Assessments of the impacts of land use and cover change and emission scenarios (RCP 8.5) on the water budget in the Madeira river basin

Abstract

In this study, we evaluated the impacts of increased GHGs (RCP 8.5 scenario) and future deforestations on the water cycle in the Madeira River basin by using the Eta Regional Model and MGB-IPH Large-scale Hydrological Model, forced by Brazilian Model of the Terrestrial System (BESM-AO 2.5). In the RCP 8.5 scenario, the model demonstrated sensitivity over the entire Madeira basin, with a temperature increase of 4.0 °C. The increase was intensified with the deforestation scenarios for 2050 (4.8 °C) and 2100 (6.2 °C). In the deforestation scenarios, the Negative Feedback Mechanism (NFM) was predominant because, although there were reductions in precipitation and evapotranspiration, the convergence of humidity presented an increase in all the scenarios. Regarding the hydrological processes, an increase in the discharges in most stations for all future scenarios for RCP8.5 and deforestation was observed. The increase in precipitation in the dry season explains in part the increase in the discharges and in the flood area in the Madeira basin. The increased upstream precipitation and the changes in soil parameters associated with the changes in land use contributed to the increase in the flood area over the Madeira basin. These changes can have negative effects on the environment, on water resources and on the main sectors of the economy, which directly affect the communities that inhabit the river banks, especially the vulnerable populations of the Madeira basin. © 2020, Sociedade Brasileira de Meteorologia. All rights reserved.