An important portion of the large northern permafrost soil organic carbon (SOC) pool might be released into the atmosphere as greenhouse gases following permafrost thawing and subsequent SOC decomposition under future warming conditions, resulting in a warming amplification known as the permafrost carbon feedback. Improved knowledge about the amount, composition and distribution of the permafrost SOC pool is essential when assessing the potential magnitude and timing of the permafrost carbon feedback. This study investigates and compares the SOC storage, composition and distribution in two contrasting permafrost environments: a lowland tundra area in NE Siberia (Tiksi study site), and an alpine area in the Russian Altai Mountains (Aktru Valley study site). Soil pedons were sampled down to 1 m depth and analyzed for key soil properties, i.e., DBD, water content, coarse fraction content, %OC, %IC, C/N ratios and δ¹⁵N values. These soil properties are upscaled by vertical subdivisions based on land cover classes. The role of geomorphology in the accumulation and distribution of SOC in the alpine study site is tested by using a landform and a combined land cover-land form upscaling approach. The estimated mean SOC storage in the upper meter of soils in the alpine site is 3.5 ± 0.8 kg C m¯² compared to 21.4 ± 3.2 kg C m¯² in the lowland tundra site (95% confidence intervals). The inclusion of geomorphology in the upscaling in some cases allows identification of SOC hotspots and areas with very low SOC storage within former land cover classes, therefore improving the landscape SOC storage distribution in the area. The much lower SOC stocks in the alpine site of Aktru Valley can be largely explained by the presence of extensive unvegetated areas in high altitudes (60%), the occurrence active layers deeper than the active soil formation, the enhanced SOM decomposition due to coarse grained, well-drained non-frozen soils, and the negligible occurrence of peatlands and buried organics. Instead, the lowland tundra site in NE Siberia presents important amounts of relatively undecomposed SOM in the permafrost layer. Thus, under future climate warming, alpine permafrost environments such as Aktru Valley may become a net C sink due to an upward shift of vegetation zones and an increase in plant productivity and soil development. Contrarily, lowland tundra areas such as Tiksi may become important C sources since the small increase in C uptake by photosynthetic plants will be outweighed by the thawing and subsequent decomposition of the much larger permafrost SOC pool.

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No. of bitstreams: 1 tinos_tm_dr_rcla.pdf: 20648358 bytes, checksum: 60c3ed48a4ac076d5e5673de366b68c6 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2016-03-31 / Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq) / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES) / Representar cartograficamente o relevo de maneira sistemática não é uma tarefa simples devido à complexidade das informações que devem ser necessariamente relatadas. O uso de processos interpretativos e subjetivos dificulta ainda mais a comparação e aplicação das metodologias por diferentes pesquisadores. Uma das formas de mudar esse quadro é substituir alguns desses processos por uma sequência de procedimentos quantitativos relativos à geomorfometria do terreno. Nesse contexto, o principal objetivo da pesquisa é propor um método de classificação automatizada do relevo a partir de um modelo digital de elevação, parâmetros e ferramentas que possibilitem uma abordagem quantitativa. Foram elaborados três experimentos que abrangem desde o desenvolvimento de produtos intermediários, obtidos através de técnicas de visualização de modelos digitais de elevação que auxiliam no reconhecimento prévio da área estudada até a proposição de uma metodologia de classificação de padrões de formas semelhantes do relevo a partir dos parâmetros de declividade, amplitude e perfil do relevo. O planalto de Poços de Caldas e a bacia do rio Corumbataí foram selecionados como áreas de estudo devido a seus relevos contrastantes, além da disponibilidade de dados e conhecimento prévio dos autores, item primordial para a realização de uma classificação automatizada do relevo. Os resultados finais englobaram mapas de classificação do relevo que retratam as unidades com padrões de formas semelhantes em escalas compatíveis a 1:100.000 (SRTM de 90 metros de resolução) e 1:50.000 (SRTM de 30 metros de resolução). Esses mapas fornecem uma visão geral da geomorfologia da área, podendo servir de base para diversos outros mapeamentos como geotécnico, geoógico, pedológico, zoneamento geoambiental e geomorfológico de detalhe. / The cartographic representation of the relief is not a simple task due to the complexity of information to be