Análise fitoecológica do manguezal e ocupação das margens do estuário hipersalino apodi/mossoró (rn brasil) a biotecnologia vegetal como alternativa para a cotonicultura

The mangrove is a coastal ecosystem of the big ecological importance, showing high fragility front by natural process and the human interventions in the coastal zone. This research has objective to analyses the relation between mangrove species distribution and geochemical parameters variation of the water and soil in Apodi/Mossoro estuary, located in the Rio Grande do Norte state north coastline. The results were obtained from floristic and structural analysis of the vegetation and Quick Bird satellite images interpretation (collected in 2006 year), manipulated with ENVI 4.3 and ArcGIS 9.2 software s. This estuary was characterized by to presents a gradient of the salinity around 40 kilometers extension, finding amount between 50 and 90 g/l-1. Will be identified the formation of the mix vegetation formation in the estuary mount, where the water salinity no show express wide variation on seawater (36 g/l-1), finding species: Rhizophora mangle L., Laguncularia racemosa (L.) C. F. Gaertn, Avicennia schaueriana Stap. & Leechman e Avicennia germinans L. Along of the estuary, have a streak formation of the vegetation composed by Avicennia spp. and L. racemosa. In high estuary, where the salinities value stay above 60 g/l-1, only A. germinans predominate in dwarf form. In this sense, the salinity is as a limiting factor of stress on the mangrove vegetation as it enters the estuary, this parameter should be taken into account when drawing up management plans and environmental restoration in the estuary in question

Análise da degradação ambiental das áreas de preservação permanente localizadas no estuário do rio Ceará-mirim/RN

The purpose of this paper is to identify and analyze the main environmental impacts taking place in the permanent preservation areas located in the Ceará-Mirim River estuary/RN and its surrounding areas. For that, the study was divided in two chapters, structured in the shape of a scientific paper. The first is a theoretical proposition on the occupation of the APPs in light of the discussion of the geographic space and the sustainability of the development, where a bibliographical review was made emphasizing the production of the geographic space, the sustainability of the development and the permanent preservation areas. In the second chapter, from a systemic approach, geoprocessing techniques and the adaptation of the Pressure-State- Response Indicators System were used, the latter being developed by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development OECD. Therefore, from the methodological approaches used, it's been observed that the use of permanent preservation areas for purposes other than those determined in the legislation and, mainly guided by capitalist interests, leads to the environmental degradation of these areas, fact which has been confirmed in the empiric study conducted in the second chapter, where it was possible to identify a series of environmental impacts such as: deforestation of mangrove and riparian vegetation for carciniculture implantation, the devastation of dune areas caused by the urban expansion in the coastal stretch and siltation of fluvial channel

Entendendo as interações entre povos pesqueiros, manguezal e área protegida: RDS estadual Ponta do Tubarão (RN, Brasil)

The mangrove ecosystem has a great importance to maintaining marine biodiversity, and to the livelihoods of communities living around it. Despite its importance, many mangrove areas have been extensively cleared and converted to other uses. There are few places where communities can retain their traditional uses of mangrove. A good example of conservation of traditional costumes are the fishing communities of the Sustainable Development Reserve (Reserva de Desenvolvimento Sustentável RDS) Ponta do Tubarão. The creation of the reserve came from the own population, and the devastation of a mangrove area, which would be destined for activity shrimp, was one of the reasons that led the population to ask authorities the establishment of a legally protected area. Thus, this study aimed to investigate the environmental perception of the fishing communities of RDS Ponta do Tubarão with respect to the mangroves in a biological, ecological and social perspective as well as evaluate the influence of the reserve in the mangrove conservation and quality of life. To meet objectives of this study was required the appropriation of some method and approaches of ethnosciences and environmental perception. Data were collected through direct observation, and semi-structured interviews. Through content analysis found that the population has a strong dependence on the mangrove ecosystem, as well as provides a good ecological knowledge of ecosystem functions. It was also found that the reservation has a good performance in the conservation of the mangroves; however, need to outline strategies to conciliate both the biological and cultural conservation.

