Irrigation and Rural Change in the Semi-Arid Sertaq of Northeast Brazil

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

Irrigation and Rural Change in the Semi-Arid Sertaq of Northeast Brazil IRRIGATION AND RURAL CHANGE IN THE SEMI-ARID SERTAQ OF NORTHEAST BRAZIL by Ana Maria de Souza Mello Bicalho Thesis Submitted for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy Bedford College, University of London July, 1985 ProQuest Number: 10098509 All rights reserved INFORMATION TO ALL USERS The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. In the unlikely event that the author did not send a complete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if material had to be removed, a note will indicate the deletion. uest. ProQuest 10098509 Published by ProQuest LLC(2016). Copyright of the Dissertation is held by the Author. All rights reserved. This work is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States Code. Microform Edition © ProQuest LLC. ProQuest LLC 789 East Eisenhower Parkway P.O. Box 1346 Ann Arbor, Ml 48106-1346 ABSTRACT This thesis is an in-depth case study in Rural Geography based on primary data collected in the semi-arid SertSo of Northeast Brazil. The research analyses the impact of the introduction of capitalized irrigation agriculture into an area of traditional dry farming. The resultant social and economic change is evaluated with respect to the resolution of long-standing regional problems of drought, unemployment, poverty and rural exodus. Two types of irrigation systems are compared according to the kind of development strategy involved with each. Private-sector irrigation is based on labour-intensive and intermediate technology and represents a model of development from below at the periphery. Capital-intensive farming methods are utilized in public-sector irrigation in function of the centre-down and urban-industrial biased policies pursued in national and regional economic planning. The study thus addresses a number of questions concerning urban versus rural bias, regional dependency and appropriate technology. Irrigation is found to overcome the environmental and socio­ economic problems of the SertSo in a satisfactory way while dry farming does not. Private-sector irrigation does this better than public-sector irrigation. This occurs because flexibility in the production schemes employed in the private sector allows a larger number of farmers to adopt irrigation, more full-time jobs to be created, higher income to be earned by both farmers and workers and greater upward social mobility to take place. The use of capital- intensive technology on government projects severely limits the areas where public-sector irrigation can be practised. Furthermore, large amounts of scarce capital are spent on an insignificant number of Sertanejo farmers whose cropping activities are only profitable when highly subsidized. In sum, private-sector irrigation better contributes to lessening the problems of the SertSo and to reducing regional and sectorial imbalance and dependency. TABLE OF CONTENTS Page List of Tables ............... .. .oc....... 5 List of Figures ....... 9 List of Plates ...... 10 Abbreviations ....... 11 Acknowledgements 12 Chapter 1. Irrigation and the Problems of the Brazilian Semi-Arid Zone ...... 13 Chapter 2. Irrigation and Rural Change ................. 30 Chapter 3• The Dilemma of Drought .............................. 52 Chapter 4. Dry Farming in the Sertao ....... 78 Chapter 5. The Rise of Irrigation in the Northeast ............. 104 Chapter 6. The Environmental Basis for the Practice of Irrigation ........... 138 Chapter 7, The Choice of Irrigation Technology .... 186 Chapter 8. The Economics of Irrigation and Social Change ....... 231 Chpater 9. Irrigation and Rural Change in the SertSo ......... 279 Notes ...... 288 Appendix 1 ........ 290 Appendix 2 ........ 314 Appendix 3 ..... 317 Bibliography ...... 323 LIST OF TABLES Page Table 1, Recorded Droughts .............. 54 Table 2, Average Monthly Precipitation in the Study Area ...... 59 Table 3. Percentage of Average Monthly Precipitation which Falls in a 24 Hour Period in the Study Area ....... 59 Table 4. Average Number of Days per Month with Rainfall in the Study Area .......... 60 Table 5. Monthly Average Rainfall and Potential Evaporation in Salgueiro ...... 61 Table 6. Use of Pesticides in Rain-Fed Cropping in the Study Area .«.... ... ..... .. ... ..... ... 88 Table 7, Change in Average Herd Size for Ranchers of the Study Area .............. 90 Table 8. Average Annual Area Planted, Production and Productivity per Farmer in the North of the Study Area ..... 91 Table 9. Average Annual Area Planted, Production and Productivity per Farmer in the South of the Study Area ............ 91 Table 10. Price Index for the Main Farm Products of the Sertao for the Period 1948-1969 ....... 