reported. Subjective and interpretative processes involved make it difficult to compare and to apply methodologies carried by different researchers. This scenario can be altered if a sequence of quantitative procedures related to terrain geomorphometry is applied. In this context, the main objective of this research is to propose a method for automated classification of relief from a digital elevation model, parameters and tools that enable a quantitative approach. Three experiments were elaborated. The first one aimed the development of intermediate products obtained from digital elevation models visualization techniques that assist in prior recognition of the studied area and the last two comprise the development of a landform patterns classification methodology from the parameters flatness, local relief and profile. The Poços de Caldas Plateau and the Corumbataí river basin were selected as study areas due to their contrasting reliefs, besides the availability of data and prior knowledge of the authors, primary item to perform an automated relief classification. The results include relief classification maps that depict landform patterns units in compatible scales with 1:100.000 (SRTM 90 meters resolution) and 1:50.000 (SRTM 30 meters resolution). These maps provide an overview of geomorphology and it can provide the basis for several other mappings as geotechnical, geological, geoenvironmental zoning and detailed geomorphological maps. / CNPq: 165931/2013-2

The timber rattlesnake (Crotalus horridus) is a forest dwelling terrestrial pit viper that utilizes several types of habitat within the forest environment. One type of habitat crucial to the species' survival in mountainous regions and at more northern latitudes is basking habitat, which typically is an exposed rocky area used by gravid females for gestation, and by other timber rattlesnakes for shedding, mating, and digesting. Understanding the range of the timber rattlesnake in Virginia will enable biologists and land managers to better manage the landscape in a way conducive to the survival and persistence of timber rattlesnakes. To improve our ability to identify and locate areas potentially containing timber rattlesnake basking habitat, I used 5 landscape-level habitat variables with logistic regression and geographic information systems (GIS) to model and map areas of western Virginia potentially containing timber rattlesnake basking habitat. Models were ranked using Akaike's Information Criterion (AIC) and were crossvalidated using the methods of Fielding and Bell (1997). Aspect, slope, elevation, landform index, and percentage of forest cover values were derived using GIS for 217 known basking sites in western Virginia. I then used data derived for the 217 known basking sites to create 22 a priori models. The best model used the variables of aspect, slope, landform index and percentage of forest cover. When I crossvalidated the top model, the kappa value, a measure of the proportion of specific agreement, and was 0.804. During field tests the predictive model was used to find timber rattlesnakes at 3 of 15 (20%) of the test sites in the Goshen Wildlife Management Area in southwestern Virginia. My predictive model has proven to be an effective tool that could be used by biologists and land managers to locate and protect timber rattlesnake basking habitat. The historic and current ranges for the timber rattlesnake in Virginia were determined using literature records, database records, place names, personal interviews, and site surveys. Historically, the timber rattlesnake ranged over the entire state. Currently, the timber rattlesnake is restricted to the mountainous regions of Virginia (not including the coastal plain population of the timber rattlesnake). The biology of Crotalus horridus and regulations and management practices used by other states within the range of the species were used to create a set of management recommendations to the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries. These recommendations include implementing (1) a no-take regulation, (2) enhanced public education, and (3) protection of critical habitat and location of new populations. / Master of Science