ENTENDENDO AS INTERAÇÕES ENTRE POVOS PESQUEIROS, MANGUEZAL E ÁREA PROTEGIDA: RDS ESTADUAL PONTA DO TUBARÃO (RN, BRASIL)

The mangrove ecosystem has a great importance to maintaining marine biodiversity, and to the livelihoods of communities living around it. Despite its importance, many mangrove areas have been extensively cleared and converted to other uses. There are few places where communities can retain their traditional uses of mangrove. A good example of conservation of traditional costumes are the fishing communities of the Sustainable Development Reserve (Reserva de Desenvolvimento Sustentável RDS) Ponta do Tubarão. The creation of the reserve came from the own population, and the devastation of a mangrove area, which would be destined for activity shrimp, was one of the reasons that led the population to ask authorities the establishment of a legally protected area. Thus, this study aimed to investigate the environmental perception of the fishing communities of RDS Ponta do Tubarão with respect to the mangroves in a biological, ecological and social perspective as well as evaluate the influence of the reserve in the mangrove conservation and quality of life. To meet objectives of this study was required the appropriation of some method and approaches of ethnosciences and environmental perception. Data were collected through direct observation, and semi-structured interviews. Through content analysis found that the population has a strong dependence on the mangrove ecosystem, as well as provides a good ecological knowledge of ecosystem functions. It was also found that the reservation has a good performance in the conservation of the mangroves; however, need to outline strategies to conciliate both the biological and cultural conservation.

Caracterização sócio-ambiental do bairro de Felipe Camarão- Natal/ RN

The rapid growth of the Brazilian cities in the latest years has brought a series of problems regarding housing policies and, therefore, the provision of dwellings for the low-income class people. Following the pattern of other capital cities, Natal has repeated the pattern of urbanization practiced in the country, which concentrates the low-income class inhabitants in specific zones of the city known as peripheries or even in a dwelling place for less-favored classes such as Felipe Camarão, which is one of ten boroughs belonging to the western administrative zone, a region which has historically received less attention from the public administrators towards infrastructure investments. Based on those aspects, the general objective of this work is to investigate which main social-environmental alterations have resulted from the processes of urbanization and field occupation in that area. The specific objectives are concerned with verifying 1) the process of urbanization and the process of dividing urban soil from the 1960s; 2) the current configuration of the public spaces in the borough; 3) the process of the deprivation of the original landscape characteristics of Environmental Protection Zones; 4) the dynamics of land occupation which are predominant in dune areas; 5) the dynamics of land occupation which are predominant in mangrove areas; 6) and the destruction of green covering on the land with its consequent alteration of the local floristic pattern. The methodology consisted of in-loco visits; the application of questionnaires as community research; a survey of bibliography published by the organisms and institutions in charge of carrying out the city hall s environmental and housing policies; and descriptive statistics of the collected data. Concerning the pattern of occupation which is predominant in the borough, the treatment of space dispensed by the local dwellers has culminated in the emergence and consolidation of environmental alterations which are clearly different from common occurrence in both the building area represented by housing complexes and in the green areas represented by dunes and mangroves. The data show that there was the predominance of the irregular land occupation process over the official housing policy during the population settlement which contributed with a series of frequent and foreseeable problems in the dynamics of urbanization of poverty such as invasions and appropriations of land parcels, the beginning of irregular arrangement of streets, the formation of villages and slums, which are full of self-constructed housing units, and the occupation and degradation of susceptibly fragile environmental areas such as the dune slopes and the mangroves

Caracterização da dinâmica ambiental da região costeira do município de Galinhos, litoral setentrional do Rio Grande do Norte

