The impact of drought on soil moisture trends across Brazilian biomes
<p>Over the past decade, Brazil has experienced severe droughts across its territory, with important implications for soil moisture dynamics. Soil moisture variability has a direct impact on agriculture, water security and ecosystem services. Nevertheless, there is currently little information...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Copernicus Publications
2021-03-01
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| Series: | Natural Hazards and Earth System Sciences |
| Online Access: | https://nhess.copernicus.org/articles/21/879/2021/nhess-21-879-2021.pdf |
| _version_ | 1818646301853614080 |
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| author | F. Lopes Ribeiro M. Guevara M. Guevara M. Guevara A. Vázquez-Lule A. P. Cunha M. Zeri R. Vargas |
| author_facet | F. Lopes Ribeiro M. Guevara M. Guevara M. Guevara A. Vázquez-Lule A. P. Cunha M. Zeri R. Vargas |
| author_sort | F. Lopes Ribeiro |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | <p>Over the past decade, Brazil has experienced severe droughts across its territory, with important implications for soil moisture dynamics. Soil moisture variability has a direct impact on agriculture, water security and ecosystem services. Nevertheless, there is currently little information on how soil moisture across different biomes responds to drought. In this study, we used satellite soil moisture data from the European Space Agency, from 2009 to 2015, to analyze differences in soil moisture responses to drought for each biome of Brazil: Amazon, Atlantic Forest, Caatinga, Cerrado, Pampa and Pantanal. We found an overall soil moisture decline of <span class="inline-formula">−0.5</span> % yr<span class="inline-formula"><sup>−1</sup></span> (<span class="inline-formula"><i>p</i><0.01</span>) at the national level. At the biome level, Caatinga presented the most severe soil moisture decline (<span class="inline-formula">−4.4</span> % yr<span class="inline-formula"><sup>−1</sup></span>), whereas the Atlantic Forest and Cerrado biomes showed no significant trend. The Amazon biome showed no trend but had a sharp reduction of soil moisture from 2013 to 2015. In contrast, the Pampa and Pantanal biomes presented a positive trend (1.6 % yr<span class="inline-formula"><sup>−1</sup></span> and 4.3 % yr<span class="inline-formula"><sup>−1</sup></span>, respectively). These trends are consistent with vegetation productivity trends across each biome. This information provides insights into drought risk reduction and soil conservation activities to minimize the impact of drought in the most vulnerable biomes. Furthermore, improving our understanding of soil moisture trends during periods of drought is crucial to enhance the national drought early warning system and develop customized strategies for adaptation to climate change in each biome.</p> |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-17T00:44:28Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-e63eb34a42f04f3cb9f082e07a0cc960 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1561-8633 1684-9981 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-17T00:44:28Z |
| publishDate | 2021-03-01 |
| publisher | Copernicus Publications |
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| series | Natural Hazards and Earth System Sciences |
| spelling | doaj.art-e63eb34a42f04f3cb9f082e07a0cc9602022-12-21T22:09:56ZengCopernicus PublicationsNatural Hazards and Earth System Sciences1561-86331684-99812021-03-012187989210.5194/nhess-21-879-2021The impact of drought on soil moisture trends across Brazilian biomesF. Lopes Ribeiro0M. Guevara1M. Guevara2M. Guevara3A. Vázquez-Lule4A. P. Cunha5M. Zeri6R. Vargas7Disaster Research Center, School of Public Policy and Administration, University of Delaware, Newark, DE, USADepartment of Plant and Soil Sciences, University of Delaware, Newark, DE, USApresent address: University of California, Riverside, Department of Environmental Sciences, 900 University Ave., Riverside, CA 92521, USApresent address: U.S. Salinity Laboratory, Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture, 450 West Big Springs Rd., Riverside, CA 92507, USADepartment of Plant and Soil Sciences, University of Delaware, Newark, DE, USANational Center for Monitoring and Early Warning of Natural Disasters (CEMADEN), São José dos Campos, SP, BrazilNational Center for Monitoring and Early Warning of Natural Disasters (CEMADEN), São José dos Campos, SP, BrazilDepartment of Plant and Soil Sciences, University of Delaware, Newark, DE, USA<p>Over the past decade, Brazil has experienced severe droughts across its territory, with important implications for soil moisture dynamics. Soil moisture variability has a direct impact on agriculture, water security and ecosystem services. Nevertheless, there is currently little information on how soil moisture across different biomes responds to drought. In this study, we used satellite soil moisture data from the European Space Agency, from 2009 to 2015, to analyze differences in soil moisture responses to drought for each biome of Brazil: Amazon, Atlantic Forest, Caatinga, Cerrado, Pampa and Pantanal. We found an overall soil moisture decline of <span class="inline-formula">−0.5</span> % yr<span class="inline-formula"><sup>−1</sup></span> (<span class="inline-formula"><i>p</i><0.01</span>) at the national level. At the biome level, Caatinga presented the most severe soil moisture decline (<span class="inline-formula">−4.4</span> % yr<span class="inline-formula"><sup>−1</sup></span>), whereas the Atlantic Forest and Cerrado biomes showed no significant trend. The Amazon biome showed no trend but had a sharp reduction of soil moisture from 2013 to 2015. In contrast, the Pampa and Pantanal biomes presented a positive trend (1.6 % yr<span class="inline-formula"><sup>−1</sup></span> and 4.3 % yr<span class="inline-formula"><sup>−1</sup></span>, respectively). These trends are consistent with vegetation productivity trends across each biome. This information provides insights into drought risk reduction and soil conservation activities to minimize the impact of drought in the most vulnerable biomes. Furthermore, improving our understanding of soil moisture trends during periods of drought is crucial to enhance the national drought early warning system and develop customized strategies for adaptation to climate change in each biome.</p>https://nhess.copernicus.org/articles/21/879/2021/nhess-21-879-2021.pdf |
| spellingShingle | F. Lopes Ribeiro M. Guevara M. Guevara M. Guevara A. Vázquez-Lule A. P. Cunha M. Zeri R. Vargas The impact of drought on soil moisture trends across Brazilian biomes Natural Hazards and Earth System Sciences |
| title | The impact of drought on soil moisture trends across Brazilian biomes |
| title_full | The impact of drought on soil moisture trends across Brazilian biomes |
| title_fullStr | The impact of drought on soil moisture trends across Brazilian biomes |
| title_full_unstemmed | The impact of drought on soil moisture trends across Brazilian biomes |
| title_short | The impact of drought on soil moisture trends across Brazilian biomes |
| title_sort | impact of drought on soil moisture trends across brazilian biomes |
| url | https://nhess.copernicus.org/articles/21/879/2021/nhess-21-879-2021.pdf |
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