Waste Management

Final waste disposal can be problematic in Brazil. Incineration is an effective method, however incinerators are expensive to purchase, operate and maintain, eliminating them as an option for most cities in Brazil. Instead, Brazil relies on dumps and landfills. There are some city landfills thats are described to be “tidy” as the layers of waste appear to be organized and others that are very unsanitary. One of the first things people see in Brazil would be the landfill  since it is located on the way from the airport. One can see home waste dumped directly into the open sewers leading straight to the bay. As municipality administrators in Brazil begin to understand the risks associated with untreated waste in open dumping areas, more dumps are being closed or converted to sanitary landfills. At some Brazilian landfills, clean development mechanism (CDM) projects are approved to collect the gases produced on-site. For example, a landfill in Nova Iguaçu, methane is collected and converted into electricity. 

Brazil’s waste management challenges are not like those of countries such as India or China, which experience rapid urban growth because Brazil has a stable population growth rate. Brazil’s greatest waste management hurdle to overcome is acquiring adequate financing. Despite this difficulty, they do find creative, responsible solutions to many of their problems in order to deliver satisfactory collection services, recycling programs and street cleaning for their citizens. However, in poorer neighbourhoods, trash is a visible problem.

The majority of Brazil’s municipal authorities are aware that efficient waste management is important to cities, as improvements are being made. As Brazil’s major problem is financing, I would say that they should fund for a better waste management strategy, such as incinerators. There are different ways government can fund for this improvement such as gradually raising taxes. Tax payers should understand this increase since it is for the best of their health and environment. Another way to make an improvement would be to work on the poorer neighbourhoods. The main areas of the city don’t have much of a trash problem since there are daily street sweepers, and garbage pickups throughout the city centre and middle class neighbourhoods. Since trash is not a problem for the main areas instead of having daily street cleaners and daily garbage pickups, a suggestion would be to split it with the poorer areas, where trash is problematic. 

Climates and Climate Controls

Due to the continental dimensions, Brazil possesses a very wide climatic diversification influenced by its geographical configuration, its significant coastal extension, its relief and the dynamics of the masses of air on the territory. This last factor acts directly on the temperatures and the pluviometric indexes in the different areas of the country. The masses of air are according to the Statistical Annual of Brazil. The Equatorial air mass that is divided in Continental Equatorial and Atlantic Equatorial; the Tropical air mass, also divided in Continental Tropical and Atlantic Tropical; and Polar Atlantic air mass. All these air masses provide the climate differentiations in Brazil. The country’s climate varies from very humid and hot climates, coming of the Equatorial air masses, as its a great part of the Amazon; to very strong semi-arid climates, as those native of the hinterlands of the northeastern part of Brazil. The climate of a given area is conditioned by several factors: temperature, rains, atmospheric humidity, winds and atmospheric pressure. They are also conditioned by factors such as altitude, latitude, relief characteristics, vegetation and continentality. There are five major climates in Brazil. Humid equatorial climate caused by the convergence of the trade winds (Amazônia), tropical climate alternately humid and dry(central area & the coast of the middle-north), tropical climate tends to be dry due to the irregularity of the action of the air masses of air (hinterlands of northeastern Brazil), coastal humid climate exposed to the marine tropical masses (narrow strips of the coast - east and northeast), and humid subtropical climate (south). A great variation in temperature occurs in Brazil. The Northern Area and a part of the interior of the Northeast region experience an annual medium temperature above 25 degrees, while the Southern Area of Brazil and a part of the Southeast have an annual medium temperature below 20 degrees. Absolute minimum temperatures, with frequent negative values are observed in the mountainous summits of the southeast and in a large part of the South Area, which is accompanied by frosts and snow. The North region of Brazil embraces a great part of the Amazon Basin, representing the largest extension of hot and humid forest on the planet. The area is cut by Ecuador and is characterized by low altitudes (0-200m). The climate is hot with an annual medium temperature ranging from 24 degrees to 26 degrees. In the mouth of the river Amazonas, the coast of Pará and in the western section of the area, the total annual pluviometric index exceed 3000 mm in general. The northeast region has high thermal temperatures with an annual average between 20 degrees and 28 degrees, maximums of around 40 degrees. The months of winter have minimum temperatures between 12 degrees and 16 degrees. The pluviosity of the area is complex. Its annual totals vary from 2000mm and values lower than 500mm. The annual medium precipitation in the northeast area is lower than 1000mm. In the southeast region of Brazil the latitudinal position where the Tropic of Capricorn is, has very uneven topography which influences the climate. The annual medium temperature ranges from 20 degrees to 24 degrees. The annual precipitation total is in excess of 1500mm. The South region is located below the Tropic of Capricorn, in a temperate zone. The winters are cold and summers are hot. The annual medium temperature ranges from 14 degrees to 22 degrees, and in places with altitude above 1100m, the temperature drops to approximately 10 degrees. The annual medium pluviosity ranges from 1250 to 2000 mm. In the Middle-West region the annual medium temperature is 22 degrees.The characterization of the pluviosity of the region is almost exclusively due to the system of the atmospheric circulation. The annual medium pluviosity varies from 2000 too 3000 mm. 