This doctorate thesis concerning on the Characterization of the Environmental Dynamics of the Coastal Area of the Municipal district of Galinhos, Septentrional Coast of Rio Grande do Norte State, is located in the influence area of the Guamaré Petroliferous Pole, having as general objective the understanding of the active coastal dynamics in the region of Galinhos, whose specific objectives were: To study the variation of the coast line in the decades of 1954, 1967,1988, 1996, 2000, from remote sensing products; To elucidate the hypothesis of the region of Galinhos to have been an old system of islands barriers, using as basic tool the penetration radar in the soil - GPR; To monitor and to characterize the coastal dynamics of the study area starting from monthly data of beach profiles, sedimentological analysis, hydrodynamic data and environmental characterization data; which were used to feed the database of the N-NE network of Environmental Monitoring of Areas under Influence of the Petroliferous Industry;(REDE05/FINEP/CNPq/CTPETRO/ PETROBRAS). This research is justified, of the environmental point of view, by involving the mangrove ecosystem considered one of the most delicated environments of the State. From the viewpoint of the petroleum exploration, the systems of islands barriers are favorable for hydrocarbons reservoirs and, consequently important targets to the oil and gas industry, becoming this region attractive in comparison with similar lithified environments. With the results of the variability study in the position of the coast line in the Municipal district of Galinhos/RN from the analysis of remote sensing images, it was possible to investigate the changes in the coast line in temporal scale; the use of directional filters allowed to emphasize linings in the direction NE and to identify submerged features such as sandwaves. The use of GPR enabled the confirmation of paleochannels existence and thus confirmed the hypothesis that the Galinhos spit was formed from an old system of islands barriers. The results of the granulometric analyses indicated that in the summer period the sediments in the profiles A and B in the foreshore portion were classified with the granulometry of sand with scattered gravel and in the shoreface were constituted by sand, but in the winter period these same morphologic compartments were constituted by sand with sparse gravel and siltic sand respectively. In the profile C, in the summer and in the winter, the shoreface and foreshore compartments presented predominantly constituted by sand with sparse gravel. The hydrodynamic results showed that the largest wave heights were registered in the month of February (62 cm) and the highest period of 1,00 m/s in the month of May, the sense of the coastal currents was kept among the quadrants SW and NW, and the winds coming from NE were predominant. The analysis of the beach profiles demonstrated that in the profile A, although it had occurred erosion and deposition during the monitored months, the morphology of the referred profile was kept constant. In the profiles B and C, there were abrupt changes in the morphology, during the monitored months, having been identified a cyclic pattern in the features of the foreshore zone sometimes forming longitudinal sandy bars and in other times forming berm. These results evidenced, therefore, that studies of this nature are of fundamental importance for the coastal zoning, aiming subsidies to the organs managers in the closing of decisions as for the implantation of enterprises in the area, and for the industry of the petroleum through generation of information that subsidize the implementation and location of petroliferous structures adequate to this environment

Evolução morfodinâmica da região de influência estuarina do Rio Curimataú/RN, com ênfase nas alternativas do ambiente deposicional de manguezal e a integração de geodados em Sig

