Caracterização do regime pluviométrico na Cidade de Assú/RN entre os anos de 1996 e 2020

Abstract

The city of Assú, in Rio Grande do Norte, has great agricultural potential. As it is located in the semiarid region, climatic instability is common, especially with regard to rainfall, with rainfall concentrated in a few months of the year and poorly distributed, making it difficult to carry out agricultural activities that rely exclusively on rainwater as a water source for production. However, few studies on the city's climate have been developed to determine the behavior of rainfall over the years, in order to assist rural producers in decision-making. Therefore, this work aimed to characterize the rainfall regime in the city of Assú/RN in the period between 1996 and 2020. Daily rainfall data obtained from the Agricultural Research Company of RN (EMPARN) were used through from a pluviometric station located in the city of Assú/RN, whose geographic coordinates are: latitude 5° 35' .00'' S; longitude of 36° 54' 24.63'' W and altitude of 32 m. From the average monthly precipitation values, it was possible to divide the year into two seasons: a rainy and a dry season. The rainy season is concentrated in the first semester, and starts in January, with most of the precipitation occurring in the months of March and April, which together correspond to 50% of the precipitation observed in the year. March was the wettest month, with an average rainfall of 145 mm, with an average standard error of 16.1 mm. The months from August to November were the driest, with an average rainfall of less than 10 mm/month. With the concentration of rains in a few months, better planning is needed by rural producers in the city to define an agricultural calendar and select short-cycle crops, in order to reduce risks in agricultural production and with regard to livestock, the management of forage production must provide for a storage system (silage or haymaking) that guarantees feeding for at least six months without rain.