92 Table 11. Price Index for the Main Products of the SertSo for the Period 1969-1982................ 93 Table 12. Average Profit per Hectare for Ranchers in the Study Area .......... 94 Table 13. Average Profit per Hectare for Farmers Exploiting Rain-Fed Cropping in the Study Area ..... 96 Table 14. Average Net Income according to Activity and Farm Size in the Study A r e a ..... 97 Table 15. Change in the Proportion of the Sertanejo Work Force Employed by Sector 101 Table 16. Annual Rate of Population Growth from 1950 to 1980 ..................... 102 Table 17. Expansion of Area under Irrigation between 1960 and 1975 in the Northeast .......... 113 Table 18. Irrigated Area and Farmers Settled on DNOCS Projects in the SertSo ....... 118 Table 19. Irrigated Area According to Type of Farmer on CODEVASF Projects in the Sertâo ....... »...... 119 Table 20. Private-Sector Irrigation Technology in the Study A r e a ....... 124 Table 21. Use of Fertilizers and Pesticides by Private- Sector Irrigation Farmers ...... 133 Table 22. Size of DNOCS Reservoirs Located in the Sert3o ........ 153 Table 23. Irrigation Water Salinity Classification .............. 157 Table 24, Water Salinity in the Study Area ......... 158 Table 25, Quality of the Water in Sampled Public Reservoirs in the Northeast ...... 161 Table 26. Size of Irrigated Area on Private-Sector Farms according to Source of Water ....... 164 Table 27. Irrigation Technology Level on Private-Sector Farms according to Source of Water ........«....... 164 Table 28. Irrigation Soil Salinity Classification ....... 173 Table 29. Soil Salinity according to Years of Irrigation along the Sao Francisco River ..... 174 Table 30. Soil Salinity according to Years of Irrigation along the Tributaries ......... 175 Table 31. Soil Salinity according to Slope on the Sâo Francisco River ..... 179 Table 32. Soil Salinity according to Slope on the Tributaries ..... 180 Table 33. Soil Salinity according to Technology Type along the Sâo Francisco River ......................... 181 Table 34. Soil Salinity according to Technology Type along the Tributaries .................. 182 Table 35. Salinity Tolerance of Irrigated Crops Appropriate for the Study Area ......... 184 Table 36. Distribution of Private-Sector Farms in the Study Area Annual Irrigated Area ................. 190 Table 37. Technology Type according to Farm Size in Private-Sector Irrigation of the Study Area ........... 191 Table 38. Technology Type according to Period of Irrigation for Private-Sector Farms of the Study Area ....... 193 Table 39. Technology Type according to Frequency of Bank Loans in Private-Sector Irrigation of the Study Area ................... 200 Table 40. Frequency of Extension Service according to Farm Size in Private-Sector Irrigation on the Sao Francisco River .... ................ 208 Table 41. Frequency of Extension Service according to Technology Type in Private-Sector Irrigation on the Sâo Francisco River ........ 209 Table 42. Technology Type according to Educational Attainment for Private-Sector Farmers of the Study Area ....... ............ 213 Table 43. Technology Type According to Age of Private- Sector Farmer in the Study Area ......... 218 Table 44. Indicators for the Selection of DNOCS Project Farmers .... ............. ... ........ ... 221 Table 45. Previous Occupation of Project Farmers of the Study Area ..... 222 Table 46. Educational Attainment of Project Farmers of the Study Area ........... 224 Table 47. Age of Farmers upon Entering Projects of the Study Area ...... 226 Table 48. Area Occupied by Staple and Cash Crops in the Principal Irrigation Counties of the Sao Francisco River ..... 234 Table 49. Average Area Planted for Private-Sector Farmers Practising Irrigation and Dry Farming in the Study Area ........ 235 Table 50. Average Production for Private-Sector Farmers Practising Irrigation and Dry Farming in the Study Area ......... 236 Table 51. Average Productivity for Private-Sector Farmers Practising Irrigation and Dry Farming in the Study Area ...... 237 Table 52. Market Orientation^according to Farm Size in Private-Sector Irrigation of the Study Area 240 Table 53. Average Profit per Hectare per Harvest for Private-Sector Irrigation on the Sao Francisco River ............ 241 Table 54. Average Net Income per Farmer for Private- Sector Irrigation Cropping according to Farm Size in the Study Area ........................ 242 Table 55. Average Productivity of Public-Sector Irrigation Farmers ............ 246 Table 56. Average Produce Prices Received by Private and Public Irrigation Farmers ......... 248 Table 57. Average Profit per Hectare per Harvest for Public-Sector Irrigation ......... 250 Table 58. Average Net Income per Public-Sector Irrigation Farmer ..... 251 Table 59. DNOCS Expenditures per Project Farmer and per Irrigated Area ..................
