{"id":2072,"date":"2026-10-02T15:16:55","date_gmt":"2026-10-02T15:16:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/colapso.ggf.br\/?p=2072"},"modified":"2026-10-02T15:19:28","modified_gmt":"2026-10-02T15:19:28","slug":"61000-linear-water-erosion-foci-reveal-critical-areas-of-soil-degradation-in-mato-grosso-brazil","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/colapso.ggf.br\/en\/61000-linear-water-erosion-foci-reveal-critical-areas-of-soil-degradation-in-mato-grosso-brazil\/","title":{"rendered":"61,000 Linear Water Erosion Foci Reveal Critical Areas of Soil Degradation in Mato Grosso, Brazil"},"content":{"rendered":"
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A study published in Earth Surface Processes and Landforms<\/em> maps linear water erosion across the state and shows how relief, soils, and mismatches between land use and agricultural land capability help explain the concentration of rills, ravines, and gullies.<\/strong><\/p>\n

In a state covering more than 900,000 square kilometers, locating a ravine or gully is relatively straightforward. The challenge is determining whether thousands of these features form a spatial pattern and, more importantly, understanding why they are concentrated in particular parts of the landscape.<\/p>\n

A new study conducted in Mato Grosso addressed this question at an unusually broad spatial scale. By systematically interpreting high-resolution imagery, the researchers mapped 61,005 medium- and large-scale linear water erosion foci<\/strong>. The survey identified 15 critical areas and examined which environmental characteristics and land-use forms are associated with higher concentrations of erosional processes.<\/p>\n

The results were published in the article \u201cLinear Water Erosion in the State of Mato Grosso (Brazil): Spatial Analysis and Identification of Critical Areas\u201d<\/strong> in Earth Surface Processes and Landforms<\/em>.\u00a0K\u00e1ssio Samay Ribeiro Tavares,\u00a0Grace Bungenstab Alves<\/strong>, and Selma Sim\u00f5es de Castro authored the study<\/span>.<\/p>\n

The research\u00a0grew out of work K\u00e1ssio Samay Ribeiro Tavares carried out during the\u00a0Specialization Program in Geoprocessing, Soil Survey and Interpretation at Unisolos\/UFMG<\/strong> and his PhD in Geography at the University of Campinas (Unicamp), and eventually became<\/span>\u00a0the recently published article.<\/p>\n

Rather than simply counting ravines and gullies, the study sought to understand why linear water erosion is so unevenly distributed across the territory<\/strong>. The answer lies in the interaction among relief, soils, and land use, showing why land degradation cannot be explained by a single controlling factor.<\/p>\n

When water leaves permanent marks on the landscape<\/h2>\n

Water erosion begins with seemingly simple processes: raindrops striking the soil surface, detaching soil particles, and transporting them by water. When runoff occurs diffusely across the surface, it causes sheet erosion. When water becomes concentrated along preferential pathways, however, it begins to incise the terrain and may form rills, ravines, and gullies.<\/p>\n

These incisions are the visible expression of deeper landscape reorganization. Soil and sediment are removed from hillslopes and transported downslope, potentially reaching drainage channels. As erosional features expand, they can also alter water flow, creating new conditions that allow erosion to continue advancing.<\/p>\n

This process becomes particularly important in intensively used areas. Mato Grosso encompasses three major Brazilian biomes\u2014the Amazon, Cerrado, and Pantanal\u2014and contains a wide diversity of soils, landforms, and climatic conditions. At the same time, it has become one of Brazil\u2019s major regions for agricultural and livestock production.<\/p>\n

In this context, understanding erosion requires considering both the landscape\u2019s natural characteristics and how land is occupied and managed. As COLAPSO discussed in our article on soil profiles as tools for understanding the genesis, degradation, and memory of landscapes<\/strong><\/a>, environmental assessments based only on surface characteristics or isolated variables may overlook important limitations related to soils and their functioning.<\/p>\n

In Mato Grosso, previous studies had already highlighted interactions between soil susceptibility and land-management practices, including pasture and livestock management and the absence or inadequacy of soil conservation practices. The new study advances this discussion by examining how these relationships emerge when erosion is analyzed at the scale of an entire state.<\/p>\n

How do you find 61,000 erosion foci across an entire state?<\/h2>\n

Answering this question first required building a large spatial inventory.<\/p>\n

The researchers identified medium- and large-scale ravines and gullies at least 20 meters long<\/strong> by visually interpreting GeoEye-1 imagery with a spatial resolution of 1.65 meters. The analysis was conducted systematically at a scale of 1:15,000 and, when confirmation was needed, at 1:8,000.<\/p>\n

To maintain comparable detail across the territory, Mato Grosso was divided into a 3 \u00d7 3 kilometer grid. Features were identified based on image tone, texture, shape, and pattern, as well as their relationships with drainage channels, roads, cattle trails, exposed soil, cropland, and pasture. Given the survey scale, ravines and gullies were recorded together as linear water erosion foci.<\/p>\n

