Canais artificiais e a sua influência em processos de planeamento urbano e ordenamento territorial

Os fenómenos de cheia decorrentes de intempéries têm ao longo do tempo assolado o arquipélago da Madeira, particularmente a ilha da Madeira a qual se diferencia, entre outras, pelo seu relevo acentuado. Estas caraterísticas, associadas aos fenómenos de cheia, conduzem a dezenas de vítimas mortais, centenas de afetados direta ou indiretamente e milhares de milhões em custos monetários associados. Insurge-se deste modo como prioritária, a necessidade de simular com o maior rigor possível o escoamento das linhas de água com maior relevância neste tipo de catástrofes, articulando com os princípios de planeamento urbano em vigor na região de modo a procurar minimizar os seus riscos e consequências. As linhas de água que atravessam áreas urbanas podem ser classificadas como canais artificiais. Relativamente ao canal natural, as artificiais, introduzem diversas caraterísticas diferentes tais como: largura, profundidade e rugosidade, Camacho (2018). A temática em análise, considera a necessidade de efetuar uma modelação numérica das linhas de água – isto é, a simulação das condições de escoamento nas ribeiras da Região Autónoma da Madeira (RAM), de modo a permitir um ordenamento do território e planeamento urbano mais apropriados, garantindo assim a segurança da população, bem como a preservação de bens materiais. A análise do escoamento verificado nas ribeiras da RAM assume-se como fundamental, tendo em vista a redução de riscos em fenómenos de cheia bem como das respetivas áreas de inundação, sendo para isso particularmente relevante a análise de sensibilidade de diversos parâmetros tais como: fórmulas de transporte sólido, coeficientes de Manning-Strickler, condições de fronteira a montante, distribuição granulométrica nas diversas secções transversais consideradas e caudais afluentes. Os canais artificiais, deveriam condicionar a predisposição do tecido urbano de qualquer cidade, região ou país uma vez que em casos extremos de precipitação, eles são os principais responsáveis pelo correto escoamento minimizando qualquer tipologia de risco associado a cheias. Contudo o que acontece década após década é uma continua ocupação urbana na proximidade das principais linhas de água, tendo a agravante de esta se intensificar mais a jusante o que obviamente promove um acréscimo à sua perigosidade – uma vez que, estas zonas são as mais propícias a serem afetadas por enxurradas e/ou cheias através do galgamento dos leitos das ribeiras. Considerando que a ilha da Madeira é periodicamente afetada por chuvas de alta intensidade, associadas à sua urografia, assume-se como fundamental que os vários instrumentos de gestão territorial contemplem, como mínimo uma carta de risco municipal utilizando ferramentas como os SIG, bem como, condicionando a forma como se desenvolve o planeamento e respetivo ordenamento do territorial. Por outro lado, começam a ser postos em prática os mecanismos anteriormente descritos nos concelhos onde as enxurradas/cheias/aluviões têm protagonizado um maior impacto negativo, nomeadamente quanto à criação (e inclusão no respetivo PDM) da carta de risco de cheias e inundações da Ribeira Brava, a inclusão das áreas em risco ou ameaçadas por cheias na planta de ordenamento II do PDM do Funchal e, ainda da publicação no Jornal Oficial da Região Autónoma da Madeira (JORAM) da criação do Plano de Gestão dos Riscos de Inundações da RAM (PGRI-RAM).Weather-related flooding phenomena have over time plagued the Madeira archipelago, particularly the island of Madeira, which is distinguished, among others, by its marked relief. These characteristics, associated with flood phenomena, lead to dozens of fatalities, hundreds directly or indirectly affected and billions in associated monetary costs. Thus, the need to simulate the flow of the most relevant waterlines in such disasters is a priority to minimize their risks and consequences, as well as to articulate urban planning principles already effective in the region of Madeira. Waterlines running through urban areas can be classified as artificial canals. Regarding the natural channels, the artificial ones introduce several different characteristics such as width, depth or roughness, Camacho (2018). The theme under consideration explores the need to perform numerical modeling of the waterlines - that is, the simulation of flow conditions in the watercourses of the Autonomous Region of Madeira (RAM), to carry out proper spatial and urban planning, thus ensuring the safety of the population as well as the preservation of its goods. The analysis of the runoff in the RAM watercourses is fundamental in order to reduce the risk of flooding, as well as the respective flood-prone areas, being particularly relevant the analysis of several parameters such as: solid transport equations, Manning-Strickler coefficients, upstream boundary conditions, particle size distribution alongside the waterlines considered and tributary flows. Artificial water channels should condition the predisposition of the urban fabric of any city, region or country since in extreme cases of precipitation, they are primarily responsible for the correct drainage minimizing any risk typology associated with floods. However, it seems obvious that decade after decade, the urbanization of the vicinity of the main watercourses and the aggravation of its intensification taking place downstream increase the danger - since these areas are the most prone to be affected by floods through the overflow of the stream beds. Considering that Madeira is periodically affected by high-intensity rainstorms associated with its urography, it is assumed that the various territorial management instruments must include, at minimum a municipal risk map using tools such as GIS, as well as conditioning the way how the urban and the respective territorial planning are developed. On the other hand, the mechanisms previously described are beginning to be implemented in the municipalities where floods have had a major negative impact, particularly with the creation (and inclusion in the respective PDM) of the flood risk map in Ribeira Brava, the inclusion of flood-prone areas in the Funchal´s PDM management plan II and also the publication of the creation of Flood Risk Management Plans (PGRI-RAM) in the Official Journal of the Autonomous Region of Madeira (JORAM)

