Brazil has an energy matrix heavily based on renewable resources, with hydroelectric power being the predominant component. Hydroelectric plants are formed by damming the natural course of a river, causing changes in the original hydrosedimentological regime. Particularly when reaching the dam, sediments transported by rivers deposit, reducing the storage capacity. Understanding how reservoir volumes vary over time is crucial to define the generation potential and the lifespan of the project. In order to estimate the variation in reservoir volumes, bathymetric data were acquired, from which Digital Terrain Models (DTMs) were generated. The models were processed in ArcGIS software using five different types of interpolators. Additionally, an analysis of the impact of the spacing of control bathymetric lines on volume estimation was carried out, showing that the calculated volume decreases with increasing spacing of control lines. Based on the observation that the rate of volume variation shows variability among the analyzed reservoirs, a further study was conducted correlating reservoir morphology with Terrain Complexity Index, calculated by ArcGIS software. Statistical analysis identified groups of reservoirs with analogous characteristics, explaining that the variability in volume estimation depends on the bottom morphology. Analyzing the locations, it was found that reservoir groups are located in different hydrographic basins with distinct morphological characteristics. A subsequent study was conducted on the impact of the interpolation method on reservoir volume calculation. Considering five interpolators and eleven spacings, it was observed that the greater the distance between sections, the greater the discrepancy in volume estimation. Furthermore, it was found that different interpolators produce different volume estimates, emphasizing the importance of preliminary studies to allocate bathymetric sections and choose the most robust interpolation method.

Advancements in forensic target identification research across various burial scenarios with the assistance of Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) were established through a Systematic Literature Review (SLR). A research avenue identified as having potential for further exploration is related to a deeper understanding of the influence of physical parameters on geophysical responses. Thus, this dissertation aims to assess the impact of the sand-clay ratio on the detection of simulated forensic targets resembling human burial evidence using GPR. To achieve this goal, an area of the Água Limpa Farm (FAL) was allocated to expand the University of Brasília's Controlled Forensic Geophysics Site (FOREN-FAL). The controlled site consisting of four Experimental Graves (SEPs) with each SEP representing a distinct burial scenario. The set objectives to accomplish the project goal include monitoring the spatiotemporal variation of soil moisture through 2D, quasi-3D, and 4D GPR images, and tracking the influence of clay content (15%, 20%, 30%, and 70%) on target detection through 2D, quasi-3D, and 4D GPR images. The most accurate results were obtained in a SEP composed of 85% sand and 15% clayey material, regardless of seasonality. Signal attenuation was observed in the GPR data during the rainy season and after reflection from larger targets, primarily due to the conductive behavior of the soft tissues within the targets. Superior outcomes were noted in the dry season due to lower soil water content and less time since burial compared to the rainy season. In conclusion, soils with higher moisture and clay content tend to exhibit significant attenuation in GPR signals, although clay mineralogy also influences penetration depth. In the dry season, results were clearer, especially in target visualization, whereas the rainy season featured diffuse reflections and limited visibility. Pseudo-3D diagrams highlighted the migration of decomposition fluids, influenced by soil composition and climatic conditions.

The mining activity in the Amazon Region was been responsible for the deforestation of hundreds of kilometers of forest over the years. Currently, there are more than 2750 legalized gold mines in Brazil and more than 4400 illegal gold mines in the Pan-amazon. In order to monitor the deforestation in the region, environmental and security agencies work to support the authorities in the processes of inspection and control of environmental activities, including the deforestation caused by mining activities. For mining, in particular, constant monitoring of the areas are essential to verify their activity or inactivity. In this scenario, a promising solution for optimizing image classification processes and reassessing the mining stage would be the use of Deep Learning Neural Networks, especially Convolutional Networks, which are effective for image recognition, semantic segmentation and change detection. In this context, Deep Learning algorithms were evaluated, selected and applied for monitoring, control and analysis the evolution of the mining status in the regions of Tapajós and Kayapó, in the Brazilian Amazon Forest, based on images from CBERS 04A satellite. The Neural network architectures Unet, Unet++, Manet, Linknet, FPN, PSPNet, PAN, DeepLabV3 and DeepLabV3+ were tested. The architecture with the best result was Unet++, together with the EfficientNet backbone, which obtained an Accuracy of 98.87%, a F1 score of 89.20% and an Intersection over Union of 84.16%. For the change detection, the Post Classification Structure of the Double Flow method was used. To quantify the changes, the Structural Similarity Index measure was applied. As a result, 25% of the analyzed images changed after one year.

