One important property of Organosols (Histosols) (and soils with high content of organic carbon) to predict use potential and degradation risks is the degree of subsidence (loss of mass and volume). In Organosols the subsidence risks vary according to the soil attributes, mainly the nature of organic matter and deposition environment. In this paper we studied 19 soil profiles from different parts of the country, collected and described according to procedures recommended by the SBCS (Brazilian Soil Science Society); the analytical methods proposed by EMBRAPA-Solos were used to characterize the soils. The principal component analysis was used to cluster the profiles based on morphological, physical, chemical and environmental attributes and proved adequate to group the soils under study based on the profile attributes and the grouping was well related to their taxonomy. The soil profiles were ranked by the ordinal multicriteria methods of Border, Condorcet and Copeland based on the subsidence risk. Results indicated a correlation between the methods (with exception of the Condorcet approach, unsuitable to rank the alternatives) and the minimum residue, which is the classical parameter for the evaluation of subsidence, indicating efficacy to rank/classify the soil profiles in relation to subsidence risk. The quantitative approaches used are promising as evaluation tools in soil science studies.
multivariate statistics; multicriteria; ranking methods; organic soils; peat; subsidence
