Using of Remote Sensing and GIS to Estimate Environmental Sensitivity to Desertification in East Nile Delta Using MEDALUS Model

Abstract

This study employs the MEDALUS model, developed by the European Union, to estimate the degree of desertification in European Mediterranean countries. The model classifies environmental sensitivity to desertification (ESD) to five degrees based on soil, vegetation cover, and climatic conditions. The study area was carefully selected due to its location in the eastern margin of the Delta of the Nile, overlapping between Nile silt and delta sediments and the sands of the eastern desert. The area encompasses various land uses, including ancient agricultural lands, agricultural reclamation, and vacant lands suitable for future agricultural and urban expansion. The study revealed that 76.4% of the area has an average soil quality index, 23.6% has a low one, and 23.9% has a good vegetation cover index, 29.1% is average quality, and 47% has a low one. The study also revealed that 65.1% of the area has an average climate quality index, while 34.9% has a low one. The study concluded that 2.4% of the area has a very high environmental sensitivity index to desertification, 61.2% is environmentally sensitive, 22.8% of its area is medium sensitive, and 13.6% is low (ESD).