A região de Ibiúna, onde se encontra a Bacia Hidrográfica do Rio Sorocá-Mirim, vem sofrendo mudanças com relação ao uso e ocupação ao longo dos tempos, de cinturão caipira a área de crescente especulação imobiliária. Essas mudanças aconteceram sem um conhecimento adequado de alguns condicionantes naturais, em especial a existência de turfas (organossolos) e a quais ambientes elas estão associadas. O presente trabalho teve como objetivos: a) numa primeira etapa elaborar uma carta morfopedológica simplificada da Bacia do Rio Sorocá-Mirim, com objetivo de reconhecer as bases físicas da bacia e identificar os locais dos depósitos orgânicos; b) numa segunda etapa caracterizar as feições fluviais às quais as turfeiras estão relacionadas, elaborando mapeamentos de setores da planície e caracterizando morfologicamente o material orgânico em transectos determinados. A carta morfopedológica (1:100.000) construída a partir da correlação das variáveis naturais basicamente, relevo x rocha x solos (Castro e Salomão, 2000) individualizou sete compartimentos. Nos compartimentos das planícies, aparecem turfeiras e solos hidromórficos; compartimentos com relevo de colinas, substrato granítico/migmatítico, e cobertura latossólica, fazem a articulação entre os planos aluviais e as Serras que bordejam a bacia; os setores mais elevados correspondem aos altos regionais dos maciços graníticos de São Roque (NNE) e Paranapiacaba (SSE). Ai o relevo é de morros e serras com altas declividades e sobre os quais se desenvolvem solos rasos sobre granito, alem de cambissolos háplicos, e argissolos vermelhoamarelos. O compartimento CMPIa Planícies do Rio Sorocá-Mirim e do Ribeirão Vargem Grande, onde estão alojados os materiais orgânicos, foi objeto de analise mais detalhada com mapeamento morfológico (1:25.000) das feições fluviais e caracterização do material orgânico da planície. Transectos foram levantados com tradagens, no intuito de verificar a profundidade e distribuição areolar dos depósitos, bem como caracterizar morfologicamente os diferentes volumes. Analises e ensaios laboratoriais foram feitos em amostras selecionadas, a fim de caracterizá-las no tocante aos atributos físicos e químicos. Os resultados mostraram que há uma relação entre os aspectos morfológicos observados com auxílio do microscópio óptico e alguns resultados laboratoriais. As amostras que apresentaram grande quantidade de matéria orgânica e de carbono orgânico apresentam também características morfológicas particulares, como untuosidade e coloração preta intensa. As amostras com menores valores de matéria orgânica e carbono orgânico, apresentam uma cor cinza e sem untuosidade, com a fração mineral mais aparente. Esses aspectos possibilitaram propor uma classificação mais precisa e com base em maior numero de parâmetros. As zonas de acumulação de material orgânico foram encontradas relacionadas a ambientes fluviais particulares e que pelas interpretações mais recentes da evolução geológica da área, estariam relacionadas a um controle estrutural. O Planalto de Ibiúna, faz parte de um conjunto de blocos falhados formando grábens, alguns deles reconhecidos por Silva (2012) como os meio grábens de Ibiúna, Vargem Grande e do Grilo Esse sistema de bloqueio estrutural aprisiona a água em sub superfície, criando um ambiente úmido e confinado, gerando as condições ideais para a formação das turfeiras, sobretudo nos climas frios pleistocênicos. / Throughout time, the region of Ibiúna, in which the Sorocá-Mirim river basin is located, has been suffering changes regarding the use and occupation of land, going from a green belt zone to an area of strong real estate speculation. Such shifts took place without a previous knowledge of the natural aspects, especially concerning the existence of peat bogs (organic soils) and its associated environments. The present work has as its main goals: a) in a first approach, build a simplified morphopedological map of the Sorocá-Mirim river basin, which will allow the recognition of the location of the organic deposits and; b) in a second step, characterize the fluvial features to which the peat bogs are related, building maps of specific sectors of the flood plain and reaching a morphological characterization of the organic matter in determined transects. The morphopedological map (1:100,000) built through the correlation of the natural variables landform x lithology x soils (Castro & Salomão, 2000) individualized seven compartments. The floodplains compartment present peat bogs and hydromorphic soils; the compartment of the hills, with a granite/migmatite substract and latossolic coverage, plays the role of an articulator between the first one and the ridge that borders the basin; and finally, the most elevated compartments correspond the the regional height limits of the granitic massifs of São Roque (NNE) and Paranapiacaba (SSE). The landform in this last sector is dominated by hills and ridges with steep granite slopes, over which shallow and rocky soils, and also red-yellow podzolic soils develop. The compartment CMP-Ia, Sorocá-Mirim river and Vargem Grande creek floodplains, contain the organic matter and was object of detailed mapping (1:25,000) of the morphological fluvial features and characterization of the surface organic matter. In order to infer the depth and areal distribution of such deposits, some transects were plotted, with the aid of probing techniques, which also allowed the morphological characterization of the different volumes. The