Temporal and spatial patterns of fire activity in three biomes of Brazil.

The trade-off between conservation of natural resources and agribusiness expansion is a constant challenge in Brazil. The fires used to promote agricultural expansion increased in the last decades. While studies linking annual fire occurrence and rainfall seasonality are common, the relationship between fires, land use, and land cover remains understudied. Here, we investigated the frequency of the fires and performed a trend analysis for monthly, seasonal, and annual fires in three different biomes: Cerrado, Pantanal, and Atlantic Forest. We used burned area and integrated models in distinct scales (interannual, intraseasonal, and monthly) using Probability Density Functions (PDFs). The best fitting was found for Generalized Extreme Values (GEV) distribution at all three biomes from the several PDFs tested. We found the most fire in the Pantanal (wetlands), followed by Cerrado (Brazilian Savanna) and Atlantic Forest (Semideciduous Forest). Our findings indicated that land use and land cover trends changed over the years. There was a strong correlation between fire and agricultural areas, with increasing trends pointing to land conversion to agricultural areas in all biomes. The high probability of fire indicates that expanding agricultural areas through the conversion of natural biomes impacts several natural ecosystems, transforming land cover and land use. This land conversion is promoting more fires each year.

Physical and hydrological characteristics and modelling of the soil water retention curve in the brazilian semi-arid region

Semiarid regions are characterised by water scarcity, a limiting factor on plant growth and development. The Sertão Canal was built in the semiarid region of Brazil, more specifically in the state of Alagoas, with the aim of making year-round irrigation possible. However, for the best water management, a physical and hydrological knowledge of the soils is necessary. As such, the aim of this study was to determine the physical and hydrological characteristics of three different types of soil (Argisol, Quartzarenic Neossol and Regolithic Neossol) under native vegetation (Caatinga) and agricultural systems in the semiarid region of Alagoas, as well as to adjust the soil water retention characteristic curves. Soil samples were collected at depths of 0-10, 10-20 and 20-30 cm in the municipalities of Inhapi, Delmiro Gouveia and Pariconha, in the state of Alagoas. The points of the moisture characteristic curve were determined by the Richards method, at pressures of 33, 100, 500, 1000 and 1500 kPa. Retention curves were modelled using the exponential decay equation and compared using the van Genuchten equation, modelled with the help of the RETC computer software. Particle size varied according to the textural classification of the different soils, from Sand to a Sandy Clay Loam. The retention curve fluctuated due to the particle size of the soil, with the Red-Yellow Argisol (Inhapi) having a greater capacity for water retention. Extremely sandy soils, such as those in the Delmiro Gouveia region, had a low capacity for retaining water. For each soil sample, the exponential decay equation gave the best fit, with values for R2adjust of greater than 0.93. When the measured soil moisture levels were compared with the levels estimated by the RETC model, some of the treatments were unable to estimate accurately the moisture levels obtained with the soil water retention curves.

Fire foci dynamics and their relationship with socioenvironmental factors and meteorological systems in the state of Alagoas, Northeast Brazil.

The objective is to evaluate the fire foci dynamics via environmental satellites and their relationship with socioenvironmental factors and meteorological systems in the state of Alagoas, Brazil. Data considered the period between 2000 and 2017 and was obtained from CPTEC/INPE. Annual and monthly analyzes were performed based on descriptive, exploratory (boxplot) and multivariate statistics analyzes (cluster analysis (CA), principal component analysis (PCA)) and Poisson regression models (based on 2000 and 2010 census data). CA based on the Ward method identified five fire foci homogeneous groups (G1 to G5), while Coruripe did not classify within any group (NA); therefore, the CA technique was consistent (CCC = 0.772). Group G1 is found in all regions of Alagoas, while G2, G5, and NA groups are found in Baixo São Francisco, Litoral, and Zona da Mata regions. Most fire foci were observed in the Litoral region. Seasonally, the largest records were from October to December months for all groups, influenced by the sugarcane harvesting period. The G4 group and Coruripe accounted for 60,767 foci (32.1%). The highest number of fire foci occurred in 2012 and 2015 (between 8000 and 9000 foci), caused by the action of the El Niño-Southern Oscillation. The Poisson regression showed that the dynamics of fire foci are directly associated with the Gini index and Human Development Index (models 1 and 3). Based on the PCA, the three components captured 78.8% of the total variance explained, and they were strongly influenced by the variables: population, GDP, and demographic density. The municipality of Maceió has the largest contribution from the fire foci, with values higher than 40%, and in PC1 and PC2 are related to urban densification and population growth.

