Estudo de correntes marinhas por meio do lançamento de cartões de deriva no litoral do Estado de Pernambuco, Brasil

Abstract

Aiming to better understand the coastal circulation in the Pernambuco continental shelf, in relation to the wind’s velocity and direction, drift cards were deployed in two groups of 5000 cards each. The experiment was conducted under two wind conditions, the first with prevailing winds from Southeast and the second with prevailing winds from Northeast. The results showed a clear influence of the seasonal wind system over the currents direction. The currents South-North direction was prevalent during summer months due to higher frequency and intensity of the winds from South and Southeast. This current direction has greater impact on the underwater beach zone and is responsible for raising the water turbidity. When the current direction changes to North-South, the continental water, rich in sediment and pollutants, tend to move off the coast line without affecting the level of turbidity and pollution of the beaches.