Local food security and principle of organic farming (from farm to fork) in context of food culture in Indonesia: Minangkabau's case study

The basic idea behind improving local food security consists of two paths; first, accessibility (price, stock) and second, availability (quantity and biodiversity); both are perquisites to the provision of nutrients and a continuous food supply with locally available resources. The objectives of this thesis are to investigate if indigenous knowledge still plays an important role in traditional farming in the Minangkabau`s culture, thus supporting local food security. If the indigenous knowledge still plays a role in food culture in the Minangkabau`s culture which is linked to the matrilineal role and leads to a sound nutrition. Further, it should be tested if marantau influences traditional farming and food culture in Minangkabau`s, and if the local government plays a role in changing of traditional farming systems and food culture. Furthermore this thesis wants to prove if education and gender are playing a role in changing traditional farming system and food culture, and if the mass media affects traditional farming systems and food culture for the Minangkabau. The study was completed at four locations in West Sumatera; Nagari Ulakan (NU) (coastal area), Nagari Aia Batumbuak (NAB) (hilly area), Nagari Padang Laweh Malalo (NPLM) (lake area), Nagari Pandai Sikek (NPS) (hilly area). The rainfall ranged from 1400- 4800 mm annually with fertile soils. Data was collected by using PRA (Participatory Rural Appraisal) to investigate indigenous knowledge (IK) and its interactions, which is also combining with in depth-interview, life history, a survey using semi-structured-questionnaire, pictures, mapping, and expert interview. The data was collected from June - September 2009 and June 2010. The materials are; map of area, list of names, questionnaires, voices recorder, note book, and digital camera. The sampling method was snowball sampling which resulted in the qualitative and quantitative data taken. For qualitative data, ethnography and life history was used. For quantitative, a statistical survey with a semi-structured questionnaire was used. 50 respondents per each site participated voluntarily. Data was analyzed by performing MAXQDA 10, and F4 audio analysis software (created and developed by Philip-University Marburg). The data is clustered based on causality. The results show that; the role of IK on TFS (traditional farming system) shown on NPLM which has higher food crop biodiversity in comparison to the other three places even though it has relatively similar temperature and rainfall. This high food crop biodiversity is due to the awareness of local people who realized that they lived in unfavourable climate and topography; therefore they are more prepared for any changes that may occur. Carbohydrate intake is 100 % through rice even though they are growing different staple crops. Whereas most of the people said in the interviews that not eating rice is like not really eating for them. In addition to that, mothers still play an important role in kitchen activities. But when the agriculture income is low, mothers have to decide whether to change the meals or to feel insecure about their food supply. Marantau yields positive impact through the remittances it provides to invest on the farm. On the other hand, it results in fewer workers for agriculture, and therefore a negative impact on the transfer of IK. The investigation showed that the local government has a PTS (Padi Tanam Sabatang) programme which still does not guarantee that the farmers are getting sufficient revenue from their land. The low agricultural income leads to situation of potential food insecurity. It is evident that education is equal among men and women, but in some cases women tend to leave school earlier because of arranged marriages or the distances of school from their homes. Men predominantly work in agriculture and fishing, while women work in the kitchen. In NAB, even though women work on farmland they earn less then men. Weaving (NPS) and kitchen activity is recognized as women’s work, which also supports the household income. Mass media is not yielding any changes in TFS and food culture in these days. The traditional farming system has changed because of intensive agricultural extension which has introduced new methods of agriculture for the last three decades (since the 1980’s). There is no evidence that they want to change any of their food habits because of the mass media despite the lapau activity which allows them to get more food choices, instead preparing traditional meal at home. The recommendations of this thesis are: 1) The empowerment of farmers. It is regarding the self sufficient supply of manure, cooperative seed, and sustainable farm management. Farmers should know – where are they in their state of knowledge – so they can use their local wisdom and still collaborate with new sources of knowledge. Farmers should learn the prognosis of supply and demand next prior to harvest. There is a need for farm management guidelines; that can be adopted from both their local wisdom and modern knowledge. 2) Increase of non-agricultural income Increasing the non-agricultural income is strongly recommended. The remittances can be invested on non-agricultural jobs. 3) The empowerment of the mother. The mother plays an important role in farm to fork activities; the mother can be an initiator and promoter of cultivating spices in the backyard. Improvement of nutritional knowledge through information and informal public education can be done through arisan ibu-ibu and lapau activity. The challenges to apply these recommendations are: 1) The gap between institutions and organizations of local governments. There is more than one institution involved in food security policy. 2) Training and facilities for field extension agriculture (FEA) is needed because the rapid change of interaction between local government and farmer’s dependent on this agency.

