Using remote sensing approach and surface landscape conditions for optimization of watershed management in Mediterranean regions

Identification of potential sites for water harvesting is a prerequisite for improving watershed management in the semi-arid and dry Mediterranean regions. The main objective of this work is to identify and optimize the potential water-harvesting sites in Jordan based on the characterization of surface landscape conditions using DEM and remote sensing techniques. In this study, the vegetation abundance and distribution was derived using spectral mixture analysis. In order to characterize the surface landscape conditions, a mathematical model has been established between soil colour and soil surface properties to derive the spatial distribution of soil organic and inorganic content using Landsat images. Based on these results the current distribution of the hydrological pattern has been derived, and hence the spatial pattern of run-on and run-off areas have been determined. The run-on areas have been determined with high details utilizing organic carbon distribution, while the run-off areas have been determined based on spatial distribution of inorganic carbon. The high concentration of organic carbon indicate presence of excessive water moisture content and drainage network and hence the potential for water-harvesting sites is high. This approach takes into consideration both the physical and actual landscape conditions in allocation of suitable sites for water harvesting. Thus, integration of landscape information and DEM are useful for efficient management of watersheds and identification of potential water-harvesting sites on a sub-catchment basis. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.