O presente estudo analisa as plumas de turbidez dos sistemas dos rios São Francisco, Caravelas, Doce, e Paraiba do Sul localizados na costa NE/E do Brasil utilizando imagens Landsat e o algoritmo logarítmico para Total de Sólidos em Suspensão (TSS) proposto por Tassan (1987). Os resultados obtidos foram comparados com Total de Sólidos em Suspensão medidos in situ. A pluma de turbidez de cada sistema mostra padrões de dispersão distintos. O comportamento, a dimensão e o grau de turbidez da pluma do Rio São Francisco têm sido drasticamente alterados devido à cascata de barragens e seus reservatórios presentes em sua bacia de drenagem. Já as plumas dos rios Doce e Paraíba do Sul apresentam pulsações sazonais e maior turbidez, uma vez que as barragens nesses rios localizam-se no setor médio e mantiveram a pulsação sazonal da vazão. A pluma do sistema costeiro de caravelas permanece restrita às águas rasas dominadas por processos de ressuspensão. Durante a primavera e verão, quando os ventos de NE-E prevalecem, as plumas dos quatro sistemas se dispersam na direção sul. Durante o inverno, inversões do padrão de dispersão podem ocorrer com a passagem de frentes frias. As plumas dos sistemas São Francisco e Doce tendem a se dispersar obliquamente à costa, favorecendo o transporte de material para regiões oceânicas, enquanto que as plumas dos sistemas Caravelas e Paraíba do Sul se dispersam paralelamente à costa, favorecendo a retenção de TSS.

Turbidity plumes of São Francisco, Caravelas, Doce, and Paraiba do Sul river systems, located along the NE/E Brazilian coast, are analyzed for their dispersal patterns of Total Suspended Solids (TSS) concentration using Landsat images and a logarithmic algorithm proposed by Tassan (1987) to convert satellite reflectance values to TSS. The TSS results obtained were compared to in situ collected TSS data. The analysis of the satellite image data set revealed that each river system exhibits a distinct turbidity plume dispersal pattern. The behavior, dimension and degree of turbidity of the São Francisco River plume have been greatly altered by the construction of a cascade of hydroelectric dam reservoirs in its hydrological basin. The plume has lost its typical unimodal seasonal pattern of material dispersion and its turbidity has decreased due to the regulation of river flow by the dams and TSS retainance by the reservoirs. In contrast, the Doce and Paraíba do Sul river plumes are still subject to seasonal pulsations and show more turbid conditions than the SF plume, as dams are less numerous, set in the middle river sections and the natural river flow has been maintained. The Caravelas Coastal System river plume is restricted to near shore shallow waters dominated by resuspension processes. During austral spring and summer when NE-E winds prevail, all plumes generally disperse southward. Short-term northward reversals may occur in winter with the passage of atmospheric cold fronts. The São Francisco and Doce river plumes tend to disperse obliquely to the coast and transport materials further offshore, while the Caravelas and Paraíba do Sul plumes tend to disperse mainly parallel to the coast, enhancing TSS retention nearshore.

The aim of this study was to investigate the post-dam conditions of the loads and yields of dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN), orthophosphate (DIP, silicate (DSi) and total phosphorous (TP) in the Lower São Francisco river estuary (NE-Brazil) after the river was regulated to a constant flow by the dams. Loads and yields of monthly measurements performed from November 2000 to March 2002 at a gauging station downstream of the dams (80 km from the coast) showed 4.1 x 10³ t/yr and 0.006 t/km² /yr of DIN, 0.2 x 10³ t/yr and 0.002 t/km² /yr of DIP, and 448 x 10³ t/yr and 0.71 t/km² /yr of DSi, respectively. Over the last 15 years, DIN loads reduced by 94 % and DSi by 31%. The river turned into an oligotrophic system with primary production limited by nitrogen and nutrient yields being among the lowest of Brazilian coastal rivers.

A extensão, forma e as concentrações da matéria das plumas de pequena escala geradas pelos canais dos rios São Francisco e Guandu, se diferenciaram consideravelmente entre os eventos de alta e baixa descarga. A pluma durante o evento de alta descarga apresentou maior potencial de fertilização da parte central interna da Baía de Sepetiba, enquanto a pluma de baixa descarga fluvial reteve materiais próximo da costa em área rasa. As plumas foram impactadas por múltiplas fontes de materiais, incluindo o aporte lateral fluvial e os sedimentos do fundo. A baixa profundidade da área foi responsável pelo acoplamento nítido da água e do sedimento. O bombeamento da maré com, provavelmente, o atrito no fundo gerado pelo fluxo fluvial, foram responsáveis pela ressuspensão de matéria em suspensão e a liberação de nutrientes dos sedimentos superficiais. As plumas apresentaram um desacoplamento nítido entre as zonas de turbidez e a clorofila, e um acoplamento entre as zonas de turbidez e de mistura estuarina, geralmente não observado em plumas de médio a grande porte que se proliferam na costa e plataforma continental.

