generate the hydrologic soil map and the land used/land cover map which were then intersected in order to generate CN value map. Runoff was then evaluated for the whole area using rainfall data according to the SCS - CN method. The CN values ranged between 0 and 100.The results has shown that maximum runoff values are encountered in the river Nile and river Atbara channels and in the southeastern part of the study area associated with the soil group (D) and it’s hydrological properties. This paper clearly illustrates that the combination of GIS with Soil Conservation Service-Curve number technique can be applied to generate the curve number map and runoff map for hydrological investigations and water resources management.
Atbara, Hydro Soil, Land Use, SCS-CN Method, Curve Number, Runoff
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