The estuaries are important investigation zones of the actual morphodynamic and of depositional facies of recent geological history. They are constituted in important receptor means of the coastal area sediments, where the evolutionary processes occur quickly. They are also attractive means for the development of anthropic activities, which in a disordered way interfere in the active processes in the sedimentary balance of the coastal areas. Among the human interventions, the alterations of the depositional environment of mangroves in areas of tropical estuary is deserving relevance, whose implications for the environment estuarine and the coastal adjacent, they are still far to be known. Due to the interest of the sedimentologic component in the comprehension of the processes linked to the evolution of the environments estuarine and coastal adjacent, this work, aimed at the understanding of the morphodynamic coastal phenomena that comprise the region of estuarine influence of the River Curimataú / RN. It was also evaluated in the morphodynamic context the implications due to alterations of the depositional environment of mangrove by anthropic activity. The Curimataú Estuary, located in the south portion of the oriental coast of Rio Grande do Norte, in the last decades has been objective of the overwhelming occupation of the shrimp farm in areas of mangroves, which were implanted with perspectives of development in a short to medium period. On the other hand, the estuary and its region of coastal influence lacks enough information to subsidize the planning and reorganization more effective of the surrounding activities. Thus, it was intended with this work to give a contribution target tothe maintainable use of the coastal resources of this region. A series of studies using data of orbital and acoustic remote sensing, as of sediments sampling, were executed in the gutter of the estuary. The obtained results starting from the interpretation of bathymetric maps, echo sounder graphics and of distribution of sediments made possible the location of the estuary based in morpho-sedimentar criteria. The estuarine tidal flat was dissected in environments of intertidal mangroves, supratidal mangroves and apicuns with base in the integration of data of sensor optic and of radar following by the field control. The adjacent coast that is influenced by the Curimataú estuary, was segmented according to their geomorphologic characteristics, where each segment had a point of observation of the beach morphodynamic, during the period from january/2001 to february/2002. Once every month, beaches profiles, collections of sediments in the beach zones, as measurement of hydrodynamic parameters were executed. The results of the observations of the tidal environment showed that the area of estuarine influence of the Curimataú begins to suffer negative sedimentary taxes, where in some beaches, the erosive processes are already observed. The granulometric characteristics of the beach sediments start to tend for the increase of thin sand in the erosive periods. The destruction of the depositional environments of mangroves of the Curimataú estuary, to the construction of shrimp farms, can be providing the diminution of the tidal prism of the estuary, enlarging the effects of the local increasing of the sea level, through the smaller supplying of sediments to the adjacent coast. Besides this, it was verified the possibility of the sanding of the tidal channel in the margins of the destroyed areas of mangroves, where very high taxes of sedimentation of thin materials were estimated in case of these areas were preserve

Variação espacial e sazonal de elementos maiores e traços no estuários do Rio Curimataú (RN), através de dados geoquímicos e de sensoriamento remoto

The Curimataú estuary is located in the oriental coast of Rio Grande do Norte State in Brazil. Its importance resides in the fact that this region possesses one of the last portions of preserved mangrove in the Rio Grande do Norte State. Nevertheless, it has been severely affected by many anthropogenic activities, as sugarcane monoculture and shrimp farming. Former works demonstrated that an accumulation of heavy metals is occurring in oysters in this estuary, and perhaps it could be explained by the input of metals in this ecosystem deriving from the shrimp farming. To better understanding the origin of these metals, bottom sediment samples, cores and suspended particulate matter were collected for a characterization of metal concentrations (Al, Ba, Cd, Cu, Cr, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb, Zn) and to determine the potentially bioavailable metals. Additionally, the enrichment ratio for each element analyzed was calculated. The mineralogical composition of sediment samples and cores were obtained by X-ray diffraction. Moreover, data of orbital remote sensing were used in order to detect and quantify suspended matter by applying a logarithmic algorithm. Geochemical data of bottom sediments and cores revealed that, excepting Ba and Pb, the elements analyzed presented concentrations characteristic of an unpolluted ecosystem (Al: 0,25 - 8,76 %; Ba: 3,03 - 870 µg.g-1; Cd: < 0,25 µg.g-1; Cr: 1,72 - 82,4 µg.g-1; Cu: 0,12 -25,3 µg.g-1; Pb: 0,38 - 23,7 µg.g-1; Fe: 0,10 - 5,82 %; Mn: 15,1 - 815 µg.g-1; Ni: 0,14 - 36,1 µg.g-1; Zn: 1,37 - 113 µg.g-1). During the dry season a distribution pattern was observed, with higher metal concentrations in the margins, decreasing toward the central portion of the channel. These metal concentrations were well correlated with mineralogical compositions, with clay minerals prevailing at the margins, and quartz and feldspar in the center. However, this pattern was not observed during the wet season, probably because of the high water flux that disturbed bottom sediments. But, as observed for the dry season, a good correlation between metal concentrations and mineralogical composition was also observed for the wet season, with high metal concentrations where there were high quantities of clay minerals. Low enrichment ratios were obtained for the majority of elements analyzed, excepting for Mn, Ba and Pb. Manganese presented the higher ratios downstream for both seasons, and it can be an evidence of anthropogenic impact by shrimp farming. As barium and lead concentrations in sediment samples presented analytical problems during the total sample digestion, one cannot be sure that the ratios obtained correspond to the reality. The highest metal concentrations in particulate matter were obtained in the portion dominated by fluvial transport for all metals analyzed, excepting for copper. Barium and zinc were the only elements that presented elevated concentrations that are not common of unpolluted ecosystems (Ba: 5730 - 8355 µg.g-1; Zn: 3899 - 4348 µg.g-1). However, these high concentrations could not be related to the shrimp farming and waste waters from the town of Canguaretama, once they were obtained from the fluvial particulate matter, that is upstream from the activities above mentioned. The application of the logarithmic algorithm to the processed LANDSAT image was well succeeded, although the acquired image does not correspond exactly to the field campaigns. The IKONOS image provided very detailed views of the suspended sediment concentration at the estuary, as the mixture of distinct water flows at the confluence of Cunhaú and Curimataú rivers, with more turbid waters from Cunhaú river, that is directly affected by effluents from shrimp farming and urban waste waters deriving from the town of Canguaretama

