{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,10]],"date-time":"2025-10-10T01:29:07Z","timestamp":1760059747707,"version":"build-2065373602"},"reference-count":30,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"7","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,7,4]],"date-time":"2025-07-04T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1751587200000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100002322","name":"Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Education Personnel-Brazil (CAPES)","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["88887.807824\/2023-00"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["88887.807824\/2023-00"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100002322","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Hydrology"],"abstract":"<jats:p>The Brazilian semi-arid Northeast plays a critical role in regional hydrology, where rainfall is marked by pronounced temporal variability and short duration, presenting significant challenges for understanding and managing hydrological and erosive processes. This study aims to evaluate the performance of empirical models for estimating rainfall kinetic energy (KE) and erosivity index (EI30) in this region, for all events and erosive events, using high-resolution rainfall data collected at the Federal University of Cariri (UFCA), Cear\u00e1. A total of 283 natural rainfall events were analyzed, with KE and EI30 values calculated using multiple models: Wischmeier and Smith, USDA, Van Dijk, a temporal variation-based model (KE_VT), and a regional model developed for Brazil\u2019s semi-arid zone, which served as the reference. The results show a predominance of small rainfall events (&lt;5.2 mm), though maximum EI30 values exceeded 1300 MJ ha\u22121 mm h\u22121, highlighting the potential for extreme erosive events. Comparative analysis revealed that all international models significantly underestimated KE and EI30 values compared to the regional reference, with the KE_VT model showing the closest approximation (13% underestimation), for all events and erosive events. Statistical assessments using the Wilcoxon test, Nash\u2013Sutcliffe efficiency, and Willmott concordance index confirmed the superior performance of the KE_VT, for all events and erosive events. These findings underscore the importance of considering intra-event rainfall variability and regional calibration when modeling erosivity in semi-arid climates, contributing to more effective soil conservation and hydrological planning.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/hydrology12070181","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,7,4]],"date-time":"2025-07-04T03:47:26Z","timestamp":1751600846000},"page":"181","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Uncertainty in Kinetic Energy Models for Rainfall Erosivity Estimation in Semi-Arid Regions"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"12","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-4335-7838","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Jos\u00e9 Bandeira","family":"Brasil","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Postgraduate Program in Sustainable Regional Development\u2014PRODER, Federal University of Cariri, Juazeiro do Norte 63048-080, Brazil"}]},{"given":"Ana C\u00e9lia Maia","family":"Meireles","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Postgraduate Program in Sustainable Regional Development\u2014PRODER, Federal University of Cariri, Juazeiro do Norte 63048-080, Brazil"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-1013-2974","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Carlos Wagner","family":"Oliveira","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Postgraduate Program in Sustainable Regional Development\u2014PRODER, Federal University of Cariri, Juazeiro do Norte 63048-080, Brazil"}]},{"given":"Sirleide Maria","family":"de Menezes","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Postgraduate Program in Sustainable Regional Development\u2014PRODER, Federal University of Cariri, Juazeiro do Norte 63048-080, Brazil"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-2922-6460","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Francisco Dirceu Duarte","family":"Arraes","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Federal Institute of Education, Science and Technology of Sert\u00e3o Pernambucano (IFSert\u00e3oPE)-Campus Salgueiro, Salgueiro 56000-000, Brazil"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-6774-9348","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Maria Simas","family":"Guerreiro","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"RISE-Health, Faculty of Science and Technology, Fernando Pessoa University, Pra\u00e7a 9 de Abril 349, 4249-004 Porto, Portugal"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,7,4]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Campos, D.A., Andrade, E.M., Castanho, A.D., Feitosa, R.C., and Pal\u00e1cio, H.Q. 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