MSM Collaborative Research: Agricultural expansion in the Brazilian Amazon and its influence on the water, energy, and climate cycles

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The Amazon has suffered extensive deforestation in recent years as a result of a large increase in global demand for beef and soy. Deforestation changes groundwater and stream flow in both small and large river basins and, in the future, may cause a hotter and drier climate in the Amazon. How much the water resources of the Amazon have already changed, as well as how much they may change in the future is not known. This project addresses the consequences of agricultural expansion on the water resources of the Amazon by combining data collection and computer models. Stream flow and climate data will be gathered in 23 watersheds in evergreen forest, savanna, pasture, and soy environments to understand the effects of deforestation on the local water and energy balance. The data will be used with existing computer models to provide a large-scale analysis of the effects of past and future deforestation on the energy and water cycles of the Amazon. Farmers, policymakers, educators, students, and the public will have opportunities to learn about the effects of land use change as a result of this project. Data generated and lessons learned will be used to develop stream health measures that can be applied on an existing network of properties covering more than 1.8 million hectares (4.5 million acres), in Brazil. The project will provide direct financial and technical support to at least four PhD students in the US and Brazil, as well as master's and undergraduate students from the State University of Mato Grosso at Nova Xavantina. The work will also support and expand an influential teacher educational program in Mato Grosso, Brazil, strengthening science education ties between middle schools in Mato Grosso, Brazil, and Falmouth, MA. It will also send two science journalists each year to Brazil for hands-on training.