Southeastern Brazil inland tropicalization: Köppen system applied for detecting climate change throughout 100 years of meteorological observed data

Abstract

Many regions around the world are facing climate changes, with substantial increase in air temperature over the past decades, which is mainly related to continental and global warming forced by the higher greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The objectives of this study were to use the Köppen climate classification to detect local climate change based on a historical series of 100 years and to assess if such change is related to those that are occurring in other spatial scales as a likely consequence of increasing GHG. This paper brings a content full of innovative results. The study area presented an average annual air temperature increase by 0.9 °C between 1917 and 2016, rising from 21.4 °C for the first climatological normal (1917–1946) to 22.3 °C for the last one (1987–2016). Furthermore, in the summer months, the temperature rose from 24.5 to 25.3 °C, and in the winter months, such increase was from 17.1 (1917–1946) to 18.3 °C (1987–2016). Our findings showed the subtropical conditions (Cfa in Köppen’s classification) in the study area persisted from the beginning of the analysis (1917–1946) until the climatological normal of 1979–2008, with a clear tendency of tropicalization after that with a change in the climate type of Piracicaba from subtropical to tropical, which can now be classified as tropical with dry winter (Aw climate type). The local average air temperature showed concordances with the long-term air temperature anomalies from regional, continental, and global scales, indicating that all of them may be linked with increasing GHG emissions, since well-defined long-term linear relationships ( r 2 = 0.99) were observed between continental and global average air temperature anomalies and atmospheric CO 2 concentration observed at the NOAA Lab in Mauna Loa in the last 59 years. While the local and regional forcing effects remain to be fully unraveled, our study provided a valid and strong scientific sound evidence that climate change occurred in Piracicaba, southeastern Brazil, in the last 100 years.

Forage accumulation, nutritive value, and grazing efficiency on rotationally stocked ‘Zuri’ guineagrass pastures as affected by pre‐graze canopy height and N rate

“…On 17 Dec. 2019, new soil samples were taken and analysed, with the following results: pH (0.01 mol L −1 CaCl 2 ) = 6.1; OM = 37 g cm −3 ; P (ion‐exchange resin extraction method) = 26 mg dm −3 ; K = 5.3 mmol c dm −3 ; Ca = 43 mmol c dm −3 ; Mg = 22 mmol c dm −3 ; H + Al = 23.5 mmol c dm −3 ; sum of bases = 70.3 mmol c dm −3 ; cation exchange capacity = 93.8 mmol c dm −3 ; base saturation = 75%. The climate at the experimental site is Aw (tropical with dry winter) according to the Köppen classification (Alvares et al, 2022). Weather data for the experimental period were obtained from a station located 2 km from the experimental site (Table 1).…”

“…The experimental area (pasture) was established in the summer of 2015-16 as described by Barbosa et al (2021). Soil chemical analysis for the 0-to 20-cm layer was run on samples taken on 11 Oct. 2018, with the fol- (Alvares et al, 2022). Weather data for the experimental period were obtained from a station located 2 km from the experimental site (Table 1).…”

Weathering the hunt: The role of barometric pressure in predator insects' foraging behaviour

“…The experiments were conducted in Piracicaba, SP, Brazil, situated at an altitude of 546 m above sea level. The city is located at a latitude of 22°42′30″ S and longitude of 47°38′00″ W. According to the Köppen classification, it falls under the tropical category with a dry winter (Aw) (Alvares et al, 2022 ). The region receives an average annual precipitation of 1382 mm, which can occur throughout the year, with the highest volumes observed during the summer months (December–March).…”

Atualização Da Classificação Climática De Boa Vista, Roraima, Brasil

“…Entre os Sistemas de Classificação Climática (SCC), Rolim et al (2007) destacaram que o SCC de Köppen é pouco eficiente aos componentes do balanço hídrico, o que contraindica sua utilização em estudos agrometeorológicos, embora seja amplamente utilizado na avaliação das mudanças climáticas em séries históricas (ALVARES et al, 2022). Já o SCC de Thornthwaite permite separar eficientemente os climas, demonstrando capacidade para determinação de zonas agroclimáticas, o que o torna indicado para o monitoramento das condições climáticas visando o manejo eficiente de culturas agrícolas.…”