Geotechnology applied to land use and sealing in urban areas

Through the geotechnology's use, the aim of this study was to characterize the urban occupation interference and occurrence of floods in the upstream area of watershed from the stream Wenzel (Rio Claro-SP/Brazil). Urbanized watersheds are composed of a variety of features and the development of cartographic material allowed the analysis of the evolution of land used for 1958 and 2006 scenarios. The thematic maps were generated using software Spring 4.3.3, wherein it got the separation of matters from vegetation cover and other intra urban features. Procedures of digital processes and classification of surface cover allowed quantifying the occupied area by each coverage type: woody vegetation, grass, grass with bare soil, bare soil, building, asphaltic sheets and exposed soil. Quantification of the different covers' occupied areas allowed relating the parameter Curve Number (Soil Conservation Service) as efficient methodology for runoff values estimative. The results indicate vegetation cover's reduction, intensive surface's sealing and suppression of water bodies. These factors imply changes of hydrological dynamics of the source, increasing flow and transfer of larger volumes of water and flood peaks to downstream sectors. The use of geotechnology allowed analyzing the evolution of urbanization and it permits also to infer about trends for future or inadequate occupancy to hydrological and environmental point of view. © 2013 IEEE.

Comportamento de atributos físicos de um Latossolo Amarelo sob agroecossistemas do Amazonas

O desmatamento da floresta tropical da Amazônia e a utilização do solo para fins agrícolas potencializam sua degradação física, química e biológica, quando realizados de forma inadequada. Este estudo teve o objetivo de avaliar o efeito de sistemas de uso e manejo de um Latossolo Amarelo, muito argiloso, mediante avaliações de atributos físicos determinados nas profundidades de 0,0-0,2 e 0,2-0,4 m, em área da Universidade do Amazonas, Manaus (AM). Os sistemas de uso e manejo foram: milho, laranja, pupunha, guaraná, pastagem, capoeira e floresta. Nos sistemas com milho, laranja, pupunha e pastagem, foram realizados o desmatamento, a queima e as operações de preparo e cultivo mecanizados. Foram avaliados a composição granulométrica, o grau de floculação da argila, o teor de matéria orgânica, a densidade de partículas, a densidade do solo, a porosidade total, a macro e microporosidade, e a infiltrações inicial e básica. Utilizou-se o delineamento experimental inteiramente casualizado, com três repetições. Os agroecossistemas, em ordem crescente: capoeira, guaraná, milho, laranja, pupunha e pastagem induziram uma degradação dos atributos físicos do solo cultivado em relação ao de floresta, quantificada pelos maiores valores de densidade do solo e menores de macroporosidade, infiltração de água e matéria orgânica.

Avaliação por fotointerpretação das áreas de abrangência dos diferentes estados da erosão acelerada do solo em canaviais e pomares de citros

Este estudo foi realizado com o objetivo de avaliar os estados de erosão acelerada do solo presente em áreas com canaviais e pomares de citros localizados na região administrativa de Ribeirão Preto - SP. Foram empregadas fotografias aéreas verticais, na escala aproximada de 1:40.000, do vôo da cobertura aerofotográfica da região citrícola do Estado de 1988. O estudo foi realizado identificando-se e delimitando-se todas as áreas de abrangência de cinco estados da erosão acelerada do solo presentes nos canaviais e pomares de citros. A presença da erosão acelerada severa a extremamente severa foi constatada tanto nos canaviais como nos pomares de citros, nas quatro unidades de solos de ocorrências principais na área de estudo. Os valores da extensão total das áreas de abrangência dos estados da erosão 2 a 5 (processos erosivos intensos a extremamente intensos) revelaram forte impacto sobre o desenvolvimento das culturas, degradando o solo agrícola e afetando a qualidade da água. As principais diferenças, quanto à extensão total das áreas de abrangência dos diferentes estados da erosão presente, foram identificadas principalmente entre os Argissolos e os Latossolos, e entre os dois estágios de desenvolvimento das culturas. As condições de solo exposto foram verificadas nas áreas recentemente plantadas com cana-de-açúcar ou citros, explicitando-se a grande necessidade de empregar, nessas condições, práticas conservacionistas.

