Avaliação da suscetibilidade à erosão no centro de lançamento da Barreira do Inferno

Abstract

The production of information about the physical environment in a given region has a relevant role for the rational use of the soil, which can help to preserve the ecosystem, to develop more efficient works and to protect against soil loss. On the eastern coast of Rio Grande do Norte and located in the Metropolitan Region of Natal, is located the Launch Center of the Barreira do Inferno, an unit institutionally protected by the Brazilian Air Force. In order to provide planning guidelines, this work evaluated and mapped the geoenvironmental elements related to the water erosion process, allowing the analysis of soil susceptibility to laminar erosion in the military area. Geoprocessing techniques were used in a Geographic Information System (GIS) environment in the qualitative analysis of maps by additive multicriteria technique. Field visits, orbital image analysis and climatologic data evaluation were carried out. With the comparison of the different cartographic products generated through map algebra, it was possible to evaluate the erosive potential of the area. It was observed that due to the absence of predatory anthropic actions, the attributes of the physical environment have the greatest relevance for erosion analysis. Local surveys identified ravine processes in the area of the sea cliffs and the technique adopted proved to be adequate and efficient for the spatial representation of the erosive potential.