Morphometric Characterization of a Watershed through SRTM Data and Geoprocessing Technique

The aim of this study is to characterize the morphometry of a watershed using radar data Shuttle Radar Topographic Mission (SRTM) and GIS techniques. The study is conducted in the watershed of the Indaiá stream, which is located in the southwestern region of the municipality of Aquidauana, MS, Brazil and has an area of 94.6764 km2. A tributary of the Taboco River consequently enters the Pantanal lowlands. Classical morphometric parameters were calculated and specialized through spatial analysis in geographic information systems. The main results of the morphometric characterization were the variables of form factor, drainage density, coefficient of compactness, and maintenance coefficient, as well as the relief parameters found, including the hypsometry, slope, aspect and relief dissection (horizontal and vertical amplitude). The integrated analysis of the variables (morphometric and relief) concludes that the watershed has low susceptibility to flooding but that the morphology of the relief and lithological structure favors the development of erosion processes in the watershed.

Epidemiology and Clinical Features of Mycobacterium avium Complex Pulmonary Disease in a Brazilian Amazon Cohort

The incidence of Mycobacterium avium complex pulmonary disease (MACPD) has been globally increasing. The present study aims to provide a comprehensive analysis of clinical characteristics and treatment response among patients in the Amazon region of Brazil and conduct a retrospective cohort study at a prominent referral hospital in the State of Par, Brazil, from 2012 to 2020. The M. avium group represented 58.9% of cases, followed by M. intracellulare (35.7%), M. colombiense (3.6%), and M. chimaera (1.8%). The majority of patients (73.2%) were female and with an average age of 63 years. Primary clinical manifestations included persistent cough and sputum production. The Charlson comorbidity index (CCI) averaged 2.47, with 36.3% of patients having a CCI score equal to higher than 3. Notably, over 70% of patients had received treatment for pulmonary tuberculosis before initiating treatment for MAC infection. The fibrocavitary radiologic form was the most prevalent (55.4%), frequently exhibiting a bilateral distribution (53.6%). Antimicrobial susceptibility revealed a significant prevalence of MAC resistance to drugs in the therapeutic regimen. Despite this, most of the patients experienced clinical improvement (50%). In conclusion, this study highlights a higher prevalence of MAC infections among middle-aged women, with a history of pulmonary tuberculosis treatment and presenting the fibrocavitary radiological form was predominant.

Deformation Stages and Ar-Ar Age Data of the Wan-Zhe-Gan Tectonic Zone,Southeast China,and Their Tectonic Significance

The major tectonic zone that passes through the border regions of the Anhui, Zhejiang, and Jiangxi Provinces in southeast China has been commonly referred to as the Wan-Zhe-Gan fault zone. Geologically, this zone consists of several regional fault belts of various ages and orientations. We have categorized the faults into four age groups based on field investigations. The Neoproterozoic faults are northeast striking. They start from the northeast Jiangxi Province and extend northeastward to Fuchuan in Anhui Province, the same location of the northeast Jiangxi-Fuchuan ophiolite belt. The faults probably acted during the Neoproterozoic as a boundary fault zone of a plate or a block suture with melange along the faults. The nearly east-west- or east-northeast-striking faults are of Silurian ages （40Ar/39Ar age 429 Ma）. This group includes the Qimen-Shexian fault and the Jiangwang-Jiekou ductile shear belt. They represent a major tectonic boundary in the basement because the two sides of the fault have clear dissimilarities. The third group of faults is north-northeast striking, having formed since the early-middle Triassic with 40Ar/39Ar ages of 230-254 Ma. They form a fault belt starting from Yiyang in northern Jiangxi and connect with the Wucheng as well as the Ningguo-Jixi faults. This fault belt is a key fault-magmatic belt controlling the formation of Jurassic-Cretaceous red basins, ore distribution, magmatic activity, and mineralization. When it reactivated during the late Cretaceous, the belt behaved as a series of reverse faults from southeast to northwest and composed the fourth fault group. Therefore, classifying the Wan-Zhe-Gan fault zone into four fault groups will help in the analysis of the tectonic evolution of the eastern segment of the Jiangnan orogen since the Neoproterozoic era.

