An intermediate level model for tropical climatology including atmosphere-land-ocean interaction is developed. The model contains basically linearized steady state primitive equations with simplified thermodynamics. A simple hydrological cycle is also included. Special attention has been paid to land surface processes in attempting to study climate change caused by Amazon deforestation. In comparison with previous simple modeling work on tropical climatology or anomaly, the present model is more sophisticated in the sense that it predicts all the important meteorological variables with little input, while being computationally simple. The modeled tropical climatology appears to be realistic. The model generally better simulates the ENSO anomaly compared to many previous simple model simulations. We provide analysis of model results and discuss model deficiencies and possible improvements of the model. The climatic impact of Amazon deforestation is studied in the context of this model. Model results show a much weakened Atlantic Walker/Hadley circulation as a result of the existence of a strong positive feedback loop in the atmospheric circulation system and the hydrological cycle. The regional climate is very sensitive to albedo change and sensitive to evapotranspiration change. The pure dynamical effect of surface roughness on convergence is small, but the surface flow anomaly displays intriguing features. Analysis of the thermodynamic equation reveals the balance among convective heating, adiabatic cooling and radiation largely determines the deforestation response. The model provides a plausible mechanism for the common results of many GCM simulations. Studies of the consequences of hypothetical continuous deforestation suggest that the replacement of forest by desert may be able to sustain a desert-like climate. When a simple mixed layer ocean model is coupled with the atmospheric model, the results suggest a 1 °C decrease in SST gradient across the equatorial Atlantic ocean in response to Amazon deforestation. The magnitude of the decrease depends on the coupling strength.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Wisconsin, Madison, 1975. / Typescript. Vita. eContent provider-neutral record in process. Description based on print version record. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 125-133).

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Land-use change, and in particular tropical deforestation, is the leading cause of species extinctions globally, and is the second most important source of CO2 emissions after fossil fuel combustion. I examine two policy-relevant questions that relate to tropical deforestation and land use change: (1) At regional scales, what biophysical and infrastructure-related factors are associated with deforestation? and (2) At a local scale, what are some of the impacts of land use change on above- and below-ground carbon stocks and on tree-species richness? The first question was examined for the Brazilian Amazon through spatially-explicit correlation analyses of deforestation and a series of predictor variables that included highways and roads, annual rainfall, dry season length, soil characteristics, site accessibility, and population density. The proximity of a site to roads and highways was the strongest predictor of deforestation, with more accessible sites more likely to be deforested. Dry season length was also a strong, positive predictor of deforestation. The results suggest that current plans to expand road infrastructure in Amazonia will have a significant impact on the forests of the areas transected. / The second question was examined in the context of a 3,198 ha area in Eastern Panama that is managed collectively by an Indigenous Embera community.

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Thesis (Ph. D.)--Michigan State University. Dept. of Geography, 2008. / Title from PDF t.p. (viewed on July 22, 2009) Includes bibliographical references (p. 228-249). Also issued in print.

Made available in DSpace on 2015-03-26T13:44:35Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 texto completo.pdf: 1320229 bytes, checksum: 717640d85b505f636a6155af35279897 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2014-03-13 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / This study aims to analyze the construction of Environmental Discourse generally spread on the newspapers 0 Liberal and A Critica concerning the deforestation in the Amazon and its causes and consequences. As a result, we intend to contribute to reflection on the phenomenon of public discourse formation on the Brazilian media. The research corpus is composed of 38 articles published in 2011 (encompassing the genres news , reportage , interview , notes and opinion article ). Out of the 38 articles, 26 were extracted from the 0 Liberal and 12 from A Critica . Based on the theoretical and methodological perspective of Discourse Analysis of Scientific Communication (CASALMIGLIA, 1997, 1996; CASSANY ; MARTI, 1998; CASSANY ; LOPEZ ; MARTI, 2000; CATALDI , 2011; 2009; 2008; 2003; CIAPUSCIO, 1997; FERRERO, 2011), we identified and analyzed the positions of social actors coming from different fields and using different publishing strategies in the discourse of science communication by scientific and environmental spheres. By relating the element of power control (VAN DIJ K, 2012) and the modes of operation of ideology (THOMPSON, 2002), we analyzed some discursive strategies to verify the role of ideologies and power control mediated by social actors on the disclosure debate. We verified from the theoretical discussion and analysis that: 1) the disclosure debate in the newspaper 0 Liberal benefited more the social debate because, unlike A Critica , it had the presence of social and legal spheres; 2) the consequences of deforestation released by A Critica had always been related to the Brazilian Forestry Code, which was not observed in 0 Liberal ; 3) in relation to the views, it was evident that the problematic of deforestation was diminished; 4) regarding the publishing strategies, it was used more accessible language to publish the event, since it is an issue of social reality and must be closer to the general public; 5) in regard to the role of ideologies in relation to power control, the disclosure is influenced by the various social actors who participate in it, since we realized that the way the content is addressed appears to be tied to financial issues, including the ecologic discourse. Based on those findings, we believe that the disclosure debate is a tool that can be very resourceful in building more democratic perspectives on such important environmental issues in the present time. / Neste trabalho, propusemos analisar a construção do discurso ambiental, veiculado pelos jornais O Liberal e A Crítica, sobre o desmatamento na Amazônia, suas causas e consequências, a fim de contribuir para a reflexão sobre o fenômeno da formação dos discursos públicos na mídia impressa brasileira. O corpus da pesquisa é formado por 38 matérias publicadas no ano de 2011, sendo 26 do jornal O Liberal e 12 do A Crítica (abarcando os gêneros notícia, reportagem, entrevista, nota e artigos de opinião). Baseando- nos na perspectiva teórico-metodológica da Análise do Discurso da Divulgação Científica (CALSAMIGLIA, 1997; 1996; CASSANY; MARTÍ, 1998; CASSANY; LÓPEZ; MARTÍ, 2000; CATALDI, 2011; 2009; 2008; 2003; CIAPUSCIO, 1997; FERRERO, 2011), identificamos e analisamos os posicionamentos dos atores sociais procedentes dos diversos âmbitos e as estratégias divulgativas utilizadas no discurso de divulgação científica pelos âmbitos científico e ambiental. Relacionando o elemento do controle do poder (VAN DIJK, 2012) e os modos de operação da ideologia (THOMPSON, 2002), analisamos algumas estratégias discursivas para verificar o papel das ideologias (mediadas pelos atores sociais da divulgação debate) no controle de poder. Verificamos, a partir da discussão teórica e das análises que: 1) A divulgação debate no jornal O Liberal foi a que mais favoreceu o debate social, pois, diferentemente do A Crítica, contou com a participação dos âmbitos social e jurídico; 2) As consequências do desmatamento divulgadas pelo A Crítica sempre se relacionaram com o Código Florestal, o que não aconteceu em O Liberal; 3) Em relação aos posicionamentos, muitas vezes, a problemática ̳desmatamento é atenuada; 4) Quanto às estratégias divulgativas, a abordagem divulgada do evento, por se tratar de suas causas, resultou no emprego de linguagem acessível, por ser uma questão mais própria da realidade social do grande público; 5) Quanto ao papel das ideologias nas relações de controle de poder, a divulgação é influenciada pelos diversos atores que participam dela, já que percebemos que o enfrentamento da problemática aparece atrelado a questões de ordem econômica, inclusive no discurso ―ecológico‖. Com base nessas constatações, entendemos que a divulgação debate é um instrumento que pode ajudar na construção de perspectivas mais democráticas a respeito de questões ambientais tão importantes na atualidade.