Simulating Energy Balance Dynamics to Support Sustainability in a Seasonally Dry Tropical Forest in Semi-Arid Northeast Brazil

Rosaria R. Ferreira, Keila R. Mendes, Pablo E. S. Oliveira, Pedro R. Mutti, Demerval S. Moreira, Antonio C. D. Antonino, Rômulo S. C. Menezes, José Romualdo S. Lima, João M. Araújo, Valéria L. Amorim, Nikolai S. Espinoza, Bergson G. Bezerra, Cláudio M. Santos e Silva () and Gabriel B. Costa
Additional contact information
Rosaria R. Ferreira: Climate Sciences Post-Graduate Program, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Av. Senador Salgado Filho, 3000, Lagoa Nova, Natal 59078-970, Brazil
Keila R. Mendes: Climate Sciences Post-Graduate Program, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Av. Senador Salgado Filho, 3000, Lagoa Nova, Natal 59078-970, Brazil
Pablo E. S. Oliveira: Climate Sciences Post-Graduate Program, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Av. Senador Salgado Filho, 3000, Lagoa Nova, Natal 59078-970, Brazil
Pedro R. Mutti: Climate Sciences Post-Graduate Program, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Av. Senador Salgado Filho, 3000, Lagoa Nova, Natal 59078-970, Brazil
Demerval S. Moreira: Faculty of Sciences, São Paulo State University “Julio Mesquita Filho”, Av. Engenheiro Luis Edmundo Carrijo Coube, 2085, Bauru 17033-360, Brazil
Antonio C. D. Antonino: Department of Nuclear Energy, Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, Recife 50740-545, Brazil
Rômulo S. C. Menezes: Department of Nuclear Energy, Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, Recife 50740-545, Brazil
José Romualdo S. Lima: Graduate Program in Agricultural Production, Federal University of the Agreste of Pernambuco, Garanhuns 55302-000, Brazil
João M. Araújo: Physics Department, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Av. Senador Salgado Filho, 3000, Lagoa Nova, Natal 59078-970, Brazil
Valéria L. Amorim: Biosciences Post-Graduate Program (PPGBIO), Federal University of Western Pará (UFOPA), Santarém 68000-000, Brazil
Nikolai S. Espinoza: Centro Gestor e Operacional do Sistema de Proteção da Amazônia (CENSIPAM), Manaus 69000-000, Brazil
Bergson G. Bezerra: Climate Sciences Post-Graduate Program, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Av. Senador Salgado Filho, 3000, Lagoa Nova, Natal 59078-970, Brazil
Cláudio M. Santos e Silva: Climate Sciences Post-Graduate Program, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Av. Senador Salgado Filho, 3000, Lagoa Nova, Natal 59078-970, Brazil
Gabriel B. Costa: Climate Sciences Post-Graduate Program, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Av. Senador Salgado Filho, 3000, Lagoa Nova, Natal 59078-970, Brazil

Sustainability, 2025, vol. 17, issue 12, 1-19

Abstract: In semi-arid regions, seasonally dry tropical forests are essential for regulating the surface energy balance, which can be analyzed by examining air heating processes and water availability control. The objective of this study was to evaluate the ability of the Brazilian Developments on the Regional Atmospheric Modelling System (BRAMS) model in simulating the seasonal variations of the energy balance components of the Caatinga biome. The surface measurements of meteorological variables, including air temperature and relative humidity, were also examined. To validate the model, we used data collected in situ using an eddy covariance system. In this work, we used the BRAMS model version 5.3 associated with the Joint UK Land Environment Simulator (JULES) version 3.0. The model satisfactorily represented the rainfall regime over the northeast region of Brazil (NEB) during the wet period. In the dry period, however, the coastal rainfall pattern over the NEB region was underestimated. In addition, the results showed that the surface fluxes linked to the energy balance in the Caatinga were impacted by the effects of rainfall seasonality in the region. The assessment of the BRAMS model’s performance demonstrated that it is a reliable tool for studying the dynamics of the dry forest in the region, providing valuable support for sustainable management and conservation efforts.

Keywords: caatinga; climatic monitoring; latent heat; sensible heat; BRAMS; JULES; eddy covariance (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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