Climatology of Rainfall and Anthropic Effects of Urbanization on the Acre River Basin, Western Amazon

Abstract

In the Amazonian winter of 2012, 2014 and 2015, the Acre River experienced flooding, with severe social and economic impacts in marshy districts and agricultural areas. These floods were considered historical by governments, the 2015 flooding being classified as a record. These and other floods follow the recurrence of the rainy period in its annual and longer term seasonality. In 2016, the river presented very low levels of water flow. The sedimentation and silting on the banks and bed of the river influenced the measurements recorded by level gauge. This effect may be due to errors in meters in determining the level of the river. Thus, this paper aims to highlight the disturbances that affect the relationship between rainfall and streamflow to draw attention to the impact caused by the lack of planning in urbanization, particularly in the city of Rio Branco. Regarding precipitations, notwithstanding the occurrence of characteristic extreme events in the region, this study did not find climatology differences over more than fifty years.

Keywords

• Amazônia Ocidental. Rio Acre. Alagações.