Search results for "Amazonia"

Siliceous spicules enhance fracture-resistance and stiffness of pre-colonial Amazonian ceramics

2015

AbstractPottery was a traditional art and technology form in pre-colonial Amazonian civilizations, widely used for cultural expression objects, utensils and as cooking vessels. Abundance and workability of clay made it an excellent choice. However, inferior mechanical properties constrained their functionality and durability. The inclusion of reinforcement particles is a possible route to improve its resistance to mechanical and thermal damage. The Amazonian civilizations incorporated freshwater tree sponge spicules (cauixí) into the clay presumably to prevent shrinkage and crack propagation during drying, firing and cooking. Here we show that isolated siliceous spicules are almost defect-f…

Seasonal and Inter-annual Variation of Evapotranspiration in Amazonia Based on Precipitation, River Discharge and Gravity Anomaly Data

2019

We analyzed seasonal and spatial variations of evapotranspiration (ET) for five Amazon sub-basins and their response to the 2015/16 El Nino episode using a recently developed water-budget approach. ET varied typically between similar to 7 and 10 cm/month with exception of the Xingu basin for which it varied between 10 and 15 cm/month. Outstanding features of ET seasonality are (i) generally weak seasonality, (ii) two ET peaks for the two very wet catchments Solimoes and Negro, with one occurring during the wet season and one during the drier season, and (iii) a steady increase of ET during the second half of the dry season for the three drier catchments (Madeira, Tapajos, Xingu). Peak ET oc…

Fire Responses to the 2010 and 2015/2016 Amazonian Droughts

2019

Extreme droughts in Amazonia cause anomalous increase in fire occurrence, disrupting the stability of environmental, social and economic systems. Thus, understanding how droughts affect fire patterns in this region is essential for anticipating and planning actions for remediation of possible impacts. Focused on the Brazilian Amazon biome, we investigated fire responses to the 2010 and 2015/2016 Amazonian droughts using a remote sensing data. Our results revealed that the 2015/2016 drought surpassed the 2010 drought in intensity and extent. During the 2010 drought, we found a maximum area of 846,800 km2 (24% of the Brazilian Amazon biome) with significant (p<0.05) rainfall decrease in the f…

Droughts Over Amazonia in 2005, 2010, and 2015: A Cloud Cover Perspective

2018

Amazon forests experienced recent severe droughts in an anomalous short period induced by different mechanisms and had different length periods and spatial patterns. Droughts of 2005 and 2010 were attributed to anomalous Sea Surface Temperature (SST) over the Tropical North Atlantic (TNA) during the dry season, but the 2010 drought was more severe and remained for a longer period because it was also induced in late 2009 by a moderate to strong El Niño (EN). Drought in 2015 led to unprecedented warming and extreme soil moisture deficits over some regions, and it was attributed to a very strong EN. Several studies analyzed these drought events regarding different climatic factors such as anom…

The Amazonian boundary layer and mesoscale circulations

2009

Numerous biogenic volatile organic compounds (VOC) species are released into the atmosphere from tropical forests. Measuring all those which are relevant for atmospheric chemistry or for the carbon budget is challenging. Large-Scale Biosphere-Atmosphere (LBA) Experiment field campaigns substantially increased the number of field studies of isoprene and monoterpene emissions, as well as of the exchange of several other VOC species. This chapter reports about the progress made within LBA from primary emission measurements at the plant species level up to discussions of the oxidative capacity of the atmosphere and formation of secondary organic aerosol particles and cloud condensation nuclei f…

Changes in Climate and Land Use Over the Amazon Region: Current and Future Variability and Trends

2018

This paper shows recent progress in our understanding of climate variability and trends in the Amazon region, and how these interact with land use change. The review includes an overview of up-to-date information on climate and hydrological variability, and on warming trends in Amazonia, which reached 0.6-0.7 °C over the last 40 years, with 2016 as the warmest year since at least 1950 (0.9 °C +0.3°C). We focus on local and remote drivers of climate variability and change. We review the impacts of these drivers on the length of dry season, the role of the forest in climate and carbon cycles, the resilience of the forest, the risk of fires and biomass burning, and the potential “die back” of …

United by the same concern. Ecumenical impulses of Pope Francis in the context of integral ecology

2020

Jednym z istotnych zadań Kościoła w porządku doczesnym jest troska o dzieło stworzenia i samego człowieka, a czasami wręcz obrona ludzkości przed zagrożeniami, wyzwolonego od jakichkolwiek odniesień etyczno-moralnych, postępu technicznego. Troska o wspólny dom nie jest tyko domeną Kościoła katolickiego, również inne kościoły i wspólnoty chrześcijańskie – podobnie jak i inne religie, dokonują refleksji nad zagadnieniami związanymi z degradacją środowiska ludzkiego i naturalnego (LS, 7). Celem artykułu jest próba dostrzeżenia i analizy ekumenicznych impulsów papieża Franciszka w kontekście całościowej ekologii, uwzgledniającej wzajemne powiązania różnych wymiarów rzeczywistości. Dlatego w tra…

Corrigendum: Fire Responses to the 2010 and 2015/2016 Amazonian Droughts

2019

Áreas protegidas e urbanização : o caso da APA da ilha do Combú, Belém-PA

2020

The paper seeks to answer two questions: what is the influence of the geographical location of the island of Combú in the metropolitan area of Belém, PA, and whether its current status as an Area of Environmental Protection (APA) has any impact on biodiversity and socioeconomic development? Similar to other riverside areas in the Amazon, Combú has a long history of involvement in the trade of extractive products. However, its geographical proximity to Belém and consequent access to markets made producers less dependent on intermediaries, while the ownership of resources was based on independent family units. Therefore, the dominant mode of caboclo extractivism, together with limited access …