Morphometric analysis of the Vaza-Barris River Watershed (SE): identification of areas vulnerable to environmental degradation

Abstract

Morphometric analysis of hydrographic basins is crucial for understanding their geometric characteristics, such as shape, size, and drainage pattern. These data are essential for the planning and sustainable management of water resources, including environmental vulnerability assessment. In this regard, this study aimed to perform morphometric analysis of the Vaza-Barris River Basin in the state of Sergipe. Thus, geoprocessing tools were used to process vector and matrix data in QGIS and SPRING software, quantifying the geometric characteristics of the drainage network and relief, based on morphometric parameters and cartographic data on land use, precipitation, pedology, solar exposure, hypsometric, and slope. The results showed that the basin has a form factor (0.099), compactness coefficient (2.06), circularity index (0.23), and elongation ratio (0.35), indicating that the basin has satisfactory conditions for surface runoff, not presenting high risks of floods. Furthermore, it shows that the area has significant topographic variation, influencing water flow patterns due to the predominant slope of 10 to 15%, making sediment transport and erosion more likely. Low precipitation in areas where agriculture is predominant contributes to increasing hydrological vulnerability, while anthropic activities have a direct impact on soil and water quality in the region. Therefore, this study highlights the importance of morphometric analysis in hydrographic basins, using GIS as a subsidy for effective water resource planning and management.