Dinâmica populacional do caranguejo-uçá, Ucides cordatus (Linnaeus, 1763) (CRUSTACEA, BRACHYURA, UCIDIDAE) no município de Porto do Mangue, litoral norte do estado do Rio Grande do Norte

Decapod crustaceans are one of the most important portions of megafaunal of coastal waters, playing a role as modifier of the environment and controlling populations of other organisms. Among the Decapoda, crab (brachyuran) constitutes the dominant macrofauna of mangroves. Among brachyuran is the mangrove crab (Ucides cordatus, Linnaeus, 1763), which represents the main component of the macrofauna of mangroves, particularly in Northern and Northeastern Brazil. In Brazil, its distribution is known from the state of Amapá to the north of Santa Catarina. This species is distinguished by its economic importance, being one of the main fishing resources in Brazil, generating a significant impact on their natural populations. This reduction would result in loss of value to the product, preventing its commercialization. Although it´s great ecological and economic importance, there are few articles about the biological aspects of U. cordatus, mainly in the state of Rio Grande do Norte. This work aimed to study the population dynamics of the mangrove crab, Ucides cordatus (Linnaeus, 1763), in Conchas estuary, Porto do Mangue, northern coast of Rio Grande do Norte. During the period November 2009 to October 2010 the crabs were collected monthly, obeying predetermined lunar periods (new moon or full moon) in a mangrove area in Porto do Mangue - RN. With the aid of a steel caliper (0.01 mm) and a precision balance (0.01 g) were measured biometric variables related to the animal's carapace, major propodus chela, width of abdomen (female), length of gonopodium ( males) and total weight. In addition, it was recorded, the gonads and molt stages, for males and females. In total, 476 crabs were collected, with 338 males and 138 females. Males were larger, heavier and in greater proportion than females. The reproductive period for the species in this location was limited during the months November to May, suggesting a change in current environmental legislation for the closure period. Synchrony was observed between the morphological and physiological maturity with females maturing earlier, possibly, a reproductive strategy adopted, compared to the low fishing pressure in the area. The molting period occurred in the dry season peaking in October. The analysis of growth, based on the parameters of von Bertalanffy was calculated using the nonlinear fit using modes (AJMOD). High growth rates for both males (L = 7.54 cm, k = 0.95, t0 =- 00:08; tmax = 4.84) and females (L = 6.50, k = 1 , 2, t0 =- 0008; tmax = 3.28) were found, contrasting with data from the literature, using other techniques. Males had higher asymptotic width size and longevity, but a lower growth constant when compared with females. The estimated age, for males and females, reaching the minimum capture size was 1.82 years and 1.63 years respectively. The size of physiological maturity, when individuals are able to reproduce, was estimated at 1.4 years and 1.05 years, for males and females, respectively. The recruitment period for this species is seasonal, with two peaks of occurrence, one in the rainy season and one in the dry season. This work represented the first effort on understanding the ecology of the mangrove crab, to the northern coast of Rio Grande do Norte. However, further studies on its biology should be undertaken, especially those related to growth, and recruitment, where observed that literature is more scarce