Models to estimate incident solar radiation on Seropédica, Rio de Janeiro / Modelos de estimativa da radiação solar incidente em Seropédica, Rio de Janeiro

Incident solar radiation (Rs) is usually used as an input variable in growth simulation models and yield of agricultural crops, in the design of alternative energy systems, buildings desing, weather, irrigation projects and food preservation, among others. However, in Brazil, there are few studies that evaluated the performance of different models in estimating Rs . Therefore, the aim of the study is to evaluate the Hargreaves-Samani, Thornton-Running and Weiss models to estimate Rs in the municipality of Seropédica, Rio de Janeiro. We used hourly measurements of solar radiation (Rs , KJ m-2) and maximum (tx,°C) and minimum (tn,°C) air temperature obtained from Ecologia Agrícola station (EA), between January/2008 to December/2013. Normality (Shapiro-Wilks and Jarque-Bera) and homogeneity of variance (Bartlett) tests were applied to the data set. The performance of the models was evaluated based on different statistical parameters (r2 RMSE, d, ρs and Student's t-test). The results indicated the rejection of the variance normality hypothesis of the standardized residuals by Shapiro-Wilks and Jarque-Bera tests. Bartlett's test indicated the presence of heterogeneity of model estimates. Hargreaves-Samani and Thornton-Running models obtained high values forr2 and low values for d. Hargreaves-Samani (coastal) model excelled in relation to other, being more suitable for estimating the Rs in the municipality of Seropédica, Rio de Janeiro.

A radiação solar incidente (Rs) é normalmente utilizada como variável de entrada em modelos de simulação de crescimento e produtividade de culturas agrícolas, no delineamento de sistemas alternativos de geração de energia, desing de edifícios, na climatologia, em projetos de irrigação e conservação de alimentos, entre outros. Entretanto, no Brasil, há excassez de pesquisas que avaliaram o desempenho de diferentes modelos na estimativa de Rs. Portanto, o objetivo do trabalho é avaliar os modelos Hargreaves-Samani, Thornton-Running e Weiss para estimativa da Rs no município de Seropédica, Rio de Janeiro. Utilizaram-se medidas horárias da radiação solar incidente (Rs , KJ m-2) e da temperatura do ar máxima (tx,°C) e mínima (tn,°C) obtidas na estação Ecologia Agrícola (EA), entre janeiro/2008 a dezembro/2013. Testes de normalidade (Shapiro-Wilks e Jarque-Bera) e homogeneidade de variância (Bartlett) foram aplicados à série de dados. O desempenho dos modelos foi avaliado com base em diferentes parâmetros estatísticos (r2 RMSE, d, ρs e teste-t de Student). Os resultados indicaram a rejeição da hipótese de normalidade de variância dos resíduos padronizados pelos testes de Shapiro-Wilks e Jarque-Bera. O teste de Bartlett indicou a presença de heterogeneidade das estimativas dos modelos. Os modelos Hargreaves-Samani e Thornton-Running tiveram altos valores de r2 e baixos valores de d. O modelo de Hargreaves-Samani (costeiro) se sobressaiu em relação aos demais, sendo mais adequado para estimar a Rs no município de Seropédica, Rio de Janeiro.