In the Brazilian semi-arid region, the intensification of agriculture results in a change of natural vegetation by irrigated crops. To quantify the contrast between these two ecosystems, the large-scale values of water productivity components were modelled in Petrolina (PE) and Juazeiro (BA) municipalities. The SAFER (Simple Algorithm For Evapotranspiration Retrieving) algorithm was used to acquire evapotranspiration (ET), while the Monteith's radiation model was applied for estimating the biomass production (BIO). Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) satellite images were used together with agro-meteorological data. In Petrolina and Juazeiro, the mean monthly ET values for irrigated crops were 938 and 739 mm∙month⁻¹, with the corresponding ones for natural vegetation of 385 and 194 mm∙month⁻¹.Water productivity (WP) was analysed by the ratio of BIO to ET, defined here as the ratio of the net benefits from the mixed agricultural systems to the amount of water required for producing those benefits. The highest incremental WP values, as a result of the irrigated crops introduction, happened outside the rainy period. More spatial WP uniformity occurred in natural vegetation, when comparing with irrigated crops. The most frequent WP values in Petrolina were between 1.6 and 2.2 kg∙m⁻³ while in Juazeiro this range was from 1.0 to 1.6 kg∙m⁻³. The differences between the municipalities can be mainly explained by differences in precipitation and soil water storages conditions, promoting better rainfall use efficiency by the natural vegetation in the first one. The results of the current research are important for appraising the land use change impacts in situations of expanding irrigation areas.

The Cabeceira Comprida stream’s watershed, located in Santa Fé do Sul, São Paulo state, has great environmental importance. It is essential for supplying water to the population and generating surpluses for sewage dilution. This study aimed to evaluate the annual performance of the components of water productivity from Landsat-8 images of 2015, using the Simple Algorithm for Evapotranspiration Retrieving (SAFER), calculating the actual evapotranspiration (ET_a), biomass (BIO) and water productivity (WP). The annual averages of ET_a, BIO and WP were 1.03 mm day^-1, 36.04 kg ha^-1 day^-1 and 3.19 kg m-3, respectively. The average annual values of ET_a for land use and occupation were 1.40, 1.23, 1.05, 0.97 and 1.08 mm day^-1 for the remaining forest (RF), invasive species (IS), pasture (Pa), annual crop (AC) and perennial crop (PC), respectively, with BIO of 57.64, 46.10, 36.78, 32.69, 40.03 kg ha^-1 day^-1 for RF, IS, Pa, AC and PC, respectively, resulting in WP of 3.94, 3.59, 3.25, 3.09, 3.35 kg m^-3 for RF, IS, Pa, AC and PC, respectively. The ET_a, BIO and WP adjust to the seasonality of the region, and RF and IS stood out with the highest values.

MODIS images during the year 2012 were used for modelling of the radiation and energy balance components with the application of the SAFER algorithm (Simple Algorithm for Evapotranspiration Retrieving) in the Brazilian Pantanal area. Pixels from the main sub-regions of Barão de Melgaço (BR), Paiaguás (PA) and Nhecolândia (NH) were extracted in order to process microclimatic comparisons. In general, the net radiation (R_n) relied much more on the global solar radiation (R_G) levels than on water conditions and ecosystem types, in accordance with the low R_n standard deviation values. The fraction of the available energy used as latent heat flux (λE) were, on average, 65, 50 and 49% for the BR, PA and NH sub-regions, respectively. Horizontal heat advection, identified by the negative values of sensible heat flux (H), made several pixels with λE values higher than those for R_n in the middle of the year. Taking the evaporative fraction (E_f) as a surface moisture indicator, the Tree-Lined Savanna (TLS) was considered the moister ecosystem class, with 58% of the available energy being used as λE, while the driest one was the modified ecosystem Anthropogenic Changes (AC), presenting a λE/R_n fraction of 0.46. According to the spatial and temporal consistencies, and after comparisons with other previous point and large-scale studies, the SAFER algorithm proved to have sensibility to quantify and compare the large-scale radiation and energy balance components in the different ecosystems of the Brazilian Pantanal. The algorithm is useful for monitoring the energy exchange dynamics among the different terrestrial and aquatic ecosystem types throughout the seasons of the year.

WATER PRODUCTIVITY ASSESSMENTS WITH LANDSAT 8 IMAGES IN THE NILO COELHO IRRIGATION SCHEME

The objective of this study was to apply the Simple Algorithm For Evapotranspiration Retrieving (SAFER) with MODIS images together with meteorological data to analyze evapotranspiration (ET) and biomass production (BIO) according to indicative classes of pasture degradation in Upper Tocantins River Basin. Indicative classes of degraded pastures were obtained from the NDVI time-series (2002-2012). To estimate ET and BIO in each class, MODIS images and data from meteorological stations of the year 2012 were used. The results show that compared to not-degraded pastures, ET and BIO were different in pastures with moderate to strong degradation, mainly during water stress period. Therefore, changes in energy balance partition may occur according to the degradation levels, considering that those indicatives of degradation processes were identified in 24% of the planted pasture areas. In this context, ET and BIO estimates using remote sensing techniques can be a reliable indicator of forage availability, and large-scale aspects related to the degradation of pastures. It is expected that this knowledge may contribute to initiatives of public policies aimed at controlling the loss of production potential of pasture areas in the Upper Tocantins River Basin in the state of Goiás, Brazil.