Abstract
The floodplain complexity is a huge challenge for the assessment of human impacts on physical, chemical and biological properties of floodplain lakes. Floodplain lakes vary in shape, depth and connectivity as a function of morphogenetic factors controlling their origin; they have different water types with varying seasonal behavior according to the river type contributing to their composition; the lakes also are in different evolutionary stages; they are surrounded by a diversity of vegetation types and subjected to different rhythms of hydrologic factors. Moreover, the lakes are transient systems, which are always changing in response to hydrological and climatic factors acting on several intensities and frequency. Beyond the natural variability of floodplains, one has to include the history of floodplain exploitation. There are lakes directly affected by mining activities (Esteves et al. 1990). Others are indirectly affected by land use changes related to economic cycles from the jute cultivation in the 1950´s to timber exploitation and cattle rising. The objective of this project is to integrate data from several sources (ground data, remote sensing data sets, automatic data collection systems) regarding key components of the environment, thought the time in two regions of the Amazon/Solimões River floodplain: a high populated and degrade region (Lago Grande de Curuai) and a almost pristine área, with controlled exploitation (Reserva de Desenvolvimento Sustentável Mamirauá), so as to compare the lake-floodplain system function, in several observational scales (decadal, annual, seasonal, monthly and daily) and quantify the weigh of human activities in their present and future functioning subsidizing decision-makers. The first effort will be to gather information on Mamirauá and Santarém region. At the same time, MSS/TM images acquired in the 1970´s will be used to recover the natural vegetation cover prior the aggressive phase of Amazon integration to the southern economy. From 2009 on, with the setting of a SIMA in Mamirauá, high frequency data on climate and limnological data allowing to compare the functioning of this region with Curuai where the system is operating since 2004. The analyses of those series will help to understand the interaction between water properties and the environmental factors acting upon them. Time series of MODIS/Terra products will also be processed and analyzed to estimate chlorophyll concentration, which will be used as proxy of lake eutrophication. Those data will be computed from 2001 to 2008 and will be related to census data on cattle ranching in the municipalities located partially in the floodplain. The areas under study are also being subjected to analyses using PALSAR/ALOS to map the spatial distribution of floodplain habitats according to hydro-period and vegetation. These maps will be produced by integrating optical and SAR data and will allow to quantify present differences in the environment regading vegetation and hydroperiod, and assessing how those two physiographic components (vegetation and hidrology/geomorphology) affetcs the system response to enviormenta impact. All the data and products from the research will be organized in data base and made available in the internet. (AU)
Scientific publications
(9)
(References retrieved automatically from Web of Science and SciELO through information on FAPESP grants and their corresponding numbers as mentioned in the publications by the authors)
ARNESEN, ALLAN S.;
SILVA, THIAGO S. F.;
HESS, LAURA L.;
NOVO, EVLYN M. L. M.;
RUDORFF, CONRADO M.;
CHAPMAN, BRUCE D.;
MCDONALD, KYLE C.
Monitoring flood extent in the lower Amazon River floodplain using ALOS/PALSAR ScanSAR images.
REMOTE SENSING OF ENVIRONMENT,
v. 130,
p. 51-61,
MAR 15 2013.
Web of Science Citations: 57.