According to data obtained from meteorological towers, Brazil has significantly increased temperature in the past 20 years, particularly in the North and Midwest regions. Vapor pressure deficit and evapotranspiration were also analyzed, showing an increase across the entire country, confirming that the air is becoming drier. This warming trend is part of the global climate change phenomenon caused by the rise of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, fires, poor soil management practices, deforestation, and logging. The increase in temperature and dryness has profoundly impacted Brazil’s climate and ecosystems, leading to intensified extreme weather events and changes in the distribution of both animal and plant species. This study highlights the importance of utilizing meteorological tower data to monitor and understand the effects of climate change in Brazil. It emphasizes the need for immediate action to address its causes and mitigate its negative impacts.
The Brazilian Pantanal region suffers intensely from biomass burning during the dry season. Large quantities of gases and particles are emitted into the atmosphere during this period, with serious implications for fauna and flora. Understanding the dynamics of these emissions is es-sential for mitigating the ecosystem, its functioning, and possible anthropogenic disturbances. In this sense, this study analyzed emissions over the north of the Brazilian Pantanal during the 2022 drought. Measurements of concentration of fine particulate matter (PM2.5), Black carbon (BC), and elemental concentration (25 chemical elements) were determined by gravimetry, reflectance analysis, and X-ray fluorescence, respectively, for samples collected between August and Octo-ber 2022. The average concentrations of PM2.5 and BC had their values increased by approxi-mately 4 and 2.5 times, respectively, when compared to the averages from a decade ago. The maximum concentrations found are close to values typical of the southern Amazon region, a re-gion with high rates of deforestation and changes in land use. The elemental analysis showed large changes in concentrations, mainly associated with biomass burning emission (BB) and soil resuspension. Furthermore, analyses of lead (Pb) concentrations showed strong anthropization at the study site.