Rainfall variability and trends in the Rio Doce/MG basin

Rainfall is one of the main elements necessary for the existence of life on planet Earth. In order to understand its dynamics, studies and diagnoses are needed to analyze the variability of its occurrence and its probable future trends in relation to a time frame, so that they can be used as a tool to determine parameters of climatological variability. With the data studied, rainfall trends can help guide human activities such as agriculture and improve land use in a given area. The aim of studying rainfall variability in the Doce River basin is therefore to try to determine a climatological rainfall pattern for the period from 1941 to 2002, based on the spatio-temporal distribution of 46 meteorological stations installed throughout the basin, enabling a spatial visualization of rainfall distribution and behaviour in the region studied.