Fluvisol sealing in Madrid Community. Landsat images analysis

Abstract

This paper analyses the evolution of the sealing of fluvisols in the Community of Madrid between 1989 and 2009. To do it images from TM sensor of Landsat have been used. These images allow us to measure the urban area on both dates and show its geographical distribution. These soils have been selected because they are the most fertile and the sealing has resulted in a higher risk of flooding in the nearby towns. Soil loss in two decades reached nearly 2000 hectares. The largest sealed areas are those which are rich or very rich agrologically. Sealing is widespread in the river valleys of the Henares, Jarama and Tagus rivers and not so much in the Manzanares and Guadarrama rivers.

Keywords

• sellado
• suelos
• fluvisol
• teledetección