Dendroclimatology in the Amazon basin: applications and potentialities/Dendroclimatologia na Amazonia: aplicacoes e potencialidades

The effects of climatic changes in the Amazon basin can be studied through dendroclimatology, from the analysis of the relations between climatic and meteorological variables and the growth of the xylem of arboreal species. The xylem constitutes a true natural file because it allows the recording of these variables in the wood, which can be very useful for understanding the potential impacts that anthropic activities may have on the climate. The objective of this article is to discuss aspects inherent to the state of the art on dendroclimatic methods and their application in the tropical forests of the Amazon region for analysis of the formation of growth rings in woody plants. The review on the subject was carried out in several bibliographic bases, both classic and more recent, and it was found that, although it is an ancient science, there are still few dendroclimatic studies conducted in the Amazon basin. Forests are sensitive ecosystems and studies related to the effects they may suffer from climate change are relevant to socioeconomic planning and the development of public policies.