PROALUV

Alluvium Mapping in Northeast Brazil, 1:100,000 scale, using satellite images LANDSAT 7 ETM + Sensor and SRTM (Shuttle Radar Topographic Mission) products like Slope Author: Carlos Eugnio da Silveira Arraes Engenheiro de Minas Remote Sensing applied to Geology

Partial area of the Project PROALUV Alluvium Cartography Scale 1:100,000

Identification of alluvium
They occupy areas adjacent of the drainages with slopes, evaluated in ArcGis, essentially less than 2 degrees. Are identified with the help of the spectral response of healthy vegetation that occurs on the wet alluvium along the drainages contrasting with the surrounding more dry vegetation. Alluvial sediments on riverbeds are different of the adjacent sediments, mainly, by a higher content of quartz derived by the river stream transport power

Spectral and spatial alluvium behavior

The healthy vegetation on alluvium has high reflectance in band 4 of Landsat 7 ETM +. As seen on Composition 4R 3G 1B. Shaded relief, generated from the SRTM, shows, in some cases, the major riverbed and the river floodplain Slope, in degrees, generated and classified in ArcGis, indicates that the alluvium in the slope images have steepness values less than 2 degrees.

Band compositions and other images used in addition to 4R 3G 1B and SRTM 5R 4G 1B Sensor LANDSAT 7 ETM +. 3R 2G 1B Sensor LANDSAT 7 ETM+. NDVI (Normalized Difference Vegetation ndice). Greeness e Wetness Components from Tasseled Cap transformation. Band Ratio: (Banda 4/ banda3) from Sensor LANDSAT 7 ETM+. SRTM classified 4 / 3 R - (Greenness) G - ( Wetness) B composition. PC1 R - 5G - 7B composition.

LIMITATIONS OF METHODS AND MATERIALS

One must consider the limitations arising from the size of the pixels of images, composed by the bands of Landsat 7 ETM + (pixel:30m) and by Slope image, generated from the SRTM (pixel 90m) in ARC GIS . The measured values obtained in the images, are not suitable for direct application calculations in the field. Slope profiles generated in ARC GIS should be studied considering the spatial limitations of such pixels. The widths of the alluvium to be studied, should exclude riverside vegetation stains, constituted by ocasional irrigated crops, in the margin with no alluvial sediments. In addition to the restrictions of spatial resolution (pixels of 30m and 90m) we must consider the restrictions of the spectral resolution of the materials. The bands of the Landsat 7 ETM + sensor , hardly distinguish alluvial sands of devastated leucocratic outcrops on the river floodplains levels. The scale of 1:100,000 shows an indicative mapping of these alluviuns.

Sertnia alluvium map (alluvium in red. Band 4 in R, outlined in yellow) ,in the composition 4R 3G 1B sensor LANDSAT 7 ETM +

Sap Map 1:100.000 scale : Rio Paraba major riverbed and floodplain as seen in shaded relief.

Sap Map 1:100.000 scale : Rio Paraba major riverbed and floodplain, as seen in classfied slope, from SRTM, made in Arc Gis. Alluvium with slope < 2 degrees

Area with alluvium in Northeast Brazil studied by UFPEUniversidade Federal de Pernambuco.

Afogados da Ingazeira and Prata maps 1:100.000 scale. Classified Slope. Alluvium showed outlined in yellow, in white coloured slope class <2 degrees along the riverbeds

Alluvium Studied by UFPE and CPRM in Northeast Brazil. Presentation of alluviums in Landsat 7 ETM + in composition 4R 3G 1B and in classified SRTM Slope processed image .

LANDSAT 7 ETM+ 4R 3G 1B image in Afogados da Ingazeira e Prata Counties maps Alluviuns in red( 4R) outlined in yellow.

Processed Slope image from SRTM, with alluviuns outlined in yellow and wells in brown dots, in Bodoc County map Alluvions are on riverbed, with slow slope < 2 degrees showed in white contoured in blue

LANDSAT 7 ETM+ 4R 3G 1B image from Bodoc County map. Aluvium are in red (4R), outlined in yellow. Drilled water wells are in brown dots.