Recommended publications
  • First Records of the Rare Snake Echinanthera Cephalomaculata Di-Bernardo, 1994 in the State of Pernambuco, Brazil (Serpentes: Dipsadidae)
    Herpetology Notes, volume 12: 1005-1009 (2019) (published online on 17 October 2019) First records of the rare snake Echinanthera cephalomaculata Di-Bernardo, 1994 in the state of Pernambuco, Brazil (Serpentes: Dipsadidae) Marco Antonio de Freitas1,*, Gessica Gomes Barbosa2, Karol Priscila Bernardino3, João Domingos Pinheiro Filho4, and Arthur Diesel Abegg5 The Atlantic rainforest is one of the most biodiverse The state of Pernambuco published a list of tropical forests, as well as the most threatened biome endangered reptile species in 2017, comprising eight in the world (Myers et al., 2000). The Pernambuco snake species (SEMAS, 2017): Bothrops bilineatus Endemism Center (CEP) comprises the northern portion (Wied, 1821) (vulnerable); Dipsas sazimai Fernandes, of the Brazilian Atlantic Rainforest, delimited from the Marques, and Argôlo, 2010 (vulnerable); Drymoluber north of the São Francisco River to the southern region dichrous (Peters, 1863) (vulnerable); Erythrolamprus of the state of Rio Grande do Norte, with a considerable reginae (Linnaeus, 1758) (vulnerable); Lachesis muta number of animal and plant species occurring only in (Linnaeus, 1766) (vulnerable); Rodriguesophis iglesiasi this short and extremely fragmented and threatened (Gomes, 1915) (endangered); Siphlophis compressus forest stretch (Tabarelli and Santos, 2004). (Daudin, 1803) (vulnerable); and Xenopholis scalaris Five snake species threatened with extinction at (Wucherer, 1861) (vulnerable). the national level occur in the CEP: Amerotyphlops The genus Echinanthera comprises six species amoipira (Rodrigues and Juncá, 2002), Atractus caete known to occur in the Atlantic rainforests of Brazil Passos, Fernandes, Bérnils and Moura-Leite, 2010, (Di-Bernardo, 1992; Myers and Cadle, 1994; Costa and Bothrops muriciensis Ferrarezzi and Freire, 2001 and Bérnils, 2018).
