The water, climate and energy nexus in the Sao Francisco River Basin, Brazil: an analysis of decadal climate variability

This paper analyses decadal climate phenomena and the phases of the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation (AMO) and Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO), and assesses the climate-water-energy nexus at the reservoir system of the Sao Francisco River Basin (SFRB), Brazil. This study brings a non-traditional approach focused on the link between climatic patterns and hydrological processes and their social-economic consequences, such as their effect on energy production. The methodology used data from the precipitation, natural streamflow, and AMO and PDO series. These variables were evaluated by wavelet transform analysis (WTA), flow duration curve (FDC), streamflow that is equalled or exceed ed 90% of the time (Q90), the reliability index (RI) for different demands and the hydropower generated. The results suggest that the WTA for the SFRB was more significant on the inter-annual scale, and the period with opposite phases of AMO(-) and PDO(+) showed the highest values of FDC, Q90, RI and hydropower generated simulated for the SFRB.