In total,\u00a0the researchers mapped 61,005 erosion foci<\/strong><\/span>.<\/p>\n

The number conveys the magnitude of the phenomenon but does not, by itself, explain its spatial organization. The researchers therefore investigated whether the features were randomly distributed or concentrated in particular areas.<\/p>\n

Kernel density analysis transformed the thousands of individual points into a spatial pattern of concentration. This analysis delineated 15 critical areas<\/strong>, classified by criticality level, with densities ranging from 0.29 to 0.61 erosion foci per square kilometer<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

The survey thus became more than a map of individual occurrences. It revealed a geography of erosion<\/strong>, highlighting areas where ravines and gullies are particularly concentrated.<\/p>\n

Why is erosion more concentrated in some areas?<\/h2>\n

There is no single-variable answer.<\/p>\n

Rainfall, relief, soils, geology, and land use all influence erosional processes, but they do not operate independently. The same amount of rainfall can produce different responses depending on infiltration, soil texture, vegetation cover, slope gradient, hillslope morphology, and soil management.<\/p>\n

To investigate these interactions, the researchers used Principal Component Analysis (PCA)<\/strong>, a statistical technique that identifies which variables contribute most to variability within a dataset.<\/p>\n

Two factors stood out: relief compartments and mismatches between land use and soils\u2019 agricultural capability<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

The second result is particularly relevant because it shows that the mere presence of agriculture or livestock production does not, by itself, explain the distribution of erosion. The issue lies in the relationship between land use and the conditions that the landscape provides to sustain that use.<\/p>\n

A given area may have limitations related to soil, relief, or water circulation. When land use does not account for these limitations, natural susceptibility to erosion may be intensified. In other words, erosion depends not only on where production takes place, but also on how terrain characteristics interact with that production<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

This perspective is consistent with other research discussed by COLAPSO: soils need to be interpreted in relation to the landscape<\/strong><\/a>, rather than as bodies isolated from relief, water circulation, and the processes that redistribute materials along hillslopes.<\/p>\n

From the statewide map to the main erosion hotspot<\/h2>\n

The statewide analysis showed where concentrations were highest. The next step was to zoom in.<\/p>\n

Among the 15 critical areas identified, one\u2014designated ECA-1<\/strong>\u2014had the highest density, with 0.61 erosion foci per square kilometer<\/strong>. The authors selected this area for a more detailed local-scale analysis incorporating morphopedological and morphometric information.<\/p>\n

A key distinction is between selecting the most critical case and treating it as representative of the entire state. The authors emphasize that ECA-1 is not a statistically representative sample of Mato Grosso<\/strong>. They deliberately selected it as an extreme case, allowing a closer examination of how the controlling factors identified at the regional scale operate in the area with the highest erosion density.<\/p>\n

Changing the scale of analysis revealed relationships that the statewide map alone could not show.<\/p>\n

In ECA-1, intensified erosional processes are associated with sandy soils, intensive agricultural and livestock use, and gently undulating relief<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

This finding also highlights a point that may seem counterintuitive: the most severe linear erosion problems do not necessarily occur only on the steepest slopes. Gently undulating terrain can favor concentrated flow, particularly when combined with susceptible soils and certain land-use and management practices.<\/p>\n

Relief therefore matters for more than slope gradient alone. Its configuration controls preferential water-flow pathways, connects different parts of hillslopes, and influences the transfer of water and sediment through the landscape.<\/p>\n

When land use exceeds soil limitations<\/h2>\n

The mismatch between land use and soils\u2019 agricultural capability was among the main controlling factors identified by the regional analysis. This finding has an important practical implication: no single management recommendation can be applied to every area<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Different soils respond differently to the same land use. Agriculture practiced on terrain with a particular combination of texture, drainage, and relief will not necessarily produce the same effects when established on another soil type. The same applies to pasture.<\/p>\n

This is precisely why understanding soils in depth remains essential for planning. Soil profiles reveal limitations that are often not visible at the surface alone<\/strong><\/a>, including properties that affect infiltration, drainage, root growth, and susceptibility to degradation.<\/p>\n

When this information is integrated with relief and land use, it becomes possible to identify areas where particular activities occur under conditions of greater vulnerability.<\/p>\n

Erosion can therefore be understood not simply as a consequence of intense rainfall or susceptible soils, but as the result of relationships among water, soil, relief, and the ways landscapes are used<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

From identifying critical areas to soil conservation<\/h2>\n

Mapping 61,000 erosion foci in Mato Grosso would have limited value if the outcome were merely an inventory.<\/p>\n