    [Show full text]
  • Lithospheric and Sub-Lithospheric Deformation Under the Borborema
    Solid Earth Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/se-2019-41 Manuscript under review for journal Solid Earth Discussion started: 4 March 2019 c Author(s) 2019. CC BY 4.0 License. Lithospheric and sub-lithospheric deformation under the Borborema Province of NE Brazil from receiver function harmonic stripping Gaelle Lamarque1,2 and Jordi Julià1,3 1Programa do Pós-Graduação em Geodinâmica e Geofísica, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte, Natal, RN CEP 59078-090, Brazil 2Ifremer, Geosciences Marines, Centre de Brest, 29280 Plouzané, France 3Departamento de Geofísica, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte, Natal, RN CEP 59078-970, Brazil Correspondence: Gaelle Lamarque ([email protected]) Abstract. The depth-dependent anisotropic structure of the lithosphere under the Borborema Province of northeast Brazil has been investigated through harmonic stripping of receiver functions developed at 39 stations in the region. This method retrieves the first (k=1) and second (k=2) degree harmonics of a receiver function dataset, which characterize seismic anisotropy beneath 5 a seismic station. Anisotropic fabrics are in turn directly related to the deformation of the lithosphere from past and current tec- tonic processes. Our results reveal the presence of anisotropy within the crust and the lithospheric mantle throughout the entire Province, with the exception of a few stations in the continental interior that lack evidence for any anisotropic signatures. Most stations in the continental interior report consistent anisotropic orientations in the crust and lithospheric mantle, suggesting a dominant NE-SW pervasive deformation along lithospheric-scale shear zones developed during the Brasiliano-Pan African 10 orogeny.
    [Show full text]
  • Baixar Baixar
    CARACTERIZAÇÃO GEOMORFOLÓGICA DOS MACROCOMPARTIMENTOS DE RELEVO NO NORDESTE SETENTRIONAL BRASILEIRO GEOMORPHOLOGICAL CHARACTERIZATION OF RELIEF MACROCOMPARTIMENTS IN THE NORTHEAST BRAZILIAN NORTH CARACTERIZACIÓN GEOMORFOLÓGICA DE LOS MACROCOMPARTIMENTOS DEL RELIEVE EM SECTOR NORTE DE NORESTE DE BRASIL Victor Carlos Vilela dos SANTOS1 [email protected] José Leonardo Nascimento da SILVA1 [email protected] Fábio José da SILVA1 [email protected] Iaponan Cardins de Sousa ALMEIDA2 [email protected] RESUMO A Geografia tem como objetivo entender as relações existentes no espaço geográfico, diante desse pressuposto entra a geomorfologia, que é o resultado dos processos da dinâmica física no espaço. Nesse sentido, buscou-se entender as dinâmicas ambientais na formação do relevo nordestino. Dessa forma, o artigo de por objetivos reconhecer as mudanças ambientas e caracterizar os macrocompartimentos do Nordeste setentrional. Na condução do estudo foram realizados levantamentos bibliográficos, documentais, cartográficos e trabalho de campo. Tendo como resultados a caracterização dos seguintes macrocompartimentos: Costa do Nordeste setentrional, Planície costeira, Tabuleiros costeiros, Depressão sertaneja setentrional, Planalto da Borborema, Chapada do Apodi e Chapada do Araripe. Foi possível observar que esses macrocompartimentos estão condicionados à diferentes dinâmicas e resultando diferentes feições. Palavras-Chave: Geomorfologia. Caracterização geomorfológica. Nordeste setentrional. ABSTRACT Geography aims to understand the relationships that exist among the geographic space. Given this assumption comes the geomorphology, which is the result of the processes of 1 Aluno de Graduação do Curso de Licenciatura em Geografia da Universidade de Pernambuco – UPE, Garanhuns 2 Professor do Curso de Licenciatura em Geografia da Universidade de Pernambuco – UPE, 332 Garanhuns SANTOS, V.C.V. dos; SILVA, J.L.N. da; SILVA, F.J.
