SOIL EROSION IN AREAS OF URBAN EXPANSION ON THE NORTH COAST OF THE MUNICIPALITY OF MACEIÓ-AL

Abstract

This research reveals the accelerated erosive processes that occurs in three urban areas on the north coast of Maceió-AL. It presents a description of each location, its causes and consequences, in which the urban expansion and the land cover / land use of soils in a disorderly way act as a catalyst. Those, associated with failures to comply with urban planning and the precarious inspection of monitoring the permanent preservation areas tend to generate an acceleration of the erosion process and raise issues, such as mass moviments throughout the region. Regarding the erosion studies, soil samples were collected from the area studied and physical, chemical and micromorphological analyses were performed in the laboratory, in order to characterize and describe the soils of the region, so that it could be presented whether they have characteristics that facilitate this erosive process. Thus, it was possible to achieve the results, for instance, it is worth to highlight the “São Jorge” area, a neighborhood of Maceió presented more anthropic interventions and high accelerated erosion process due to the characteristics found in its soils, such as a large amount of sand and a small amount of clay, which are the most susceptible material to the erosion process. In addition, a large part of the vegetation was removed and a road was constructed, that which worsen the problem. It is now up to the preservation of green areas that still exist and the use of studies that take into account the characteristics of soils, so that in this way a better appropriation and utilization of these regions can take place.