- Completion of course work
Abstract: The analysis of the behavior, frequency and impact of extreme weather events has been gaining more and more attention due to significant global weather changes, such as global warming. In addition, changes in the behavior of these events may be associated with population growth and the consequent increase in greenhouse gas emissions. In Brazil, with some exceptions, natural disasters with the greatest social, economic and environmental impact are caused by extreme precipitation events, either by the high volume of rain, causing floods, or by their scarcity, characterizing the long periods of drought. Thus, knowledge and monitoring of these atmospheric events, especially water vapor, are essential for the prevention and mitigation of disasters. Another point that highlights the importance of monitoring rainfall is the need for water for multiple uses, such as irrigation of agricultural crops and domestic and industrial water supply. For this reason, knowing the hydrological cycle of a region is essential for its socioeconomic development. Through this scenario, over the years, numerous investments have been made to obtain a detailed characterization of precipitation and related phenomena, which results in a large amount of data, increasingly accurate. The main Brazilian sources for obtaining parameters related to precipitation are the rain gauges and the meteorological stations (which also include the rain gauges), but which despite having a great recognition of practical contributions, present a lack of data, due to the lack of measurements and low spatial resolution, mainly in the North of the country. Thus, the main objective of this study is to analyze the applicability of alternative techniques for the study and monitoring of water vapor during the occurrence of extreme precipitation events related to high volumes of rain. To this end, analyzes of atmospheric parameters were carried out over a year of data in the cities of São Paulo and Belo Horizonte, based on data provided by altitude stations - radiosonde, pluviometer weather stations, GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite Systems), and imager and non-imager meteorological sensors. The results obtained are in line with expectations, indicating significant correlations between information from different sources, mainly in the analysis of the behavior of the atmosphere during the occurrence of extreme precipitation events.
The methodology and results obtained can found at: http://hdl.handle.net/11449/215452
Founded by: Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)