    [Show full text]
  • Upper-Mantle Structure of the Borborema Province, NE Brazil, from P-Wave Tomography: Implications for Rheology and Volcanism
    Geophys. J. Int. (2019) 216, 231–250 doi: 10.1093/gji/ggy421 Advance Access publication 2018 October 11 GJI Seismology Upper-mantle structure of the Borborema Province, NE Brazil, from P-wave tomography: implications for rheology and volcanism F.L. Simoes˜ Neto ,1 Jordi Julia` 1,2 and Martin Schimmel 3 1Programa de Pos-Graduac´ ¸ao˜ em Geodinamicaˆ e Geof´ısica, UFRN, CEP 59078-970 - Natal - Brazil. E-mail: fl[email protected] 2Departamento de Geof´ısica, UFRN, CEP 59078-970 - Natal, Brazil 3Institut de Ciencies` de la Terra Jaume Almera, CSIC, 08028 Barcelona, Spain Downloaded from https://academic.oup.com/gji/article-abstract/216/1/231/5127046 by CSIC user on 19 December 2018 Accepted 2018 October 10. Received 2018 October 4; in original form 2017 December 19 SUMMARY We have performed a tomographic study of the upper mantle under the Borborema Province by inverting relative P-wave traveltime residuals (including the PKPdf phase). The events were recorded by more than 50 broad-band and short-period stations deployed across the region, resulting in a total data set of 1912 relative residuals. A multichannel phase cross-correlation technique was utilized to develop the measurements, which were then inverted through an iterative, non-linear inversion scheme based on the subspace inversion method. The Fast Marching Method, a grid-based numerical algorithm that traces an interface evolving over a narrow band of nodes that are updated solving the eikonal equation by finite differences using upwind entropy, was considered to solve the forward problem. Traveltimes from outside of the 3-D model were calculated using a global reference model.
    [Show full text]
  • Upper-Mantle Structure of the Borborema Province, NE Brazil, from P-Wave Tomography: Implications for Rheology and Volcanism
    Geophys. J. Int. (2019) 216, 231–250 doi: 10.1093/gji/ggy421 Advance Access publication 2018 October 11 GJI Seismology Upper-mantle structure of the Borborema Province, NE Brazil, from P-wave tomography: implications for rheology and volcanism F.L. Simoes˜ Neto ,1 Jordi Julia` 1,2 and Martin Schimmel 3 1Programa de Pos-Graduac´ ¸ao˜ em Geodinamicaˆ e Geof´ısica, UFRN, CEP 59078-970 - Natal - Brazil. E-mail: fl[email protected] 2Departamento de Geof´ısica, UFRN, CEP 59078-970 - Natal, Brazil 3Institut de Ciencies` de la Terra Jaume Almera, CSIC, 08028 Barcelona, Spain Downloaded from https://academic.oup.com/gji/article-abstract/216/1/231/5127046 by CSIC user on 20 December 2018 Accepted 2018 October 10. Received 2018 October 4; in original form 2017 December 19 SUMMARY We have performed a tomographic study of the upper mantle under the Borborema Province by inverting relative P-wave traveltime residuals (including the PKPdf phase). The events were recorded by more than 50 broad-band and short-period stations deployed across the region, resulting in a total data set of 1912 relative residuals. A multichannel phase cross-correlation technique was utilized to develop the measurements, which were then inverted through an iterative, non-linear inversion scheme based on the subspace inversion method. The Fast Marching Method, a grid-based numerical algorithm that traces an interface evolving over a narrow band of nodes that are updated solving the eikonal equation by finite differences using upwind entropy, was considered to solve the forward problem. Traveltimes from outside of the 3-D model were calculated using a global reference model.
    [Show full text]
  • Land Cover and Landscape Composition Change of the Caatinga: a Case Study from São Francisco Valley Area
    LAND COVER AND LANDSCAPE COMPOSITION CHANGE OF THE CAATINGA: A CASE STUDY FROM SÃO FRANCISCO VALLEY AREA A Thesis by SAMUEL KOVACH Submitted to the Graduate School at Appalachian State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF SCIENCE IN BIOLOGY May 2017 Department of Biology LAND COVER AND LANDSCAPE COMPOSITION CHANGE OF THE CAATINGA: A CASE STUDY FROM SÃO FRANCISCO VALLEY AREA A Thesis by SAMUEL KOVACH May 2017 APPROVED BY: Steven W. Seagle, Ph.D. Chairperson, Thesis Committee Zack E. Murrell, Ph.D. Member, Thesis Committee Jeffery D. Colby, Ph.D. Member, Thesis Committee Zack E. Murrell, Ph.D. Chairperson, Department of Biology Max C. Poole, Ph.D. Dean, Cratis D. Williams School of Graduate Studies Copyright by Samuel Kovach 2017 All Rights Reserved Abstract LAND COVER AND LANDSCAPE COMPOSITION CHANGE OF THE CAATINGA: A CASE STUDY FROM SÃO FRANCISCO VALLEY AREA Samuel Kovach B.S., University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill Chairperson: Dr. Steven W. Seagle Land use change impacts range from collective global climate effects to local degradation of ecosystem services available to humans. Consequently, understanding regional land use change has many ramifications. In northeastern Brazil, the caatinga, a semi-arid scrub vegetation rich in endemic species, has undergone extensive area loss and degradation due to increasing human populations, expansion of agriculture due to growth in irrigation, and recently infrastructure development for inter-basin transfer of water to support economic development. This research focuses on land use change of caatinga in Pernambuco State and North Central Bahia State along the São Francisco River.
