NASA: Brazil - Brasil - Danger - Peligro - Amazon Deforestation - Deforestacion de Amazonas
Posted by Ricardo Marcenaro | Posted in NASA: Brazil - Brasil - Danger - Peligro - Amazon Deforestation - Deforestacion de Amazonas | Posted on 16:45
Open your mind, your heart to other cultures
Abra su mente, su corazón a otras culturas
You will be a better person
Usted será una mejor persona
RM
Abra su mente, su corazón a otras culturas
You will be a better person
Usted será una mejor persona
RM
Amazon Deforestation
The state of Rondônia in western Brazil — once home to 208,000 square kilometers of forest (about 51.4 million acres), an area slightly smaller than the state of Kansas — has become one of the most deforested parts of the Amazon. In the past three decades, clearing and degradation of the state’s forests have been rapid: 4,200 square kilometers cleared by 1978; 30,000 by 1988; and 53,300 by 1998. By 2003, an estimated 67,764 square kilometers of rainforest—an area larger than the state of West Virginia—had been cleared.
By the start of this satellite time series from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Terra satellite, the frontier had reached the remote northwest corner of Rondônia. Intact forest is deep green, while cleared areas are tan (bare ground) or light green (crops, pasture, or occasionally, second-growth forest). Over the span of eight years, roads and clearings pushed west-northwest from Buritis toward the Jaciparaná River. The deforested area along the road into Nova Mamoré expanded north-northeast all the way to the BR-346 highway.
Deforestation follows a fairly predictable pattern in these images. The first clearings that appear in the forest are in a fishbone pattern, arrayed along the edges of roads. Over time, the fishbones collapse into a mixture of forest remnants, cleared areas, and settlements. This pattern follows one of the most common deforestation trajectories in the Amazon. Legal and illegal roads penetrate a remote part of the forest, and small farmers migrate to the area. They claim land along the road and clear some of it for crops. Within a few years, heavy rains and erosion deplete the soil, and crop yields fall. Farmers then convert the degraded land to cattle pasture, and clear more forest for crops. Eventually the small land holders, having cleared much of their land, sell it or abandon it to large cattle holders, who consolidate the plots into large areas of pasture.
By the start of this satellite time series from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Terra satellite, the frontier had reached the remote northwest corner of Rondônia. Intact forest is deep green, while cleared areas are tan (bare ground) or light green (crops, pasture, or occasionally, second-growth forest). Over the span of eight years, roads and clearings pushed west-northwest from Buritis toward the Jaciparaná River. The deforested area along the road into Nova Mamoré expanded north-northeast all the way to the BR-346 highway.
Deforestation follows a fairly predictable pattern in these images. The first clearings that appear in the forest are in a fishbone pattern, arrayed along the edges of roads. Over time, the fishbones collapse into a mixture of forest remnants, cleared areas, and settlements. This pattern follows one of the most common deforestation trajectories in the Amazon. Legal and illegal roads penetrate a remote part of the forest, and small farmers migrate to the area. They claim land along the road and clear some of it for crops. Within a few years, heavy rains and erosion deplete the soil, and crop yields fall. Farmers then convert the degraded land to cattle pasture, and clear more forest for crops. Eventually the small land holders, having cleared much of their land, sell it or abandon it to large cattle holders, who consolidate the plots into large areas of pasture.
The estimated change in forested area between 2000 and 2008 is shown in this map (above) based on vegetation index data from MODIS. Places that are red lost vegetation, while places that are peach showed little or no change. The most intensely red areas indicate the biggest vegetation losses—usually the complete clearing of original rainforest. Less intense reds indicate less dramatic change, such as the complete clearing of an already logged forest, or a transition from leafy crops to sparser pasture grasses.
All major tropical forests—including those in the Americas, Africa, Southeast Asia, and Indonesia—are disappearing, mostly to make way for human food production, including livestock and crops. Although tropical deforestation meets some human needs, it also has profound, sometimes devastating, consequences, including social conflict and human rights abuses, extinction of plants and animals, and climate change—challenges that affect the whole world.
All major tropical forests—including those in the Americas, Africa, Southeast Asia, and Indonesia—are disappearing, mostly to make way for human food production, including livestock and crops. Although tropical deforestation meets some human needs, it also has profound, sometimes devastating, consequences, including social conflict and human rights abuses, extinction of plants and animals, and climate change—challenges that affect the whole world.
References
- Lindsey, R. (2007). Tropical Deforestation. NASA’s Earth Observatory. Accessed May 27, 2009.
- Pedlowski, M., Matricardi, E., Skole, D., Cameron, S., Chomentowski, W., Fernandes, C., and Lisboa, A. (2005). Conservation units: a new deforestation frontier in the Amazonian state of Rondônia, Brazil. Environmental Conservation, 32 (2): 149–155.
- Pedlowski, M., Dale, V., Matricardi, E., and da Silva Filho, E. (1997). Patterns and impacts of deforestation in Rondônia, Brazil. Landscape and Urban Planning, 38, 149–157.
Links
- Images and Animation of Rondônia Deforestation 1975-2001 from the Goddard Space Flight Center Scientific Visualization Studio
- Rondônia, Brazil, in the United Nations Environment Programme’s Atlas of Our Changing Environment
- Deforestation in Rondônia, Brazil
NASA: Brazil - Brasil - Danger - Peligro - Amazon Deforestation - Deforestacion de Amazonas
You have an alphabetical guide in the foot of the page in the blog: solitary dog sculptor
In the blog: Solitary Dog Sculptor I, the alphabetical guide is on the right side of the page
Thanks
Usted tiene una guía alfabética al pie de la página en el blog: solitary dog sculptor
En el blog: Solitary Dog Sculptor I, la guia alfabética está en el costado derecho de la página
Gracias
Ricardo M Marcenaro - Facebook
Blogs in operation of The Solitary Dog:
solitary dog sculptor:
http://byricardomarcenaro.blogspot.com
Solitary Dog Sculptor I:
http://byricardomarcenaroi.blogspot.com
Para:
comunicarse conmigo,
enviar materiales para publicar,
propuestas comerciales:
marcenaroescultor@gmail.com
For:
contact me,
submit materials for publication,
commercial proposals:
marcenaroescultor@gmail.com
Diario La Nación
Argentina
Cuenta Comentarista en el Foro:
Capiscum
My blogs are an open house to all cultures, religions and countries. Be a follower if you like it, with this action you are building a new culture of tolerance, open mind and heart for peace, love and human respect.
Thanks :)
Mis blogs son una casa abierta a todas las culturas, religiones y países. Se un seguidor si quieres, con esta acción usted está construyendo una nueva cultura de la tolerancia, la mente y el corazón abiertos para la paz, el amor y el respeto humano.
Gracias :)
Comments (0)
Publicar un comentario