Quantification by numerical simulation of the impact of gullies on the water budget of a basement area,southeastern Brazil

ABSTRACT

Many regions of the world are affected by high density of large gullies that can impact on water resources. As these impacts have not been properly evaluated, this study presents a quantification model by numerical simulation of the effect of gullying on the water budget. An active gully of a very eroded region (Bação Complex) was selected and systematically monitored during a hydrological year. The simulation of the gully area by finite element method enabled the quantification of impacts, such as baseflow reduction and groundwater drawdown in the vicinity of this erosional feature. The baseflow reduction, when extrapolated to the whole complex, showed a significant baseflow loss during the dry seasons and an increase of stream flows during the rainy seasons, favouring floods. The numerical simulation results indicate that these modifications are relevant and must be considered when managing aquifers in intensely gullied areas with problems related to water availability.     

Modelling nutrient mass balance in a temperate meso-tidal estuary: Implications for management

Although mitigation programmes have been implemented in huge eutrophied estuarine systems, satisfactory results are not always immediately achieved. External loadings are reduced but the nutrient pools still existing in the sediments (due to decades of external supply) start to deplete only slowly, to reach the lower steady state level related to the new external loading. In the Mondego Estuary, this situation could be seen from the mass balance calculations including different nutrient fractions (dissolved, SPM and bound in vegetation). Different nutrient fractions quantified over the year showed the retention capacity and supplying capacity of these estuarine systems, and also the seasonal dynamics those fractions can present. External loading of nitrogen was largely dominated by DIN, but after its incorporation by benthic primary producers nitrogen export occurred essentially as SPM-N. Phosphorus loading was dominated by SPM-P, but during warmer periods P-efflux increased DIP concentration inside the system and was afterwards exported through the outer boundary. Although nutrients bound in vegetation were not significant to total mass balance, depending on the occurrence of occasional macroalgal blooms, the vegetation fraction can significantly increase its contribution to the overall balance.     

Ecological indices tracking distinct impacts along disturbance-recovery gradients in a temperate NE Atlantic Estuary – Guidance on reference values

Results gathered from a monitoring programme on the Mondego Estuary (Western Coast of Portugal) were compliant with findings drawn from other studies, which pointed out that unstable environments, namely estuarine systems, constitute a great challenge for the use of environmental tools such as ecological indices. The Margalef Index, the Shannon–Wiener Index and AMBI were proposed to evaluate the ecological status of benthic communities in the scope of the European Water Framework Directive (WFD) in Portugal and other European member states. In this system these indices were not equally effective in tracking changes in benthic communities that expressed obvious responses to anthropogenic disturbances (eutrophic situations and severe physical disturbance) and to subsequent impacts' cessation. Natural variability played an important role on the indices' response, with estuarine gradient and habitat heterogeneity affecting the ranges of values obtained, and with extreme climate events slowing down the ongoing recovery process. Nonetheless, both natural and anthropogenic variability during the study period could be satisfactorily detected if we accounted for the information provided by all three indices. Based on the whole range of variation observed (a) as a response to different kinds of impacts, and (b) along recovery gradients, as well as accounting for the natural driving forces acting upon estuarine benthic invertebrate communities, we propose a set of reference values for these three indices. This proposal aims at contributing to the implementation of classification tools within the scope of the European WFD.     

Spatial distribution and estimation of rainfall trends and erosivity in the Epitácio Pessoa reservoir catchment,Paraíba,Brazil

Natural Hazards - The main goals of this study are to better understand the spatial and temporal variabilities in rainfall and to identify rainfall trends and erosivity for the period from 1963 to...     

