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this work it was studied th e polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) production, especially DHA, from Thraustochytrium sp. ATCC 26185, under different total nitrogen (TN) availability. Three different TN conditions were evaluated: two with initial concentrations of 2.4 g/L and 0.8 g/L, and the third in a fed-batch process with a rate of 0.009 g/L.h. For each experiment the biomass, glucose, TN and PUFAs were determined. The major composition of the PUFAs in Thraustochytrium sp. ATCC 26185 cell biomass were DPA É6 (21-25 %) and DHA (69-73 %), regardless of the type and time of culture. The maximum cell concentration (30.2 g/L) was obtained using 2.4 g/L TN in 168 h of culture. With this same concentration of TN it was possible to produce the highest concentration of DHA (1.16 g/L) in 120 h of culture, demonstrating that the growth of Thraustochytrium sp. ATCC 26185 and yield of PUFAs are dependent on the source concentration of TN available for consumption of this oleaginous microorganism, as well as culture time.

O cultivo do pinhão manso (Jatropha curcas L.) é uma opção sustentável ao biodiesel pela adaptação às diferentes condições agroecológicas e pelo alto teor de óleo não comestível nos grãos. A possibilidade de plantio em solos degradados e de baixa fertilidade natural torna-o atrativo à região do vale do Paraíba do Sul. Neste trabalho avaliaram-se atributos físicos de um Latossolo Vermelho-Amarelo convertido de pecuária em lavoura experimental de pinhão manso consorciado com leguminosas herbáceas perenes (Arachis pintoi e Calopogonio muconoides) em comparação à braquiária (Brachiaria brizantha), largamente cultivada na região. Foram realizadas a caracterização e a análise de textura do solo, e determinaram-se os índices de saturação e retenção de água, a resistência do solo à penetração de raízes (RSP) e a taxa de infiltração básica de água no solo (VIB). A resistência do solo à penetração das raízes na B. brizantha variou de alta a moderada, a partir de 30 cm de profundidade, e a adição das leguminosas herbáceas perenes (LHP) como culturas de cobertura em consórcio com o pinhão manso reduziu essa resistência e elevou a VIB média do solo, de 4 mm h-1 (B. brizantha), para 33 mm h-1. Conclui-se que a associação de leguminosas herbáceas com o pinhão manso contribuiu para o melhoramento das características físicas e hídricas do solo.

A cloud-to-ground (CG) lightning data provided by the Brazilian lightning detection network (BrasilDAT) for a ten year period (19992008), and particulate matter (PM10), sulfur dioxide (SO2) and air temperature data from the environmental agency of São Paulo State (CETESB) for the same period, were examined in order to look for the influence of urban effect and weekly cycles in lightning activity over metropolitan region of São Paulo (MRSP). The results show that there is a significant weekly cycle in PM10 over the MRSP and lightning activity (CG lightning) on the area involving the MRSP, Campinas and São Jose dos Campos regions, both with reduction on the weekend. The average number of flash per storm and air temperature in three different ranges of PM10 concentrations was also examined. For the first one, there is an increase of the average number of flash per storm from low to intermediate range and a trend to decrease from intermediate to high range. However, the air temperature tends to stay the same in all ranges. These results suggest that pollution tends to saturate the intensification of storms and lightning activity in a specific level. After that, the increase of aerosols provided by pollution tends to decrease the lightning activity.

We used a Lagrangian model (FLEXPART) together with the 1979-2012 ERA-Interim reanalysis data to investigate the role of the moisture in the Amazon Basin in the regional hydrological budget over the course of the year. FLEXPART computes budgets of evaporation minus precipitation by calculating changes in the specific humidity along forward and backward trajectories. The tropical Atlantic is the most important remote moisture source for the Amazon Basin. The tropical North Atlantic (NA) mainly contributed during the austral summer, while the contribution of the tropical South Atlantic (SA) prevailed for the remainder of the year. At the same time, the moisture contribution from the Amazon Basin itself is mainly for moisture supplying the southeastern South America. The 33-year temporal domain allowed the investigation of some aspects of the interannual variability of the moisture transport over the basin, such as the role of the El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and the Atlantic Meridional Mode (AMM) on the hydrological budget. During the peak of the Amazonian rainy season (from February to May, FMAM) the AMM is associated more with the interannual variations in the contribution from the tropical Atlantic sources, while the transport from the basin towards the subtropics responds more to the ENSO variability. The moisture contribution prevailed from the SA (NA) region in the years dominated by El Niño/positive AMM (La Niña/negative AMM) conditions. The transport from the Amazon towards the subtropics increased (reduced) during El Niño (La Niña) years.