Late Quaternary sedimentation in the Paraiba Basin, Northeastern Brazil: Landform, sea level and tectonics in Eastern South America passive margin

Late Quaternary deposits in the northeastern Brazil have been scarcely investigated, despite their relevance to the discussion of the post-rift evolution of the South American passive margin within the context of landform, sea level and tectonic deformation. Sedimentological, stratigraphic and morphological characterization of these deposits, referred as Post-Barreiras Sediments, led to their distinction from underlying Early/Middle Miocene strata. Based on optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dating, two sedimentary units (PB1 and PB2) were recognized and related to the time intervals between 74.8 +/- 9.3 and 30.8 +/- 6.9 ka, and 8.8 +/- 0.9 and 1.8 +/- 0.2 ka, respectively. Unit PB1 consists of indurated sandstones and breccias either with massive bedding or complex types of soft sediment deformation structures generated by contemporaneous seismic activity. Unit PB2 is composed of massive sands or sands related to structures developed by dissipation of dunes. The present work, focusing on the Post-Barreiras Sediments, discusses landform, sea level and tectonics of the eastern South American passive margin during the latest Quaternary. Non-deposition and sub-aerial exposure related to the Tortonian worldwide low sea level combined with tectonic quiescence followed the Miocene transgression. Tectonic deformation in the latest Pleistocene created space to accommodate unit PB1 in downthrown faulted blocks and, perhaps, also synclines produced by strike-slip deformation. Although deposition of this unit was simultaneous with the progressive fall in sea level that followed the Last Interglacial Maximum, punctuated rises combined with land subsidence led to marine deposition close to the modern coastline. Renewed subsidence in the Holocene gave rise to accommodation of the Post-Barreiras Sediments. Most of unit PB2 was deposited during the Holocene Transgression, but it is not composed of marine sediments, which suggests either an insignificant rise in relative sea level or aeolian reworking of thin transgressive sands. The data presented here lead to a review of the evolution of the South American passive margin based on assumptions of uniform sedimentation and undeformed planation surfaces over a wide coastal area of the northeastern Brazil. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Spatial modeling of electrical conductivity with neural network

Many policy decisions for agricultural management in the coastal region closely depend on the extent of intrusion of sea water. In this study, Artificial Neural Network (ANN) is used to model the spatial variation of Electrical Conductivity to determine the extent of sea water intrusion in the coastal area of Brisbane, Australia. Quarterly EC data obtained from the observation (monitoring) wells located along the coast is used for training ANN architecture. The study demonstrates that ANN is able to model the spatial variation of EC with very good accuracy (even with very less training records) when some spatial information is used as one of the inputs in the network training. The results considerable improvement when compared with the network trained without the distance information.

Sustainable development in the border region plan case study : Pengragoan village, Jembrana regency, Bali-Indonesia

Commonly, the border area is a countryside located far from city centre, so that such area gets less attention from government. This condition is seen from the condition of social and economic aspects that is left behind than other locations (Bappenas 2004). In Balinese Traditional perspective, countryside as border area is a non built environment as a symbol of an authority but it does not mean without activities. Asa regency area, border area is a gate of the regency that gives a first impression and attraction as well as represent of the regency characteristic. One of border areasbetween 2 regencies in Bali is Pengragoanareatraversed bythe main routeconnecting thecentreof the Bali Provinceand Gilimanuk Port. Not only is it as a border area betweenJembrana and Tabanan regencies, but also a coastal area that began to gain influence tourism development. The objective of this study is to find the strategies planning for border development that gives benefit to people, protect the local wisdom and meet with sustainable development issues. In order to achieve this objective, this research uses field study, focus groups discussion strategy and direct interview to collect data and descriptive analysis to analyse data. As an agriculture area, this area can be developed as agro-tourism area that focuses on agticultural activities and some support activities, " in limited number", such as home industries, outdoor recreation, agro tourism, restaurant, villa as well as stop over.