Modelagem e desenvolvimento de um banco de dados geográficos : aplicação à elaboração de mapas de sensibilidade ambiental ao derramamento de óleo na área costeira entre galinhos e São Bento do Norte-RN

The area between Galinhos and São Bento do Norte beaches, located in the northern coast of the Rio Grande do Norte State is submitted to intense and constant processes of littoral and aeolian transport, causing erosion, alterations in the sediments balance and modifications in the shoreline. Beyond these natural factors, the human interference is huge in the surroundings due to the Guamaré Petroliferous Pole nearby, the greater terrestrial oil producing in Brazil. Before all these characteristics had been organized MAMBMARE and MARPETRO projects with the main objective to execute the geo-environmental monitoring of coastal areas on the northern portion of RN. There is a bulky amount of database from the study area such as geologic and geophysical multitemporal data, hydrodynamic measurements, remote sensing multitemporal images, thematic maps, among others; it is of extreme importance to elaborate a Geographic Database (GD), one of the main components of a Geographic Information System (GIS), to store this amount of information, allowing the access to researchers and users. The first part of this work consisted to elaborate a GD to store the data of the area between Galinhos and São Bento do Norte cities. The main goal was to use the potentiality of the GIS as a tool to support decisions in the environmental monitoring of this region, a valuable target for oil exploration, salt companies and shrimp farms. The collected data was stored as a virtual library to assist men decisions from the results presented as digital thematic maps, tables and reports, useful as source of data in the preventive planning and as guidelines to the future research themes both on regional and local context. The second stage of this work consisted on elaborate the Oil-Spill Environmental Sensitivity Maps. These maps based on the Environmental Sensitivity Index Maps to Oil Spill developed by the Ministry of Environment are cartographic products that supply full information to the decision making, contingency planning and assessment in case of an oil spilling incident in any area. They represent the sensitivity of the areas related to oil spilling, through basic data such as geology, geomorphology, oceanographic, social-economic and biology. Some parameters, as hydrodynamic data, sampling data, coastal type, declivity of the beach face, types of resources in risk (biologic, economic, human or cultural) and the land use of the area are some of the essential information used on the environmental sensitivity maps elaboration. Thus using the available data were possible to develop sensitivity maps of the study area on different dates (June/2000 and December/2000) and to perceive that there was a difference on the sensitivity index generated. The area on December presented more sensible to the oil than the June one because hydrodynamic data (wave and tide energy) allowed a faster natural cleaning on June. The use of the GIS on sensitivity maps showed to be a powerful tool, since it was possible to manipulate geographic data with correctness and to elaborate more accurate maps with a higher level of detail to the study area. This presented an medium index (3 to 4) to the long shore and a high index (10) to the mangrove areas highly vulnerable to oil spill

Cartografia temporal e análise geoambiental da dinâmica da foz do Rio Piranhas-Açu, regiao de Macau-RN, com base em imagens Landast 5-MT

This work embraces the application of Landsat 5-TM digital images, comprising August 2 1989 and September 22 1998, for temporal mapping and geoenvironmental analysis of the dynamic of Piranhas-Açu river mouth, situated in the Macau (RN) region. After treatment using several digital processing techniques (e.g. colour composition in RGB, ratio of bands, principal component analysis, index methods, among others), it was possible to generate several image products and multitemporal maps of the coastal morphodynamics of the studied area. Using the image products it was possible the identification and characterization of the principal elements of interest (vegetation, soil, geology and water) in the surface of the studied area, associating the spectral characteristics of these elements to that presented by the image products resulting of the digital processing. Thus, it was possible to define different types of soils: Amd, AQd6, SK1 and LVe4; vegetation grouping: open arboreal-shrubby caatinga, closed arborealshrubby caatinga, closed arboreal caatinga, mangrove vegetation, dune vegetation and areas predominately constituted by juremas; geological units: quaternary units beach sediments, sand banks, dune flats, barrier island, mobile dunes, fixed dunes, alluvium, tidal and inundation flats, and sandy facies of the Potengi Formation; tertiary-quaternary units Barreiras Formation grouped to the clayey facies of the Potengi Formation, Macau Formation grouped to the sediments of the Tibau Formation; Cretaceous units Jandaíra Formation; moreover it was to identify the sea/land limit, shallow submersed areas and suspended sediments. The multitemporal maps of the coastal morphodynamics allowed the identification and a semi-quantitative evoluation of regions which were submitted to erosive and constructive processes in the last decade. This semi-quantitative evoluation in association with an geoenvironmental characterization of the studied area are important data to the elaboration of actions that may minimize the possible/probable impacts caused by the implantation of the Polo Gas/Sal and to the monitoring of areas explorated by the petroleum and salt industries

