Prioritization of Sub-Watersheds Susceptible to Water Erosion Using a Combined Approach of Explicit Spatial Modeling and Multivariate Statistical Analysis

López Silva M.; Carmenates Hernández D.S. · Revista Cartografica (2026) · DOI: 10.35424/rcarto.i112.6042

Resumen

Soil loss is an environmental impact affecting hydrographic units, significantly contributing to the reduction of agricultural soil potential and the accumulation of sediment loads in water bodies. This process is exacerbated by disruptions to the hydrological cycle, as well as by anthropogenic activities. Therefore, this study aims to prioritize the hydrographic sub-basins most susceptible to water erosion through a combined approach involving explicit spatial models and multivariate statistical analysis, in order to identify critical areas for the implementation of soil conservation measures and sustainable land management. In this context, Geographic Information System (GIS) tools were applied to characterize morphometry and estimate spatial soil erosion using the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE). The statistical analysis included the Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin (KMO) measure of sampling adequacy, Bartlett’s test of sphericity, factor analysis, Principal Component Analysis (PCA), Weighted Sum Analysis (WSA), and the determination of a Composite Value (CV). The results revealed a total soil loss of 96.40 t ha-1 year-1 across the entire basin, with sub-basin SC-8 identified as the highest priority for intervention. Three levels of erosion priority were established: high (15.30%), medium (50.43%), and low (34.27%), distributed over an area of 3,503.95 km2. It is concluded that the integration of explicit spatial models with multivariate statistical techniques provides a more accurate and effective approach for identifying critical zones, which is essential for soil conservation planning and management.

Instituciones: Universidad Ricardo Palma