Can macroalgae contribute to blue carbon? An Australian perspective

Macroalgal communities in Australia and around the world store vast quantities of carbon in their living biomass, but their prevalence of growing on hard substrata means that they have limited capacity to act as long-term carbon sinks. Unlike other coastal blue carbon habitats such as seagrasses, saltmarshes and mangroves, they do not develop their own organic-rich sediments, but may instead act as a rich carbon source and make significant contributions in the form of detritus to sedimentary habitats by acting as a “carbon donor” to “receiver sites” where organic material accumulates. The potential for storage of this donated carbon however, is dependent on the decay rate during transport and the burial efficiency at receiver sites. To better understand the potential contribution of macroalgal communities to coastal blue carbon budgets, a comprehensive literature search was conducted using key words, including carbon sequestration, macroalgal distribution, abundance and productivity to provide an estimation of the total amount of carbon stored in temperate Australian macroalgae. Our most conservative calculations estimate 109.9 Tg C is stored in living macroalgal biomass of temperate Australia, using a coastal area covering 249,697 km2. Estimates derived for tropical and subtropical regions contributed an additional 23.2 Tg C. By extending the search to include global studies we provide a broader context and rationale for the study, contributing to the global aspects of the review. In addition, we discuss the potential role of calcium carbonate-containing macroalgae, consider the dynamic nature of macroalgal populations in the context of climate change, and identify the knowledge gaps that once addressed will enable robust quantification of macroalgae in marine biogeochemical cycling of carbon. We conclude that macroalgal communities have the potential to make ecologically meaningful contributions toward global blue carbon sequestration, as donors, but given that the fate of detached macroalgal biomass remains unclear, further research is needed to quantify this contribution.

Desafios da gestão sustentável em meios de hospedagem: um estudo multicasos no Litoral Norte do estado de SP

Este estudo tem como objetivo analisar de que maneira os meios de hospedagem podem contribuir para o incentivo de ações sustentáveis na sua cadeia de suprimentos. Segundo estudos anteriores, os meios de hospedagem são capazes de influenciar fornecedores a adotarem práticas sustentáveis em seus processos. Deste modo, este estudo busca analisar de que maneira os MHs podem contribuir para o incentivo de ações sustentáveis na sua cadeia de suprimentos. Para isso, os seguintes objetivos específicos foram listados: verificar a existência de ações sustentáveis nos meios de hospedagem nos âmbitos social, econômico e ambiental e identificar em qual dos três existem mais ações e atividades realizadas; analisar os motivos que levaram os mesmos a adotar tais práticas e seus benefícios; analisar as dificuldades dos empreendimentos em realizar ações sustentáveis e, por fim, analisar se tais ações influenciam ou alcançam outras partes da cadeia de suprimentos do meio de hospedagem a adotar práticas sustentáveis. Para alcançar estes objetivos, serão abordados os conceitos de desenvolvimento sustentável e suas principais definições contidas na literatura pertinente; conceito de turismo, abordando o turismo de massa e o sustentável e como eles se relacionam; a cadeia de suprimento do turismo e suas possíveis representações e, finalmente, as principais definições de meios de hospedagem e as classificações existentes no Brasil. A estratégia de pesquisa utilizada foi o estudo de caso, sendo o within-case escolhido como método de análise. O estudo foi realizado no Litoral Norte de São Paulo que inclui as cidades de Ubatuba, Caraguatatuba, São Sebastião e Ilhabela. A região foi propícia para a pesquisa por possui 80% do território coberto por Mata Atlântica e ter o turismo como uma das principais atividades econômicas. Como resultados, o estudo verificou que os meios de hospedagem desta região executam algumas práticas sustentáveis, sendo que a maior parte delas recai sobre a dimensão ambiental. Entretanto, estas práticas ainda são bastante incipientes e feitas sem acompanhamento técnico. Quanto à influência na cadeia de suprimentos, foi verificado que a maioria dos gestores não pensou em estender as ações sustentáveis a seus fornecedores e, os que cogitaram esta ideia, alegam que não possuem o porte necessário. Por serem de pequeno e médio porte não conseguem exercer pressão sobre seus stakeholders. Deste modo, pode-se dizer que, mesmo em uma região litorânea onde a principal atividade é o turismo - e os atrativos são belezas naturais que precisam ser preservadas - a adoção de práticas sustentáveis em meios de hospedagem ainda é um assunto que precisa ser compreendido, divulgado e incentivado.