    [Show full text]
  • Serpentes Da Caatinga: Diversidade, História Natural, Biogeografia E Conservação
    Serpentes da Caatinga: Diversidade, história natural, biogeografia e conservação Thaís Barreto Guedes 2012 Universidade Estadual Paulista Instituto de Biociências, Letras e Ciências Exatas São José do Rio Preto – SP Programa de Pós-Graduação em Biologia Animal Thaís Barreto Guedes Serpentes da Caatinga: Diversidade, história natural, biogeografia e conservação Orientador: Dr. Otavio Augusto Vuolo Marques Co-orientador: Dr. Cristiano de Campos Nogueira Tese apresentada ao Instituto de Biociências, Letras e Ciências Exatas da Universidade Estadual Paulista, como parte dos requisitos para obtenção do título de Doutora em Biologia Animal. 2012 Serpentes da Caatinga: diversidade, história natural, biogeografia e conservação / Thaís Barreto Guedes. - São José do Rio Preto : [s.n.], 2012. ! " #$ # # %&' Tese (doutorado) – Universidade Estadual Paulista, Instituto de Biociências, Letras e Ciências Exatas $(% )*+#, $# ' -%. /0 1Biogeografia.2! " 22&' # # %2223 4 ( 2 5 6 #5 47 2 #8391:;+ < '= , % , 226#4 # %-*>?@($3&4-( Serpentes da Caatinga: Diversidade, história natural, biogeografia e conservação Thaís Barreto Guedes Banca examinadora Titulares Suplentes ______________________________ ______________________________ Prof. Dr. Otavio A. Vuolo Marques Prof. Dr. Márcio Roberto C. Martins Instituto Butantan (Orientador) Universidade de São Paulo ______________________________ ______________________________ Profa. Dra. Ana Lúcia da C. Prudente Prof. Dr. Miguel Trefaut U. Rodrigues
    [Show full text]
  • Ko¨Ppen's Climate Classification Map for Brazil
    Meteorologische Zeitschrift, Vol. 22, No. 6, 711–728 (published online January 2014) Open Access Article Ó by Gebru¨der Borntraeger 2013 Ko¨ppen’s climate classification map for Brazil Clayton Alcarde Alvares1,2*, Jose´ Luiz Stape2,3,4, Paulo Cesar Sentelhas4, Jose´ Leonardo de Moraes Gonc¸alves4 and Gerd Sparovek4 1Forestry Science and Research Institute (IPEF), Piracicaba – SP, Brazil 2Forest Productivity Cooperative (FPC), Raleigh – NC, USA 3North Carolina State University, Raleigh – NC, USA 4University of Sa˜o Paulo – Agricultural College ‘‘Luiz de Queiroz’’, Piracicaba – SP, Brazil Abstract Ko¨ppen’s climate classification remains the most widely used system by geographical and climatological societies across the world, with well recognized simple rules and climate symbol letters. In Brazil, climatology has been studied for more than 140 years, and among the many proposed methods Ko¨ppen0s system remains as the most utilized. Considering Ko¨ppen’s climate classification importance for Brazil (geography, biology, ecology, meteorology, hydrology, agronomy, forestry and environmental sciences), we developed a geographical information system to identify Ko¨ppen’s climate types based on monthly temperature and rainfall data from 2,950 weather stations. Temperature maps were spatially described using multivariate equations that took into account the geographical coordinates and altitude; and the map resolution (100 m) was similar to the digital elevation model derived from Shuttle Radar Topography Mission. Patterns of rainfall were interpolated using kriging, with the same resolution of temperature maps. The final climate map obtained for Brazil (851,487,700 ha) has a high spatial resolution (1 ha) which allows to observe the climatic variations at the landscape level.
