Abstract
The study of radiation entrance and exit dynamics and energy consumption in a system is important for understanding the environmental processes that rule the biosphere-atmosphere interactions of all ecosystems. This study provides an analysis of the interaction of energy in the form of photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) in the Pantanal, a Brazilian wetland forest, by studying the variation of PAR reflectance and its interaction with local rainfall. The study site is located in Private Reserve of Natural Heritage, Mato Grosso State, Brazil, where the vegetation is a monodominant forest of Vochysia divergens Phol. The results showed a high correlation between the reflection of visible radiation and rainfall; however, the behavior was not the same at the three heights studied. An analysis of the hourly variation of the reflected waves also showed the seasonality of these phenomena in relation to the dry and rainy seasons. A predictive model for PAR was developed with a neural network that has a hidden layer, and it showed a determination coefficient of 0.938. This model showed that the Julian day and time of measurements had an inverse association with the wind profile and a direct association with the relative humidity profile.
Highlights
The state of Mato Grosso, Brazil contains three of the main biomes of South America: the Amazon Forest, Cerrado and Pantanal (Rodrigues et al 2013, 2016, Curado et al 2014)
Floods usually occur from January to April, and droughts occur from June to September (Novais et al 2012); according to Biudes et al (2009), the flooding pulse in this biome is the main moderating force that leads to the formation of monodominant stands composed of trees such as the Vochysia divergens
The study site is located at the Pantanal Barão de Melgaço SESC Private Reserve of Natural Heritage (PRNH SESC), 160 km south of the state capital Cuiabá, Mato Grosso State, Brazil
Summary
The state of Mato Grosso, Brazil contains three of the main biomes of South America: the Amazon Forest, Cerrado (savanna) and Pantanal (Rodrigues et al 2013, 2016, Curado et al 2014). Floods usually occur from January to April, and droughts occur from June to September (Novais et al 2012); according to Biudes et al (2009), the flooding pulse in this biome is the main moderating force that leads to the formation of monodominant stands composed of trees such as the Vochysia divergens (popularly known in Brazil as cambará). This species grows to a mean height of between 28 and 30 meters and shows a marked primary production. With a mean leaf area index (LAI) of 3.61 (Biudes 2008), intense radiation transmission within the canopy is required to maintain the net primary production of this forest
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