Abstract
The Pantanal has flood periods that model the landscape and act as a filter to the establishment and development of plants Anthropogenic or natural disturbances can alter the available energy distribution in the ecosystem. Due to the need of understanding the temporal variability of the energy balance in flood natural landscapes, the objective of this study was to analyze the seasonality of the energy balance in flooded shrub area consisting of Combretum lanceolatum Pohl in Mato Grosso Pantanal. The estimates of latent (LE) and sensible (H) heat flux, and evapotranspiration (ET) were obtained by the method of Bowen ratio between May 2012 and April 2013. The available energy was intended primarily to LE (64.1%), followed by H (35.8%) and almost zero to heat flow in soil (0.1%). The components of the energy balance showed strong seasonality, with highest LE in the wet season and highest H in the dry season. The evapotranspiration was lower during the dry season due to the lower soil water content and transpiration of dominant vegetation in the study area. Results suggest that the study area was limited by the availability of energy and water.
Keywords:
energy partitioning; evapotranspiration; Combretum lanceolatum; wetlands
