Assessment of soil susceptibility to erosion on the cliffs of the eastern coasts of the state of Rio Grande do norte

Abstract

On the eastern coast of the Rio Grande do Norte State, the study area is located at the boundaries of the Barreira do Inferno Launching Center, which has preserved natural characteristics and where thematic units and classes of physical database were evaluated, pointedly to the acquiring of the soil erosion susceptibility map, among them: geology, geomorphology, pedology, vegetation cover, slope, land use and cover. The evaluation of the soil erosion susceptibility level was obtained through digital processing techniques of LANDSAT 8-OLI multispectral and panchromatic images that formed the basis for the obtention of thematic maps, georeferenced and integrated in Geographic Information System. This integration allowed the qualitative analysis of thematic units and classes by multicriteria model in map algebra, weighted by the assignment of specific notes and weights, according to the degree of relevance of these factors in erosive processes in coastal areas with low anthropic intervention. The results of the assessment of the erosive potential of the thematic units and classes, confirmed in field visits, attributed to 64% of the total area the low and medium susceptibility, for lands with slopes from 0° to 10°, under the shrubby and herbaceous vegetation domain. The very high erosive susceptibility class represented 9% of the total area granted to the dune fields, connected to the beach stretch, and to the active cliffs. The soil erosion susceptibility map, based on information from the physical database is fundamental in the development of land use management practices in coastal zones composed of active cliffs and dune-beaches system, assisting to ecosystem preservation and planning of more effective coastal protecting infrastructures against soil loss.