A model of floodwave propagation for a forested region in the mazon/Solimões River floodplain.

• Grant number: 11/00250-1
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate
• Start date: April 01, 2011
• End date: October 01, 2014
• Field of knowledge: Physical Sciences and Mathematics - Geosciences
• Principal Investigator: Evlyn Márcia Leão de Moraes Novo
• Grantee: Regla de La Caridad Duthit Somoza
• Host Institution: Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas Espaciais (INPE). Ministério da Ciência, Tecnologia e Inovação (Brasil). São José dos Campos , SP, Brazil

Abstract

The areas of floodable forest are of great relevance for the local populations in the Amazon region, as well as of scientific interest given its participation in the global carbon cycle. Recently, it has been show that large areas have been deforested in the floodplain region surrounding the city of Manaus, possibly resulting in an increase on the frequency and amplitude of the flooding and causing large destruction in inhabited areas. The objective of the present study is to develop a model of water propagation through forested areas in the Amazon/Solimões river floodplain. This model will be then used to generate scenarios and evaluate the effects of forest removal on water flow speed. To accomplish this objective, the study will use synthetic aperture radar (SAR) images from the JERS-1 (Japanese Earth Resource Satellite-1) and ALOS PALSAR sensors, topographical models from the HAND model, precipitation data from the TRMM sensor, the LISFLOOD-FP hydrological model, and in situ observations. These data will be complemented by new field data acquisition. The proposed study will allow a more complete understanding of the mechanisms controlling the dynamics of water propagation in the Amazonian floodplain forests, and provide a useable inundation model validated by in situ and remote sensing data.