Abstract
Changes in land use alter regional microclimate. This study compared the microclimate in understories of a mango orchard and a degraded area in the municipality of Salinópolis, in the northeast of the Brazilian State Pará, eastern Amazon. In both environments, the microclimate was monitored through collecting data on the following variables: maximum, minimum and average air temperature, air thermal amplitude and vapor pressure deficit. The microclimate was monitored daily during four seasons: early rainy season, late rainy season, early dry season and late dry season, between December 2015 and November 2016. Vegetation coverage was the most important factor to soften maximum and average air temperature in the understories. Lower values of meteorological variables were observed in the mango orchard understory, especially during late rainy season and late dry season, except for minimum air temperature, which was lower in the understory of the degraded area, especially during the late rainy season. The microclimate in the understory differed between both environments, and mango orchards may ameliorate the understory microclimate more efficiently than degraded areas; therefore, the mango orchard can be used as an alternative for the rehabilitation of degraded areas.
Highlights
The occupation process of the Amazon, from the 1960s and 1970s, occurred along the highways where population growth occurred through intense migratory movement and the expropriation of land in the region
Maximum air temperature differed between the understories of the mango orchard and the degraded area (p
The mango orchard reduced maximum temperature in the understory by an average of 1.63oC in relation to the degraded area The greatest reduction in maximum air temperature in the understories between the mango orchard and the degraded area was observed during LDS (2.65oC)
Summary
The occupation process of the Amazon, from the 1960s and 1970s, occurred along the highways where population growth occurred through intense migratory movement and the expropriation of land in the region. This process brought as the main problem deforestation that persists to the present day. It is clear that changes in land use may result in regional microclimate alterations. Planting trees may ameliorate understory microclimate (Pezzopane et al, 2010; 2015; Pinheiro et al, 2013), especially in degraded areas with a history of land use changes
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