Ventilação e prescrições urbanísticas: uma aplicação simulada para a Orla da Praia do Meio em Natal/RN

This work analyses a study on natural ventilation and its relation to the urban legislation versus the building types in an urban fraction of coastal area of Praia do Meio in the city of Natal/RN, approaching the type or types of land use most appropriate to this limited urban fraction. The objective of this study is to analyse the effects of the present legislation as well as the types of buildings in this area on the natural ventilation. This urban fraction was selected because it is one of the sites from where the wind flows into the city of Natal. This research is based on the hypothesis stating that the reduction on the porosity of the urban soil (decrease in the set back/boundary clearance), and an increase in the form (height of the buildings) rise the level of the ventilation gradient, consequently causing a reduction on the wind speed at the lowest part of the buildings. Three-dimensional computational models were used to produce the modes of occupation allowed in the urban fraction within the area under study. A Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) software was also used to analyse the modes of land occupation. Following simulation, a statistical assessment was carried out for validation of the hypothesis. It was concluded that the reduction in the soil porosity as a consequence of the rates that defined the minimum boundary clearance between the building and the boundary of the plot (and consequently the set back), as well as the increase in the building form (height of the buildings) caused a reduction in the wind speed, thus creating heat islands

Estudo de revestimentos inorgânicos com inibidor de corrosão aplicado na superfície do concreto

The corrosive phenomenon on reinforced concrete structures is one of the most founded pathologies on the coastal area. With the objective to prevent the process development, or even, retard its beginning, it was studied the application of inorganic covering over concrete surfaces, after its cure, as well as, evaluate the efficiency of the covering applied on the concrete in reducing its porosity of concrete preventing the entrance of aggressive agents to preserve the integrity of the existing armor inside it, comparing the result obtained with the body-of-proof reference, that didn´t receive covering protection. On the concrete production it was used Portland Cement CP II 32, coarse aggregate, fine aggregate and water from the local distributive. Two types of covering were used, one resin based of silicon and solvent and other white cement based, selected sands and acrylic resin. The concrete mixture adopted was 1:1,5:2,5 (cement, fine aggregate, coarse aggregate) and 0.50 water/cement ratio. With the concrete on fresh state was made the experiment test to determinate the workability. On the hardened state was made the concrete resistance experiment, absorption of water and electrochemical experiments, through polarization curves. Also was held optical microscopy and Scanning Electron Microscopy experiments to analyze the layer of the covering applied to the concrete surface and the interface between the concrete and the layer. The obtained results shows that the covering applied to the concrete surface didn´t affect the resistance towards compression. On the absorption of water occurred a diminution of the percentage absorbed, improving the concrete development by making it more impermeable towards the entrance of aggressive agents. The electrochemical experiment results confirmed the water absorption results; the body-of-proof covered presented larger protection towards the development of corrosives process and retarded the evolution of the corrosive phenomenon

Assinaturas antropogênicas de elementos maiores e traços em poeira urbana na cidade do Natal-RN

