Study reveals emergence of desert-like area in Brazil

For the first time in history, since climate monitoring began in the country, Brazil has regions with an arid climate.

A study carried out by the National Center for Monitoring and Alerting of Natural Disasters (Cemaden) and the National Institute for Space Research (Inpe), agencies of the federal government, shows that the lack of rain in the last 30 years has developed a climate similar to that of a desert in Bahia.

The research shows that there is a tendency for aridity to increase throughout the country, except in the South region. According to Javier Tomasella, a researcher at Inpe, this happens due to two factors: precipitation and evaporation.

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“In Brazil, especially in the Northeast, the temperature is increasing a lot, consequently increasing the evaporation process, a factor that is also attributed to global warming”, explains the researcher.

In the Northeast, the semi-arid climate has always been predominant, adds Tomasella. In the analysis carried out from 1990 to 2020, regions with an arid climate appeared for the first time. “Never before in the history of the country has this condition occurred.”

Despite not being a comprehensive area of ​​the Northeast region, the situation worries the researcher: “It is much easier to catch fire. When the air becomes drier, it affects any activity, whether in the economic area, such as agriculture, environmental, with the incidence of fires, or health, with respiratory problems.”

The regions classified as semi-arid are concentrated in the Northeast region (except Maranhão) and the north of Minas Gerais and are also expanding.

Aridity Index

The aridity index measures the degree of dryness of a region. From this, it is possible to identify areas with a lack of water and risk of desertification, which is the process of decreasing soil moisture.

In the study, the ratio between accumulated rainfall in each period and evapotranspiration was analyzed.

Difference between semi-arid and arid climate

According to Desirée Brandt, meteorologist and executive partner at Nottus, the arid climate is considered a desert climate, with low humidity.

“Any precipitation that may occur evaporates super quickly.” The main characteristic of this climate is drought: “The driest regions are deserts”, recalls Tomasella.

The meteorologist explains that in the semi-arid climate there is still some precipitation, but it is very spaced out. “In the semi-arid region, we have long periods of drought between one rain and another.”