Reinaldo Lorandi

Geospatial Analysis of Geotechnical Data Applied to Urban Infrastructure Planning

The urbanization process inside the State of Sao Paulo (Brazil) facilitated, in approximately five decades, the migration of thousands of peasants to the urban areas of great industrial centers inducing and requesting, at the same time and very often, an amplification of the systems of local urban infrastructure not appropriate for the natural potential of the physical territory. In this content, the city of Sao Jose do Rio Preto (State of Sao Paulo) with little more than 350.000 inhabitants, currently faces serious problems related to the urban planning originating from the unusual occupation and without previous study of suitability. Therefore, the present paper intends to guide and indicate the areas whose potential of urban development leads to an occupation suitable for the construction of shallow foundations in residential buildings of single floor, using an interpretative chart produced by the software GIS-SPRING-4.0 developed by Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas Espaciais/INPE (Brazil), and based in the methodology of geotechnical mapping developed by the department of geotechnical engineering of EESC/USP (Brazil). The chart for shallow foundation shows that a large portion of the studied area presents serious relationship problems with layers of highly collapsible soils.

A methodological proposal for quantifying environmental compensation through the spatial analysis of vulnerability indicators

The aim of this work was to propose a methodology for quantifying the environmental compensation through the spatial analysis of vulnerability indicators. A case study was applied for the analysis of sand extraction enterprises, in the region of Descalvado and Analândia, inland of Sao Paulo State, Brazil. Environmental vulnerability scores were attributed for the indicators related to erosion, hydrological resources and biodiversity loss. This methodological proposal allowed analyzing the local alternatives of certain enterprise with the objective of reducing impacts and at the same time reducing the costs of environmental compensation. The application of the methodology significantly reduced the subjectivity degree usually associated to the most of the methodologies of impact evaluation.

Multi-criteria potential groundwater contamination and human activities: Araras watershed, Brazil

ABSTRACT Assessment of groundwater contamination potential using geological, hydrological and hydrogeological attributes, is an efficient mechanism of sub-surface water resources protection and conservation. However, usually this method does not take into consideration the potentially polluting human activities, either in punctual or diffuse sources, or because the relative importance of the attributes are not considered. The paper proposes a multi-criteria approach as a way of solving this gap, reducing subjectivity and considering land use/cover due human actions influence in the process. The study was developed in Araras river watershed (Parana Basin, Brazil) using rock, groundwater, relief, soils, and land use/land cover classification, employing multi-criteria analysis and data of contamination sources. The potential contamination classification showed the predominance (54% of the area) of very high and high potential, especially due to geological environment conditions (exploitation areas and groundwater recharge of the Itarare Aquifer - clastic sedimentary and free flow). The contaminant sources analyzed are located mainly in higher potential contamination areas.

Land Change, Soil Degradation Processes, and Landscape Management at the Clarinho River Watershed, Brazil

Since 70’s land changes have been the main driving force inducing environmental degradation in Brazil, particularly in Sao Paulo State. Considering its very close relationship with landscape evolution, land change pattern and landform classification were analyzed to understand soil degradation in Clarinho watershed (40.89 km2) and propose specific management measures for recovering and conservation. Land change analysis was assessed using LCM toolbox. Landform evaluation was based on Brazilian approach for terrain evaluation. Results show that temporary and permanent soil exposures, due to extensive livestock in naturally fragile areas (i.e. more erodible soils in major surface runoff taxes), are the main triggers in soil degradation. Terrain evaluation also indicates highly fragile landforms due to its relief characteristics and morphogenetic processes. Thick soil profiles which are developed from medium grained rocks, in wide convex slopes, describe the main landforms attributes in inducing degradation. Areas subject to land changes are those in which susceptibility to erosion is high and where records of erosion processes were more expressive. Clarinho watershed large areas need to be treated as “zone for conditioned farming use”, with specific management directives and measures.

Flooding Susceptibility Identification Using the HAND Algorithm Tool Supported by Land Use/Land Cover Data

In Brazilian urban areas, the increases in human activities and extreme climatic event frequencies have resulted in an increase in floods and flooding. Despite Brazilian laws, risk analyses and management are still rare in Brazilian towns due to poor financial and human resources. Hydrological dynamic surveying coupled with land use information can result in quick and low-cost predictions of flood risks, allowing for the identification of critical areas and the design of intervention proposals. In this paper, this methodology is applied to the Cacula stream watershed using the HAND algorithm combined with land use/cover surveys to identify flood and flooding susceptibility. Imagery classification was developed in IDRISI Selva using OLI sensor bands from the Landsat 8 mission with a supervised classification. The HAND calculations resulted in a DEM for the surface flow analysis, including flooding, based on a normalized 3D model. The adopted method provides an understanding of surface process dynamics and the delineation of critical areas and their hierarchy. The results indicate a strong relationship between flooding susceptibility and land changes in the Cacula watershed.

Carbon storage in equatorial forest soil-litter systems as a function of management intensity and type of vegetation cover.

Aims and Place: The increase in greenhouse gas emissions in recent decades, especially CO2, is attributed to the increasing burning of fossil fuels and the expansion of agricultural activities. Therefore, more information should be garnered about the mechanisms that control carbon storage, capture and sinks, while simultaneously seeking new management strategies to reduce atmospheric emissions. The main purpose of this research was to comparatively determine carbon storage in the soil and litter of three forest systems in the Western Amazon (Brazil): upland forest, shrublands and grasslands. Duration of Study: Dry and rainy periods between 2005 and 2012. Methodology: Diverse soil analysis including density, porosity, particle-size, total carbon (TC and TOC) were developed according to traditional methods. Multivariate analysis (MANOVA) and Tukey’s test were applied to the results. Results and Conclusion: Total C storage C ranged from 23 to 26 Mg ha in the grasslands to 28 to 37 Mg ha in the shrublands. These findings confirm the importance of seasonality for both litter production and carbon production and storage in the different landscapes. The conditions of land use and occupation were predominant factors that explain the different concentrations of total carbon and organic carbon in the areas under study. Additional studies are needed to determine the most efficient management of these landscapes. Original Research Article Aprile et al.; BJECC, 5(3): 202-213, 2015; Article no.BJECC.2015.016 203

A caracterização dos materiais inconsolidados na compartimentação geotécnica da região de Bragança Paulista: São Paulo

This work aims at the characterization of several unconsolidated weathered material layers for geotechnical mapping of the Braganca Paulista region. Use was made of alteration profiles and terrain analysis through the landforms concept in order to represent vertical changes and compartmentation of the units. Criteria appropriate for tropical soils were adapted for the characterization of the materials.