Slope image processed from SRTM, with alluvium outlined in yellow and wells in brown dots, in Custdia Riacho do Navio Counties map Alluvions are on riverbeds, with low slope < 2 degrees showed in white, contoured in yellow

Custodia and Riacho do Navio Counties maps, showing alluvium in red(healthy vegetation at near infrared - 4R) , contoured (drawed)in yellow, along dry riverbeds, with low slopes (not showed) < 2 degrees

Alluvium low Slopes (<2 degrees), showed in white, along drainages, at Mirandiba (Tupanaci) and Betnia Counties. drilled wells showed in

brown dots.The water wells are placed on dry the riverbeds in northeast Brazil semiarid .The rivers are dry during almost all the year.They have mostly underground flow and almost none run off.

Alluvium slopes in white, outlined in yellow,in Mirandiba (Tupanaci)

4R 3G 1B LANDSAT 7 ETM +composition putting infrared band4 in

channel R, showing alluvium in red along drainages, (because healthy vegetation has high reflectance on alluvium with water)in Mirandiba(Tupanaci)-Riacho dos Picos County map

Alluvium, plenty of water(with healthy vegetation on them) ,are showed in red (due to the vegetation high reflectance in infrared band 4 in channel red), in 4R 3G 1B LANDSAT 7 ETM+sensor composition. Slope profiles with values under two degrees, along the dry riverbeds, in semi arid areas from the Northeast Brazil counties, shows the alluvium probable places. In brazilian semi arid, during most of the year, the rivers are dry with low or none run off and with only an underground flow which accumulate water in river alluvial sediments In the drought, in semiarid region, the surrounding vegetation is dry, contrasting with the healthy vegetation, which grows on the full of water alluvium
Monteiro Prata 1:100.000 scale Map Afogados da Ingazeira 1:100.000 scale Map Tupanaci 1:100.000 scale Map Delmiro Gouveia 1:100.000 scale Map Ouricuri 1:100.000 scale Map Bodoc Map 1:100.000 scale Custdia 1:100.000 scale Map Serra talhada 1:100.000 scale Map Sertnia 1:100.000 scale Map

Aluvies na Folha Monteiro Prata

Monteiro Prata County Slope profiles Riverbeds slopes low values (under 2 degrees) point out probable alluvium places. The riverbed low slopes decreases river waterflow, during the short rainy season, diminishing the waterflow velocities, which give rise to the sediments settling, like the sands in suspension, creating the alluvium, which in the dry season will accumulate the underground water, to be explotated through drilled water wells and underground dams.

Slope profiles 1:100.000 scale Afogados da Ingazeira map

Perfil das Declividades da Folha 1:100.000 Tupanaci

Perfil das Declividades da Folha 1: 100.000 Delmiro Gouveia

Perfil das Declividades da Folha 1:100.000 Ouricuri

Perfis das Declividades da Folha 1:100.000 Bodoc

Perfil das Declividades da Folha 1:100.000 Custdia

Perfil das declividades da Folha 1:100.000 Serra Talhada

Perfil das declividades da Folha 1:100.000 Sertnia

4R_3G_1B_Folha Delmiro Gouveia_Rio Moxoto_Caraibeiras_Tacaratu

Slopes Delmiro Gouveia map_ Moxoto River_Caraibeiras_Tacaratu

Conclusions The spectral patterns favorable to alluvium identification (healthy vegetation along the riverbeds, contrasting with surrounding dry vegetation ) found in satellite images, should be confronted with the slope images, in order to ensure the existence of a alluvium and not a colluvium vegetation. However, due to the pixel size of the slope(derived from SRTM) is 90m, may occur, sporadically, that an alluvium, with a width of 30 m, for example, may appear to have a slope of 5 degrees. It is easy to understand since we pay attention to the fact that, a very small width of alluvium(less than 90m) would be represented in a mixed pixel, in the image slope, which would include the width of this alluvium and part of the steeper slope marginal area.