Projeto e Gestão Otimizada de Sistemas de Rega. Caso de Estudo – RAM / Design and Optimized Management of Irrigation Systems. Case Study – RAM

Devido ao aumento das temperaturas no planeta e com a consequente redução de água própria para a agricultura, urge a preocupação do estudo de sistemas de rega, desde a concessão de projeto à gestão otimizada do mesmo. Pretende-se com este trabalho controlar as perdas de água ao longo de todo o sistema, procurando sempre ter em atenção a viabilidade das soluções propostas e existentes.A otimização do sistema de rega em estudo resulta da análise comparativa ao consumo hídrico entre a policultura e a monocultura, assim como, da redução do consumo associado à predisposição deste sistema – i.e. área; caudal; perda de carga; potência da eletrobomba; capacidade hidráulica.Contextualmente, o propósito do presente trabalho traduziu-se na proposta de um novo sistema mais eficiente ao nível dos consumos energético e hídrico. A implementação de medidas ao nível do dimensionamento e tipologia do sistema utilizado, revelam-se fulcrais para o incremento da respetiva eficiência.

Design and Optimized Management of Irrigation Systems. Case Study – RAM

Devido ao aumento das temperaturas no planeta e com a consequente redução de água própria para a agricultura, urge a preocupação do estudo de sistemas de rega, desde a concessão de projeto à gestão otimizada do mesmo. Pretende-se com este trabalho controlar as perdas de água ao longo de todo o sistema, procurando sempre ter em atenção a viabilidade das soluções propostas e existentes. A otimização do sistema de rega em estudo resulta da análise comparativa ao consumo hídrico entre a policultura e a monocultura, assim como, da redução do consumo associado à predisposição deste sistema – i.e. área; caudal; perda de carga; potência da eletrobomba; capacidade hidráulica. Contextualmente, o propósito do presente trabalho traduziu-se na proposta de um novo sistema mais eficiente ao nível dos consumos energético e hídrico. A implementação de medidas ao nível do dimensionamento e tipologia do sistema utilizado, revelam-se fulcrais para o incremento da respetiva eficiência.Due to the increasing temperatures on the planet and its consequent reduction of water suitable for agriculture, the study of irrigation systems has become imperative, acessing its design and sustainable management. The aim of this work is to control water losses throughout the system, taking into consideration the feasibility of the proposed and existing solutions. The optimization of the irrigation system under study stems from the comparative analysis of water consumption between polyculture and monoculture, as well as the reduction of the consumption associated to the system´s design - i.e. area; flow rate; load loss; power of the electric pump; hydraulic capacity. Contextually, the purpose of the present work was to propose a new system, more efficient in terms of energy and water consumption. Improving the design and typology of the irrigation system used – i.e. structural measures, proves to be crucial for the increase of its efficiency.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Wild dogs at stake: deforestation threatens the only Amazon endemic canid, the short-eared dog (Atelocynus microtis)