selected samples were analyzed with laboratory techniques in order to characterize them according to their physical and chemical attributes. The results show a relationship between aspects observed through the optical microscope and lab results. The samples that present an elevated amount of organic matter also show particular morphological features, such as greasiness an intense black coloration. The samples with lower amounts of organic matter present a grayish coloring and no greasiness, as well as an evident mineral fraction. These aspects allowed the proposition of a more precise classification, based on a larger amount of parameters. The zones of accumulation of organic matter found in the area are related to particular fluvial environments, which according to the most recent interpretations of geological evolution of the area are under structural control. The Ibiúna Plateau is part of a set of faulted blocks which form grabens, some of them previously acknowledged by Silva (2012), like the half-grabens of Ibiúna, Vargem Grande and Grilo. This system of structural blockage traps water in the subsurface, creating a saturated and confined environment, which are ideal for the formation of peat bogs, especially under the cold pleistocenic climates.

Soil landscape characterization into landform elements for precision agriculture has become an important issue. As soil properties and crop yields change over the landscape, delineating landform elements as a basis for site-specific application of crop inputs has become a reality. Two different methods of delineating landform elements from agricultural fields were tested and compared. The first method delineated landform elements from digital elevation maps with the use of the LandMapR(tm) software, the second method delineated classes from IKONOS high resolution panchromatic images using an unsupervised classification algorithm. The LandMapR(tm) model delineated landform elements from true elevation data collected in the field and was considered the reference dataset to which the image classification maps were compared to. The IKONOS imagery was processed using a combination of one filtering algorithm and one unsupervised classification method prior to being compared to the classified DEM. A total of 20 filtering algorithms and two unsupervised methods were used for each of the five study sites. The study sites consisted of four agricultural fields covered with crop stubble and one field in summer fallow. Image classification accuracy assessment was reported as overall, producer’s and user’s accuracy as well as Kappa statistic. Results showed that filtering algorithms and classification methods had no effects on image classification accuracies. Highest classification accuracy of image map to landform element map comparison achieved for all study sites was 17.9 %. Classification accuracy was affected by the heterogeneity of the ground surface cover found in each field. However, the classification accuracy of the fallow field was not superior to the stubble fields. / May 2006

Soil landscape characterization into landform elements for precision agriculture has become an important issue. As soil properties and crop yields change over the landscape, delineating landform elements as a basis for site-specific application of crop inputs has become a reality. Two different methods of delineating landform elements from agricultural fields were tested and compared. The first method delineated landform elements from digital elevation maps with the use of the LandMapR(tm) software, the second method delineated classes from IKONOS high resolution panchromatic images using an unsupervised classification algorithm. The LandMapR(tm) model delineated landform elements from true elevation data collected in the field and was considered the reference dataset to which the image classification maps were compared to. The IKONOS imagery was processed using a combination of one filtering algorithm and one unsupervised classification method prior to being compared to the classified DEM. A total of 20 filtering algorithms and two unsupervised methods were used for each of the five study sites. The study sites consisted of four agricultural fields covered with crop stubble and one field in summer fallow. Image classification accuracy assessment was reported as overall, producer’s and user’s accuracy as well as Kappa statistic. Results showed that filtering algorithms and classification methods had no effects on image classification accuracies. Highest classification accuracy of image map to landform element map comparison achieved for all study sites was 17.9 %. Classification accuracy was affected by the heterogeneity of the ground surface cover found in each field. However, the classification accuracy of the fallow field was not superior to the stubble fields.

