As Implicações das usinas hidrelétricas no Médio Araguari - AP: monitoramento do reservatório e alterações na paisagem através de sensores remotos

Abstract

The increasing demand for electrical energy in Brazil has driven investments in hydroelectric power plants, making the country one of the largest producers of this energy. However, the construction of these projects in the Amazon entails significant impacts. This study aimed to map the main changes in the landscape of the middle Araguari-AP resulting from the construction of Hydroelectric Power Plants (UHEs). The study area encompassed the municipalities of Ferreira Gomes and Porto Grande, located in the state of Amapá, Brazil. Two images from the Landsat 5 satellite, Thematic Mapper (TM) sensor, and two images from the Landsat 8 satellite, Operational Land Imager (OLI) sensor, were used for the years 1998 and 2017. The images were co-registered, segmented, and classified using the Bhattacharya classifier. The accuracy of the mapping was evaluated through validation techniques (AcATaMa plugin), generating thematic maps representing the main changes in the landscape. It was found that in the middle Araguari-AP region, covering Ferreira Gomes and Porto Grande, there was a significant increase in water coverage, from 5.91% in 1998 to 12.8% in 2017, representing 32,657 km² of potentially flooded areas for the construction of HPPs. Additionally, there was an expansion of anthropized areas, increasing from 6.82% in 1998 to 9.57% in 2017. There was also a significant reduction in forest coverage, from 55.7% in 1998 to 55.06% in 2017, corresponding to a decrease of 100,024 km². The emergence of new flooded areas was also detected, covering approximately 1.28% of the total area investigated in 2017. These data highlight the urgency of efficient environmental management to mitigate the impacts of UHEs in the region.