Although there are many studies on urban dust contamination by heavy metals in developed countries, little attention has been paid to this type of study in developing countries, including Brazil. Therefore, a series of investigations were performed to provide signatures of heavy metals in urban dust and assess the potential sources in the city of Natal - RN-Brazil. The fraction of these sediments was studied to pass through a sieve of 63 micrometers. For the study analyzed two groups of samples, one collected in September 2009 at the end of the rainy season (9 samples) and one collected in January 2010 in the dry season (21 samples). So in all, thirty sediment samples were collected from the street. Then, in Fluorescence Spectrometry X-rays were determined major elements SiO2, Na2O, K2O, Al2O3, MgO, P2O5, Fe2O3, MnO, TiO2 and CaO, and trace Rb, Cr, Ni, Cu, Zn, Sr and Pb by an ICPOES was determined Zn, V, Na, K, Ni, Mn, Mg, P, Fe, Cr, Cu, Pb, Ba, Ca and Al from leaching HCl 0.5 mol L-1 . The results of the concentrations of elements show that the greater presence of these occurs in the dry season, except for Si which is higher in the rainy season. Analyses by geoaccumulation Index (IGEO) Enrichment Factor (EF), Contamination Factor (CF), analysis correlation and Hierarchical Cluster, confirm that Zn, Cu and Pb is anthropogenic character. Zinc may be derived from various sources related to motor vehicles or the road signs and street grids. The elements Na, K, Mg and Ca may be related to droplets suspended in air containing cations and anions present in seawater (salty), common in Christmas throughout the year, brought by winds SE-NW. The elements Na, Mg, Ca and K are the most abundant in seawater and were analyzed in this study. This indicates that the source of these additional elements detected by analyzing the contamination factor may be the very sea. Moreover, Ni, Fe, Cr and Ba can be either as a source of anthropogenic geogênica. The source of Ca is different, because it comes in lime and paint (painting guides of buildings and streets) in construction materials, but may also be present in sediments in the fragments of shells or carbonate bioclasts common in the coastal area

Estudo das percepções ambientais e de ações educativas promotoras da biodiversidade em unidade de conservação no Rio Grande do Norte

Important issues involving the awakening to the need for conservation of biodiversity and the importance of establishing protected areas as a strategy in pursuit of environmental protection, are increasingly being developed in biological and social investigative fields. In this sense, this research aimed to emphasize the use of environmental perception of social agents are significant elements for the understanding of the man / nature, and develop educational activities aimed at raising awareness and changing attitudes towards environmental issues thus promoting reflections on Environmental Education (EE) as a critical and transformative tool for conservation of rich biological diversity. This research covers as a place of study, schools located in the Environmental Protection Area Jenipabu (APAJ), Rio Grande do Norte. Methodology in general, we highlight the use of questionnaires and mind maps as generators of the contents of empirical research, and execution of content analysis for the treatment of data collected. This dissertation has two chapters in the form of scientific articles, where the first is entitled: "Study of the perceptions and evaluation of interactions concerning environmental education in schools in a conservation area of Rio Grande do Norte - Brazil", obtaining thus a primary diagnosis for analysis about the visions that students and teachers from two schools located in APAJ have on the environment. The second article, entitled: "Effective and analysis of educational activities that promote biodiversity in a coastal area of Environmental Protection Northeast - Brazil" provides an analysis of the educational use of biodiversity as a way to raise awareness of the need for environmental conservation. It appears from research that there is a lack of training in EA by teachers, but there is a need for greater involvement of students in conservation areas, however, from the analysis of educational activities, we observed that the effectiveness of such actions acts to promote awareness and change in actors involved. Thus, environmental education needs to take into account the different perceptions found in each individual, and it can not be based solely on transmission of knowledge, so that we reach a model of conservation.

Sistemas computacionais espaço-temporais para toma de decisão em questões ambientais relacionadas à indústria de petróleo e gás