Soil landscape characterization into landform elements for precision agriculture has become an important issue. As soil properties and crop yields change over the landscape, delineating landform elements as a basis for site-specific application of crop inputs has become a reality. Two different methods of delineating landform elements from agricultural fields were tested and compared. The first method delineated landform elements from digital elevation maps with the use of the LandMapR(tm) software, the second method delineated classes from IKONOS high resolution panchromatic images using an unsupervised classification algorithm. The LandMapR(tm) model delineated landform elements from true elevation data collected in the field and was considered the reference dataset to which the image classification maps were compared to. The IKONOS imagery was processed using a combination of one filtering algorithm and one unsupervised classification method prior to being compared to the classified DEM. A total of 20 filtering algorithms and two unsupervised methods were used for each of the five study sites. The study sites consisted of four agricultural fields covered with crop stubble and one field in summer fallow. Image classification accuracy assessment was reported as overall, producer’s and user’s accuracy as well as Kappa statistic. Results showed that filtering algorithms and classification methods had no effects on image classification accuracies. Highest classification accuracy of image map to landform element map comparison achieved for all study sites was 17.9 %. Classification accuracy was affected by the heterogeneity of the ground surface cover found in each field. However, the classification accuracy of the fallow field was not superior to the stubble fields.

This thesis presents a semi-automatic method to analyze morphometric features and landscape elements based on Self Organizing Map (SOM) as an unsupervised Artificial Neural Network algorithm in two completely different environments: 1) the Man and Biosphere Reserve “Eastern Carpathians” (Central Europe) as a complex mountainous humid area and 2) Lut Desert, Iran, a hyper arid region characterized by repetition of wind-eroded features. In 2003, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) released the SRTM/ SIR-C band data with 3 arc seconds (approx. 90 m resolution) grid for approximately 80 % of Earth’s land surface. The X-band SRTM data were processed with a 1 arc second (approx. 30 m resolution) grid by the German space agency, DLR and the Italian space agency ASI, but due to the smaller X-SAR ground swath, large areas are not covered. The latest version 3.0 SRTM/C DEM and SRTM/X band DEM were re-projected to 90 and 30 m UTM grid and used to generate morphometric parameters of first order (slope) and second order (cross-sectional curvature, maximum curvatures and minimum curvature) by using a bivariate quadratic surface. The morphometric parameters are then used in a SOM to identify morphometric features (or landform elements) e.g. planar, channel, ridge in mountainous areas or yardangs (ridge) and corridors (valley) in hyper-arid areas. Geomorphic phenomena and features are scale-dependent and the characteristics of features vary when measured over different spatial extents or different spatial resolution. Morphometric parameters were derived for nine window sizes of the 90 m DEM ranging from 5 × 5 to 55 ×55. Analysis of the SOM output represents landform entities with ground areas from 450 m to 4950 m that is local to regional scale features. Effect of two SRTM resolutions, C and X bands is studied on morphometric feature identification. The difference change analysis revealed the quantity of resolution dependency of morphometric features. Increasing the DEM spatial resolution from 90 to 30 m (corresponding to X band) by interpolation resulted in a significant improvement of terrain derivatives and morphometric feature identification. Integration of morphometric parameters with climate data (e.g. Sum of active temperature above 10 ° C) in SOM resulted in delineation of morphologically homogenous discrete geo-ecological units. These units were reclassified to produce a Potential Natural Vegetation map. Finally, we combined morphometric parameters and remotely sensed spectral data from Landsat ETM+ to identify and characterize landscape elements. The single integrated data set of geo-ecosystems shows the spatial distribution