RESUMO
Weather phenomena El Niño and La Niña are observed by meteorological variables, which allows you to track climate change and its possible effects in certain regions. The objective of this study was to analyze the behavior of rainfall, temperature and evapotranspiration in the Amazon river basin (Latitudes 5° N to 20° S and Longitudes 50° W to 80° W), comparing them with the occurrence of El Niño and La Niña phenomena, from January 2000 to December 2016. The values referring to the meteorological variables were obtained from the TRMM and MODIS orbital sensors. After data pre-processing, the data were separated into monthly and annual scales and per period according to the presence or absence of El Niño and La Niña phenomena. Based on the results obtained, it was observed that the studied variables were affected by modification of both phenomena. The modifications are more noticeable in the distinction between the more and less rainy periods. Among the variables studied, the evapotranspiration was severely affected in the rainiest months, the La Niña phenomenon, and the least rainy months, El Niño. Thus, it was possible to conclude that, in general, the presence of La Niña increased precipitation values in comparison to the Neutral period, but the inverse occurs in the presence of El Niño. The methodology applied in the present study was adequate for the analysis of the modifications of the meteorological variables coming from the El Niño and La Niña phenomena, being able to be adapted to other variables and regions.
RESUMO
The formation of an urban heat island (UHI) is one of the most common impacts of the urbanization process. To mitigate the effects of UHI, the planning of urban forests (e.g., creation of parks, forests and afforestation streets) has been the major tool applied in this context. Thus, the aim of this study is to evaluate the spatial and temporal distribution of heat islands in Vila Velha, ES, Brazil using the mono-window algorithm. The study followed these methodological steps: 1) mapping of urban green areas through a photointerpretation screen; 2) application of the mono-window algorithm to obtain the spatial and temporal patterns of land surface temperature (LST); 3) correlation between LST and the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) and normalized difference build-up index (NDBI); 4) application of ecological evaluation index. The results showed that the mean values of LST in urban areas were at least 2.34 to 7.19°C higher than undeveloped areas. Moreover, the positive correlation between LST and NDBI showed an amplifying effect of the developed areas for UHI, while areas with a predominance of vegetation attenuated the effect of UHI. Urban centers, clustered in some parts of the city, received the worst ecological assessment index. Finally, the adoption of measures to guide the urban forest planning within urban centers is necessary to mitigate the effect of heat islands and provide thermal comfort in urban areas.
RESUMO
Prospecting for suitable areas for forestry operations, where the objective is a reduction in production and transportation costs, as well as the maximization of profits and available resources, constitutes an optimization problem. However, fuzzy logic is an alternative method for solving this problem. In the context of prospecting for suitable areas for the installation of wood panel industries, we propose applying fuzzy logic analysis for simulating the planting of different species and eucalyptus hybrids in Espírito Santo State, Brazil. The necessary methodological steps for this study are as follows: a) agriclimatological zoning of different species and eucalyptus hybrids; b) the selection of the vector variables; c) the application of the Euclidean distance to the vector variables; d) the application of fuzzy logic to matrix variables of the Euclidean distance; and e) the application of overlap fuzzy logic to locate areas for installation of wood panel industries. Among all the species and hybrids, Corymbia citriodora showed the highest percentage values for the combined very good and good classes, with 8.60%, followed by Eucalyptus grandis with 8.52%, Eucalyptus urophylla with 8.35% and Urograndis with 8.34%. The fuzzy logic analysis afforded flexibility in prospecting for suitable areas for the installation of wood panel industries in the Espírito Santo State can bring great economic and social benefits to the local population with the generation of jobs, income, tax revenues and GDP increase for the State and municipalities involved. The proposed methodology can be adapted to other areas and agricultural crops.
