Atividade de dragagem e circulação de massas de águas oceânicas: possíveis influências nas características físico-químicas na plataforma continental interna adjacente à Baía de Guanabara (RJ)

Abstract

Dragging activity is carried out in port regions for the deepening, widening and maintenance of free access to vessels, as well as for accident prevention and losses. But it also results in changes in hydrodynamics, in geophysical characteristics and eventually, changes in water and sediment geochemistry. Therefore, the present study aims at to characterize the water masses at the entrance of Guanabara Bay/RJ, Brazil, including the region’s disposal area for dredged material. This initial analysis will be a reference for further studies of how this activity may alter and/or enhance the circulation of water and the consequences. From historical data and using oceanographic analysis software Ocean Data View, it was possible to observe the natural seasonal variability of the area, raising questions that initiate this kind of analysis, as well as the identification of some negative and positive environmental impacts resulting from these correlations