This work analyses the distribution of living benthic foraminiferal assemblages of surface sedime... more This work analyses the distribution of living benthic foraminiferal assemblages of surface sediments in different intertidal areas of Ria de Aveiro (Portugal), a polihaline and anthropized coastal lagoon. The relationships among foraminiferal assemblages in association with environmental parameters (temperature, salinity, Eh and pH), grain size, the quantity and quality of organic matter (enrichment in carbohydrates, proteins and lipids), pollution caused by metals, and mineralogical data are studied in an attempt to identify indicators of adaptability to environmental stress. In particular, concentrations of selected metals in the surficial sediment are investigated to assess environmental pollution levels that are further synthetically parameterised by the Pollution Load Index (PLI). The PLI variations allowed the identification of five main polluted areas. Concentrations of metals were also analysed in three extracted phases to evaluate their possible mobility, bioavailability an...
Over the past 10 to 15 years the use of Geographical Information Systems (GIS) in the analysis of... more Over the past 10 to 15 years the use of Geographical Information Systems (GIS) in the analysis of coastal and marine systems has expanded dramatically. One of the reasons for this is the fact that GIS is an ideal means to analyse and visualize the complex spatial and temporal evolution of morphologically complex areas (Bartlett, 1999). Most environmental data in
Tidal dynamics of shallow estuaries and lagoons is a complex matter that has attracted the attent... more Tidal dynamics of shallow estuaries and lagoons is a complex matter that has attracted the attention of a large number of researchers over the last few decades. The main purpose of the present work is to study the intricate tidal dynamics of the Tagus estuary, which states as the largest estuary of the Iberian Peninsula and one of the most important wetlands in Portugal and Europe. Tagus has large areas of low depth and a remarkable geomorphology, both determining the complex propagation of tidal waves along the estuary of unknown manner. A non-linear two-dimensional vertically integrated hydrodynamic model was considered to be adequate to simulate its hydrodynamics and an application developed from the SIMSYS2D model was applied to study the tidal propagation along the estuary. The implementation and calibration of this model revealed its accuracy to predict tidal properties along the entire system. Several model runs enabled the analysis of the local variations in tidal dynamics, ...
A sedimentological and bathymetric study of the Minho-Galicia Shelf shows a strong contrast betwe... more A sedimentological and bathymetric study of the Minho-Galicia Shelf shows a strong contrast between a southern shelf region with a thin partially relict cover of sands and gravel, and a northern region where fine-grained sediments predominate. This contrast is explained through differences in the sediment supply, the oceanographic environment (storms and ocean currents) and the morphology of the shelf which
ABSTRACT Occupation of the Fortaleza's coastline began in the 17th century following the ... more ABSTRACT Occupation of the Fortaleza's coastline began in the 17th century following the arrival of the Dutch and subsequent construction of the fortress after which the city is named. Urban development of the coast began in the early 19th century. The processes of occupation and urbanization along Fortaleza's coastline is inseparable from the history of the port and its environmental impacts (silting-up and erosion). Currently, the coast studied is one of Brazil's most developed, densely populated and most heavily modified by coastal engineering structures. Urban development accelerated in the 1980s due to tourism activities and led to the expansion of high-rise construction along the beachfront. Intensive occupation thus replaced extensive occupation. This paper explores Fortaleza's urban development from two perspectives. Firstly, we use historical data to document the process of high-rise development on the tourist sea-front and the modification of the same coast with coastal engineering structures designed to contain erosion triggered by the construction of Mucuripe Harbor. Secondly, we collected field data on the current urban fabric (including the distribution of high-rise buildings, land prices and land use) and used these data to analyze urban growth and human pressure on the coastal zone, especially the Fortaleza sea-front. Extensive artificial modification of the coast has enabled Fortaleza to develop into one of the most important tourist resorts in Brazil. In turn, this increased economic activity has allowed increasingly extensive and costly coastal engineering structures to be built in the area.
