Lower Permian stems as fluvial paleocurrent indicators of the Parnaíba Basin, northern Brazil

A comprehensive biostratinomic study was carried out with abundant stems from the Lower Permian Motuca Formation of the intracratonic Parnaíba Basin, central-north Brazil. The fossils represent a rare tropical to subtropical paleofloristic record in north Gondwana. Tree ferns dominate the assemblages (mainly Tietea, secondarily Psaronius), followed by gymnosperms, sphenophytes, other ferns and rare lycophytes. They are silica-permineralized, commonly reach 4 m length (exceptionally more than 10 m), lie loosely on the ground or are embedded in the original sandstone or siltstone matrix, and attract particular attention because of their frequent parallel attitudes. Many tree fern stems present the original straight cylindrical to slightly conical forms, other are somewhat flattened, and the gymnosperm stems are usually more irregular. Measurements of stem orientations and dimensions were made in three sites approximately aligned in a W-E direction in a distance of 27.3 km at the conservation unit Tocantins Fossil Trees Natural Monument In the eastern site, rose diagrams for 54 stems indicate a relatively narrow azimuthal range to SE. These stems commonly present attached basal bulbous root mantles and thin cylindrical sandstone envelopes, which sometimes hold, almost adjacent to the lateral stem surface, permineralized fern pinnae and other small plant fragments. In the more central site, 82 measured stems are preferentially oriented in the SW-NE direction, the proportion of gymnosperms is higher and cross-stratification sets of sandstones indicate paleocurrents mainly to NE and secondarily to SE. In the western site, most of the 42 measured stems lie in E-W positions. The predominantly sandy succession, where the fossil stems are best represented, evidences a braided fluvial system under semiarid conditions. The low plant diversity, some xeromorphic features and the supposedly almost syndepositional silica impregnation of the plants are coherent with marked dry seasons. Thick mudstones and some coquinites below and above the sandy interval may represent lacustrine facies formed in probably more humid conditions. The taphonomic history of the preserved plants began with exceptional storms that caused fast-flowing high water in channels and far into the floodplains. In the eastern site region, many tree ferns only fell, thus sometimes covering and protecting plant litter and leaves from further fragmentation. Assemblages of the central and western sites suggest that the trees were uprooted and transported in suspension (floating) parallel to the flow. Heavier ends of stems (according to their form or because of attached basal bulbous root mantle or large apical fronds) were oriented to upstream because of inertial forces. During falling water stage, the stems were stranded on riverbanks, usually maintaining the previous transport orientation, and were slightly buried. The perpendicular or oblique positions of some stems may have been caused by interference with other stems or shallow bars. Rare observed stems were apparently waterlogged before the final depositional process and transported as bedload. The differences of interpreted channel orientations between the three sites are expected in a braided fluvial system, considering the very low gradients of the basin and the work scale in the order of tens of kilometers. The mean direction of the drainage probably was to east and the flows apparently became weaker downstream. This study seems to provide reliable data for paleocurrent interpretations, especially considering areas with scarce preserved sedimentary structures. © 2013 Elsevier Ltd.

The igapó of the Negro River in central Amazonia: Linking late-successional inundation forest with fluvial geomorphology

Despite important progress on Amazonian floodplain research, the flooded forest of the Negro River igapó has been little investigated. In particular, no study has previously focused the linkage between fluvial geomorphology and the floristic variation across the course of the river. In this paper we describe and interpret relations between igapó forest, fluvial geomorphology and the spatial evolution of the igapó forest through the Holocene. Therefore, we investigate the effect of geomorphological units of the floodplain and channel patterns on tree diversity, composition and structural parameters of the late-successional igapó forest. Our results show that sites sharing almost identical flooding regime, exhibit variable tree assemblages, species richness and structural parameters such as basal area, tree density and tree heights, indicating a trend in which the geomorphologic styles seem to partially control the organization of igapó's tree communities. This can be also explained by the high variability of well-developed geomorphologic units in short distances and concentrated in small areas. In this dynamic the inputs from the species pool of tributary rivers play a crucial role, but also the depositional and erosional processes associated with the evolution of the floodplain during the Holocene may control floristic and structural components of the igapó forests. These results suggest that a comprehensive approach integrating floristic and geomorphologic methods is needed to understand the distribution of the complex vegetation patterns in complex floodplains such as the igapó of the Negro River. This combination of approaches may introduce a better comprehension of the temporal and spatial evolutionary analysis and a logic rationale to understand the vegetation distribution and variability in function of major landforms, soil distributions and hydrology. Thus, by integrating the past into macroecological analyses will sharpen our understanding of the underlying forces for contemporary floristic patterns along the inundation forests of the Negro River. © 2013 Elsevier Ltd.

