Department of Agricultural Engineer, Federal University of Viçosa, Vicosa, 36570-900, Brazil.
Department of Soil and Plant Nutrition, Federal University of Viçosa, Vicosa, 36570-900, Brazil.
Environ Monit Assess. 2023 Aug 31;195(9):1119. doi: 10.1007/s10661-023-11782-w.
Environmental vulnerability is an important tool to understand the natural and anthropogenic impacts associated with the susceptibility to environmental damage. This study aims to assess the environmental vulnerability of the Doce River basin in Brazil through Multicriteria Decision Analysis based on Geographic Information Systems (GIS-MCDA). Natural factors (slope, elevation, relief dissection, rainfall, pedology, and geology) and anthropogenic factors (distance from urban centers, roads, mining dams, and land use) were used to determine the environmental vulnerability index (EVI). The EVI was classified into five classes, identifying associated land uses. Vulnerability was verified in water resource management units (UGRHs) and municipalities using hot spot analysis. The study employed the water quality index (WQI) to assess the EVI and global sensitivity analysis (GSA) to evaluate the model input parameters that most influence the basin's environmental vulnerability. The results showed that the regions near the middle Doce River were considered environmentally more vulnerable, especially the UGRHs Guandu, Manhuaçu, and Caratinga; and 35.9% of the basin has high and very high vulnerabilities. Hot spot analysis identified regions with low EVI values (cold spot) in the north and northwest, while areas with high values (hot spot) were concentrated mainly in the middle Doce region. Water monitoring stations with the worst WQI values were found in the most environmentally vulnerable areas. The GSA determined that land use and slope were the primary factors influencing the model's response. The results of this study provide valuable information for supporting environmental planning in the Doce River basin.
环境脆弱性是理解与环境破坏易感性相关的自然和人为影响的重要工具。本研究旨在通过基于地理信息系统（GIS-MCDA）的多准则决策分析来评估巴西多斯雷斯流域的环境脆弱性。自然因素（坡度、海拔、地形切割、降雨量、土壤和地质）和人为因素（距城市中心、道路、采矿水坝和土地利用的距离）用于确定环境脆弱性指数（EVI）。EVI 分为五类，确定相关土地利用类型。脆弱性在水资源管理单位（UGRHs）和城市中通过热点分析进行验证。本研究采用水质指数（WQI）评估 EVI 和全局灵敏度分析（GSA）来评估对流域环境脆弱性影响最大的模型输入参数。结果表明，多斯雷斯河中游附近地区被认为环境更为脆弱，特别是瓜杜、马纳胡和卡拉廷加 UGRHs；流域有 35.9%的地区具有高和极高的脆弱性。热点分析确定了北部和西北部 EVI 值较低的地区（冷点），而高值地区（热点）主要集中在多斯雷斯河中游地区。水质监测站中最差的 WQI 值出现在环境脆弱性最高的地区。GSA 确定土地利用和坡度是影响模型响应的主要因素。本研究的结果为多斯雷斯河流域的环境规划提供了有价值的信息。