The area between São Bento do Norte and Macau cities, 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, composed by sensitive places, due to the existence of the Guamaré Petroliferous Pole, RN, the greater terrestrial oil producing in Brazil, besides the activities of the salt companies and shrimp farms. This socioeconomic-environmental context justifies the elaboration of strategies of environmental monitoring of that coastal area. In the environmental monitoring of coastal strips, submitted to human impacts, the use of multi-sources and multitemporal data integrated through a Spatio- Temporal Database that allows the multiuser friendly access. The objective was to use the potential of the computational systems as important tools the managers of environmental monitoring. The stored data in the form of a virtual library aid in making decisions from the related results and presented in different formats. This procedure enlarges the use of the data in the preventive attendance, in the planning of future actions and in the definition of new lines of researches on the area, in a multiscale approach. Another activity of this Thesis consisted on the development of a computational system to automate the process to elaborate Oil-Spill Environmental Sensitivity Maps, based on the temporal variations that some coastal ecosystems present in the sensibility to the oil. The maps generated in this way, based on the methodology proposed by the Ministério do Meio Ambiente, supply more updated information about the behavior of the ecosystem, as a support to the operations in case of oil spill. Some parameters, such as the hydrodynamic data, the declivity of the beach face, types of resources in risk (environmental, economical, human or cultural) and use and occupation of the area are some of the essential basic information in the elaboration of the sensitivity maps, which suffer temporal alterations.In this way, the two computational systems developed are considered support systems to the decision, because they provide operational subsidies to the environmental monitoring of the coastal areas, considering the transformations in the behavior of coastal elements resulting from temporal changes related the human and/or natural interference of the environment

A história do intemperismo na Província Borborema Oriental, Nordeste do Brasil: implicações paleoclimáticas e tectônicas

Until some years ago, weathering geochronology was primarily based on the K-Ar and 40Ar/39Ar dating of supergene minerals. Recent advances in the analysis of supergene goethite by the (U-Th)/He method expanded the number of suitable minerals for such purpose, as well as the time of application for weathering geochronology. This study represents the first systematic approach in Brazil, combining both the 40Ar/39Ar e (U-Th)/He methodologies to improve the knowledge on the weathering and the age of nonfossiliferous sediments. Supported by geologic and geomorphologic correlations, we identified different types of weathering profiles occurring in the interior and coastal areas of northeastern Brazil. These profiles were correlated to main regional geomorphological domains: the Borborema Plateau , the Sertaneja Depression , and the Coastal Cuestas and Plains, and respective planation surfaces, which study is fundamental to understand the landscape evolution of the northern portion of the eastern Borborema Province. The depth and stratigraphic organization of the weathering profiles in each of the geomorphological domains permitted to establish that: (i) the profiles on the highlands that cap the Borborema Surface are deeper (up to 100 m) and can be considered as typical lateritic profiles; (ii) on the lowlands that form the Sertaneja Surface , the weathering profiles are shallow and poorly developed (2-5 m deep); (iii) the profiles along the coastal area are moderately developed (up to 25 m deep), and are characterized by thick saprolites and mottle zones. Aiming to establish the timing of the evolution of northeastern Brazil, we studied 29 weathering profiles representing distinct topographic levels of the Borborema Province, from the highlands to the coast, through the analysis of 248 grains of supergene manganese oxides using laser step-heating 40Ar/39Ar geochronology. Additionally, we applied the (U-Th)/He method in 20 weathering profiles, by dating 171 grains of supergene iron oxides and hydroxides. Geochronological results for 248 grains of manganese oxides analyzed by the 40Ar/39Ar method indicate that the weathering profiles in the study area record the history of weathering from the Oligocene to the Pleistocene, with ages in the order of 31.4 ± 1.0 Ma to 0.8 ± 0.4 Ma. Dating of 171 grains of goethite by the (U-Th)/He method yielded ages ranging from 43.2 ± 4.3 Ma to 0.8 ± 0.1 Ma, suggesting the weathering processes last from the Eocene to the Pleistocene. The precipitation of supergene goethite in this interval confirms the age of the weathering processes identified from the manganese oxides record. 