Geoinformação na gestão dos recursos hídricos em sub-bacia hidrográfica

By remote sensing, geodatabase digital processing, information and expeditions to Capivara's sub-basin, was possible to identify the changes in the landscape mainly the expansion of eucalyptus, sugar-cane, and orange trees, being the last two, mainly on the Periferic Depression of Basaltic Cuesta. A significant portion of the soil on this geological area is formed from sandstones, providing high permeability to them, making them important places to groundwater recharge areas as sensible to contamination by pesticides. Throughout last decade was observed that the native vegetation fragments stabilization, keeping a reason of 26.5% on the land used between 2000 and 2010. The pasture decrease being substituted by eucalyptus, sugar-cane and orange trees call attention for the changes in the agribusiness model demanded by the current economic and social necessity. Pasture decrease followed by erosions decrease on sub-basin is evidence that these two aspects are strongly related.

Indicators of soil degradation in urban forests: Physical and chemical parameters

The fragmentation of forest habitats in urban areas has aroused increasing interest in recent years according to the growing environmental problems. The fragmentation of theses ecosystems is caused, in general, by the pressure of housing, agriculture and industry, causing losses in biodiversity and problems of soil degradation in the border areas of theses remnants. The establishment of indicators of soil degradation becomes essential for the implementation of conservation and reclamation. This study analyzes physical and chemical characteristics of soil under different forms of vegetation in the forest surrounding the Quilombo Forest, located in Campinas/SP - Brazil, and examines the possibility of using these indices as indicators of environmental degradation in urban remnants. The parameters analyzed were: specific weight natural (γn), specific weight of solids (γs) Ca, P, K, Mg, pH, organic matter, H + Al, Sum of Base (SB) Percent Base Saturation (V%), Cation Exchange Capacity (CEC). The study shows that in general the different forms of land used in the study area significantly changed (or according to) the physical aspects of soil The porosity and voids of the soil stood out as the best indicators of soil physical degradation in the layer 0-20 cm deep. In relation to chemical indices, the soil under the cultivation of cane sugar had a significantly higher pH, K, Ca, Mg and sum of bases. The areas of forest showed higher levels of phosphorus, organic matter and CEC, indicating the importance of maintaining vegetation and replacement for the cycling of organic matter.

Proposta para o uso e manejo sustentável da bacia hidrográfica do Ribeirão Guaratinguetá, SP

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Analysis of land use and occupancy in permanent preservation areas according to the hydrography of Ribeirão Água Fria - Bofete, SP - Brazil

Os conflitos de uso são determinados pelas ocupações inadequadas do solo, como é o caso de ocupação do solo dentro de áreas de preservação permanente. O presente trabalho teve como objetivos determinar as classes de uso do solo e se há conflitos dentro de áreas de preservação permanente ao longo da rede de drenagem da microbacia do Ribeirão Água Fria, município de Bofete (SP). Situa-se geograficamente entre as coordenadas: 48°09'30 a 48°18'30 de longitude WGr., 22°58'30 a 23°04'30 de latitude sul com uma área de 15.242,84 ha. O mapa de uso do solo foi elaborado por meio da interpretação diretamente na tela do computador de imagem digital de satélite. Nos dados orbitais, a área de estudo está inserida no quadrante A, da imagem TM/Landsat-5, órbita 220, ponto 76, passagem de 8/09/2007. O Sistema de Informação Geográfica empregado foi o Cartalinx. As áreas de conflito da microbacia foram obtidas a partir do cruzamento entre os mapas de uso do solo e de APPs. Os resultados permitiram concluir que mais da metade da área (51,09%) está ocupada por pastagens, reflexo de solos arenosos e de baixa fertilidade. Constatou-se, ainda, que apesar de quase metade da microbacia estar coberta com algum tipo de vegetação (48,78% de mata natural/reflorestamento), possui aproximadamente um terço das áreas de preservação permanente utilizadas inadequadamente por pastagens (88,15%), reflorestamento (10,42%) e solo exposto (1,43%), totalizando 343,07 ha de áreas conflitantes em um total de 993,26 ha de APPs.

