Abstract
Knowledge and understanding of the functioning of watersheds is essential for constructing future scenarios that aim to minimize instability. However, new approaches including variables, methods, and techniques into traditional methodologies contribute to environmental planning and management of such territorial units. This study aims to propose a model based on a multicriterion spatial approach for the analysis of the geomorphometric environmental fragility of watersheds. This study was conducted in the Murundú-Paiol watershed, located in the state of São Paulo, Brazil. Morphometric, geological, pedological, hypsometric, slope, land use, and land cover data were evaluated and integrated using geotechnologies for processing and analytical hierarchy process (AHP) considering a weighted linear combination for an integrated spatial analysis of the watershed. The study area shows a greater predisposition to fragility in areas of flat and smooth reliefs, especially around the main river, where there is a greater presence of anthropic areas. The methodology proposed here, which uses a multicriterion spatial approach and AHP, combined with technical and scientific data, allows replicating the model to another watersheds. Modeling was validated in a cooperative way using an in-field, traditional method. The watershed evaluated showed that 49.13% and 26.83% of lands have medium and low fragility, respectively, while about 17% of lands have a high fragility and their management should be a priority. Modeling correlates strongly and positively with fragility class detailing, and field areas corroborate the model proposed here. This evidenced a robust analysis of factors that affect the geomorphometric environmental fragility of watersheds. The method is efficient in contributing to environmental planning and management of this territorial unit.
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The datasets generated during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.
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This study was financed in part by the Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior—Brazil (CAPES)—Finance Code 001.
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Amanda Trindade Amorim is responsible for the conception of the article idea, data collection and processing, analysis and discussion of the results, and elaboration of the manuscript. Elfany Reis do Nascimento Lopes is responsible for processing the multicriterion analysis and contributed to the analysis and discussion of the results. Jocy Ana Paixão de Sousa contributed to field data collection and in the analysis and discussion of the results. Rita de Cassia Ferreira da Silva contributed to the field data collection and in the analysis and discussion of the results. José Carlos de Souza contributed to the definition of the weights of physical determinant variables and land use and coverage and in the analysis and discussion of the results. Roberto Wagner Lourenço contributed to the role of advisor and the revision of the manuscript.
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Amorim, A.T., do Nascimento Lopes, E.R., de Sousa, J.A.P. et al. Geomorphometric environmental fragility of a watershed: a multicriteria spatial approach. Environ Monit Assess 193, 850 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-021-09634-6
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-021-09634-6