    [Show full text]
  • Synopsis of Orchidaceae from Serra Do Urubu: an Area of Montane Forest, Pernambuco State, Brazil
    Hoehnea 42(1): 109-133, 4 fig., 2015 http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/2236-8906-35/2014 Synopsis of Orchidaceae from Serra do Urubu: an area of montane forest, Pernambuco State, Brazil Edlley Pessoa1,3 and Marccus Alves2 Received: 22.07.2014; accepted: 22.09.2014 ABSTRACT - (Synopsis of Orchidaceae from Serra do Urubu: an area of montane forest, Pernambuco State, Brazil). This study provides a survey of Orchidaceae species in an area of montane Atlantic Forest in the State of Pernambuco, Brazil. The study area comprises two conservation units (RPPN Frei Caneca and RPPN Pedra D’Anta), forming together the Serra do Urubu, which is located in the border of the Borborema plateau. Orchidaceae is represented in this study area by 81 species and 50 genera. Epidendrum L. (10 spp.) and Habenaria Willd. (four spp.) are the most representative genera. The subtribes Laeliinae (22 spp.) and Pleurothallidinae (14 spp.) together represent about half of the number of species. The high number of orchid species distinguishes Serra do Urubu as one of the richest areas for the family in the Atlantic Forest in northeastern Brazil. Our study also provides 18 new records of species to Pernambuco as well as reporting on about 40% of the species and 60% of the genera cited to the State. Campylocentrum pernambucense, Cattleya labiata, Cattleya granulosa, Phragmipedium sargentianum and Zygostates bradei are cited as endangered, 14 species are endemic to the Atlantic Forest, and other seven have distributions restricted to northeastern Brazil. All these facts reinforce the importance of this area as well as management strategies for the conservation of Orchidaceae.
    [Show full text]
  • Lithospheric and Sublithospheric Deformation Under the Borborema Province of Northeastern Brazil from Receiver Function Harmonic Stripping
    Solid Earth, 10, 893–905, 2019 https://doi.org/10.5194/se-10-893-2019 © Author(s) 2019. This work is distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License. Lithospheric and sublithospheric deformation under the Borborema Province of northeastern Brazil from receiver function harmonic stripping Gaelle Lamarque1,2 and Jordi Julià1,3 1Programa do Pós-Graduação em Geodinâmica e Geofísica, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte, Natal, RN CEP 59078-090, Brazil 2Ifremer, Geosciences Marines, Centre de Brest, 29280 Plouzané, France 3Departamento de Geofísica, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte, Natal, RN CEP 59078-970, Brazil Correspondence: Gaelle Lamarque ([email protected]) Received: 27 February 2019 – Discussion started: 4 March 2019 Revised: 13 May 2019 – Accepted: 14 May 2019 – Published: 21 June 2019 Abstract. The depth-dependent anisotropic structure of the 1 Introduction lithosphere under the Borborema Province in northeast Brazil has been investigated via harmonic stripping of re- Understanding intraplate deformation and its relationship ceiver functions developed at 39 stations in the region. to deep geodynamic processes such as sublithospheric flow This method retrieves the first (k D 1) and second (k D is critical for improving our understanding of the evolu- 2) degree harmonics of a receiver function dataset, which tion of continents. The Borborema Province in northeast- characterize seismic anisotropy beneath a seismic station. ern Brazil, for instance, has witnessed several cycles of de- Anisotropic fabrics are in turn directly related to the defor- formation, as well as recurrent episodes of intraplate vol- mation of the lithosphere from past and current tectonic pro- canism and uplift, during its geological history.
