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
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 Índice).
• 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.
 Sertânia alluvium map (alluvium in red. Band 4 in R, outlined in
yellow) ,in the composition 4R 3G 1B sensor LANDSAT 7 ETM +
Sapé Map 1:100.000 scale : Rio Paraíba major riverbed and
floodplain as seen in shaded relief.
 Sapé Map 1:100.000 scale : Rio Paraíba 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 UFPE-
Universidade 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 Bodocó 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 Bodocó 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 Custódia 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 Betânia 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
• Bodocó Map 1:100.000 scale
• Custódia 1:100.000 scale Map
• Serra talhada 1:100.000 scale Map
• Sertânia 1:100.000 scale Map
Aluviões 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 Bodocó
Perfil das Declividades da Folha 1:100.000 Custódia
Perfil das declividades da Folha 1:100.000 Serra Talhada
Perfil das declividades da Folha 1:100.000 Sertânia
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.