This study uses the integration of aerial geophysical data, geological data, petrophysical measurements to delimit targets with the use of statistics and application of Boolean logic for ETR prospecting, in addition to geoelectric sections, terrestrial magnetometric survey and petrophysical measurements in a drill hole for characterization of a hydrothermal breccia zone, in the Fazenda Buriti Mafic-Ultramafic Complex, in the Iporá-Goiás region, as a way of contributing to the development of geophysical methods and techniques applied in mineral prospecting in the Alcaline Province of Goiás. The working methods of this study consisted of the use of air magnetometry and radiometry, terrestrial magnetometry, direct measurements of magnetic susceptibility and radiometry in 15 rock samples collected in the study area and in an exploratory probe hole, with 100 m of depth, carried out in one of the chosen targets and chemical analyzes for REE as validation of the applied methodology. The integration of multisource data made it possible to create a geological map on a scale of 1:25000, in addition to the interpretation of shallow and deep magnetic structures. To characterize the breach, terrestrial magnetometric survey, geoelectric sections of resistivity and induced polarization in the frequency domain were used, in addition to direct measurements of magnetic susceptibility and radiometry in a borehole. The petrophysical data allowed estimating the magnetite content in the main units of the study area. The delimitation of targets with the applied method proved to be efficient and quick to apply, since the positive result of the borehole proved its effectiveness. The characterization of the alkaline breccia resulted in a non-magnetic geophysical signature of the fraction with the highest REE concentration, which occurs associated with brecciated pyroxenites with intermediate magnetization in relation to the background of the study area.

The Cerrado biome has observed under pressure by the expansion of the agriculture frontier in the recent years. The Brazilian government methodological strategies for monitoring the deforestation in the biome encompasses the use of multispectral satellite imagery, whose availability and quality are constrained by the cloud cover in the scenes. The optical data limitation to provide dense time series all over the years raises the need of alternatives for the continuous monitoring of the preserved areas. In this context, various studies investigated the potential of SAR data to monitor the Cerrado vegetation due to its cloud-free characteristic, high revisit frequency and wide spatial coverage; which allows the continuous monitoring of the Brazilian savanna physiognomies. In the recent years, the increasing availability of open SAR data leaded by the Sentinel-1 mission allowed the development of various dual-pol SAR vegetation indices as descriptors of the vegetation, most of them focused on crop monitoring. However, to the best of our knowledge, studies that investigate the use of SAR vegetation indices to map and monitor the Cerrado biome have not been addressed until then. In this study, the temporal behavior of five SAR vegetation indices derived from Sentinel-1 data was investigated in the period between 2017 and 2021 for three vegetation classes (Forest, Savanna and Grasslands) in the Brasilia National Park, Brazil. Temporal profiles analysis showed that DpRVI, RVI, PRVI, DPSVI and DPSVIm follows a seasonal pattern directly linked with the rainfall regime in the study site. DpRVI and RVI were found related to the rate of radar signal variation over the vegetation as a function of the seasonality influence. PRVI, DPSVI and DPSVIm were found directly related with the biomass level of the classes and its variations over time. The precipitation and the seasonal vegetation structure changes were found as an important driver of the shift and the spread of the indices spatial distributions over time. In this regard, a phenomenon here called index equalization was observed on rainy dates, shifting and spreading all classes spatial distributions to the same indices values ranges; consequently degrading the separability between the classes. A hypothesis test based on stochastic distances analysis demonstrated that the similarity between the classes raises in the dry seasons and decreases in the wet seasons. The PRVI, DPSVI and DPSVIm curves for pairs of classes showed rates H0 rejection above 94% within a seasonal pattern. The DpRVI and RVI H0 rejection curves remained above 97% without a clear seasonal pattern.

Unplanned urban sprawl generates negative effects on the environment, including on water bodies, which are sensitive to these impacts. The quality of the water in a watershed reflects the processes and activities developed in the region. In the Federal District, some rivers become the destination of different types of untreated domestic effluent discharges, as it happens in the Melchior River. This river is the main tributary of the Descoberto Basin and is a water body with recurrent contamination and alteration problems with few studies aiming at geochemical indicators of contamination. The Melchior River can be considered strongly affected by activities related to urbanization, since there are no industries, mining or other potentially polluting activities in this region. The general objective of this study is to identify the indicators of contamination by urban occupation in the basin. The adopted procedures include: sampling of water and bottom sediment; measurements of physicochemical parameters such as electrical conductivity, temperature, pH and total dissolved solids in the water; determination of chemical elements (major and trace) using the analytical techniques Optical Emission Spectrometry with Plasma (ICP/OES), Atomic Absorption Spectrometry (AAS) and ion chromatography; statistical treatment of the data by means of Geoaccumulation Index and Enrichment Factors, to identify possible geochemical anomalies. The results indicate that the environmental quality of water and sediments of Melchior River is altered due to anthropic activities developed in the basin. Analysis of water samples highlighted the parameters electrical conductivity, Ca, Na, P, NH4 + , NO3 - , Cl- , SO4 2- and HCO3 - as indicators of water quality alterations. Analyses using geoaccumulation indices pointed to the parameters P, CaO, Cu, Zn, TiO2, Sr, Na2O and V as indicators of contamination in sediments. Analyses by enrichment factors demonstrated that the parameters P, Cu, Zn, Ca, Na, Mn, Ni, Sr and Zn can indicate altered environmental quality of sediments in the basin.

