Ricardo S. S. Amorim

Currently used pesticides in water matrices in Central-Western Brazil

This study provides data on the presence of the pesticides atrazine, chlorpyrifos, α-endosulfan, β-endosulfan, flutriafol, malathion and metolachlor in water matrices in urban and rural areas of Campo Verde and Lucas do Rio Verde Cities, Mato Grosso State, Brazil. Surface, rain, and groundwater samples were collected in the rainy and dry seasons during 2007 and 2008 in these important grain-producing areas. The findings revealed a higher diversity of compounds and frequency of detection in the rain water than in surface and groundwater samples. Concentrations of atrazine, endosulfan and malathion above those permitted by Brazilian regulations were found in some surface and groundwater samples, and the degradation products DIA (deisopropylatrazine) and endosulfan sulfate, rather than their parental compounds, were found at higher levels in some samples. Our findings show the vulnerability of water systems in these areas and point to the risk of pesticide contamination in important headwater streams.

Soil CO2 Dynamics in a Tree Island Soil of the Pantanal: The Role of Soil Water Potential

The Pantanal is a biodiversity hotspot comprised of a mosaic of landforms that differ in vegetative assemblages and flooding dynamics. Tree islands provide refuge for terrestrial fauna during the flooding period and are particularly important to the regional ecosystem structure. Little soil CO2 research has been conducted in this region. We evaluated soil CO2 dynamics in relation to primary controlling environmental parameters (soil temperature and soil water). Soil respiration was computed using the gradient method using in situ infrared gas analyzers to directly measure CO2 concentration within the soil profile. Due to the cost of the sensors and associated equipment, this study was unreplicated. Rather, we focus on the temporal relationships between soil CO2 efflux and related environmental parameters. Soil CO2 efflux during the study averaged 3.53 µmol CO2 m−2 s−1, and was equivalent to an annual soil respiration of 1220 g C m−2 y−1. This efflux value, integrated over a year, is comparable to soil C stocks for 0–20 cm. Soil water potential was the measured parameter most strongly associated with soil CO2 concentrations, with high CO2 values observed only once soil water potential at the 10 cm depth approached zero. This relationship was exhibited across a spectrum of timescales and was found to be significant at a daily timescale across all seasons using conditional nonparametric spectral Granger causality analysis. Hydrology plays a significant role in controlling CO2 efflux from the tree island soil, with soil CO2 dynamics differing by wetting mechanism. During the wet-up period, direct precipitation infiltrates soil from above and results in pulses of CO2 efflux from soil. The annual flood arrives later, and saturates soil from below. While CO2 concentrations in soil grew very high under both wetting mechanisms, the change in soil CO2 efflux was only significant when soils were wet from above.

Erosividade da chuva em municípios do Mato Grosso: distribuição sazonal e correlações com dados pluviométricos

The rainfall erosivity constitutes an indispensable factor for prediction of soil losses by water erosion. In this way, the present study was carried out with the objectives to model the relationship among the erosivity index (EI30) monthly values, obtained from rainfall chart data with the precipitation and monthly rainfall coefficient for four municipal districts (Canarana, Sao Jose of Rio Claro, Poxoreo and Vera) of Mato Grosso State; to determine the erosivity factor (R) obtained from rainfall data for the four municipalities, as well as its return period and its occurrence probability; and to study the EI30 annual, seasonal and monthly distribution in these four municipalities. The potential relationship between the rainfall erosivity index and the rainfall coefficient make possible to evaluate the monthly and annual rainfall erosivity with good reliability (ERM < 7%) for the municipalities of Canarana, Vera and Sao Jose of Rio Claro. However, for Poxoreo this good reliability is verified only for the annual erosivity. In the four municipalities the spring and summer seasons correspond to the period of larger erosivity, being responsible, except for Poxoreo, for 94% or more of the annual total erosivity.