The multiscale approach’s main contribution is turning this large set of observations into a tool for identifying priorities. In a territory as large as Mato Grosso, conducting detailed local surveys everywhere at once is impractical. Regional analysis makes it possible to first identify patterns and delineate areas of greater criticality, and then direct higher-resolution investigations toward those areas.<\/p>\n

The 15 critical areas are therefore not the only places in Mato Grosso where linear erosion occurs<\/strong>. The 61,005 mapped foci demonstrate that the phenomenon is much more widespread. Rather, these areas correspond to sectors where concentrations reached the thresholds established in the study for higher criticality levels.<\/p>\n

This distinction matters. The map does not simply separate places \u201cwith erosion\u201d from places \u201cwithout erosion.\u201d Instead, it shows different levels of spatial concentration of the problem<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

This information can help guide further surveys, monitoring efforts, and soil conservation strategies. By combining remote sensing, geoprocessing, statistical analysis, morphopedological compartmentalization, and relief analysis, the study develops an approach that moves from regional problem identification to a more detailed investigation of the underlying processes.<\/p>\n

The authors emphasize that the results provide a scientific basis for understanding the spatial distribution and controlling factors of linear water erosion in the Cerrado of Mato Grosso and may contribute to multiscale environmental assessments and soil conservation strategies.<\/p>\n

A geography of erosion in Mato Grosso<\/h2>\n

The 61,005 erosion foci identified<\/strong> provide a sense of the magnitude of linear water erosion across the state, but the study\u2019s main contribution goes beyond this number. It lies in the pattern that emerges when these occurrences are related to landscape characteristics.<\/p>\n

Erosion is not uniformly distributed, nor can it be attributed to a single cause. Relief, soils, and land use interact<\/strong>, producing combinations that may increase or reduce landscape susceptibility to erosional processes. The detailed analysis of the most critical area reinforces this interpretation by showing an association among sandy soils, intensive agriculture and livestock production, and gently undulating relief.<\/p>\n

The study also demonstrates the importance of changing scales. Viewed from a distance, the statewide map reveals broad spatial patterns. When the analysis zooms in on the main hotspot, it becomes clearer how these controlling factors interact on the ground. Moving between scales transforms thousands of mapped points into an interpretation of the processes shaping the landscape.<\/p>\n

In one of Brazil\u2019s major agricultural regions, these findings have implications that extend beyond geomorphological assessment. Soil is a fundamental component of the region\u2019s productive base. Identifying where and under what conditions soil is being lost is therefore also essential for considering the sustainability of land use.<\/p>\n

The study reinforces a central issue in Physical Geography and Soil Science: understanding degradation requires integrating natural processes and land use across multiple spatial scales<\/strong>. In Mato Grosso, the tens of thousands of mapped ravines and gullies are more than points on a map. Their distribution records how water, soils, relief, and land occupation interact, and where those interactions matter most.<\/p>\n

\n

Reference<\/strong><\/h3>\n

TAVARES, K\u00e1ssio Samay Ribeiro; ALVES, Grace Bungenstab; CASTRO, Selma Sim\u00f5es de. Linear water erosion in the State of Mato Grosso (Brazil): spatial analysis and identification of critical areas. Earth Surface Processes and Landforms<\/em>, v. 51, e70414, 2026. DOI: https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1002\/esp.70414<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\n

How to cite this article<\/strong><\/h3>\n

ALVES, Grace Bungenstab. 61,000 linear water erosion foci reveal critical areas of soil degradation in Mato Grosso, Brazil. COLAPSO Research Group Blog<\/em>, 2026. Available at: https:\/\/colapso.ggf.br\/en\/61000-linear-water-erosion-foci-reveal-critical-areas-of-soil-degradation-in-mato-grosso-brazil\/. Accessed: 2 Oct. 2026.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A study published in Earth Surface Processes and Landforms mapped 61,005 linear water erosion foci in Mato Grosso, Brazil, and identified 15 critical areas. The results show how relief, soils, and mismatches between land use and agricultural land capability help explain the concentration of ravines and gullies, while providing insights for land-use planning and soil conservation.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2076,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[396],"tags":[582,342,580,359,578,340,574,577,572,583,576,579,341,363,573,584,358,575,519,581,360,571],"class_list":["post-2072","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-pedologia-e-paisagem-en","tag-agriculture","tag-colapso-nature-and-society","tag-critical-erosion-areas","tag-geomorphology-en","tag-geoprocessing","tag-grace-alves-en","tag-gullies","tag-land-use","tag-linear-water-erosion","tag-livestock-farming","tag-mato-grosso","tag-multiscale-analysis","tag-pedology-en","tag-physical-geography","tag-ravines","tag-remote-sensing","tag-soil-and-landscape-en","tag-soil-conservation","tag-soil-degradation","tag-soil-management","tag-soil-science-en","tag-water-erosion"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n61,000 Linear Water Erosion Foci Reveal Critical Areas of Soil Degradation in Mato Grosso, Brazil - 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