    [Show full text]
  • Spatial and Temporal Distribution of Rodents During Active and Quiescent Periods in the Plague Focus in Exu, Northeastern Brazil
    Preprints (www.preprints.org) | NOT PEER-REVIEWED | Posted: 1 September 2021 doi:10.20944/preprints202109.0022.v1 Spatial and Temporal Distribution of Rodents During Active and Quiescent Periods in the Plague Focus in Exu, Northeastern Brazil Diego Leandro Reis da Silva Fernandes1¶, Matheus Filgueira Bezerra1¶, Bruna Mendes Duarte1, Mayara Paes de França Silva1, Hadassa de Almeida Souza1, Elainne Christine de Souza Gomes2& and Alzira Maria Paiva de Almeida1&* ¶ These authors contributed equally to this work. & These authors also contributed equally to this work. 1Department of Microbiology, Institute Aggeu Magalhães – Fiocruz PE, Recife, Pernambuco, Brazil. 2Department of Parasitology, Institute Aggeu Magalhães – Fiocruz PE, Recife, Pernambuco, Brazil. *Correspondence: [email protected], Tel 55 81 33612925 or 55 81 999798381 Abstract: The plague caused by the Yersinia pestis bacterium is primarily a flea- transmitted zoonosis of rodents that can also be conveyed to humans and other mammals. In this work, we analyzed the spatial and temporal distribution of rodents’ populations during active and quiescent periods of the plague in the municipality of Exu, northeastern Brazil. The geospatial analyses had shown that all rodent species occurred through the whole territory of the municipality with different hotspots for the risk of occurrence of the different species. Important fluctuation in the rodent populations was observed with a reduction in the wild rodent fauna following the end of a plague epidemic period, mostly represented by Necromys lasiurus and increase of the commensally species Rattus rattus. A higher abundance of rats might lead to an increased exposure of humans populations, favoring spillovers of plague and other rodent-borne diseases.
    [Show full text]
  • Wind Power in Girau Do Ponciano, Alagoas, Brazil Using Anemometric Data and Microscale Modeling
    Revista Brasileira de Meteorologia, v. 33, n. 2, 279-288, 2018 rbmet.org.br DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/0102-7786332007 Artigo Wind Power in Girau do Ponciano, Alagoas, Brazil Using Anemometric Data and Microscale Modeling Diogo Nunes da Silva Ramos1,2 , Roberto Fernando da Fonseca Lyra2, Rosiberto Salustiano da Silva Júnior2, Geórgenes Hilário Cavalcante Segundo2, Gerson Ernesto Varela Lopes3 1Departamento de Ciência e Tecnologia Aeroespacial, Instituto de Aeronáutica e Espaço, São José dos Campos, SP, Brazil. 2Instituto de Ciências Atmosféricas, Universidade Federal de Alagoas, Maceió, AL, Brazil. 3DEWI do Brasil Engenharia e Comércio de Energia Eólica e Solar LTDA, São José dos Campos, SP, Brazil. Received: April 1, 2017 – Accepted: March 24, 2018. Abstract The wind potential in the Agreste region of Northeastern Brazil has important features for energy exploration, but, stills unexplored. This work analyzes 3.1 yrs anemometer tower measurements in the Girau do Ponciano, Alagoas state. The observational data was recorded from October 2007 to October 2010. Three periods were defined to constrain the sea- sonal wind patterns: Annual, Dry (October-January) and Wet (May-August). Hourly and monthly series showed the av- erage wind speed was higher than7ms-1, reaching 8.5 m s-1 during the dry season. Further, the wind direction was also favorable with less variability, concentrated between NE and SE. During nighttime the wind speed ³ 10ms-1 were more frequent. The Weibull fit is more distributed (concentrated) during the dry (wet) season close to 8 m s-1 (7ms-1). The AEP (Cf) parameter estimated by the WAsP model varied between 3 to 10 GWh (35% to 65%).
    [Show full text]