Over the years, several recovery techniques were proposed with the objective of enhancing the benefits and catalyzing the recovery process of the Permanent Preservation Areas of the reservoir of the Corumbá III Hydroelectric Power Plant. This study evaluated the multi-temporal dynamics of land use and occupation in the basin from 2010 to 2021 and verified the efficiency of conservation practices applied to the reduction of soil losses. In the evaluation of the multi-temporal dynamics of land use and occupation in the basin in the period from 2010 to 2021, the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation - RUSLE was applied. To evaluate the efficiency of reforestation as a conservation practice in reducing soil loss, it was used phytosociological evaluation in areas with different ages and analyzed the effect of these changes in soil cover in the prevention of soil loss by laminar erosion. In the period from 2010 to 2021, the area of native vegetation in the basin decreased 1.85%, the pasture decreased 2.96% and the area of agriculture increased by 4.71%. Despite the reduction, native vegetation still occupies significant territory in 2021 (35.74%). Agriculture (28.90%) and pasture (26.11%) are also among the main classes of coverage of the studied area. The application of traditional techniques combined with innovative methods resulted in significant gains in the results of reforestation of the Permanent Preservation Areas in Cerrado areas. Among the non-traditional techniques there are: isolation of the area with fence and firebreak, control of exotic invasive species with chemical weeding, use of subsoil at level for soil preparation, application of planting fertilization and cover with micronutrients, production of seedlings using substrate with slow release fertilizer, performance of cultural treatments at least for 4 years after planting. The reforested areas, considering their floristic and structural composition, have been playing an important ecological role. The reforested areas present the Shannon Species Diversity Index (H') and the Pielou Evenness for 28 sampled plots sites, respectively of 4.36 and 0.83, show high diversity. It is estimated that for each reforested hectare, considering the reforestation carried out in pasture areas, in incepsol and with LS Factor of up to 2, a loss of approximately 18.51 ton/ha/year was avoided. For agricultural areas, the value of the estimated reduction is 191 ton/ha/year. Reforestation carried out in steeper areas has even greater potential for soil conservation, reaching loss reduction values of 46.28 ton/ha/year when reforestation is carried out in pasture area and 478.23 when carried out in agricultural area. It can be seen that the conservation measures applied in the Permanent Preservation Areas of the Corumbá III Hydroelectric Power Plant reservoir were efficient and are fulfilling the environmental service of reducing soil loss due to laminar erosion

The project consists of mineral study research using aerials and terrestrial geophysical methods, applied to a mineral prospection of metallic metals in mafic-ultramafic complexes. The principal result is the characterization of the geophysical signatures in a prospective model for ultramafic complexes in the southeast of the State of Tocantins. To define the model, the main phases of geophysical research were developed with a focus on prospecting mafic complexes. Initially, aerial geophysics data (Projeto Aerogeofísico Tocantins, 2006) were used for regional semi-detail reconnaissance and selection of priority targets to research. From the results, field mappings were carried out in addition to geophysical and geochemical acquisitions, in one target defined by aerial geophysics called "Rabo da Cascavel. 