A erosão costeira e sua influência sobre a atividade petrolífera: alternativas sustentáveis na mitigação de impactos ambientais

The study area consist in high sensitivity environments located on the northern coast of Rio Grande do Norte, Northeast Brazil. The barrier island are the main geomorphological features on the coastal landscape, being naturally instable and surrounded by industrial activities like oil fields, salt industry, shrimp farms and urban areas sometimes installed parallel to the coast, combined with coast engineering interventions. High energy hydrodynamic process are responsible for the morphological instability of the coast. The study was based on remote sensing data obtained between 1954 and 2007 which consist in orbital images from Landsat, CBERS and Ikonos satellites and aerial photos. With all data integrated on GIS environment it was possible to update thematic maps of geology, geomorphology, vegetation, soil and landuse and development of multitemporal maps pointing areas with erosion and depositions of sediments, defining the critical erosion process on this region. The bigger morphological changes are related to changes on wind patterns during the year, terrestrial and sea breezes during the day, with spits and barrier island migration, opening and closing of channels like the one parallel to the coast on the area of Serra and Macau oil fields. These factors combined with the significant reduction on sediment budgets due to the loss of natural spaces to sediment reworking contribute to the low resilience which tends to be growing on the area of Serra and Macau oil fields. In front of such scenery a detailed monitoring was done in order to find technological possibilities for coastal restoration. A pilot area was defined to start the project of mangrove restore together with beach nourishment in order to minimize the effect of the erosion caused by the channel parallel to the coast, contributing to stabilize the northeast channel as the main one. It s expected that such methodology will aid the coastal environments restoration and the balance between industrial activities and coastal erosion

Análise hidrodinâmica e morfodinâmica do complexo estuarino do Rio Piranhas-Açu/RN, Nordeste do Brasil

The aim of this study was the seasonal characterization of the morphology, sedimentology and hydrodynamic of the Açu, Cavalos and Conchas estuaries. These estuaries are inserted in a semi-arid climate area and form the mouth of the hydrographic basin of the Piranhas-Açu river, that represent the discharge of the largest watershed in the state. They are embedded in an environment consisting of a fluvial-marine floodplain, mangrove ecosystem, sandbanks, fields of dunes, spits and sandy beaches. Adjacent to the natural units are the main local socioeconomic activities (oil industry, salt industry, shrimp farming, fishing and tourism) are dependent on this river and its conservation. The environmental monitoring is necessary because it is an area under constant action of coastal processes and at high risk of oil spill. The acquisition and interpretation of hydrodynamic, sonographic and sediment data was conducted in two campaigns, dry season (2010) and rainy season (2011), using respectively the current profiler ADCP Doppler effect, the side-scan sonar and Van Veen sampler. In these estuaries: Açu, Cavalos and Conchas were identified the following types of bedforms: flatbed and Dunes 2-D and 3-D (small to medium size), generated at lower flow regime (Froude number <1). Structures such as ripples were observed in the Açu estuary mouth. The higher values of flow discharge and velocity were recorded in the Açu estuary (434,992 m³.s-¹ and 0,554 m.s-¹). In rainy season, despite the record of highest values of discharge and flow velocities at the mouth, the energy rates upstream did not differ much from the data of the dry season. However, in all estuaries were recorded an increase in speed and flow, with reservation to the flow in the Açu estuary and flow at the mouth of the Conchas estuary. Sediment grain sizes tend to increase towards the mouth of the estuary and these ranged from very fine sand to very coarse sand, medium sand fraction being the most recurrent. Based on the data acquired and analyzed, the estuaries Açu, Cavalos and Conchas are classified as mixed , dominated by waves and tides. According to their morphology, they are classified as estuaries constructed by bar and according to the classification by salinity, estuaries Conchas and Cavalos were ranked as hypersaline estuaries, and Açu as hypersaline and vertically well mixed type C