of geomorphic, climatic and biotic/cultural properties in the Eastern Carpathians. The results demonstrate that a SOM is a very efficient tool to analyze geo-morphometric features under diverse environmental conditions and at different scales and resolution. Finer resolution and decreasing window size reveals information that is more detailed while increasing window size and coarser resolution emphasizes more regional patterns. It was also successfully applied to integrate climatic, morphometric parameters and Landsat ETM+ data for landscape analysis. Despite the stochastic nature of SOM, the results are not sensitive to randomization of initial weight vectors if many iterations are used. This procedure is reproducible with consistent results. / Avhandlingen presenterar en halvautomatisk metod för att analysera morfometriska kännetecken och landskapselement som bygger på Self Organizing Map (SOM), en oövervakad Artificiell Neural Nätverk algoritm, i två helt skilda miljöer: 1) Man and Biosphere Reserve "Eastern Carpathians" (Centraleuropa) som är ett komplext, bergigt och humid område och 2) Lut öken, Iran, en extrem torr region som kännetecknas av återkommande vinderoderade objekt. Basen för undersökningen är det C-band SRTM digital höjd modell (DEM) med 3 bågsekunder rutnät som National Aeronautics and Space Administration släppte 2003 för ungefär 80 % av jordens yta. Dessutom används i ett mindre område X-band SRTM DEM med 1 bågsekund rutnät av den tyska rymdagenturen DLR. DEM transformerades till 90 och 30 m UTM nätet och därav genererades morfometriska parametrar av första (lutning) och andra ordning (tvärsnittböjning, största och minsta böjning). De morfometriska parametrar används sedan i en SOM för att identifiera morfometriska objekt (eller landform element) t.ex. plan yta, kanal, kam i bergsområden eller yardangs (kam) och korridorer (dalgångar) i extrem torra områden. Geomorfiska fenomen och objekt är skalberoende och kännetecken varierar med geografiska områden och upplösning. Morfometriska parametrar har härletts från 90 m DEM för nio fönsterstorlekar från 5 × 5 till 55 × 55. Resultaten representerar landform enheter för områden från 450 m till 4950 m på marken dvs. lokal till regional skala. Inflytande av två SRTM upplösningar i C och X-banden har studerats för identifikation av morfometriska objekt. Förändringsanalys visade storleken av upplösningsberoende av morfometriska objekt. Ökning av DEM upplösningen från 90 till 30 m (motsvarande X-bandet) genom interpolation resulterade i en betydande förbättring av terräng parametrar och identifiering av morfometriska objekt. Integration av morfometriska parametrar med klimatdata (t.ex. summan av aktiv temperatur över 10° C) i SOM resulterade i avgränsningen av homogena geoekologiska enheter. Dessa enheter ha används för att producera en karta av potentiell naturlig vegetation. Slutligen har vi kombinerat morfometriska parametrar och multispektrala fjärranalysdata från Landsat ETM för att identifiera och karaktärisera landskapselement. Dessa integrerade ekosystem data visar den geografiska fördelningen av morfometriska, klimatologiska och biotiska/kulturella egenskaper i östra Karpaterna. Resultaten visar att SOM är ett mycket effektivt verktyg för att analysera geomorfometriska egenskaper under skilda miljöförhållanden, i olika skalor och upplösningar. Finare upplösning och minskad fönsterstorlek visar information som är mer detaljerad. Ökad fönsterstorlek och grövre upplösning betonar mer regionala mönster. Det var också mycket framgångsrikt att integrera klimatiska och morfometriska parametrar med Landsat ETM data för landskapsanalys. Trots den stokastiska natur av SOM, är resultaten inte känsliga för slumpvisa värden i de ursprungliga viktvektorerna när många iterationer används. Detta förfarande är reproducerbart med bestående resultat. / QC 20100924