Satellite precipitation estimates are increasingly available at temporal and spatial scales of interest to hydrological applications and with the potential for improving flood forecasts in data-sparse regions. This study evaluates the effect of sampling error on simulated large flood events. Synthetic precipitation fields were generated in Monte Carlo fashion by perturbing observed precipitation fields with sampling errors based on 1, 2 and 6 h intervals. The variable infiltration capacity hydrological model was used to assess the impact of these errors on simulated high flow events in the Iguazu basin, a rain-dominated, subtropical basin in southeastern South America. Results showed that unbiased errors in daily error-corrupted precipitation fields introduced bias in the simulated hydrologic fluxes and states. The overall bias for error-corrupted daily streamflows was positive and its magnitude increased with larger sampling intervals. However, for high flow events, the bias was negative as a result of an increase in simulated infiltration and changes in precipitation variability. Errors in precipitation also affected the magnitude and volume of the peak events but did not change the first two statistical moments of the peaks indicating that non-linearities in the hydrological system preserve the statistical properties of high flows in the basin. Caution is needed when using satellite products for hydrological applications that require the estimation of large peaks and volumes.

Land cover change in the Neotropics represents one of the major drivers of global environmental change. Several models have been proposed to explore future trajectories of land use and cover change, particularly in the Amazon. Despite the remarkable development of these tools, model results are still surrounded by uncertainties. None of the model projections available in the literature plausibly captured the overall trajectory of land use and cover change that has been observed in the Amazon over the last decade. In this context, this study aims to review and analyze the general structure of the land use models that have most recently been used to explore land use change in the Amazon, seeking to investigate methodological factors that could explain the divergence between the observed and projected rates, paying special attention to the land demand calculations. Based on this review, the primary limitations inherent to this type of model and the extent to which these limitations can affect the consistency of the projections will also be analyzed. Finally, we discuss potential drivers that could have influenced the recent dynamic of the land use system in the Amazon and produced the unforeseen land cover change trajectory observed in this period. In a complementary way, the primary challenges of the new generation of land use models for the Amazon are synthesized.

Poucas ferramentas de análise de sustentabilidade têm sido aplicadas na Amazônia, em particular no Estado do Pará. Os municípios paraenses inseridos no Polo Biodiesel, com destaque para Moju, vivem uma fase de intensos investimentos agroindustriais com vistas à produção de palma de óleo (óleo de dendê), e de firme inserção da agricultura familiar nesse processo. Nesse contexto, surgem questionamentos acerca da capacidade desse município em receber uma política pública como essa, que se configura em novas dinâmicas territoriais e que requer uma forte capacidade de gestão ambiental municipal para direcionar as atividades produtivas e sociais em direção à sustentabilidade. Este trabalho visa avaliar a dimensão institucional da sustentabilidade em Moju, verificando as condições apresentadas pelo município quanto à gestão ambiental. Utilizaram-se para essa análise o Barômetro da Sustentabilidade (BS), considerando cinco temas (estrutura institucional, estrutura operacional, termo de ajuste de conduta, cadastro ambiental rural e regularização fundiária) e 33 indicadores, e também entrevistas com gestores e empreendedores locais. Os resultados mostram que esse município está habilitado para exercer a gestão ambiental plena, mas também que sua estrutura operacional ainda é deficiente, o que certamente trará problemas para a condução de tal política.

A 10-year study of lightning fatalities in Brazil is presented. It is the most complete study undertaken in South America. The study indicates the death rates in the country sorted by season, state, city, type of region, age, gender and circumstances. Ten years of data were collected from the Federal Civil Defense Agency, the Ministry of Health and the media press. The circumstances of lightning fatalities in Brazil were compared with other countries that have this information available. It also includes an analysis of the differences involved in lightning deaths in each region of Brazil. The results suggest that specific actions should be adopted in terms of lightning protection to minimize risks. Finally, this study provides useful information in order to identify the most important lightning safety rules for the country.