Tornado September 2013

September is the wettest month of the year in southern Brazil and torrential downpours are common. At this time of the year, cold air from Antarctica pushes northwards and slams into the topical air situated over central parts of the continent. This generates intense weather, which can produce tremendous amounts of rain. In September 2013 severe weather ripped through southern Brazil. The storm triggered widespread flooding and even generated a tornado in the town of Taquarituba. The tornado struck 320km west of Sao Paulo, leaving two people dead and 64 injured. One of the people who died was a bus driver. The vehicle was overturned, killing the driver and injuring others. The second was a young man playing soccer in a gymnasium, the tornado’s fierce winds tore off the roof killing him inside. Roofs were torn from homes and trees and power lines were destroyed, cutting services to the region. The tornado was reported to have lasted only two minutes but destroying 600 homes and 26 businesses in Sao Paulo. The state of Santa Catarina, the south of Sao Paulo was the worst affected from the rain. Homes and businesses were flooded so bad that only roofs were visible. 30 thousand people were forced from their homes, leaving authorities struggling to find enough water and food for those affected. Images from the town showed widespread destruction, with buildings collapsed and debris strewn across the ground. Total economic losses in the town were listed at BRL200 million (USD90 million). 

Air Masses, Global Winds, & Types of Rain

A large part of Brazil has two air masses for  consideration. One is the unmodified maritime tropical air which is the regular air mass from the Atlantic. The other originates in the Atlantic; but by the time it spreads over the huge Amazon River basin, it undergoes two key changes - the addition of heat and moisture. Resulting with strong summer heating, a warm dry continental tropical air mass. The air masses of Southern Brazil vary. Polar maritime air masses originate in the region of the belt of low pressures or “brave west winds” of the Antarctic circle. The are found south of Brazil as anticyclones, which come in contact with the tropical air masses and form cold fronts which develop storms. In winter, these masses are convectively unstable. They have low values of temperature and relative humidity since they are moving over the regions. In summer, humidity is at a maximum an results with abundant rainfall at cold front passages, the other characteristics remain unchanged. Modified polar maritime appears within lower latitudes, the polar air decreases in velocity, and a modification takes place. This decreases cloudiness and the gradual fusion wight he tropical Atlantic air. In the winter this causes greater stability at low levels, more pronounced stratification, surface temperature inversions and a decrease in relative humidity. In the summer there is little difference between polar maritime and modified polar maritime although the latter air masses do have a lower relative humidity value. The tropical atlantic air masses originate in the centre of action of the south Atlantic and are transported by NE, N and NW winds. In winter they show great instability at the surface, due to local heating and small lapse rates. Over the vast continental forest the air masses include tropical continental. Northern Brazil appears to have Westerlies wind with flow ranging around 35 degrees and southern Brazil has trade winds which flow around 15 degrees. 

Over the year, the most common forms of precipitation are light rain, thunderstorms and moderate rain in Brazil. Light rain is the most severe precipitation observed during 34% of the days. It is most limey around October 21, when it is observed during 20% of the days. Thunderstorms are the most severe precipitation observed during 31% of the days. They are most likely around February 4, when it is observed 27% of the days. Moderate rain is the most severe precipitation observed 31% of the days as well. It is most likely around January 20, when it is observed 17% of all days. During the warm season which lasts from December 9 to March 29, there is a 56% average chance for precipitation throughout the day. When it does occur it is most commonly in the form of thunderstorms. During the cold season, which lasts from June 4 to September 24 there is a 39% average chance for precipitation to occur throughout the day. When it does, it is most often in the form of light rain. Brazil’s most intense rain falls around the mouth of the Amazon near the city of Belém, and in the upper regions of the Amazonia also.