The persistent high deforestation rate and fragmentation of the Amazon forests are the main threats to their biodiversity. To anticipate and mitigate these threats, it is important to understand and predict how species respond to the rapidly changing landscape. The short-eared dog Atelocynus microtis is the only Amazon-endemic canid and one of the most understudied wild dogs worldwide. We investigated short-eared dog habitat associations on two spatial scales. First, we used the largest record database ever compiled for short-eared dogs in combination with species distribution models to map species habitat suitability, estimate its distribution range and predict shifts in species distribution in response to predicted deforestation across the entire Amazon (regional scale). Second, we used systematic camera trap surveys and occupancy models to investigate how forest cover and forest fragmentation affect the space use of this species in the Southern Brazilian Amazon (local scale). Species distribution models suggested that the short-eared dog potentially occurs over an extensive and continuous area, through most of the Amazon region south of the Amazon River. However, approximately 30% of the short-eared dog's current distribution is expected to be lost or suffer sharp declines in habitat suitability by 2027 (within three generations) due to forest loss. This proportion might reach 40% of the species distribution in unprotected areas and exceed 60% in some interfluves (i.e. portions of land separated by large rivers) of the Amazon basin. Our local-scale analysis indicated that the presence of forest positively affected short-eared dog space use, while the density of forest edges had a negative effect. Beyond shedding light on the ecology of the short-eared dog and refining its distribution range, our results stress that forest loss poses a serious threat to the conservation of the species in a short time frame. Hence, we propose a re-assessment of the short-eared dog's current IUCN Red List status (Near Threatened) based on findings presented here. Our study exemplifies how data can be integrated across sources and modelling procedures to improve our knowledge of relatively understudied species

Numerical modelling of the flow rate in artificial water channels: application to Ribeira Brava´s stream

Water flows that run through urban areas are mostly heterogeneous, thus their characterization must include a formulation that explicitly incorporates spatial variability. The University of Madeira´s Hydraulics Laboratory, Geographic Information Systems and software such as HEC-RAS complemented by spreadsheets constitute viable alternatives for studying the occurrence of floods in river basins. The purposes of this study are the characterization and development of numerical tools accessing streamflow in artificial water channels, in case of a sudden variation of the tributary flows; application of a hydrodynamic scale model, considering the variable run-off in urban floods, with changes between the variable inflow conditions and the channel´s hydro-morphological conditions; or even the feasibility of the hydrodynamic scale model and its utility to develop flood mitigation measures. The combined use of all three models (i.e. empirical method, experimental model and HEC RAS) towards runoff simulation and modelling, reveals itself to be the most appropriate way to prevent urban floods and to develop flood mitigation measures, removing gaps in each of the models used.Os fluxos de água que percorrem o interior das zonas urbanas são maioritariamente heterogéneos, pelo que a sua caracterização necessita de uma formulação que incorpore explicitamente essa variabilidade espacial. Para tal, o Laboratório de Hidráulica da Universidade da Madeira, os Sistemas de Informação Geográfica e softwares como o HEC RAS complementados por folhas de cálculo programadas, revelam-se como alternativas viáveis ao estudo de bacias hidrográficas, nomeadamente quanto à ocorrência de fenómenos de cheias e inundações. Os objetivos principais deste estudo são a caracterização e desenvolvimento de ferramentas numéricas de simulação do comportamento do escoamento em canais artificiais, no caso de uma variação súbita dos caudais afluentes; a aplicação de um modelo à escala de simulação hidrodinâmico, considerando os escoamentos variáveis em superfície livre no caso de situações de cheia, na simulação entre as condições variáveis das afluências e das condições hidromorfológicas do canal ou ainda a análise da viabilidade da simulação com o modelo à escala na gestão e prevenção de cheias em canais artificiais. A utilização conjunta dos três modelos (i.e. método empírico, modelo experimental e HEC RAS) de caraterização, simulação e modelação do escoamento revela-se como a forma mais apropriada para o auxílio na prevenção e sobretudo na instauração de medidas mitigadoras de cheias e inundações, uma vez que permite suprimir lacunas da análise individual de cada um dos modelos.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Wild dogs at stake: deforestation threatens the only Amazon endemic canid, the short-eared dog (Atelocynus microtis).

