Celso Henrique Leite Silva Junior

21st Century drought-related fires counteract the decline of Amazon deforestation carbon emissions

Tropical carbon emissions are largely derived from direct forest clearing processes. Yet, emissions from drought-induced forest fires are, usually, not included in national-level carbon emission inventories. Here we examine Brazilian Amazon drought impacts on fire incidence and associated forest fire carbon emissions over the period 2003–2015. We show that despite a 76% decline in deforestation rates over the past 13 years, fire incidence increased by 36% during the 2015 drought compared to the preceding 12 years. The 2015 drought had the largest ever ratio of active fire counts to deforestation, with active fires occurring over an area of 799,293 km2. Gross emissions from forest fires (989 ± 504 Tg CO2 year−1) alone are more than half as great as those from old-growth forest deforestation during drought years. We conclude that carbon emission inventories intended for accounting and developing policies need to take account of substantial forest fire emissions not associated to the deforestation process.Deforestation carbon emissions from the Brazilian Amazon have declined steeply, but how much drought-induced forest fire emissions add to this process is still unclear. Here the authors show that gross emissions from forest fires are more than half as great as those from deforestation during drought years.

FUZZY LOGIC AND ANALYTICAL HIERARCHY PROCESS – AHP IN THE EVALUATION OF ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY OF SOURCES

This study aimed to evaluate the environmental quality of the river Bacanga sources using a methodology rarely used in these types of studies, the Fuzzy Theory. In calculating the Environmental Quality Index of Sources, for the weighting of parameters was used the AHP (Analytical Hierarchical Process). As a result, the 11 sources analyzed 5 sources were framed in class A with Environmental Quality Best, 3 sources were framed in class B with Environmental Quality Good, 2 sources were framed in class C with Environmental Quality Reasonable and 1 source framed in class D with Environmental Quality Poor, no source was framed in class E with Environmental Quality Rubbish. The use of Fuzzy Logic with AHP demonstrated to be efficient in the classification of sources. The sources classified in the C and D classes require mitigation measures for the environmental recovery of the same. Urbanization was identified as the main agent of degradation of the studied sources.

Lógica Fuzzy e Processo Analítico Hierárquico (AHP) aplicados ao zoneamento de áreas suscetíveis a deslizamentos: uma revisão

A acao do homem sobre a natureza tem se destacado nas ultimas decadas. Devido a essa acao, sao observados diversos impactos no ambiente, principalmente os decorrentes do aumento populacional e da ocupacao de areas irregulares, que vao desde os ligados ao saneamento basico ate aos desastres naturais. Nesse sentido, o presente artigo teve como objetivo apresentar um panorama do uso da Logica Fuzzy e do Processo Analitico Hierarquico – AHP para o zoneamento de areas suscetiveis a deslizamentos. Nesse panorama sao descritas as duas ferramentas, sao apresentados os principais trabalhos realizados no Brasil e no exterior alem da definicao de termos. Essas ferramentas se demonstram eficientes e uteis do ponto de vista metodologico, uma vez que varios trabalhos ja comprovaram a sua eficacia, onde se destacam os operadores Fuzzy Media Ponderada AHP e Gamma, alem da concreta eficiencia no uso do Processo Analitico Hierarquico – AHP com o objetivo de tratar as incertezas inerentes ao uso do conhecimento empirico de especialista.