PHYSICAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL CHARACTERIZATION OF THE HYDROGRAPHIC BASIN OF THE PANDEIROS RIVER - MG IN EVENTS OF EL NIÑO-SOUTHERN OSCILLATION
morphometry, spatial analysis, geotechnologies.
The objective of this study was to perform the morphometric characterization and to evaluate the physical and environmental heterogeneity of the Pandeiros river basin through a 24 - year time series of observations of the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index, digital elevation model and rainfall data collected in the 16 days which preceded the passage of Landsat 5 satellite over the studied region. The mean vegetation values were spatially distributed and related to the rainfall data and the El Niño-Southern Oscillation event. Non-parametric statistical analyzes and correlation matrix were used to identify spatial and temporal variations in vegetation dynamics. The coefficient of compactness, shape factor and circularity were 2.61, 0.48 and 0.39, indicating that the basin has an elongated shape and low flood risk. From the Pettitt test, it was verified that the vegetation in the year 2000 presented the biggest signal, being influenced by the La Niña phenomenon, whereas the rain presented the biggest signs in 1992 and 2011, periods under the influence of El Niño. The highest correlation found between vegetation and ocean temperature occurred during the La Niña episode (r = 0.50), during the neutrality period there was a higher correlation between rainfall and ocean temperature (r = 0.44), and the highest correlation found between rainfall and vegetation was observed during the El Nino period (r = 0.80). The results indicate the existence of a relationship between climatic events with changes in the water regime and vegetation of the Pandeiros river basin, directly influencing the ecosystem dynamics.