The persistent high deforestation rate and fragmentation of the Amazon forests are the main threats to their biodiversity. To anticipate and mitigate these threats, it is important to understand and predict how species respond to the rapidly changing landscape. The short-eared dog Atelocynus microtis is the only Amazon-endemic canid and one of the most understudied wild dogs worldwide. We investigated short-eared dog habitat associations on two spatial scales. First, we used the largest record database ever compiled for short-eared dogs in combination with species distribution models to map species habitat suitability, estimate its distribution range and predict shifts in species distribution in response to predicted deforestation across the entire Amazon (regional scale). Second, we used systematic camera trap surveys and occupancy models to investigate how forest cover and forest fragmentation affect the space use of this species in the Southern Brazilian Amazon (local scale). Species distribution models suggested that the short-eared dog potentially occurs over an extensive and continuous area, through most of the Amazon region south of the Amazon River. However, approximately 30% of the short-eared dog's current distribution is expected to be lost or suffer sharp declines in habitat suitability by 2027 (within three generations) due to forest loss. This proportion might reach 40% of the species distribution in unprotected areas and exceed 60% in some interfluves (i.e. portions of land separated by large rivers) of the Amazon basin. Our local-scale analysis indicated that the presence of forest positively affected short-eared dog space use, while the density of forest edges had a negative effect. Beyond shedding light on the ecology of the short-eared dog and refining its distribution range, our results stress that forest loss poses a serious threat to the conservation of the species in a short time frame. Hence, we propose a re-assessment of the short-eared dog's current IUCN Red List status (Near Threatened) based on findings presented here. Our study exemplifies how data can be integrated across sources and modelling procedures to improve our knowledge of relatively understudied species

Characterisation of microbial attack on archaeological bone

As part of an EU funded project to investigate the factors influencing bone preservation in the archaeological record, more than 250 bones from 41 archaeological sites in five countries spanning four climatic regions were studied for diagenetic alteration. Sites were selected to cover a range of environmental conditions and archaeological contexts. Microscopic and physical (mercury intrusion porosimetry) analyses of these bones revealed that the majority (68%) had suffered microbial attack. Furthermore, significant differences were found between animal and human bone in both the state of preservation and the type of microbial attack present. These differences in preservation might result from differences in early taphonomy of the bones. © 2003 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved

Seminário de Dissertação (2024)

Página da disciplina de Seminário de Dissertação (MPPP, UFPE, 2022) Lista de participantes == https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1mrULe1y04yPxHUBaF50jhaM1OY8QYJ3zva4N4yvm198/edit#gid=

NEOTROPICAL CARNIVORES: a data set on carnivore distribution in the Neotropics

Mammalian carnivores are considered a key group in maintaining ecological health and can indicate potential ecological integrity in landscapes where they occur. Carnivores also hold high conservation value and their habitat requirements can guide management and conservation plans. The order Carnivora has 84 species from 8 families in the Neotropical region: Canidae; Felidae; Mephitidae; Mustelidae; Otariidae; Phocidae; Procyonidae; and Ursidae. Herein, we include published and unpublished data on native terrestrial Neotropical carnivores (Canidae; Felidae; Mephitidae; Mustelidae; Procyonidae; and Ursidae). NEOTROPICAL CARNIVORES is a publicly available data set that includes 99,605 data entries from 35,511 unique georeferenced coordinates. Detection/non-detection and quantitative data were obtained from 1818 to 2018 by researchers, governmental agencies, non-governmental organizations, and private consultants. Data were collected using several methods including camera trapping, museum collections, roadkill, line transect, and opportunistic records. Literature (peer-reviewed and grey literature) from Portuguese, Spanish and English were incorporated in this compilation. Most of the data set consists of detection data entries (n = 79,343; 79.7%) but also includes non-detection data (n = 20,262; 20.3%). Of those, 43.3% also include count data (n = 43,151). The information available in NEOTROPICAL CARNIVORES will contribute to macroecological, ecological, and conservation questions in multiple spatio-temporal perspectives. As carnivores play key roles in trophic interactions, a better understanding of their distribution and habitat requirements are essential to establish conservation management plans and safeguard the future ecological health of Neotropical ecosystems. Our data paper, combined with other large-scale data sets, has great potential to clarify species distribution and related ecological processes within the Neotropics. There are no copyright restrictions and no restriction for using data from this data paper, as long as the data paper is cited as the source of the information used. We also request that users inform us of how they intend to use the data