Comunidade fitoplanctônica e qualidade da água da Lagoa do Jiqui, Parnamirim, RN

It is important to evaluate the quality of water for proper management of these resources, since the increase of environmental degradation and the multiple use of water resources are decreasing the quality of water consumed by living beings. The objective of this study was to characterize the phytoplankton community and its variations during periods of dray and rain in Jiqui Lake located in Parnamirim, RN. It was also aimed to analyze the physical and chemical factors of this environment, in order to contribute to the knowledge of water quality used for human consumption. The collection of water samples were carried out in September 2008 to August 2009. The collection of the phytoplankton community was carried out in four sampling sites (surface, bottom, margin of the lake without macrophytes and site dominated by macrophytes). Phytoplankton was collected using plankton net of 20m. The analysis of nutrients and identification of phytoplankton were performed in the laboratory. The results indicate that concentration of chlorophyll a was high in the bottom with mean value of 1.07 μgL-1 (SD ± 1.61). During the study period there was a dominance of the following species: Euglena gracilis, Trachelomonas sp, Cyclotellas sp, Gomphonema apuncto, Navicula cuspidata var. cuspidata, Navicula sp, Rhopalodia gibba. There was homogeneity between limnological values in the four study sites, with significant difference between the periods of drought and rain. The Jiqui Lake is considered oligotrophic due to its low concentrations of chlorophyll a, high transparency and low levels of nutrients. The values of BOD and chlorophyll a concentration remained below the permitted standards existing for freshwaters in Brazil, thus the water from Lake Jiqui is of good quality, suitable for human consumption.

Precificação da energia eólica offshore no Brasil

Offshore wind power emits low amounts of gases, is renewable and has better performance than onshore due to its greater stability and higher wind power density, less visual and noise impact, among others. Brazil has a high capacity of generation, but has not yet developed any offshore projects. High costs are a strong impediment. This study is an effort towards pricing offshore resources through Livelized Cost of Energy - LCOE, which represents the minimum return to cover the costs of development, production and maintenance of a wind project. Initially LCOE was calculated for all Brazilian onshore wind farms listed at Bloomberg New Energy Finance R○, accounting for 71 farms. Then hypothetical offshore wind farms were created from the onshore farms, tripling the cost of generation, which is consistent with the literature, and estimating the offshore energy for two locations off the Brazilian coast using satellite data extracted from National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The results demonstrate that offshore resources have the potential to significantly reduce the energy price due to the better performance of the wind at sea

Descrição do ciclo gametogênico do ouriço-branco, Tripneustes ventricosus (Lamarck, 1816), no Arquipélago de Fernando de Noronha PE, Brasil

Sea urchins are common benthic organisms on coastal ecosystems of tropical and temperate shallow waters. The impact of sea urchins populations in shore communities is density-dependent, and therefore, knowledge of the life history of these animals is important to understand these interactions. Between 2000 and 2005 a population boom of Tripneustes ventricosus was observed in the Fernando de Noronha Archipelago. In 2004 a research program was started to monitor the population dynamics of T. ventricosus in the archipelago, when it noted a lack of basic information on the biology and reproduction of this species, despite its broad geographic distribution and economic importance in parts of its occurrence. In this context, this work focuses on the reproductive biology of T. ventricosus with emphasis on the description of the gametogenic stages. Between December 2006 and July 2007, ten urchins were collected by snorkeling in two sites of the archipelago, totaling 120 individuals. Gametogenic stages were described for both sexes through microscopic analysis, and were defined as: Recovery, Growing, Premature, Mature and Spawning. Results showed increasing in Gonad index throughout of months of sampling and suggest that the reproductive cycle of the species in the archipelago is annual

Ecologia reprodutiva do peixe-donzela, Stegastes fuscus cuvier, 1830 (osteichthyes: pomacentridae) em arrecifes rochosos da praia de Búzios, Rio Grande do Norte, Brasil

The reproductive ecology of fish plays a key role both for rational exploitation methods and for protective measures of natural stocks. The purpose of this study was to analyze the reproductive aspects of the damsel-fish, Stegastes fuscus, during October 2004 to September 2005, in the coastal rocky reefs of Búzios Beach, Nísia Floresta, RN. Fish were captured using hooks and hand nets, during low tide. Reproduction was determined using sexual ratio, mean length of first maturation (L50), absolute fecundity and macroscopic characteristics of gonads. The following parameters were related to gonadosomatic index (GSI): condition factor (CF), hepatosomatic index (HSI), rain fall and temperature. In relation to sex distribution, it was observed that 78% were females and 22% were males. The L50 was 6.2 cm for females and 7.0 for males. Average fecundity was 6832 oocytes. Results showed that S. fuscus had better body condition in the months prior to spawning, particularly during initial and intermediate stages of maturation. Five stages of gonadal maturation were identified through macroscopic analysis: immature, in maturation, mature, spent and resting. The HSI was inversely related to the GSI. This was possibly due to the reproductive cycle of this species which was associated to the dry period of this region. During this period, low rain fall and high temperatures provide an propitious reproductive condition for the study species

Avaliação espaço-temporal do zooplâncton da laguna estuarina de Guaraíras (RN, Brasil)

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior

Potencialidades de cultivo de macroalgas no litoral do Rio Grande do Norte (NE, Brasil): uma perspectiva de integração de dados ambientais em sistemas de informação geográfica (SIG)

Since centuries ago, the Asians use seaweed as an important source of feeding and are their greatest world-wide consumers. The migration of these peoples for other countries, made the demand for seaweed to increase. This increasing demand prompted an industry with annual values of around US$ 6 billion. The algal biomass used for the industry is collected in natural reservoirs or cultivated. The market necessity for products of the seaweed base promotes an unsustainable exploration of the natural banks, compromising its associated biological balance. In this context, seaweed culture appears as a viable alternative to prevent the depletion of these natural supplies. Geographic Information Systems (GIS) provide space and produce information that can facilitate the evaluation of important physical and socio-economic characteristics for the planning of seaweed culture. This objective of this study is to identify potential coastal areas for seaweed culture in the state of Rio Grande do Norte, from the integration of social-environmental data in the SIG. In order to achieve this objective, a geo-referred database composed of geographical maps, nautical maps and orbital digital images was assembled; and a bank of attributes including physical and oceanographical variables (winds, chains, bathymetry, operational distance from the culture) and social and environmental factors (main income, experience with seaweed harvesting, demographic density, proximity of the sheltered coast and distance of the banks) was produced. In the modeling of the data, the integration of the space database with the bank of attributes for the attainment of the map of potentiality of seaweed culture was carried out. Of a total of 2,011 ha analyzed by the GIS for the culture of seaweed, around 34% or 682 ha were indicated as high potential, 55% or 1,101 ha as medium potential, and 11% or 228 ha as low potential. The good indices of potentiality obtained in the localities studied demonstrate that there are adequate conditions for the installation of seaweed culture in the state of Rio Grande do Norte