Coastal river plumes represent one of the final stages of material transport across the land-sea interface. Most studies, however have focused on the behavior of medium to large sized river plumes of coastal-shelf waters, whereas small sized river plumes acting within estuaries have been neglected. This study addressed the behavior of suspended particulate matter (SPM), dissolved inorganic nutrients (DIN, DIP and DSi) and Chlorophyll a (Chl. a) of a small sized river plume derived from the closely lain São Francisco and Guandú river channels, set in the Sepetiba Bay estuary, SE-Brazil. Two surface water sampling campaigns were conducted, one in January 2003 (humid summer conditions) and the other in June 2003 (dry winter conditions). On both occasions, the plumes dispersed in a SE direction towards the inner portion of the bay. The "wet" event plume was more turbid, nutrient rich and dispersed beyond nearshore waters, whereas the "dry" event plume proliferated as a narrow, less turbid and more nutrient poor film alongshore. Both exhibited a marked degree of patchiness, induced by the differential input of materials from the river sources and resuspension processes from the shallow nearshore bottom. The São Francisco river channel was the main source of freshwater, SPM and nutrients, except for ammonia (NH4+-N) derived from domestic effluents of the Guandú river. The mesohaline portion of the estuarine mixing zone of the plumes behaved as a slight source for SPM, DSi and DIP, due to bottom resuspension processes. N:P molar ratios ranged between 80:1 and 20:1 along the estuarine gradient, being higher in the summer than in the winter event, indicating that DIP was the potential nutrient limiting primary production. Chl. a concentrations increased at the outer premises of the plume, suggesting that the short residence times and turbidity of the plume waters, hampered primary production nearshore, particularly during the summer occasion. The small sized plume lacked the spatial decoupling between the estuarine mixing and turbidity zones, generally observed in larger sized coastal-shelf plumes.

Fluxos bênticos de oxigênio e nutrientes foram medidos numa seção da lagoa hipersalina e carbonática de Araruama, SE-Brasil Incubações in situ da superfície do sedimento (Zm = 1,5) foram realizadas em uma estação com câmaras claras/escuras nos meses de setembro de 1993 (início da primavera) e abril de 1995 (início do outono). Os sedimentos ricos em carbonatos eram recobertos por um tapete microalgal de 1-3 mm, dominados pelas cianobactérias Phormidium sp,Oscillatoria spLyngbya sp. As taxas de produção primária yquida foram 15,4 ± 0,7 mmolC/m²/d Id no iníCIO da primavera e 33,8 ± 8,8 mmolC/m Id no início do outono, as taxas de respiração total da comunidade alcançaram 35,3 ± 7,2 e 65,7 ± 16,9 mmolC/m²/d Id, e as taxas de produção primária pelágica 1,7 ± 0,7 e 4,0 ± 1,4 mmolC/m²/d, respectivamente. Desta forma, o metabolismo total da comunidade mostrou-se heterotrófico e guiado principalmente pela contornação bêntica. As taxas de liberação bêntica de amônia foram 0,65 ± 0,32 mmoVm ldia no início da primavera e 0,58 ± 0,42 mmolC/m²/dia no início do outono e insignificantes para fósforo. O fósforo representou o elemento limitante da produçao primária pelágica, em parte, pela liberação preferencial de amônia sobre ortofOsfato a partir da interface água-sedimento. A produção primária bêntica e as taxas de liberação de nutrientes se enquadraram dentro da faixa estabelecida para outros sistemas eurye hipersalinos carbonáticos, caracterizados por tapetes algais não-consolidados.

Bentbic oxygen and nutrient ftuxes were measured in a section of the hypersaline carbonate-rich coastal lagoon of Araruama, SE-Brazil. In situ incubations of the sediment surface (Zm - 1.5) were performed at one station with light/dark chambers during september 1993 (early spring period) and april 1995 (earlyautumn period). The carbonate..rich aediments were covered by 1-3 mm thick microalgal mats, dominated by the cyanobaeteria Phormidium sp, Oscillatoria sp, and Lyngbya sp. Benthic net primary production rates were 15.4 ± 0.7 mmolC/m²/d in early spring and 33.8 ± 8.8 mmolC/m²/d in early autumn, total community respiration rates attained 35.3 ± 7.2 and 65.7 ± 16.9 mmolC/m²/d, and pelagic primary production rates 1.7 ± 0.7 and 4.0 ± 1.4 mmolC/m²/d, respectively. Total community metabolism was thus heterauophic and mainly driven by benthic metabolism. The benthic release rates af ammonia were 0.65 ± 0.32 mmolC/m²/day in early spring and 0.58± 0.42mmoVm ldaym early autumn, butwere near to negligible for orthophosphate. Pelagic primaryproduction was limited byphosphorous, in part, by the preferential release of étmmonia over orthophosphate from the sediment-water interface. The benthic primary production and nutrient release rates were within the range of other eury-to hypersaline carbonate-rich environments characterized by non- consolidated algat rats.