The use of remote sensing and geotechnologies in monitoring deforested areas is widespread. Brazil has consolidated methodologies that allow quantifying deforested areas remotely, especially in the Amazon biome. However, initiatives to monitor the regeneration of native vegetation are incipient. Thus, this study statistically compared the radiometry of the OLI sensor onboard the Landsat 8 and Landsat 9 satellites and the performance of the NDVI converted to Vegetation Cover Fraction (VCF) with the vegetation fraction image (VFI) derived from the Linear Spectral Mixture Model (LSMM) for monitoring vegetation regeneration. The nine study areas are inserted in the state of Mato Grosso, located in the Amazon biome. For the radiometric comparison of the OLI sensor (Landsat 8 and 9), two combined scenes of these satellites were analysed (8 days difference between the passing dates), acquired in April (rainy season) and September (dry season) of 2022. of the performance of the NDVI converted to VCF compared with the VFI, one image per year from the Landsat 8 satellite of the dry season (from August/September) in the period from 2018 to 2022 was used. In the radiometric comparison of the OLI sensor of Landsat 8 and 9 the results showed that the data obtained by the two satellites are, in general, statistically similar, but can be different depending on the season of the year and the class of use and land cover. The two satellites did not reproduce the same NDVI values. Maximum differences in NDVI values were significantly greater in the wet season than in the dry season. Comparing the VCF and VFI images, a strong linear correlation was observed between the models in all areas of study, with correlation coefficients between 0.81 and 0.98. It can be seen that both applied models are efficient in monitoring the recovery of degraded areas in the Amazon biome, however, it is suggested to expand the study to other areas and to a larger time series to improve the confirmation of results.

This dissertation uses potential, gravimetric and magnetic data, and petrophysical data, density and magnetic susceptibility, for the geophysical-geological characterization of the Cavalcante-Natividade Block. The block is located in the Central-North Portion of the Tocantins Province, more specifically in the Northeast Portion of the Northern Brasília Belt. The bordering region is understood as the São Francisco Craton, Goiás Massif, Mara Rosa Magmatic Arc, External Brasília Belt and Parnaíba Basin. The study area is of relevant economic interest and understanding the geotectonics of the region is important. Geophysics is an important tool to help understand geotectonics, since it uses indirect subsurface research models. The gravimetric and magnetic data, terrestrial and aerial, respectively, provide the signature of the earth's crust from the density and magnetic susceptibility responses. The main objective of this research is to characterize the Cavalcante-Natividade Block with 3D models of density and magnetic susceptibility from gravimetric and magnetic data, respectively. For data validation, on the surface, the petrophysical signatures of the rocks collected in field work are displayed. Thus, this research showed the dynamics of geophysical signatures with geological ones, with the definition of suture zones at the limits of geotectonic units, presentation of fault systems and/or shear zones and proposition of non-outcropping bodies. Thus, this dissertation, with the integration of geological and petrophysical information to the 3D inversion models, contributed to the knowledge of the geotectonic framework and tectono-magmatic processes of the lithosphere in the region.

The basement of the Brasília Orogeny in its northern portion corresponds to a part of a crustal block generated in the early Paleoproterozoic and is composed of an extensive volume of TTG magmatism. The Gameleira Suite is found in the basement of the Northern Brasília Belt (southeastern of the state of Tocantins) and consists predominantly of mafic bodies with subordinate occurrences of ultramafic rocks in the Almas-Conceição do Tocantins Domain. The region is composed of variations of granitoids, metavolcanosedimentary sequences, and metasedimentary rocks. The objective of this research is to use one of the machine learning methods for the detection of possible new maficultramafic bodies within the Gameleira Suite. To achieve this, remote data that include aerogeophysical surveys (magnetometry and radiometry), as well as remote sensing, were utilized. Derived products from aerogeophysics were generated, such as Total Magnetic Intensity, Analytic Signal, a -100 meters depth slice of the Magnetization Vector Inversion, vertical derivative, Tilt derivative, the three radiometric channels (K, eTh, and eU), Total Count, F Factor, and Potassium Anomaly. With the information from these products, a database was created, and the Random Forest algorithm (a supervised machine learning algorithm) was applied, where 1.96% of the total database (84535 samples) were trained to generate the predictive map. For the validation and assessment of the predicted data, three approaches were used: the use of magnetic lineaments to investigate structural tectonic control on the emplacement of the bodies, field samples, and the use of Magnetization Vector Inversion (MVI) to analyze the magnetic behavior at depth of the predicted bodies, as the Gameleira Suite bodies exhibit magnetic remanence. The research concluded that the use of this method, along with the validation methods employed, assists in the exploration of greenfield and brownfield areas, as machine learning can improve existing cartography by delineating new occurrences or suggesting areas that require further detail. Initial geological knowledge and other information not included in the model are of significant importance since the predictive map does not represent geological truth itself, and interpretation of the results is necessary from a geological perspective.

