Mapping of soil loss in the gourou watershed located north of the city of Abidjan in Ivory Coast

This study aims to characterize soil loss in the Goura watershed. To achieve this objective, the work required monthly rainfall data, satellite images, altimetry data, and cartographic data. The methodology applied to this work was based on the revised version of the Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE) developed by (29). The analysis reveals that the average soil loss is 75 t/ha/year throughout the basin. This is well above the tolerable threshold for soil loss, which is an average of 20 t/ha/year. Moderately sensitive areas cover 15.203 km², or 55% of the entire study area. They lose up to 202.07 t/ha/year of material. This area is more localized in the northwest and southeast of the basin. The areas most sensitive to erosion in the Goura watershed cover 11.9 km², or 45% of the entire study area, and can lose up to 790.62 t/ha/year of material. This area is located in the southwest, center, and northeast of the basin.