Centre for Water and Food Security in Critical Zones

• Grant number: 21/11762-5
• Support Opportunities: Research Grants - Science Centers for Development
• Duration: November 01, 2022 - October 31, 2027
• Field of knowledge: Interdisciplinary Subjects
• Principal Investigator: Humberto Ribeiro da Rocha
• Grantee: Humberto Ribeiro da Rocha
• Host Institution: Instituto de Astronomia, Geofísica e Ciências Atmosféricas (IAG). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil
• Pesquisadores principais: Caio Augusto dos Santos Coelho ; Carlos Alberto Mendonça ; Carlos Augusto Morales Rodriguez ; Denise Helena Silva Duarte ; José Luiz Albuquerque Filho
• Associated researchers: Alexandre Cláudio Botazzo Delbem ; Alexandre Muselli Barbosa ; Alfredo Pisani ; Andréa Teixeira Ustra ; Angelica Prela Pantano ; Antoniane Arantes de Oliveira Roque ; Antonio Mauro Saraiva ; Caio Pompeu Cavalhieri ; Gabriel Constantino Blain ; Gré de Araújo Lobo ; Jane Maria de Carvalho Silveira ; Jorge Luís Porsani ; Kleber Lopes da Rocha Filho ; Leonides Guireli Netto ; Mauricio Jonas Ferreira ; Orivaldo Brunini ; Otávio Coaracy Brasil Gandolfo ; Regina Celia de Matos Pires ; Renato Luiz Prado ; Ricardo Ivan Ferreira da Trindade ; Simone Marilene Sievert da Costa Coelho ; Tatiana Luiz dos Santos Tavares ; Vagner Roberto Elis

Abstract

The Centre for Water and Food Security at Critical Zones has the main goal to improve solutions to problems on water and food security in the state of São Paulo, Brazil, with emphasis in the management water risk at local and regional scale. The basic field and historical inventory information will be focused at spatial critical zones (headwaters, agricultural plots and specific urban areas) and at selected macro-regions in the state, namely the basins of rivers Piracicaba-Capivari-Jundiaí (PCJ); Alto Tietê; Alto Paraíba do Sul; Mogi-Guaçú; Pardo; Sapucaí-Grande e Alto Paranapanema. Local scale information will be upscaled to regional basins using adequate numerical models (hillslope hydrology models; process based plant productivity models; groundwater hydrology models; urban canopy atmospheric models). The proposal has 6 working packages with complementary activities in order to achieve the overall goal with functional products, respectively: 1. Network of meteorological and hydrological monitoring with automatic weather station and discharge/groundwater measurements; 2. The use of seasonal climate prediction to help agricultural risk; 3. Geophysical patterns of shallow and deep acquifers; 4. Hydrological and agricultural index; 5. Rainfall nowcasting; 6. Hidroclimatological challenges in densely urbanized areas. The agricultural component will focus on field plant productivity, by using improved information to planting, irrigation, harvest and operation. The water component will improve information of hydrological predictability on short term (1-4 day), medium and long range (30 day to 6 month) to help decision making on reservoirs management and urban supply, to improve criteria for water grant, irrigation demand, and on the short term (1h nowcast) for warnings of severe storms with hail and floodings. The environmental component proposes to qualify and quantify climate-vegetation connection processes in challenges using nature based solutions, as vegetation restoration in headwaters, specially springs and riparian zones. In urban areas it is proposed to find optimal solutions using green/blue infrastrcture combined to grey infrastructure, to help human thermal confort, rainfall infiltration, effects on microclimate as alternatives to climate extremes adaptation. (AU)