Contextualization: The Legal Amazon occupies an area equivalent to 60% of the Brazilian territory with similar characteristics in its landscape with the aim to facilitate local development plannings. Currently, this area has suffered significantly from deforestation and degradation of its natural resources. However, deforested areas through agricultural practices involving slash and burn, burning, and implementation of pastures may eventually be abandoned and followed by natural forest regeneration. According to data produced by the TerraClass Amazon project of 2014, coordinated by the National Institute for Space Research (INPE) and Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation (Embrapa), there was an increase of 7200 hectares of regenerating vegetation in the Amazon region between 2004 and 2014. Regenerating tropical forests are an important sink of atmospheric carbon, which should be considered in studies of global nutrient change and cycling. In this context, it is important to carry out a monitoring of the forest after deforestation in order to assess the respective impacts on the species diversity, local hydrology, and the rate of biomass accumulation, among others. Optical remote sensing data are commonly used in forest mapping and monitoring, however, the frequent cloud cover in the Amazon region makes difficult to obtain information based on these sensors. An alternative to this limitation has been the use of synthetic aperture radar (SAR) data. The applications of SAR data in tropical forests are diverse and exploit different sensors and processing techniques. It is important to develop methodologies that can explore the potential of different SAR techniques to contribute to forest monitoring systems. Objective: This work aims to discriminate areas of secondary vegetation based on SAR data in the municipality of Colniza, Mato Grosso Grosso, considered an area of hotspot of deforestation in the Brazilian Legal Amazon. Methods: This research presents a classification approach based on the Random Forest and Support Vector Machine algorithms in SAR images acquired by the COSMO-SkyMed (Xband), Sentinel-1 (C-band), and ALOS-2/PALSAR-2 (L-band). We emphasized the polarimetric (PolSAR) and interferometric (InSAR) techniques and the generation of textural features based on gray-level co-occurrence matrix (GLCM). Results: The best results were obtained from the RF classification by combining COSMOSkyMed interferometric coherence with Yamaguchi polarimetric decomposition of ALOS2/PALSAR-2 polarimetric data, presenting a Kappa index of 0.81 and an overall accuracy of 87.81%. The integration of the X-band interferometric coherence with the L-band polarimetric attributes had a positive impact mainly on the discrimination of the classes referring to primary forest, secondary vegetation, and degradation. Conclusion: The results demonstrated the viability of the classification method based on machine algorithms applied to SAR data, reinforcing the ability of these sensors to monitor forests in times of cloud cover.

Iron formations are Precambrian chemical sedimentary rocks that house valuable information about the geochemistry and paleoenvironment of the deep Past, in addition to their potential for paleomagnetic studies. In this doctoral thesis, we investigated the genetic factors that influence the magnetization of these rocks, focusing on the Neoproterozoic iron formations of the Banda Alta Formation (Jacadigo Group, Urucum District, MS, Brazil). The results consist of three main articles. The first one proposes a dual iron source model for this unit, suggesting contributions from both hydrothermal and biological processes, based on anomalous iron isotope fractionation. In our quest to establish the bacterial involvement, we investigated possible bioprecipitations, but without conclusive results, leading us to indicate the availability of Fe(II) through the metabolic reaction of dissimilatory iron reduction. The second article investigates the precipitation mechanisms of iron formations, analyzing the depositional or diagenetic origin of the alternating layers of iron and silica. Macroscopic and crystallographic evidences of layer disturbance caused by impact of dropstones challenges the diagenetic origin hypothesis, supporting a depositional formation. The third article presents a cyclostratigraphic analysis, identifying embedded Milankovitch cycles in the data, estimating sedimentation rates, and analyzing paleoenvironmental changes. Variations in the sensitivity of the orbital record, possibly related to changes in the relative position of the redoxcline, were observed, along with correlations between orbital signals and geologic-geochemical evidences, providing a better understanding of the dynamic glacial context during the Cryogenian. Cyclostratigraphic and rheological approaches have shown promise for paleoenvironmental investigations and understanding chemical precipitation mechanisms, respectively. These results indicate the probability of precipitation of a simple-structured precursor mineral, such as ferrihydrite, and suggest a possible crystallographic memory and structural continuity from this precursor to secondary iron oxide phases. This interpretation implies potential magnetic implications that could enable the study of magnetization acquisition in these rocks. Therefore, these studies contribute to advancing knowledge about iron formations, their formation processes, and magnetization, with direct implications in the fields of paleoclimatology, paleoenvironment, and geochemistry, while also providing a foundation for future research in paleomagnetism.