Le relief représente une perturbation de l’épandage, qui n’est pas encore gérée par les épandeurs centrifuges des engrais minéraux. Pour combler cette lacune, nous proposons de développer un nouveau dispositif de commande. Un modèle est d’abord développé afin d’avoir des cartes d’application mettant en exergue les erreurs d’application dans divers cas du relief. Il utilise une technique de mise à jour des conditions initiales des vols balistiques en tenant compte des angles d’inclinaison du tracteur à chaque point de la trajectoire. Les simulations effectuées montrent que les amplitudes de surdosage et de sous-dosage peuvent atteindre ±40%, et sont dues à la modification de la portée des particules comparée à la situation sur un terrain plat. Les reliefs irréguliers sont les plus affectés à cause de la différence d’inclinaison entre le tracteur et la surface d’épandage, tandis que seule la gravité agit dans le cas de reliefs réguliers. En tenant compte de ces résultats, un système qui commande l’inclinaison des disques est proposé car il est capable de corriger les écarts de portée des particules tout en ciblant les zones fortement affectées. Les lois de commande sont déduites de la résolution d’un problème d’optimisation. L’objectif y est de minimiser la somme des écarts quadratiques de portée d’un nombre limité de particules représentatives de la déformation de la nappe statique. Cette approche de correction permet de réduire les erreurs d’application à l’intervalle admissible de ±10%, même en présence de changements d’attitude de haute fréquence du tracteur. / Non-flat fields represent a disturbance for fertilizer spreading, that is not handled yet by centrifugal spreaders. To bridge this gap, a new control device is proposed. A model is build first to derive application rate maps highlighting application errors in several cases. It uses an updating technique of ballistic flights initial conditions, taking into account the tractor orientation. The simulations conducted show that overapplication and underapplication may reach ±40%, and that they stem from altered particles range compared to that on a flat field. Irregular fields are the most affected due to the difference between the tractor and spread surface inclination, while only the gravity acts on regular fields. These results allowed retaining a system based on discs inclination, because it can both correct the particles range and target the most affected areas. The control laws are deduced from solving an optimization problem. Its objective is minimizing the sum of quadratic range errors of a limited number of particles representative of the static the spread pattern deformation. This approach allows reducing the application errors to ±10%.

A região de Ibiúna, onde se encontra a Bacia Hidrográfica do Rio Sorocá-Mirim, vem sofrendo mudanças com relação ao uso e ocupação ao longo dos tempos, de cinturão caipira a área de crescente especulação imobiliária. Essas mudanças aconteceram sem um conhecimento adequado de alguns condicionantes naturais, em especial a existência de turfas (organossolos) e a quais ambientes elas estão associadas. O presente trabalho teve como objetivos: a) numa primeira etapa elaborar uma carta morfopedológica simplificada da Bacia do Rio Sorocá-Mirim, com objetivo de reconhecer as bases físicas da bacia e identificar os locais dos depósitos orgânicos; b) numa segunda etapa caracterizar as feições fluviais às quais as turfeiras estão relacionadas, elaborando mapeamentos de setores da planície e caracterizando morfologicamente o material orgânico em transectos determinados. A carta morfopedológica (1:100.000) construída a partir da correlação das variáveis naturais basicamente, relevo x rocha x solos (Castro e Salomão, 2000) individualizou sete compartimentos. Nos compartimentos das planícies, aparecem turfeiras e solos hidromórficos; compartimentos com relevo de colinas, substrato granítico/migmatítico, e cobertura latossólica, fazem a articulação entre os planos aluviais e as Serras que bordejam a bacia; os setores mais elevados correspondem aos altos regionais dos maciços graníticos de São Roque (NNE) e Paranapiacaba (SSE). Ai o relevo é de morros e serras com altas declividades e sobre os quais se desenvolvem solos rasos sobre granito, alem de cambissolos háplicos, e argissolos vermelhoamarelos. O compartimento CMPIa Planícies do Rio Sorocá-Mirim e do Ribeirão Vargem Grande, onde estão alojados os materiais orgânicos, foi objeto de analise mais detalhada com mapeamento morfológico (1:25.000) das feições fluviais e caracterização do material orgânico da planície. Transectos foram levantados com tradagens, no intuito de verificar a profundidade e distribuição areolar dos depósitos, bem como caracterizar morfologicamente os diferentes volumes. Analises e ensaios laboratoriais foram feitos em amostras selecionadas, a fim de caracterizá-las no tocante aos atributos físicos e químicos. Os resultados mostraram que há uma relação entre os aspectos morfológicos observados com auxílio do microscópio