Preprint Article Version 1 Preserved in Portico This version is not peer-reviewed

Assessment of Land Desertification in the Brazilian East Atlantic Region using the Medalus Model and Google Earth Engine

Version 1 : Received: 3 September 2023 / Approved: 4 September 2023 / Online: 6 September 2023 (14:50:48 CEST)

A peer-reviewed article of this Preprint also exists.

Macêdo, T.H.J.; Tagliaferre, C.; Lopes da Silva, B.; de Paula, A.; Lacerda Lemos, O.; Adenilson Rocha, F.; Gomes de Souza Pinheiro, R.; Santos Lima, A.C. Assessment of Land Desertification in the Brazilian East Atlantic Region Using the Medalus Model and Google Earth Engine. Land 2024, 13, 31. Macêdo, T.H.J.; Tagliaferre, C.; Lopes da Silva, B.; de Paula, A.; Lacerda Lemos, O.; Adenilson Rocha, F.; Gomes de Souza Pinheiro, R.; Santos Lima, A.C. Assessment of Land Desertification in the Brazilian East Atlantic Region Using the Medalus Model and Google Earth Engine. Land 2024, 13, 31.

Abstract

Many factors drive land desertification, especially in arid and semi-arid regions. However, the numerous driving factors of desertification make analyses computer expensive. Cloud computing comes along to address this problem, especially in developing countries. The objective of this work was to assess the sensitivity of the East Atlantic Basin, Brazil, to desertification using the Mediterranean Desertification and Land Use (MEDALUS) model and Google Earth Engine (GEE). The model is composed of four environmental Quality Indices (QIs) associated with soil (SQI), vegetation (VQI), climate (CQI) and management (MQI), and contains factors influencing the desertification process. Digital databases of the factors were pre-processed and uploaded to GEE for analysis. We report Environmentally Sensitive Areas (ESAs) and Environmentally Critical Factors (ECF) maps of the East Atlantic Basin, which showed that most of the basin is in either critical (49.4%) or fragile (35.7%) state of sensitivity. In contrast, only a smaller portion of the area is unaffected (5%) or potentially affected (10.1%). Sensitivity to desertification was inversely correlated with the presence of vigorous vegetation. A joint analysis of ESAs and ECF shed light on the importance of each factor in the sensitivity to desertification. The East Atlantic Basin shows a high degree of sensitivity to desertification, thereby demanding more attention and establishment of measures to mitigate the negative impacts of the desertification process.

Keywords

Environmental Sensitivity; Modeling; Environmental Quality; Cloud computing

Subject

Environmental and Earth Sciences, Environmental Science

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