The main cause of soil degradation in the world is water erosion. This phenomenon promotes a vast loss of arable soil annually. In Brazil, especially in the Cerrado, the accelerated deforestation process puts a series of ecosystem services at risk. Changes in land use and cover are even more sensitive in regions with karst geomorphology, due to the variety of river and underground recharge areas, which are sometimes connected far from the source, which makes downstream areas vulnerable to impacts such as loss of nutrients, worsening of groundwater quality, decreased flow rates and sedimentation of caves. In this context, this study aimed to evaluate soil loss due to water erosion in the context of changes in land use and cover in recent decades in a river basin dominated by karst features in the Brazilian Cerrado, and to measure the hydrosedimentological balance at the entrance and exit of the Extrema cave, which has generic characteristics of the karst features of the northeast region of the State of Goiás. To this end, the thesis was organized into chapters: chapter 1 is the introduction to the topic, presentation of the problems, hypotheses and objectives; in chapter 2, a bibliographic search was carried out to identify the main methodologies used in the assessment of hydrosedimentological dynamics in karst systems, which resulted in article 1; chapter 3 consisted of the application of indirect models to obtain soil loss rates at different spatial and temporal scales, which resulted in articles 2 and 3; in chapter 4, a hydrosedimentological balance of the entrance (sink) and exit (resurgence) of the Extrema cave is presented, a representative karst cell that explains the context of the regional karst, resulting in article 4; and chapter 5 is dedicated to the latest considerations and future perspectives. To evaluate soil losses on a smaller scale (1:500,000), the revised universal soil loss equation (article 2) was chosen. There was a gradual increase in soil loss in the basin over the last four decades, with a more significant increase (63%) between 1990 and 2000, with rates that varied from 20.57 to 32.30 Mg ha−1 year−1, respectively. In the period between 1990 and 2021, 151,440 hectares were deforested, areas that were mostly converted to pasture cultivation (52%), which may be associated with increased soil loss. On a larger scale (1:60,000), an experimental watershed dominated by karst features was evaluated for the year 2021 (article 3) using the erosion potential model (EPM), which indicated an average soil loss of 6.09 Mg ha year-1 and a maximum of 104.04 Mg year-1, of which approximately 16,967 Mg year-1 (16%) are materials retained in karst depressions within the microbasin, and the remainder carried by runoff into the caves and into the bed of the rivers. As a way of understanding the dynamics of sediment production in the region, monitoring of the sinkhole and resurgence of the Extrema cave was carried out between 2019 and 2021. During the resurgence, the results demonstrated that the Extrema cave is fed back by materials now coming from deposits in upper layers (caves) sometimes arising from adjacent sinkholes. The main source of the expelled material is the Tarimba cave, which has deposits of abrasive sediments, which were also found in the resurgence of the Extrema cave, interconnected by the perennial underground flow. In the sinkhole, there was the highest concentration of smaller particles (clay and silt), associated with erosion processes and slope and bed runoff. The average solid discharge (Qss) between flood events varied from 1.082 t day-1 at the sinkhole to 1.630 t day-1 at the upwelling. This indicated that one third (0.548 t day-1) is transported by the karst conduit. This diagnosis demonstrates the sensitivity of runoff and surface infiltration parameters in recharge areas, for example, in the face of changes in land use and cover, which can have significant impacts on the entire downstream system. It is important to highlight that monitoring in a karst environment requires great logistical effort, in the planning and execution of techniques in the field. In this way, data from this research can serve as a basis for future research in the Brazilian Cerrado regions.

Exposure to air pollutants has been associated with respiratory viral infections, including measles, rhinovirus, influenza, mumps, and respiratory syncytial virus. Epidemiological studies in North America, Europe, and Asia suggest that exposure to air pollution is associated with increased SARS-CoV-2 infection and mortality associated with COVID-19. However, few investigations on this topic have been done in South America. The objective of the study, was to evaluate the impact of air pollution on deaths from COVID-19 in residents of Brazilian municipalities with the potential effect of exposure to particulate matter less than 2,5m in diameter (MP2.5), nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and ozone (O3). Negative binomial mixed models with zero-inflation were applied, using COVID-19-associated deaths at the municipal level as the endpoint and the longterm average (one year and two months) of MP2.5, NO2, and O3 as the exposure. A random effect for the intercept with variation by state was included to account for the potential correlation of COVID-19-associated deaths among municipalities within the same state. After adjusting the model for several potential confounding factors, including meteorological variables, demographic characteristics, socioeconomic aspects, and health conditions, a positive relationship was estimated between COVID-19 and MP2.5 deaths in Brazil. In contrast, NO2 showed negative associations in all analyses and O3 showed a marginal positive association. MP2.5 was the only pollutant with positive associations in all analyses (monopollutant, bi-pollutant and tri-pollutant models). For the monopollutant model, in the main analysis, it was estimated that a 1 µg/m3 increase in MP2.5 concentration was associated with a 10.22% (95% CI: 9.35; 11.09) increase in COVID19 deaths. In the bi-pollutant model, the association between COVID-19 and MP2.5 mortality was similar to the monopollutant model, while the tri-pollutant model found an estimated 12.31% (95% CI:11.41; 13.22) increase in COVID-19 deaths. O3 had a positive association only in the NO2-controlled bi-pollutant model, with an estimated 14.98% (95% CI:13.10; 16.89) increase in COVID-19 deaths. As suggested by literature from other countries, the results of this research indicated that air pollution is an important cofactor in which may increase the risk of COVID-19 mortality in Brazil. The effects of air pollution in Brazil are pronounced, indicating the need for better air quality control policies.

