Sueli do Carmo Bettine

Cenários ambientais na bacia do rio Atibaia

This paper presents an integrated analysis of the Atibaia river basin. An environmental diagnosis was performed in the study area. It was applied the methodology developed by the Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development, in 2003, coupled to that done by Tricart and adapted by Ross (1994). We selected 33 environmental indicators which allowed physical and spatial representations of the basin and supported the development of scenarios. Three of them were developed for the Atibaia river basin, called trend, management, and conservation. We evaluated the strengths and weaknesses of the basin, which generated results that allowed to manage water resources and environmental conservation. The main conclusion is that, in the conservationscenario, best conditions to restore the environmental quality of the basin were observed.

Indicators Of Soil Degradation In Urban Forests:Physical And Chemical Parameters

The fragmentation of forest habitats in urban areas has aroused increasing interest in recent years according to the growing environmental problems. The fragmentation of theses ecosystems is caused, in general, by the pressure of housing, agriculture and industry, causing losses in biodiversity and problems of soil degradation in the border areas of theses remnants. The establishment of indicators of soil degradation becomes essential for the implementation of conservation and reclamation. This study analyzes physical and chemical characteristics of soil under different forms of vegetation in the forest surrounding the Quilombo Forest, located in Campinas/SP – Brazil, and examines the possibility of using these indices as indicators of environmental degradation in urban remnants. The parameters analyzed were: specific weight natural ( n), specific weight of solids ( s) Ca, P, K, Mg, pH, organic matter, H + Al, Sum of Base (SB) Percent Base Saturation (V%), Cation Exchange Capacity (CEC) . The study shows that in general the different forms of land used in the study area significantly changed (or according to) the physical aspects of soil The porosity and voids of the soil stood out as the best indicators of soil physical degradation in the layer 0-20 cm deep. In relation to chemical indices, the soil under the cultivation of cane sugar had a significantly higher pH, K, Ca, Mg and sum of bases. The areas of forest showed higher levels of phosphorus, organic matter and CEC, indicating the importance of maintaining vegetation and replacement for the cycling of organic matter.

Contaminated urban land: a situational analysis

In the XXI century, urbanization poses to humankind as the main novelty and as an irreversible phenomenon. Currently, more than half of the world population lives in cities and it is estimated that by 2030 this ratio will reach two thirds. Several surveys indicate a direct relationship between urban growth and pollution, identifying urbanization as one of the major causes of the contamination of soil, groundwater and surface water resources. Soil contaminated by anthropogenic activities has been a global concern because where there is soil exposure to harmful substances there are risks to human health and to the environment. This work presents an analysis and discussion of the existing soil contamination in a densely urbanized and highly industrialized area in southeast Brazil. It was observed that in the last ten years the number of polluted areas has increased linearly and on 74 percent of these more than one type of contaminant has been identified, many of them considered to be carcinogenic to humans. It was concluded that the number of remediation processes in the area is incipient and as a function of complex mixtures of chemical compounds specific remediation techniques will be necessary due to the combined effects of these compounds in the long term.

Water Quality Index In An Urban Watershed

This study aimed to verify the water quality of Ribeirão das Pedras (Stones River), Campinas, São Paulo, Brazil through the implementation of the Water Quality Index (WQI) and comparison with Brazilian legislation (Resolution of the National Environment Council – CONAMA 357/2005), thus being able to initiate discussions about anthropic interferences in watercourses located in urban areas. Ribeirão das Pedras is part of an urban watershed that suffered, and still suffers, from the rapid and intense urban and housing boom, finding its territorial space almost fully occupied. For the execution of this work, six sample points were defined in order to allow a discussion between the land use within their respective drainage area and the results of the WQI applications. The WQI is composed of nine parameters: dissolved oxygen, biochemical oxygen demand, nitrogen, temperature, thermotolerant coliforms, turbidity, phosphorus, pH, and total solids. The first sample point refers to the main watercourse source, four sample points are located throughout the watershed and the last point is located in its base level, at the confluence between Ribeirão das Pedras and its main stem, Ribeirão das Anhumas (Anhumas River). The results of water quality analysis obtained based on the WQI concept were featured as ‘GOOD’; however, the isolated analysis of each parameter allows to compare them with the Brazilian legislation, where it appears that none of the points meets all established quality parameters. Thus, it can be concluded that the watercourse suffers significant impacts along its course, probably derived from the use of the surrounding drainage areas.