This study presents a methodology for susceptibility mapping of shallow landslides just from data and software from the public domain. The study was conducted in a mountainous region located on the southeastern Brazilian coast, in the state of São Paulo. The proposal is that the methodology can be replicated in a practical and reliable way in several other municipalities that do not have such mappings and that often suffer from landslide-related disasters. The susceptibility mapping was generated based on the following maps: geological, soils, slope, horizontal and vertical curvatures, and land use. The thematic classes of these maps were weighted according to technical and scientific criteria related to the triggering of landslides, and were crossed by the fuzzy gamma technique. The mapping was compared with the risk sector survey made by the Brazilian Geological Survey (CPRM), which is the official database used by municipalities and civil defense in risk management. The results showed positive correlations, so that the critical risk sectors had higher proportions for the more susceptible classes. To compare the approach with other studies using landslide-scar maps, correlated indices were evaluated, which also showed satisfactory results, thus indicating that the methodology presented is appropriate for risk assessment in urban areas.

Latin America encompasses a dizzying array of ecosystems and socioeconomic models, and the region will be highly vulnerable to the projected impacts of climate change in the next century. At the same time, Latin America can significantly contribute to the mitigation of greenhouse gases (GHG) emissions within a sustainable development framework. Land use conversion with associated biomass burning, agriculture with N fertilizers and animal waste are the main anthropogenic sources of nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions in the region, and have increased markedly in the last decades. Effective sustainable management for the mitigation of N2O emissions requires the proper evaluation of all sources, many of which are still roughly estimated or unknown, testing alternatives to reduce primary sources, and technological innovation for higher resource-use efficiency within the farm. Current barriers might be overcome through policies that support sustainable practices that reduce negative environmental impacts and simultaneously maintaining ecosystem function and services.

The climate in the Caatinga, especially precipitation, influences the pattern of spatial and temporal distribution of the vegetation that in turn influences the regional climate from the feedback mechanism of energy flows, water and momentum. This climate-vegetation interaction in the Caatinga is differentiated depending on the type of climatic pattern in the region. The objective of this work is to identify the main phenological features of the annual growth cycles of vegetation and characteristics of the seasonal rainfall in five climatic regions in the Caatinga biome. We use time series (2001-2008) of vegetation indices such as NDVI and LSWI, and precipitation that was derived of TRMM satellite data and surface station data. The results indicate that precipitation variability in the rainy season influences directly the variability of vegetation growing cycles. That influence is not linear but adjusted to a logarithmic function being the best fit with the index LSWI (r2 = 0.67) than with NDVI (r2 = 0.54). The influence of precipitation on vegetation, using phenological metrics such as start, end, peak and length of the vegetation growing cycles showed greater lag in climatic regions with higher precipitation in the Caatinga region.

Density maps are one of the most common and powerful lightning data applications, and they are more efficient the more detailed they are. When working with CG lightning data from lightning location systems, some aspects must be included in the analysis to overcome network performance variations. Two parameters are typically used to evaluate system performance: detection efficiency (DE) and location accuracy (LA). For the Brazilian National Integrated Lightning Detection Network, DE is typically evaluated by models, and LA is analyzed through confidence ellipses. This paper presents climatological analysis of lightning activity, including the most recent relative DE model developed in Brazil, as well as an adapted kernel smoothing method based on confidence ellipses [called Gaussian kernel based on confidence ellipses (GKBCE)] as approaches to minimize and/or include the spatial variation of the systems performance in the analysis. The maps are produced over the central-south portion of Brazil (mainly along ITAIPU power transmission lines), using 11 years of data available from the network (from January 1999 to December 2009). The model increased density by ~20% over the entire region, without making considerable changes to the spatial pattern. The GKBCE seems to work well in smoothing, obtaining better results than the standard cell count (quadrat) method, by working independently of the grid size (allowing the creation of high-resolution maps), and by including location errors in the analysis. The use of these procedures might result in more detailed maps and more suitable results when analyzing lightning data.