Transporte longitudinal de sedimentos em suspensão no estuário do Rio Jaguaribe, Brasil

Abstract

The Jaguaribe River estuary lies in a region characterized by climatic irregularities, inserted in semi-arid terrains. These storms associated with climatic and anthropogenic processes entailed by a barrage construction, shrimp farms, mangrove deforestation and the use and occupation of margins, caused signifi cant changes in the processes of erosion, transport and deposition. These facts gave rise to economic losses and environmental impacts through the siltation of tidal channels and the less condition for navigability. Thus, it is important to know the mechanism of sediment production in order to contribute to the sustainable management of the activities to be developed. The study aimed to analyze the longitudinal transport of sediment in the river estuary based on data collection in situ through parameters of the hydrodynamic, morphodynamic and sedimentological conditions. Samples were collected in two tidal cycles (high /low tide). The analysis of longitudinal profi le revealed retention of sediments in the estuary during the rainy season. The fi ne material comes from the suspended loads from the inside of the basin and the contribution of the sandy-mud sediments of the Barrier Formation which borders the west bank of the estuary