Foraminíferos como ferramenta de estudo na geologia ambiental do estuário do Rio Potengi e da plataforma interna, RN, Brasil

The Potengi River estuary has been affected by various anthropogenic factors over the years, as periodic dredging, industrial and domestic waste, traffic and other factors, causing various environmental disasters, including the notorious ecological accident in July 2007, which covered the municipalities of São Gonçalo do Amarante, Macaíba and Natal. Foraminifera serve as viable study tools in these environments; they are able to identify ecologically stressed environments, pointing out hydrographic changes and depositional environments in estuaries. The necessity to check the differences in environmental gradients in places anthropically impacted in Potengi River and adjacent inner shelf through species of foraminifera, and, the responses of these organisms to physical, chemical and geological factors is to provide baseline in the diagnosis of environments. The results show the dominance of opportunistic Ammonia tepida, Bolivina striatula, Quinqueloculina patagonica and Q. miletti especially in regions close to shrimp farms and Baldo Channel sewage in fine grain environments; and Q. lamarckiana indicates penetration of the saline waters in Potengi River. The occurrence of low-salinity tolerant foraminiferal species typical of mangrove environments as Trochammina inflata and T. squamata in Potengi River Channel suggest they probably could have been transported from mangrove area near the Potengi river mouth to the inner shelf regions. These findings suggest Potengi River is able to export mixohaline and mangrove organisms to inner shelf. Two distinct environments were observed, the outermost area is more influenced by marine influence and the innermost area is less influenced. Calcareous and agglutinated species dominate Potengi River, while mouth and inner shelf areas are dominated by calcareous, agglutinated and porcelaneous species, which are typical of highly saline and hydrodynamic environments and the contributive factors that controls foraminiferal distribution were balance of marine and freshwater currents, grain size, availability of CaCO3 and organic matter.

Foraminíferos como ferramenta de estudo na geologia ambiental do estuário do Rio Potengi e da plataforma interna, RN, Brasil

The Potengi River estuary has been affected by various anthropogenic factors over the years, as periodic dredging, industrial and domestic waste, traffic and other factors, causing various environmental disasters, including the notorious ecological accident in July 2007, which covered the municipalities of São Gonçalo do Amarante, Macaíba and Natal. Foraminifera serve as viable study tools in these environments; they are able to identify ecologically stressed environments, pointing out hydrographic changes and depositional environments in estuaries. The necessity to check the differences in environmental gradients in places anthropically impacted in Potengi River and adjacent inner shelf through species of foraminifera, and, the responses of these organisms to physical, chemical and geological factors is to provide baseline in the diagnosis of environments. The results show the dominance of opportunistic Ammonia tepida, Bolivina striatula, Quinqueloculina patagonica and Q. miletti especially in regions close to shrimp farms and Baldo Channel sewage in fine grain environments; and Q. lamarckiana indicates penetration of the saline waters in Potengi River. The occurrence of low-salinity tolerant foraminiferal species typical of mangrove environments as Trochammina inflata and T. squamata in Potengi River Channel suggest they probably could have been transported from mangrove area near the Potengi river mouth to the inner shelf regions. These findings suggest Potengi River is able to export mixohaline and mangrove organisms to inner shelf. Two distinct environments were observed, the outermost area is more influenced by marine influence and the innermost area is less influenced. Calcareous and agglutinated species dominate Potengi River, while mouth and inner shelf areas are dominated by calcareous, agglutinated and porcelaneous species, which are typical of highly saline and hydrodynamic environments and the contributive factors that controls foraminiferal distribution were balance of marine and freshwater currents, grain size, availability of CaCO3 and organic matter.