Macedo, Marcia
Our group studies the causes of tropical deforestation and their consequences for forests, rivers, and the climate. We explore how agricultural management and climate change are reshaping tropical landscapes by altering the hydrological cycle, regional fire dynamics, and biogeochemical cycling. To understand these multi-scale processes, we use a combination of field observations, satellite data, and modeling, focusing on hotspots of connection between upland forests and aquatic ecosystems. Much of this work takes place in the Amazon and Cerrado biomes, with the goal of identifying science-based solutions to inform management and build social and ecological resilience. Recent projects have focused on translating data into information for operational use by state and Indigenous fire brigades and quantifying the exposure of rural populations to smoke from wildfires.
Research Keywords: ecosystem ecology, land-use change, watershed management, remote sensing, tropical deforestation, Amazon conservation, climate risk, Brazil
Santos de Lima, L., F. E. O. e. Silva, P. R. Dorio Anastácio, M. M. d. P. Kolanski, A. C. Pires Pereira, M. S. R. Menezes, E. L. T. P. Cunha, and M. N. Macedo. 2024. Severe droughts reduce river navigability and isolate communities in the Brazilian Amazon. Communications Earth & Environment 5.
Silvério, D. V., R. S. Oliveira, B. M. Flores, P. M. Brando, H. K. Almada, M. T. Furtado, F. G. Moreira, M. Heckenberger, K. Y. Ono, and M. N. Macedo. 2022. Intensification of fire regimes and forest loss in the Território Indígena do Xingu. Environmental Research Letters 17.
Rodrigues, A. A., M. N. Macedo, D. V. Silverio, L. Maracahipes, M. T. Coe, P. M. Brando, J. Z. Shimbo, R. Rajao, B. Soares-Filho, and M. M. C. Bustamante. 2022. Cerrado deforestation threatens regional climate and water availability for agriculture and ecosystems. Glob Chang Biol 28:6807-6822.
Brando, P., M. Macedo, D. Silvério, L. Rattis, L. Paolucci, A. Alencar, M. Coe, and C. Amorim. 2020. Amazon wildfires: Scenes from a foreseeable disaster. Flora 268.
Castello, L., and M. N. Macedo. 2016. Large-scale degradation of Amazonian freshwater ecosystems. Glob Chang Biol 22:990-1007.
Macedo, M. N., M. T. Coe, R. DeFries, M. Uriarte, P. M. Brando, C. Neill, and W. S. Walker. 2013. Land-use-driven stream warming in southeastern Amazonia. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 368:20120153.
Macedo, M., R. DeFries, D. Morton, C. Stickler, G. Galford, and Y. Shimabukuro. 2012. Decoupling of deforestation and soy production in the southern Amazon during the late 2000s. PNAS 109:1341-1346.