Despite the usual use, both in the international and national literature, studies on the fissure-karstic aquifers do not bring a formal concept about this type of underground reservoir, which in most cases is treated as a subtype of a classical karst. In this sense, this work proposes a threedimensional hydrogeological model, whose main objective is the closest possible representation of real conditions, in order to explain in a didactic way the behavior of the water flow in subsurface. The research was developed from the integration of different tools traditionally applied to hydrogeological studies, which included geological and pedological mapping, potentiometric analysis, infiltration assays and hydrological study. The name fissure-karstic is recommended to mixed reservoirs represented by carbonate rocks associated with non-carbonated rocks (mainly pelitic rocks) that present both secondary planar porosity and secondary porosity by karstic dissolution. They are naturally anisotropic and can be classified as homogeneous and heterogeneous. When homogeneous they are characterized by continuous layers of impure limestone rocks (marls) with a high degree of anisotropy generated by depositional and fracture planes and small dissolution voids. When heterogeneous they are composed of carbonate rock lenses with restricted lateral continuity interfingered vertically and laterally with rocks that are poorly permeable, with low hydraulic conductivity, such as siltstone, shale, phyllite or schist. An important aspect to be evaluated is the scale and size of these rock bodies. The fissure-karstic aquifers are composed of carbonate lenses tens of meters thick and hundreds of meters of lateral extension. When carbonate is continuous or the lenses are very thick and laterally amalgamated the aquifers should be treated as individual fractured and karstic systems. Because it is a type of mixed aquifer, the hydraulic and hydrochemical characteristics are intermediate to independent fractured and karstic types. Another important point is that water from the fissure-karstic aquifers is pumped by single wells that cut different sections of both types of rocks and the reservoir management should be treated as a single system.

The present study had as an objective the elaboration of a conceptual model with the representation of de dynamic of water flow between the aquifer systems Urucuia, Bambuí and Coluvionar, as well as understand the water production of each one of these systems, besides the interaction with superficial water courses. The work was developed in the northeast region of Goiás state, until the uttermost west of Bahia state, including the Environmental Protection Area Nascentes do Rio Vermelho. For this purpose, bibliographic reviews were performed, as well as collection of geological, hydrogeological, and pedological data, chemical analysis in water samples and isotopic analysis for tritium and radiocarbon both in groundwater and in superficial streams, physicchemical parameters were monitored, infiltration tests, and information of potentiometric in wells and springs from database available. The study was able to verify the prominent role that Urucuia Aquifer plays in the region, and how much the Bambuí Aquifer is dependent on intergranular systems (Urucuia and Coluvionar). The Bambuí Aquifer System is a compartment where the precipitation waters drain through the surface in places with occurrence of pelitic rocks under shallow soils, or these waters infiltrate quickly in more deep levels in locations with predominance of karstified carbonate rocks (being drained very quickly through conduits and underground passages out of the system). The isotopic data demonstrate that the more ancient waters are linked to the Urucuia Aquifer System in its profound regional subtype. Sampling inside of the Tarimba cavern proved that the waters that feed de underground flow are mostly native from the regional intergranular aquifers. Chemical composition of superficial waters that flow over Bambuí Aquifer System demonstrate that these are mixes between acidic and low mineralization waters with alkaline and enriched salt waters. Also, it was proven that the waters produced exclusively by the carstic system are volumetrically limited. The study provided the comprehension of the importance of the Coluvionar Aquifer System as a regulator of the region's water resources, beyond Urucuia's essential role. It also demonstrated the existence of regional asymmetry between the limits of groundwater and hydrographic basins, and this realization must be considered a key point to the understanding of the water dynamics in the studied region, being necessary in management processes of regional water resources.

