Brazil: Environmentally Integrated Basin Experiments (EIBEX) Driven by Hydrological Change, Sustainable Practices, and Water Security in Brazil

This chapter highlights the overarching approach for the evaluation of the hydrometeorological and environmental behavior based on two representative and experimental Brazilian basins selected as case studies, notably the Piabanha river watershed, which encompasses forested, agricultural, and urban areas in the state of Rio de Janeiro, and the Serra Azul catchment, located in the state of Minas Gerais, featuring the transition Atlantic forest-savanna biomes of central Brazil. The perspective is the conception of a water observatory in which the basin plays the role of a laboratory for developing experiments with the incentive to produce reflections about water balance and water security. We emphasize the use of remote sensing jointly with computational numerical models, exploring the development and evaluation of methodologies and hydrometeorological and atmospheric parameterizations in the river basin scale. Additionally, it is argued that it is essential to obtain basic field data from in situ monitoring and remote sensing technologies. Furthermore, those guidelines enable the development of multidisciplinary studies on the modeling of water resources, with emphasis on the physical aspects of the understanding of the hydrological cycle and evaluation of climate change connected to land use and land soil conservation measurements and ecosystem services. This perspective is integrated with a social vision of the physical system of the basin so that updated information can be properly provided to society.