Building adaptive capacity to climate variability: The case of artisanal fisheries in the estuary of the Patos Lagoon,Brazil

The vulnerabilities of fishing communities to climate and environmental change represent major issues for the governance of fisheries resources which have a direct effect on human security, livelihoods and rights. This paper explores the dynamics of social-ecological systems in the estuary of the Patos Lagoon in southern Brazil. The paper identifies key factors that increase and/or minimize the vulnerabilities of the fishing communities in this lagoon with the objective of understanding: (a) the degree to which fishing communities are able to build adaptive and learning capacities to minimize/reduce vulnerabilities and maintain their livelihoods; and (b) how and under what circumstances external and internal factors may influence and disrupt the social-ecological resilience in this lagoon system. Results show that fishing communities with a higher degree of self-organization are able to create ways to minimize their vulnerability to adverse climatic conditions. However, only a few communities have developed adaptive mechanisms to cope with the influence of climate on resource abundance and availability. Little external institutional support for small-scale fishing communities, erosion of their traditional resource use systems and decreasing fish stocks in recent decades have all led to a gradual increase in the vulnerability of fishing livelihoods in this lagoon. The uncertainties associated with climate are related to increasing vulnerability and influence the degree of resource conservation and exploitation. The lack of public policies to deal with the impact of climate variability on the livelihoods of fishing communities and the presence of weak institutions in resource governance represent major threats to the social security of fishers in this region.     

Impacts of Holocene and modern sea-level changes on estuarine mangroves from northeastern Brazil

Projections of the impacts of modern Relative Sea Level (RSL) rise on estuarine mangroves should be supported by coastal topographic data and records of mangrove dynamics under past RSL change. This work identified inland and seaward mangrove migrations along the Jucuruçu River (Bahia, Northeastern Brazil), during the Holocene based on sedimentary features, palynological and geochemical (δ¹³C, δ¹⁵N, C/N) data integrated with digital elevation models. During the Middle Holocene, in response to RSL rise, the estuary saw mangrove forest establish up to ~37 km inland. RSL stood between -1.4 (+0.36/-2.2 m) and +1 (2.19/0.2 m) around 7400 cal yr BP, and rose to a highest position of +3.25 (4.22/2.45 m) reached around 5350 cal yr BP. That marine incursion caused the inland replacement of freshwater vegetation by mangroves on tidal flats. Since then, the estuary experienced RSL fall, reducing inland tidal water salinity towards the Late Holocene, making that the mangroves were replaced by freshwater floodplain vegetation. Today, in the seaward part of the estuary near its mouth, mangroves occupy an area of ~10 km² along tidal channels. Considering a RSL rise of 98 cm up to the end of the 21^st century, at a rate significantly higher than that of Middle Holocene RSL rise (1.5 mm/yr) and fall (0.6 mm/yr), the current mangrove substrates are expected to drown and/or eroded near the coast, while new mangroves may establish inland, at topographically higher tidal flats in nowadays freshwater-tidal zones. Mangrove area could expand over 13 km² of coastal and flood plain. Following the same interaction between RSL/climate changes and Holocene mangrove dynamics, such upstream mangrove migration may be attenuated or intensified by changes in fluvial discharge. © 2019 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Measurements of biomass and activity of neustonic microorganisms

Microlayer samples from a coastal marine area near Marseilles (France) collected in 1979 and 1980 have been analysed for POC, PON, chlorophyll a, ATP, cell counts, carbon fixation and in some cases for heterotrophic activity. Comparison of microlayer data with those of underlying water showed in most cases enrichment of organic matter and microorganisms in the surface microlayer. Carbon fixation values were comparable to those observed at 0·50 m except in the slicks, where phytoneustonic activity was higher than that of the underlying phytoplankton. Though total heterotrophic activity was higher in the surface film, the turnover time was not significantly different in both microlayer and underlying water. Our data show that enrichment is highly dependent on sea conditions; whenever slicks are present, the surface film seems to function like an eutrophic system, including active living material, although detritus is regularly present in large amounts.     

Ages of the universe for FRW-type models in wesson's 5D variable mass theory of gravity

The age of the universe is computed for spatially homogeneous and isotropic cosmological models of the relativistic Wesson's 5D variable mass theory of gravity. It is shown that if the pressure in the mass dimension is negligible, ages old enough to agree with the observations can only be obtained if the cosmological constant is different from zero. In addition, unlike the standard FRW models in Einstein's 4D theory, the age value itself is not affected by the nature of the matter content (matter and radiation dominated models give the same age).