Iracema Reimão Silva

Evaluation of recreational quality, carrying capacity and ecosystem services supplied by sandy beaches of the municipality of Camaçari, northern coast of Bahia, Brazil

ABSTRACT Souza Filho, J. R., Santos, R. C, Silva, I R., Elliff, C.I., 2014. Evaluation of recreational quality, carrying capacity and ecosystem services supplied by sandy beaches of the municipality of Camaçari, northern coast of Bahia, Brazil. In: Green, A.N. and Cooper, J.A.G. (eds.), Proceedings 13th International Coastal Symposium (Durban, South Africa), Journal of Coastal Research, Special Issue No. 70, pp. 527–532, ISSN 0749-0208. The coastal municipality of Camaçari is currently under great real estate pressure. It is located within one of the main urban growth vectors of the State of Bahia, Brazil. In this context, the main goal of this research was to assess the recreational quality and the carrying capacity, and qualitatively evaluate the ecosystem services supplied by the beaches of the municipality of Camaçari and its adjacent coastal area. In order to evaluate the recreational quality, the beaches of Busca Vida, Jauá, Interlagos, Arembepe, Barra de Jacuipe, Guarejuba and Itacimirim were classified according to twenty-three geoenvironmental quality indicators and eleven infrastructure indicators. Aiming to evaluate the similarity of geoenvironmental and recreational infrastructure characteristics among the studied beaches, a multivariate cluster analysis was used. The ecosystem services were assessed and gathered according to Regulation/Support Services, Provision Services and Information and Culture Services classes. Some beaches experienced a usage level above their carrying capacity, contributing to low geoenvironmental quality and compromising the supplied ecosystem services, mainly the ones concerning regulation and support. In beaches with low urbanization levels and predominance of natural or poorly human impacted environments, a greater diversification and quality of ecosystem services was identified, both of regulation and support services as well as of provision, information, culture and leisure services.

Diagnóstico ambiental e avaliação da capacidade de suporte das praias do bairro de Itapoã, Salvador, Bahia

Itapoas neighborhood is best known for its natural resources and enormous cultural value. It represents the city symbol, its unique features differentiates it from others neighborhoods. Due to its diverse attractions, in the past century, Itapoa was the most popular summer resort. But in the past decades, due to accelerated urbanization process, it became a place with overcrowded beach, high levels of pollution and destruction of native vegetation. In this context, this article intends to analyze the capacity of support and accommodation of regular attendants of Itapoas beach, giving subsidizes to its environmental and social management. Itapoas beach was divided in 55 equal units of 30 meters length. The numbers of person occupying each area was used to calculate the area at disposition for each user. The major parts of this neighborhood area showed an intense density, living 4 to 10 meters square per user. This area per person represents the minimum area tolerated by the users. During the interviews, the dirt and lack of structures from the beach establishments were the worst problems pointed out, while the easy access and peace were the most attractive.

Coral reefs as the first line of defense: Shoreline protection in face of climate change

Coral reefs are responsible for a wide array of ecosystem services including shoreline protection. However, the processes involved in delivering this particular service have not been fully understood. The objective of the present review was to compile the main results in the literature regarding the study of shoreline protection delivered by coral reefs, identifying the main threats climate change imposes to the service, and discuss mitigation and recovery strategies that can and have been applied to these ecosystems. While different zones of a reef have been associated with different levels of wave energy and wave height attenuation, more information is still needed regarding the capacity of different reef morphologies to deliver shoreline protection. Moreover, the synergy between the main threats imposed by climate change to coral reefs has also not been thoroughly investigated. Recovery strategies are being tested and while there are numerous mitigation options, the challenge remains as to how to implement them and monitor their efficacy.

AVALIAÇÃO DA QUALIDADE AMBIENTAL DAS PRAIAS DA ILHA DE ITAPARICA, BAÍA DE TODOS OS SANTOS, BAHIA

Considerando que a qualidade ambiental de uma praia representa um dos principais fatores para sua atratividade para fins recreacionais, o presente trabalho tem como objetivo principal avaliar a qualidade ambiental das praias mais frequentadas na ilha de Itaparica. Com essa finalidade, foram coletadas amostras de agua, areia e de residuos solidos durante o verao (alta estacao) e o inverno (baixa estacao). As analises de Coliformes Termotolerantes e Totais nos dois periodos analisados caracterizam as praias de Ponta de Itaparica, Ponta de Areia, Mar Grande e Conceicao como proprias para recreacao de contato primario, enquanto a praia de Barra Grande foi enquadrada como propria somente no periodo de baixa estacao. Ja a analise destes parâmetros para a areia indicou que todas as praias, na alta estacao, estavam proprias para atividades de contato primario, contudo, no periodo de baixa estacao, apenas a praia de Barra Grande obteve um resultado satisfatorio. Foi encontrada grande quantidade de lixo nas praias amostradas, especialmente na alta estacao, com o predominio dos plasticos dentre os itens coletados. Os resultados mostram que a deficiencia de infraestrutura de saneamento ambiental e o uso desordenado do seu litoral sao os principais responsaveis pelo comprometimento da qualidade ambiental das praias de ilha de Itaparica.