Potencial erosivo da chuva de Cuiabá, MT: distribuição e correlação com a precipitação pluviométrica

The objectives of this study were: (a) to determine the erosivity factor (R) for the city of Cuiaba, as well as its return period and probability of occurrence, (b) to study the annual distribution, seasonal and monthly index erosivity (EI30), (c) to define the period of return for the indices of annual erosivity and maximum most erosive monthly values, and (d) to correlate the EI30 monthly average with rainfall coefficient and monthly precipitation. A set of 889 erosive individual rains was studied in the period 1972 to 1975, 1977 to 1985 and 1995 to 1999, which were digitized and subsequently analyzed to obtain the EI30. The R factor for the Cuiaba city was 8.810 MJ mm ha-1 h-1 year-1, classified as high, with probability of 42.92%, being matched or exceeded at least once every 2.33 years. The period from October to April concentrated 87% of total annual erosivity, indicating that it is the period of greatest erosion probability. The potential model showed a better fit between the monthly EI30 with the rainfall coefficient.

DINÂMICA DOS ATRIBUTOS FÍSICO-QUÍMICOS E VARIAÇÃO SAZONAL DOS ESTOQUES DE CARBONO NO SOLO EM DIFERENTES FITOFISIONOMIAS DO PANTANAL NORTE MATO-GROSSENSE

The Pantanal biome may be considered a hyperseasonal environment where there is a flooded period followed by an extended dry period with very high temperatures. The diversity of vegetation types modify the input of carbon into the soil in different quantity and quality. With this focus, this study aimed to verify the effect of the hydrological Pantanal Cycle (rising, flood, low tide and dry season), on the dynamics of soil organic carbon stock in different vegetation types of Cambarazal, Riparian Forest, Mountain Range and Thorn-Scrub. Principal component analysis (PCA) identified three distinct groups, characterized by nutrient reserves and by soil acidity. The carbon stock of the soil is conditioned by seasonal factors and equally dependent on the local vegetation type that occurred in vegetation types that showed the highest level of natural fertility, respectively, Cambarazal and Thorn-Scrub. The highest carbon content was observed during the flood period, for most vegetation types and the lowest carbon stock occurred during the period of low tide in 2008, just after a period of anaerobiosis due to the flood and before the dry season became predominant.

Monitoramento contínuo do potencial redox e de variáveis complementares em ambiente hipersazonal no Pantanal Norte

The analysis of redox potential and other associated soil variables may be useful for understanding the dynamics of hydromorphic soils throughout the water cycle of the Pantanal. This study investigated the redox potential and soil variables (CO2, O2, temperature, moisture and matric potential) by continuous and uninterrupted monitoring. Measurements were made at 10 and 30 cm depth in a Haplic alitic gleisolic Planossol soil with Cerrado sensu stricto vegetation, in the municipality of Barao do Melgaco in the northeastern Pantanal. Redox potential values ranged from 636 mV (rising water period) to -341 mV (flooded period), characterizing an anaerobic environment when flooded and an oxidized environment in the other seasons of the hydrological cycle. This confirmed the redox potential as a versatile indicator to understand the oxidative-reductive reactions in the hydromorphic soils of the Pantanal wetlands, since the redox values decreased when soil moisture was high. The study also showed that continuous and uninterrupted monitoring of additional variables can be important for further analyses of the hyperseasonal nature of these soils. Soil matrix potential and soil moisture were the variables that explained most variation in the data of the hydrological cycle, indicating that these physical parameters are crucial for biological processes in this tropical soil with hydric hyperseasonality.