Geodesy is a science that over time has been developing and becoming of paramount importance for monitoring and investigating changes on planet Earth. With this, the search for accuracy in the data obtained also increased, which boosted the creation of a global reference that integrates the three areas of geodesy. One of the requirements for the realization of this global reference is the creation of the International Height Reference System (IHRS), which provides for the creation and definition of a global system heights, which should contain information of gravity potentials. To calculate these potentials, it is necessary to know the gravimetric values around the points, which becomes a problem for coastal stations due to different qualities and data sources. Thus, this research focused on the creation of a gravimetric model for the coastal stations that will be part of the IHRS (CEFT and IMBT) and also on the computation of the gravity potential for them. For this, the research was carried out in two stages, the first focused on the treatment of marine gravity data in order to eliminate discrepant data to provide its use in the second stage which in turn was directed to the computation of the gravity potential in order to evaluate the influence of this produced gravimetric model. The method of eliminating discrepancy from the marine gravimetric data proved to be satisfactory, mainly the analysis and an area adjustment, leading to the conclusion that the marine gravity data from the Brazilian Navy would not add to the study. The gravity potential value for the two studied stations did not change with the addition of marine gravity data. 

We use data from several projects deployed in Brazil from 2000 to 2022, which amassed more than 200 seismic stations. This collected data encompass more than 5 TB of stored files. We used this data to calculate tomographic models with the ambient noise tomography methodology, which is a passive imaging approach for crustal studies. The data processing considers seismic stations that work simultaneously to create a pair of stations. We calculate more than 10.000 station pairs (paths) to generate the tomographic model. To deal with the large volume of data to analyze, we develop several automation programs to assist in this process. We divided our study area into two regions: 1) Brazil: we took a regional approach. We calculated the velocity maps for 8-35s periods, which allowed us to constrain the large tectonic domains as different lateral velocity anomalies. 2) The São Francisco Craton and its surroundings, where we calculated the 3D shear velocity model from 1D inversions achieving 60 km depth besides the period velocity maps. Due to the uneven distribution of seismic stations in the country, we separated the regions because of the different resolutions in the velocity models for Brazil. Unfortunately, we could not calculate the 3D shear velocity model for the entire country, so we reduced it to the São Francisco Craton because of a higher station density. Our results imaged Brazil’s main tectonic domains, delimiting them laterally with velocity anomalies. The sedimentary basins show as low velocity anomalies, and our depth estimative of Paraná and Tucano/Jatobá basins are consistent with previous works. The cratonic regions are represented with higher velocity anomalies than other domains. However, the Carajás/PA region in the Amazonian Craton shows a significantly higher anomaly those found in the Archean/Proterozoic São Francisco Craton. The Paramirim aulacogen northeast of the São Francisco Craton is delimited by a low velocity anomaly with direction NW-SE up to 31 km depth. Also, the Mantiqueira province starting from 31 km, shows a solid high velocity anomaly which suggests a crustal thinning.

The Brazilian National Water Resources Policy 1997 (Federal Law n o 9,433 from January 8th) provides the directory to water users’ rights as a tool to water resources management and control. These laws determine that the watershed is the basic unit of territorial management for the implementation of Water Resources National Planning. Also established that groundwater is the state domain, while surface waters are the federal government and state domain. These settings can result in some issues because the groundwater resources exist in major aquifers areas that outstand the watersheds and states limit. This leads to potential conflicts between watershed managers, and/or between the state and the federal government if the processes of management of groundwater occur without sustainable technical criteria. The Water Resources National Planning was established more than 20 years ago, but many of the Brazilian states do not practice sustainable criteria for groundwater management. In general, the applied criteria are based on minimum levels of availability, applying primarily to surface water, while groundwater often uses subjective criteria. Bahia State in Brazil is composed partly of semiarid; lakes/rivers and surface reservoirs have a strong dependence on groundwater to keep the resources in dry periods. Additionally, Bahia has a great variability of geological/hydrogeological, climatic, and environmental conditions, and does not apply sustainable technical criteria for the management of groundwater. The use of groundwater without proper control endangers not only availability but also the permanency of rivers, lakes, and reservoirs of electricity generation sources, part of the National Electric System Operator. The solution to these problems can be complex and can involve several technical and political spheres, but technical and scientific criteria are considered fundamental in this context. For this reason, this research work intended to contribute technically to the improvement to groundwater resources management through the proposition of the necessary technical criteria, simple to be applied to the hydrogeological conditions of the Bahia state. The proposed criteria follow the premise of representing and following the range of variability and hydrogeological characteristics of aquifers, environmental and climatic conditions, water availability, and effects on the use and management of water resources for the entire state. The main criteria applied to the different hydrogeoclimatic compartments include: the percentage of well discharge; specific capacity of the well and recovery time of 95% of the static level after the end of the pumping test.