105 goethite grains from 8 different occurrences of the Barreiras Formation were dated by the (U-Th)/He method. Five grains collected from the cement in the Barreiras Formation sandstones, in the Lagoa Salgada and Rio do Fogo coastal cuestas, yielded ages of 17.6 ± 1.8 Ma, 17.3 ± 1.7 Ma, 16.3 ± 1.6 Ma, 16.2 ± 1.6 Ma and 13.6 ± 1.4 Ma. Results of 69 goethite grains from authigenic pisoliths collected in 7 different localities also yielded concordant ages, varying from 17.8 ± 1.8 to 7.5 ± 0.8 Ma. Results obtained from 31 detrital grains are concordant in 3 distinct localities (Lagoa Salgada, Praia da Garças e Ponta Grossa); they vary in the range of 43.2 ± 4.3 to 21.6 ± 2.2 Ma, and indicate that the maximum age for the Barreiras Formation deposition is around 22 Ma. 40Ar/39Ar results for 15 manganese oxides grains associated with the Barreiras Formation weathering profiles, in 3 different localities, vary from 13.1 ± 0.9 to 7.7 ± 0.4 Ma, in the same range of ages obtained by the (U-Th)/He method. The systematic application of the 40Ar/39Ar and (U-Th)/He methods, respectively for manganese oxides and goethites, show that the Barreiras Formation sediments were already deposited since ca. 17 Ma, and that the weathering processes were active until ca. 7 Ma ago. The ages obtained from manganese oxides collected in the Cenozoic basalts (Macau Formation) also reveal a weathering history between 19 and 7 Ma, pointing to hot and humid conditions during most of the Miocene. 40Ar/39Ar ages yielded by manganese oxides associated with the Serra do Martins Formation vary from 14.1 ± 0.4 to 10.5 ± 0.3 Ma. On the other hand, (U-Th)/He ages from iron oxides/hydroxides collected in the Serra do Martins Formation mesas vary from 20.0 ± 2.0 to 5.5 ± 0.6 Ma, indicating that those sediments are older than 20 Ma. 40Ar/39Ar and (U-Th)/He results produced in this study are in agreement with paleoclimatic interpretations based on stable isotopes and clay index values measured in the Atlantic Ocean sediments, validating the use of weathering geochronology to investigate paleoclimatic variations. The direct dating of the Barreiras Formation permitted, for the first time, confident inferences on the age of the brittle deformation recorded by this sedimentary unit in the Rio Grande do Norte and Ceará states. The first event, syn-deposition, occurred during the early Miocene; an younger event, related to the post-depositional deformation of the Barreiras Formation, is associated with tectonic activity from the very early Miocene to the Holocene. In agreement with data from other areas, results obtained in this study reveal that the depth and complexity of the weathering profiles reflect the time of exposition of such areas to the weathering agents close to the surface. However, there is no clear relationship between ages vs. altitude. The depth and the stratigraphic organization of weathering profiles in northeastern Brazil, contrary to the southeastern Brazil pattern, do not vary toward the coast. In our study area, field observations reveal the presence of ancient, thick and complex lateritic profiles preserved in the sedimentary mesas on the Borborema Plateau, as younger, narrow and incipient ones occur in the dissected areas. Geochronological results obtained for these profiles yielded older ages on the high altitudes, and younger ages in the lowlands, suggesting the scarp retreatment is the most reliable model to explain the regional landscape evolution. However, in the coastal lowlands, the relatively older ages obtained indicate that more complexes processes were involved in the modeling of the local relief

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

Análise da evolução costeira do litoral setentrional do estado do rio grande do norte, região sob influência da indústria petrolífera

The northern coast of Rio Grande do Norte State is characterized by strong changes in coastal morphology, caused by various geological and climatic factors. In this region are installed the main socio-economic activities of the State, highlighting the oil industry, which exerts much of its activities in the coastal area studied. Erosion is a constant problem in this region because it affects the entire local populace to the destruction of houses and trade, rendering tourism, affecting the livelihood activities and industrial activities. The greatest risk is related to environmental damage that can be caused by the oil spill in this region. To understand what determines the changes in coastal morphology this Doctoral Thesis is proposed to identify the factors at local, regional and even global corroborate coastal dynamics to this coast in question. For this study, used several different products and tools for interpreting the conditions of the erosive effect that dominates the whole northern coast of the State, in an attempt to quantify and describe the causes and effects that affect the entire coastal zone monitored. The development of activities is built into the projects Rede 05 PETROMAR (CTPETRO-FINEP/PETROBRAS/CNPq), PETRORISCO, HIDROSEMA, PETROMAR e Rede 05/04 POTMAR (FNDCT/CTPETROFINEP/ CNPq), in the activities of multidisciplinary and inter-features in issues involving environmental monitoring and oil activity

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