Estimativa das emissões de dióxido de carbono associadas às mudanças no uso e cobertura da terra do bioma caatinga no Estado do Rio Grande do Norte

Abstract

This research presents the estimates of emission CO2 rates from land use and its change in the Caatinga Biome of Rio Grande do Norte, which comprises an area of approximately 52.810 km2. The INPE - Emission Model (INPE-EM) for emission estimates. The main objective of this research was to adapt the model of INPE-EM to quantify CO2 emissions from land use and its change in the region in the period 2000-2010. For this, annual deforestation data from 2000 to 2010 was combined, as well as recent biomass data and a set of alternative parameters, such as percentage of above- and below ground biomass, fire cycle, slash decay rate, number of years it takes for agricultural land to be abandoned, etc., all based on the recent literature to adapt the model for the Caatinga biome. A first data base from 1900 to 1999 was simulated to include the past contributions of deforestation processes in the model. The results can be used for policy decision-making, to analyze the impacts of anthropogenic activities in the Caatinga biome and also will help improve regional emission inventories for atmospheric chemistry and climate modeling.