Obtenção de equações IDF para estudos de chuvas intensas no Brasil: abordagem analítica, uso de sensoriamento remoto e proposta de ferramenta.

Abstract

Extreme precipitation events and their impacts on hydrological systems and society are critical considerations in water resources engineering and management. Based on the above, this thesis aims to present a methodological approach for defining IDF equations to contribute to studies of heavy rainfall in Brazil. The central hypothesis of this thesis is that studies and projects that directly depend on historical data on heavy rainfall should consider changes in rainfall patterns observed in recent years, whether they were effects of climate change or human actions, and that it is necessary to use databases, tools, and analytical procedures capable of providing better support for them. Three main steps were carried out to answer the hypotheses. Each step corresponds to a specific objective, detailed as follows: (i) Intensity-Duration-Frequency (IDF) equations and regionalization of their parameters; (ii) performance evaluation of four remote sensing products throughout the precipitation estimation; and (iii) development of a tool for heavy rainfall studies in Brazil. The first two stages were applied in the state of Paraíba. The last stage was applied throughout Brazil. The results showed that the unsatisfactory performance of the rainfall estimation products should be attributed mainly to high-elevation and coastal regions. The developed tool, GEOT-IDF Equations, showed promising results in defining IDF equations. In general, all the studies developed demonstrated usefulness and high potential for exploration in water resources engineering and management, such as assessing heavy rainfall events and defining design rainfall.