Modeling for identification of susceptible soil erosion sub-basins using the weighted sum approach

Abstract

Sub-basins are an important natural resource management unit, so understanding and identifying the factors that may interfere with their dynamics is essential. The objective of this research is to analyze and correlate the morphometric parameters with the land cover and use classes present in the Sorocabuçu river sub-basins, trying to identify the sub-basins that are susceptible to soil erosion. For this, in this paper we used a weighted sum approach, not only for morphometric factors, as already established in some research, but also proposes the use of anthropic and natural classes, obtained from the mapping of land cover and use. The results showed that most of the sub-basins are marked by intense anthropogenic activity, mainly of agricultural crops, and that due to the morphometric characteristics, some may present predisposition to floods. Sub-basins with high or very high priorities due to soil susceptibility to erosive processes are sub-basin 1, 2 and 3. The methodology proved to be efficient because it allows a more effective diagnosis of the degree of commitment of the sub-basins, helping in the management and planning measures.