Ecosystem-based management of coastal zones in face of climate change impacts: Challenges and inequalities

Climate change effects have the potential of affecting both ocean and atmospheric processes. These changes pose serious threats to the millions of people that live by the coast. Thus, the objective of the present review is to discuss how climate change is altering (and will continue to alter) atmospheric and oceanic processes, what are the main implications of these alterations along the coastline, and which are the ecosystem-based management (EBM) strategies that have been proposed and applied to address these issues. While ocean warming, ocean acidification and increasing sea level have been more extensively studied, investigations on the effects of climate change to wind and wave climates are less frequent. Coastal ecosystems and their respective natural resources will respond differently according to location, environmental drivers and coastal processes. EBM strategies have mostly concentrated on improving ecosystem services, which can be used to assist in mitigating climate change effects. The main challenge for developing nations regards gaps in information and scarcity of resources. Thus, for effective management and adaptive EBM strategies to be developed worldwide, information at a local level is greatly needed.

Considerations on the effects of tidal regimes in the movement of floating litter in an estuarine environment: Case study of the estuarine system of Santos-São Vicente, Brazil.

Floating litter in the estuarine system of Santos-São Vicente is common and is part of day-to-day activities of various users of the area. The objective of the present study was to carry out a quali-quantitative evaluation of the occurrence of floating litter, to infer their sources, and to identify environmental factors that are likely to control occurrence and distribution, with particular emphasis on the effects of tidal regimes. Six sampling stations were selected along the aforementioned estuary and visited monthly between July 2010 and January 2012. Floating litter was counted from a fixed sampling station. Plastics prevailed (89.64%) and their main source was domestic activities (55.41%). More litter was found during ebb spring tides, with higher concentrations obeying confluence patterns of the estuarys channels. Results indicated that occurrence can be attributed to the deficiency in basic sewage system in the area and the deliberate disposal into the estuary by the local population.

A diachronic view of the net longshore sediment drift during the Late Holocene at the Jequitinhonha River delta, Brazil, using numerical modeling

Using numerical modeling, this work estimates sediment dispersion patterns caused by the incidence of waves in five distinct coastline contours of the Jequitinhonha River delta plain during the Late Holocene. For this study, a wave climate model based on the construction of wave refraction diagrams relative to the current boundary conditions was defined and assumed to be valid for the five coastlines. Numerical modeling from the refraction diagrams was carried out considering the angle of incidence and wave height along the coastline. This work has allowed us to reproduce past and current patterns of net longshore sediment drift defined by a conceptual model developed from the integration of sediment cores, aerial photograph interpretation, C 14 datings and geomorphic indicators of longshore drift. These results show that, on average, current wave conditions in the east-northeastern Brazilian region seem to have remained characteristically the same from approximately 5100 years BP until the present time. This type of information can be important when attempting to simulate possible future situations in terms of the long-term general behavior of the east-northeastern Brazilian coastal region.

Avaliação da dinâmica litorânea da região de Baixio/Barra do Itariri, litoral norte do Estado da Bahia, utilizando o Sistema de Modelagem Costeira (SMC-Brasil)

The software Sistema de Modelagem Costeira (SMC-Brasil) performs various numerical models that allow for conducting short-, middle- and long-term analyses on beaches, thus contributing to coastal studies and management plans. The objective of the present study was to characterize wave and coastal current dynamics of the coastal area of the settlings of Baixio and Barra do Itariri, northern coast of the State of Bahia, producing wave propagation, sediment transport and flux, and inundation level. The wave statistical analysis for the study area, in terms of mean and extreme conditions, performed for intermediate waters, in Point 1 (Dow Point), indicated a predominance of waves from ESE and SE, with heights ranging between 1.61 and 3.25 m and periods, between 7.87 and 13.81 s. Shallow-water wave climate modelling was performed based on Point 1, analyzing others seven profiles along the coast. This analysis indicated a predominance of waves from SE, reaching approximately 1.4 m of height in the surf zone, and the occurrence of three rip currents. The calculation of mean annual longshore transport rates indicated the existence of a divergence zone in the direction of the net transport near Baixio and a northward increase in the percentage of incidence of waves from SE. The combination of storm events with positive meteorological tides, astronomical spring tides and extreme run-up values, can result in high-risk situations for ecosystems and properties, with great impacts on the studied coast, which currently presents high vulnerability to coastal erosion.