Evaluation of Arid Soil Landscapes Permeability in Algerian Sahara

Abstract

The hydro-edaphic environment of arid ecosystems in Ouargla is endangered. To the sustainability of this fragile ecosystem, detailed knowledge of geomorphology, surface characteristics, vegetation, and hydrodynamic characteristics of the soil is required. Soil permeability is an important hydrodynamic parameter for the assessment of infiltration, structure design, drainage, and groundwater vulnerability, but it has not been studied in Ouargla. In order to ensure better management of the irrigation-drainage and to better characterize the variability of the water dynamics in the soils of this region, we have measured the permeability of these soils by Porchet’s method, taking into consideration the pedo-landscapes of the region: Plateau, Glacis, Erg, Reg, and Sabkha. Soils of Ouargla are semi-permeable with 4.58 m/d, which gives them good drainage capacity and facilitates the transfer of pollutants to groundwater. A difference in the mean permeability of the soils from one pedo-landscape to another is noticed, but only the difference in mean between the soils of Erg and those of Glacis is statistically significant according to the ANOVA and Tukey test.

Keywords

• arid soil
• permeability
• pedo-landscapes
• ouargla