Effects of conversion of native cerrado vegetation to pasture on soil hydro-physical properties, evapotranspiration and streamflow on the Amazonian Agricultural Frontier

Understanding the impacts of land-use change on landscape-hydrological dynamics is one of the main challenges in the Northern Brazilian Cerrado biome, where the Amazon agricultural frontier is located. Motivated by the gap in literature assessing these impacts, we characterized the soil hydro-physical properties and quantified surface water fluxes from catchments under contrasting land-use in this region. We used data from field measurements in two headwater micro-catchments with similar physical characteristics and different land use, i.e. cerrado sensu stricto vegetation and pasture for extensive cattle ranching. We determined hydraulic and physical properties of the soils, applied ground-based remote sensing techniques to estimate evapotranspiration, and monitored streamflow from October 2012 to September 2014. Our results show significant differences in soil hydro-physical properties between the catchments, with greater bulk density and smaller total porosity in the pasture catchment. We found that evapotranspiration is smaller in the pasture (639 ± 31% mm yr-1) than in the cerrado catchment (1,004 ± 24% mm yr-1), and that streamflow from the pasture catchment is greater with runoff coefficients of 0.40 for the pasture and 0.27 for the cerrado catchment. Overall, our results confirm that conversion of cerrado vegetation to pasture causes soil hydro-physical properties deterioration, reduction in evapotranspiration reduction, and increased streamflow.

Impacts of land-use and land-cover change on stream hydrochemistry in the Cerrado and Amazon biomes

Studies on the impacts of land-use and land-cover change on stream hydrochemistry in active deforestation zones of the Amazon agricultural frontier are limited and have often used low-temporal-resolution datasets. Moreover, these impacts are not concurrently assessed in well-established agricultural areas and new deforestations hotspots. We aimed to identify these impacts using an experimental setup to collect high-temporal-resolution hydrological and hydrochemical data in two pairs of low-order streams in catchments under contrasting land use and land cover (native vegetation vs. pasture) in the Amazon and Cerrado biomes. Our results indicate that the conversion of natural landscapes to pastures increases carbon and nutrient fluxes via streamflow in both biomes. These changes were the greatest in total inorganic carbon in the Amazon and in potassium in the Cerrado, representing a 5.0- and 5.5-fold increase in the fluxes of each biome, respectively. We found that stormflow, which is often neglected in studies on stream hydrochemistry in the tropics, plays a substantial role in the carbon and nutrient fluxes, especially in the Amazon biome, as its contributions to hydrochemical fluxes are mostly greater than the volumetric contribution to the total streamflow. These findings demonstrate that assessments of the impacts of deforestation in the Amazon and Cerrado biomes should also take into account rapid hydrological pathways; however, this can only be achieved through collection of high-temporal-resolution data.

Carbon-optimised land management strategies for southern Amazonia

The Brazilian Amazon region is perceived a most precious biome due to its various globally relevant functions and resources. The Amazon forest is considered a key control for the global and regional climate system (Trumbore et al. 2015; Coe et al. 2017) and is a principal driver for the global and regional water cycle (Castello and Macedo 2016; Getirana 2016; Gimeno et al. 2012). It is home to a unique share of Earth’s genetic resources (Laurance et al. 2012; Pimm et al. 2014; Myers et al. 2000) as well as a rich human cultural heritage which includes indigenous populations yet unexplored (Walker et al. 2016; Pringle 2014). The Brazilian savannah ecosystems, known as Cerrado, add another set of unique wildlife habitats (Simon et al. 2009). Both ecosystems represent important resources for the Brazilian and global economy, yet there are still serious issues regarding sustainable natural resources management. Up until today, the ongoing destruction of both ecosystems has stirred attention worldwide. More than 750,000 km of pristine forest has been lumbered in the Amazon between 1970 and 2013 (Nogueira et al. 2015; INPE 2017). During this period, deforestation rates have steadily increased until 2003/2004 (INPE 2014; Nepstad et al. 2014), and then slowed down as a result of political will and enforcement until 2013 (Boucher et al. 2013; Hansen et al. 2013; Nepstad et al. 2014). Since then, its rate is again increasing (Schönenberg et al. 2015; INPE 2016). Similarly, the Cerrado has also become subject to significant land use change (Jepson 2005; Beuchle et al. 2015; de Oliveira et al. 2017). The conversion of both ecosystems into cattle pastures and agricultural land already considerably affected biodiversity (Lees and Peres 2006), but also carbon (C) stocks and emissions, and the consequences for environment