óptico e alguns resultados laboratoriais. As amostras que apresentaram grande quantidade de matéria orgânica e de carbono orgânico apresentam também características morfológicas particulares, como untuosidade e coloração preta intensa. As amostras com menores valores de matéria orgânica e carbono orgânico, apresentam uma cor cinza e sem untuosidade, com a fração mineral mais aparente. Esses aspectos possibilitaram propor uma classificação mais precisa e com base em maior numero de parâmetros. As zonas de acumulação de material orgânico foram encontradas relacionadas a ambientes fluviais particulares e que pelas interpretações mais recentes da evolução geológica da área, estariam relacionadas a um controle estrutural. O Planalto de Ibiúna, faz parte de um conjunto de blocos falhados formando grábens, alguns deles reconhecidos por Silva (2012) como os meio grábens de Ibiúna, Vargem Grande e do Grilo Esse sistema de bloqueio estrutural aprisiona a água em sub superfície, criando um ambiente úmido e confinado, gerando as condições ideais para a formação das turfeiras, sobretudo nos climas frios pleistocênicos. / Throughout time, the region of Ibiúna, in which the Sorocá-Mirim river basin is located, has been suffering changes regarding the use and occupation of land, going from a green belt zone to an area of strong real estate speculation. Such shifts took place without a previous knowledge of the natural aspects, especially concerning the existence of peat bogs (organic soils) and its associated environments. The present work has as its main goals: a) in a first approach, build a simplified morphopedological map of the Sorocá-Mirim river basin, which will allow the recognition of the location of the organic deposits and; b) in a second step, characterize the fluvial features to which the peat bogs are related, building maps of specific sectors of the flood plain and reaching a morphological characterization of the organic matter in determined transects. The morphopedological map (1:100,000) built through the correlation of the natural variables landform x lithology x soils (Castro & Salomão, 2000) individualized seven compartments. The floodplains compartment present peat bogs and hydromorphic soils; the compartment of the hills, with a granite/migmatite substract and latossolic coverage, plays the role of an articulator between the first one and the ridge that borders the basin; and finally, the most elevated compartments correspond the the regional height limits of the granitic massifs of São Roque (NNE) and Paranapiacaba (SSE). The landform in this last sector is dominated by hills and ridges with steep granite slopes, over which shallow and rocky soils, and also red-yellow podzolic soils develop. The compartment CMP-Ia, Sorocá-Mirim river and Vargem Grande creek floodplains, contain the organic matter and was object of detailed mapping (1:25,000) of the morphological fluvial features and characterization of the surface organic matter. In order to infer the depth and areal distribution of such deposits, some transects were plotted, with the aid of probing techniques, which also allowed the morphological characterization of the different volumes. The selected samples were analyzed with laboratory techniques in order to characterize them according to their physical and chemical attributes. The results show a relationship between aspects observed through the optical microscope and lab results. The samples that present an elevated amount of organic matter also show particular morphological features, such as greasiness an intense black coloration. The samples with lower amounts of organic matter present a grayish coloring and no greasiness, as well as an evident mineral fraction. These aspects allowed the proposition of a more precise classification, based on a larger amount of parameters. The zones of accumulation of organic matter found in the area are related to particular fluvial environments, which according to the most recent interpretations of geological evolution of the area are under structural control. The Ibiúna Plateau is part of a set of faulted blocks which form grabens, some of them previously acknowledged by Silva (2012), like the half-grabens of Ibiúna, Vargem Grande and Grilo. This system of structural blockage traps water in the subsurface, creating a saturated and confined environment, which are ideal for the formation of peat bogs, especially under the cold pleistocenic climates.