STUDENTS:Tadesual Asamin SETARGIE

Name of United Graduate School of Agricultural Sciences:Tottori University
Assigned university:Tottoriuniversity
Specialized field:Global Dryland Science (Hydrology)
Research Theme:
– Evaluate gully erosion using alternative techniques and datasets
– Model key controlling factors of gully erosion and their interaction
Obtained (planned) degree/date:Doctor of Philosophy Ph.D. (Agriculture) 　To be obtained in September 2023 (scheduled)

Soil erosion not only reduces agricultural productivity by causing land degradation and loss of soil fertility but also remains one of the most challenging global issues by resulting in onsite and offsite environmental problems. Although Ethiopia is the ‘water tower of Africa’, it is also the top hotspot area for soil erosion by water globally. As a person living in the highly erosion susceptible region of the Ethiopian highlands, I was concerned about how to use the water resources for developmental activities while reducing soil loss. For this reason, I have decided to study my B.Sc. in ‘Water Resources and Environmental Engineering’ and M.Sc. in ‘Engineering Hydrology’. I did my B.Sc. project on the application of remote sensing tools for water resource monitoring. My master’s thesis assessed the contribution of shallow groundwater for dry season irrigation. In my doctoral study, I have repeatedly modified my research title because of travel restrictions due to the ongoing global pandemic. As a result, I started to think of alternative techniques that can be used to model gully erosion. Currently, I am working on modeling key controlling factors of gully erosion and their interaction in the Upper Basin Nile (UBN) basin of Ethiopia using alternative techniques and available remote sensing datasets. The alternative techniques include topographic thresholds, machine, and deep learning-based models, whereas, the remote sensing datasets comprise satellite imageries, DEM, and SAR products from different sources with varying resolutions. In my future career, I want to study the hydrology of the UBN basin and other river basins to contribute to the reduction of soil (sediment) loss and support integrated river basin management in Ethiopia and Nile basin at large.