Climatic controls on the isotopic variability of rainfall in Central Amazonia

• Grant number: 23/07314-2
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Master
• Start date: October 01, 2023
• End date: January 31, 2026
• Field of knowledge: Physical Sciences and Mathematics - Geosciences - Geology
• Principal Investigator: Didier Gastmans
• Grantee: Rafaela Rodrigues Gomes
• Host Institution: Centro de Estudos Ambientais (CEA). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Rio Claro. Rio Claro , SP, Brazil
• Associated scholarship(s): 24/01373-0 - Climatic Controls on the Isotopic Variability of Rainfall in Central Amazon, BE.EP.MS

Abstract

The stable isotopes of hydrogen (1H/2H) and oxygen (16O/17O/18O) are used as a tool (instruments) for hydroclimatic studies, as the physical processes of water change (evaporation and condensation) in the hydrological cycle imprint a unique isotopic signature, which in turn establish a relationship with climatic conditions at the source of evaporation, along the trajectory traveled by the steam and at the place where precipitation is observed. The Amazon region is considered the largest convective center on the planet and establishes a climatic connection with other regions of Brazil, while it is being widely threatened by climate changes derived from large-scale anthropic interventions. In view of the need to resume isotopic studies of the disease in the region, disturbed in the 90s, the present project aims to evaluate and understand the climatic factors (local or regional) that govern and are responsible for the isotopic variability of the disease in the Central Amazon. Therefore, the isotopic composition of precipitation and meteorological data, information from the Reanalysis project and the HYSPLIT model will be conducted together. Such tools will be important for evaluating the atmospheric systems that generate rain in the Central Amazon and for the investigation of their effects on the isotopic composition of precipitation. The synthesis of the generated isotopic and meteorological data will be plotted in statistical regression tests and the HYSPLIT trajectories will be used to generate thematic maps, with the objective of creating a robust model that correlates the isotopic content to local and regional climatic parameters and atmospheric systems that operate in Brazil. It should be noted that this study is part of the regular research project entitled "Anthropic Influences on Compartments of the Hydrological Cycle in Central Amazon Microbasins - An Analysis Based on the Use of Multiple Tracers" (FAPESP Project 2020/08971-9).