Hydrological Analysis of Wadi Arab Valley Dam by Integrate Soil Conservation Service and Geographic Information Systems

This study aims to estimate the runoff volume by analyzing satellite data and Digital Elevation Model (DEM) data utilizing a set of software tools such as (ArcHydro Tool, ArcGIS) to excerpt hydrological and morphological characteristics of Wadi Al Arab Dam basin with an area of 266 km2 in Jordan. Natural data “soil and land use” were analyzed and defined by the curve number (CN) method with geographic information systems (GIS). The novelty of this study lies in the application of high-resolution DEMs combined with advanced GIS techniques to achieve more precise elevation mapping and hydrological flow assessments, which were previously less accurate in similar studies. Moreover, it highlights runoff concentration time and the minimal dissection of the basin, providing a better understanding of flood potential and geomorphological traits in arid regions. This fills a gap in quantifying basin hydrodynamics compared to previous studies. Results found that the total CN for the basin was 86.5. The drainage density of the basin was found to be 4.39 × 10-5 m/m2, indicating less impact from erosion factors and less dissection. The concentration time of the basin was approximately 65.69 minutes, increasing the possibility of high flood potential due to the short distance traveled by the runoff. The relief ratio was found to be low at 0.018, indicating minimal dissection and runoff in the basin. We recommended the urgent adoption of high-accuracy digital data sources due to the precision they offer when conducting quantitative measurements.