The definition of potential infiltration areas in Guaratingueta watershed, Paraiba do Sul Basin, Southeastern Brazil: an integrated approach using physical and land-use elements

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Evolutionary history of Scinax treefrogs on land-bridge islands in south-eastern Brazil

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Application of landsat images for quantifying the energy balance under conditions of land use changes in the semi-arid region of Brazil

In the Nilo Coelho irrigation scheme, Brazil, the natural vegetation has been replaced by irrigated agriculture, bringing importance for the quantification of the effects on the energy exchanges between the mixed vegetated surfaces and the lower atmosphere. Landsat satellite images and agro-meteorological stations from 1992 to 2011 were used together, for modelling these exchanges. Surface albedo (α0), NDVI and surface temperature (T0) were the basic remote sensing retrieving parameters necessary to calculate the latent heat flux (λE) and the surface resistance to evapotranspiration (rs) on a large scale. The daily net radiation (Rn) was obtained from α0, air temperature (Ta) and short-wave transmissivity (τsw) throughout the slob equation, allowing the quantification of the daily sensible heat flux (H) by residual in the energy balance equation. With a threshold value for rs, it was possible to separate the energy fluxes from crops and natural vegetation. The averaged fractions of Rn partitioned as H and λE, were in average 39 and 67%, respectively. It was observed an increase of the energy used for the evapotranspiration process inside irrigated areas from 51% in 1992 to 80% in 2011, with the ratio λE/Rn presenting an increase of 3 % per year. The tools and models applied in the current research, can subsidize the monitoring of the coupled climate and land use changes effects in irrigation perimeters, being valuable when aiming the sustainability of the irrigated agriculture in the future, avoiding conflicts among different water users. © 2012 SPIE.

Why have land use change models for the Amazon failed to capture the amount of deforestation over the last decade?

Land cover change in the Neotropics represents one of the major drivers of global environmental change. Several models have been proposed to explore future trajectories of land use and cover change, particularly in the Amazon. Despite the remarkable development of these tools, model results are still surrounded by uncertainties. None of the model projections available in the literature plausibly captured the overall trajectory of land use and cover change that has been observed in the Amazon over the last decade. In this context, this study aims to review and analyze the general structure of the land use models that have most recently been used to explore land use change in the Amazon, seeking to investigate methodological factors that could explain the divergence between the observed and projected rates, paying special attention to the land demand calculations. Based on this review, the primary limitations inherent to this type of model and the extent to which these limitations can affect the consistency of the projections will also be analyzed. Finally, we discuss potential drivers that could have influenced the recent dynamic of the land use system in the Amazon and produced the unforeseen land cover change trajectory observed in this period. In a complementary way, the primary challenges of the new generation of land use models for the Amazon are synthesized. (c) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Land cover classification of Lago Grande de Curuai floodplain (Amazon, Brazil) using multi-sensor and image fusion techniques

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Assessing land use by cattle in heterogeneous environments

The aim of this note is to describe preliminary results on assessment of land use by cattle, obtained in a pilot study using Geographic Information System (GIS). The research was carried out on a semi-natural pasture in Sweden, where the geographic positions of one cow were recorded during 25 consecutive days during summer. The cow, wearing a GPS collar, was integrated in a herd of 53 Hereford cattle. Each location point registered for the animal was considered as a sampling unit (N=3,097). The spatial distribution of ground declivity, water sources, cattle tracks, and classes of woody vegetation cover (forest, grassland with trees and open grassland) were recorded. The storage, processing and data analysis were carried out using the Idrisi and GS+ softwares. Three occupation zones were identified in function of the variation in the space used by the animal, which were occupied in a cyclical pattern; with the animal moving from one zone to another in cycles of five days. It was also clear that the cattle distribution in the area was neither random nor uniform, and it was affected by environmental characteristics that act as conditioners on its distribution. These preliminary results suggest that definition of zones of occupation and the environmental conditioners are promising tools to understand the land use by cattle

Water productivity of different land uses in watersheds assessed from satellite imagery Landsat 5 Thematic Mapper

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Change detection as support for monitoring the dynamic of land around reservoir

The change detection technique was used in this study to provide preliminary information on the dynamics of land cover in the region over the western basin of the Tiete River. This area is characterized by sequence of reservoirs and intense agricultural activity, triggering series negative effects. One of the impacts is contamination and proliferation of aquatic organisms in these aquatics environments, increased by release of nutrients from human activities. This work was possible to observe a large switching classes and secondary vegetation bare land, probably related to agricultural activity.