Capacidade de retenção e dinâmica de um wetland construído no tratamento de águas residuais

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Formação de depósitos tecnogênicos e relações com o uso e ocupação do solo no perímetro urbano de Presidente Prudente-SP

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Caracterização molecular da estrutura genética de populações e espécies camarões palemonídeos Macrobrachium do gênero Macrobrachium

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Alterações ambientais decorrentes da presença de depósitos tecnogênicos na bacia hidrográfica do Ribeirão Anicuns em Goiânia, GO

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Caracterização geoambiental como subsídio ao planejamento urbano e turístico em Amparo (SP)

Pós-graduação em Geociências e Meio Ambiente - IGCE

Estudo dos padrões de canal fluvial do Rio Mogi Guaçu/SP

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Morfologia do relevo da porção sul do megaleque fluvial do Taquari, Pantanal da Nhecolândia, Brasil

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Composição florística, estrutura e heterogeneidade ambiental da comunidade arbórea de uma várzea em Porto Ferreira, SP, Brasil

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

The roles of marginal lagoons in the maintenance of genetic diversity in the Brazilian migratory fishes Prochilodus argenteus and P. costatus

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Genetic variability and phylogenetic aspects in species of the genus Macrobrachium

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Avaliação espaço-temporal da distribuição de fósforo na água e nos sedimentos de fundo das sub-bacias dos rios Cuiabá e São Lourenço e em algumas baias do Pantanal Matogrossense

Pós-graduação em Química - IQ

Caracterização de argilas usadas para produção de cerâmica vermelha e estudo das alterações nas suas propriedades pela adição de resíduos

Neste trabalho são apresentados os resultados de caracterização das principais argilas usadas pela indústria cerâmica vermelha regional e, também, de alguns resíduos sólidos produzidos na região de Presidente Prudente - SP. Os resultados da incorporação destes resíduos em massas cerâmicas são avaliados através do estudo de suas propriedades tecnológicas. Para a caracterização dos materiais foram utilizadas as seguintes técnicas: análise textural (concentração das frações areia, silte e argila), difratometria de raios X e análise térmica. As propriedades tecnológicas de corpos de prova cerâmicos foram avaliadas através dos seguintes parâmetros: retração linear (RL), perda de massa ao fogo (PF), massa específica aparente (MEA), porosidade aparente (PA), absorção de água (AA) e resistência mecânica à flexão (RMF). Corpos de prova, com diferentes concentrações de resíduos, foram prensados (prensa uniaxial manual) e queimados em temperaturas que variaram de 800 a 1200 oC, usando um forno tipo mufla com controle de temperatura. As argilas sedimentares foram coletadas nas margens do rio Paraná e em áreas de várzea, próximas as cerâmicas. As amostras estudadas, coletadas nos depósitos das cerâmicas, são usadas para produção de tijolos maciços, blocos furados e telhas. Quatro tipos diferentes de resíduos foram estudados: (1) lodo de estação de tratamento de água ETA, (2) torta de filtro de indústria de re-refino de óleo lubrificante, (3) pó de vidro (soda-cal) de garrafa tipo long neck descartável, e (4) cinza de bagaço de cana. Estes resíduos foram incorporados em massas cerâmicas coletadas nas indústrias... (Resumo completo, clicar acesso eletrônico abaixo)

Classificação e mapeamento de áreas de risco de enchentes e inundações no bairro Jardim Inocoop - Rio Claro - SP

In the last few decades, Brazil has experienced an accelerated urbanization process in which many cities have grown in a disorderly way occupying environmentally fragile areas unsuitable for habitation. Anthropogenic actions such as high levels of impermeable soil, structural changes in watercourses, lack of riparian vegetation, illegal presence of trash and rubbish along the river banks added to irregular settlements in floodplains result in the rise of high risk areas. When accompanied by intense and prolonged rainfall phenomena, those areas have been the scenery of serious accidents such as floods. This study aims to classify the level of the risk of floods in the neighborhood of Jardim Inocoop, in the town of Rio Claro, São Paulo countryside, Brazil. One of the main technical support to tackle this issue is the identification and classification of the risks. In order to classify the risk level of flood in this case study, the methodology adopted was developed by the Ministry of Cities and Technology Research Institute, and take into account the arrangement of the hydrological scenario, vulnerability of households and dangerous process according to the distance of the houses from the axis of drainage. Therefore, the risk levels adopted to classify are listed below: very high (MA), high risk (A), moderate (M) and low risk (B). In conclusion, it is imperative to develop prevention plans in order to avoid or to minimize the damages caused by natural disasters. Therefore, the zoning of the risk sceneries remains as an important issue once it helps to identify the areas with high level risk of flood. Consequently, the occupation must be regulated where there is low or absent risk and it must be often forbidden where the high risk of flood is detected. Thus, the present study remains as an attempt to notify the risk of floods through its spatialization on a map, remainig...(Complete abstract click electronic access below)