Watershed Transposition Cycle with Irrigated Biomass

Abstract

Brazil generates most of its electricity from hydroelectric plants. This makes the electricity sector vulnerable to annual climatic variations and permanent climate change, both of which are intensifying. This article discusses the consequences of the transposition of water from the Tocantins and Paraná Rivers to the São Francisco River to increase biomass-irrigated plantations in the São Francisco Basin. It also suggests that part of the water vapor resulting from biomass transpiration would then return to the basins of the Tocantins and Paraná Rivers with the strong trade winds, which blow in the opposite direction of the transposition the whole year around. The fact that the transposition and trade winds are in opposite direction, a partially close water cycle could be formed. This mechanism was named “Transposition Cycle” and is presented as an alternative to the sustainable development of Brazil, with the potential of increasing water availability for irrigated biomass and agriculture, and creating a climate change adaptation mechanism to control the climate of the Northeast, Southeast and Midwest regions of Brazil to reduce their vulnerability to climatic variations. It is estimated that the production of irrigated biomass with the capacity to generate 90 GW of electricity in the São Francisco Watershed would result in a 4000 m3/s of biomass transpired moisture. Part of this moisture may stay in the São Francisco Basin and parts may return to the Tocantins and Paraná Basins. For future work a climate module would be required to estimate the dispersion of the moisture transpired and where it might precipitate.