Can the Deforestation Breeze Change the Rainfall in Amazonia? A Case Study for the BR-163 Highway Region

Author(s)

Saad, Sandra I. ^[1] ; da Rocha, Humberto R. ^[1] ; Silva Dias, Maria A. F. ^[1] ; Rosolem, Rafael ^[1]

Affiliation

^[1] Univ Sao Paulo, Inst Astron Geophys & Atmospher Sci IAG, Dept Atmospher Sci, Sao Paulo - Brazil

• Document type: Journal article
• Source: Earth Interactions; v. 14, NOV 2010.
• Web of Science Citations: 22

Abstract

The authors simulated the effects of Amazonian mesoscale deforestation in the boundary layer and in rainfall with the Brazilian Regional Atmospheric Modeling System (BRAMS) model. They found that both the area and shape (with respect to wind incidence) of deforestation and the soil moisture status contributed to the state of the atmosphere during the time scale of several weeks, with distinguishable patterns of temperature, humidity, and rainfall. Deforestation resulted in the development of a three-dimensional thermal cell, the so-called deforestation breeze, slightly shifted downwind to large-scale circulation. The boundary layer was warmer and drier above 1000-m height and was slightly wetter up to 2000-m height. Soil wetness affected the circulation energetics proportionally to the soil dryness (for soil wetness below similar to 0.6). The shape of the deforestation controlled the impact on rainfall. The horizontal strips lined up with the prevailing wind showed a dominant increase in rainfall, significant up to about 60 000 km(2). On the other hand, in the patches aligned in the opposite direction (north-south), there was both increase and decrease in precipitation in two distinct regions, as a result of clearly separated upward and downward branches, which caused the precipitation to increase for patches up to 15 000 km(2). The authors' estimates for the size of deforestation impacting the rainfall contributed to fill up the low spatial resolution in other previous studies. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 02/09289-9 - Biosphere-atmosphere interaction - Phase 2: cerrados and land use changes
• Grantee: Humberto Ribeiro da Rocha
• Support Opportunities: BIOTA-FAPESP Program - Thematic Grants
• FAPESP's process: 05/57829-0 - Relationships between the extension and the form of forest clearing and the impacts on precipitation: a case study on the Cuiabá-Santarém Highway
• Grantee: Sandra Isay Saad
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Master
• FAPESP's process: 08/58120-3 - Carbon tracker and water availability controls of land use and climate changes
• Grantee: Humberto Ribeiro da Rocha
• Support Opportunities: Research Program on Global Climate Change - Thematic Grants