Use of Orbital Images and Interpolation Techniques: Climate Monitoring in Permanent Preservation Area (Humid Subtropical Climate)

The present work sought to demonstrate the importance using geoprocessing techniques and methodologies in the identification and analysis of the temporal and spatial distribution of air temperature. Therefore, an environment with difficulties for systematic monitoring of climatic elements was selected in the Serra da Esperançaárea, southern region of the State of Paraná. Two methodologies established in geoprocessing were used: the first deals with the interpretation of orbital images and the second makes reference to the interpolation of surface data. These methodologies, used in an integrated way, made it possible to know the relationship between the spatial and temporal distribution of air temperature with vegetation and the terrain altimetry. The air temperature data were monitored at 4 (four) points, following the contours of the federal highway that passes through the study area. Satellite images were obtained of July 26th, 2015 and January 18th, 2016, representing winter and summer southern conditions. The results indicated that this relationship exists and that in the absence of absolute data monitored at conventional collection points, geostatistics techniques allow good estimation. Moreover, this methodology can be used to control land use change in permanent preservation areas.

A Proposal for Reservoir Volume Calculation in Rainwater Harvesting Systems

This paper introduces a proposal for reservoir volume calculation in rainwater harvesting systems. The proposed method can be used for reservoir volume design in rainwater harvesting systems and is based on three important variables. These variables are water demand, system efficiency and repayment time. Several simulations were carried out in different scenarios considering typical values of both catchment area （for low-income and medium-income households） and water demand, with fixed water and tank costs. Results showed that the integrated analysis of demand, efficiency and repayment time may assist designers to determine a more adequate reservoir volume.

Urban Settlement Spatial Analysis in Permanent Preservation Area of M’boicy Watershed River, Foz do Iguaçu City in Brazil

Irregular urban settlement increases environmental impacts, especially when these occupations occur in fragile location, as the environmental preservation areas. In these areas, also defined as Permanent Preservation Area (PPA), the presence of watersheds is common, which is the factor that increases the need of protecting them from anthropic actions. Those actions deteriorate the environment and mainly the watercourses. This research objective is to identify and estimate the environmental risks of M’Boyci watershed River PPA occupied areas by urban population. The risk analysis approach, at this PPA in Foz do Iguacu City in Brazil, is able to support public interventions in order to reestablish the PPA natural conditions. To reach this goal, it was necessary to use cartographical representation images, generated from digital orthophotos analyzed through free geographical information systems. The overlap and the contrast of geographical data related to preservation in urban areas show that urban occupation reaches almost 40% of the permanent preservation area. Complementarily, it is evidenced that the development of a risk map identifies PPA areas characterized by a greater concentration of irregular settlement, contributing to the planning process of residents, relocation actions and recovery of degraded areas.

A remote sensing approach to estimate the load bearing capacity of soil

Preconsolidation pressure(σp)of soil can be considered as an indicator of the Load Bearing Capacity(LBC),which is the tolerated surface pressure before compaction,often caused by the traffic of agricultural machinery.In this pioneering study,a remote sensing approach was introduced to estimate LBC throughσp from soils of the“Rio Preto”Hydrographic Basin,Bahia State,Brazil,in a monthly time lapse from 2016 to 2019.Traditionally,σp is measured by a laborious and time demanding laboratory analysis,making it unfeasible to map large areas.The innovative methodology of this work consists of combining active–passive satellite data on soil moisture and pedotransfer functions of clay content and water matric potential to obtain geo-located estimates ofσp.Estimates were analysed under different classes of soil use,land cover and slope;95%confidence intervals were built for the time series of mean values of LBC for each class.The overall seasonal variation in LBC estimates is similar in areas with annual crops,grasslands and natural vegetation,and flat areas are less affected by soil moisture variations over the year(between seasons).LBC decreased,in general,at about 0.5%a year in flat areas.Therefore,these areas demand attention,since they occupy 86%of the Basin and are mostly subjected to agricultural soil management and surface pressure by heavy machinery.

An interactive 4D spatio-temporal visualization system for hydrometeorological data in natural disasters

Dynamic visualization of multidimensional hydrometeorological data is vital for decision-makers to catch situational awareness and command an emergency response in natural disasters.Nevertheless,few software tools can comprehensively visualize hydrometeorological data in different scales,dimensions,and time.In this paper,an interactive 4D spatio-temporal visualization system based on a virtual globe is proposed.Voxel-based data model and multi-level index are adopted to organize the field data in a unified data structure.Meanwhile,it is resampled in both spatial and temporal dimensions in memory to prepare smooth data stream for rendering.Ten field models,including large-scale volume rendering and adaptive streamline rendering,are accelerated and integrated to display the field data collaboratively.The profile analysis and eddy tracking improve user experience in interactively exploring specific scenes.The system is tested against both large-scale meteorological data in the atmosphere and small-scale hydrological data at the surface,using typhoon landfall and riverine flood,respectively.The results demonstrate the applicability and efficiency of the system to dynamically visualize hydrometeorological data.