This paper presents a comprehensive review on the interaction between hydrodynamic processes, bea... more This paper presents a comprehensive review on the interaction between hydrodynamic processes, beach morphology and sedimentology at large scale coastal behaviour along the coastline of Santa Catarina, between Laguna and São Francisco Island, a microtidal east coast swell environment with headland and bay geomorphologies. The parabolic bay shape equation has proven to be a convenient and practical tool for studying
This work analyses the distribution of living benthic foraminiferal assemblages of surface sedime... more This work analyses the distribution of living benthic foraminiferal assemblages of surface sediments in different intertidal areas of Ria de Aveiro (Portugal), a polihaline and anthropized coastal lagoon. The relationships among foraminiferal assemblages in association with environmental parameters (temperature, salinity, Eh and pH), grain size, the quantity and quality of organic matter (enrichment in carbohydrates, proteins and lipids), pollution caused by metals, and mineralogical data are studied in an attempt to identify indicators of adaptability to environmental stress. In particular, concentrations of selected metals in the surficial sediment are investigated to assess environmental pollution levels that are further synthetically parameterised by the Pollution Load Index (PLI). The PLI variations allowed the identification of five main polluted areas. Concentrations of metals were also analysed in three extracted phases to evaluate their possible mobility, bioavailability an...
Over the past 10 to 15 years the use of Geographical Information Systems (GIS) in the analysis of... more Over the past 10 to 15 years the use of Geographical Information Systems (GIS) in the analysis of coastal and marine systems has expanded dramatically. One of the reasons for this is the fact that GIS is an ideal means to analyse and visualize the complex spatial and temporal evolution of morphologically complex areas (Bartlett, 1999). Most environmental data in
Tidal dynamics of shallow estuaries and lagoons is a complex matter that has attracted the attent... more Tidal dynamics of shallow estuaries and lagoons is a complex matter that has attracted the attention of a large number of researchers over the last few decades. The main purpose of the present work is to study the intricate tidal dynamics of the Tagus estuary, which states as the largest estuary of the Iberian Peninsula and one of the most important wetlands in Portugal and Europe. Tagus has large areas of low depth and a remarkable geomorphology, both determining the complex propagation of tidal waves along the estuary of unknown manner. A non-linear two-dimensional vertically integrated hydrodynamic model was considered to be adequate to simulate its hydrodynamics and an application developed from the SIMSYS2D model was applied to study the tidal propagation along the estuary. The implementation and calibration of this model revealed its accuracy to predict tidal properties along the entire system. Several model runs enabled the analysis of the local variations in tidal dynamics, ...
A sedimentological and bathymetric study of the Minho-Galicia Shelf shows a strong contrast betwe... more A sedimentological and bathymetric study of the Minho-Galicia Shelf shows a strong contrast between a southern shelf region with a thin partially relict cover of sands and gravel, and a northern region where fine-grained sediments predominate. This contrast is explained through differences in the sediment supply, the oceanographic environment (storms and ocean currents) and the morphology of the shelf which
ABSTRACT Occupation of the Fortaleza's coastline began in the 17th century following the ... more ABSTRACT Occupation of the Fortaleza's coastline began in the 17th century following the arrival of the Dutch and subsequent construction of the fortress after which the city is named. Urban development of the coast began in the early 19th century. The processes of occupation and urbanization along Fortaleza's coastline is inseparable from the history of the port and its environmental impacts (silting-up and erosion). Currently, the coast studied is one of Brazil's most developed, densely populated and most heavily modified by coastal engineering structures. Urban development accelerated in the 1980s due to tourism activities and led to the expansion of high-rise construction along the beachfront. Intensive occupation thus replaced extensive occupation. This paper explores Fortaleza's urban development from two perspectives. Firstly, we use historical data to document the process of high-rise development on the tourist sea-front and the modification of the same coast with coastal engineering structures designed to contain erosion triggered by the construction of Mucuripe Harbor. Secondly, we collected field data on the current urban fabric (including the distribution of high-rise buildings, land prices and land use) and used these data to analyze urban growth and human pressure on the coastal zone, especially the Fortaleza sea-front. Extensive artificial modification of the coast has enabled Fortaleza to develop into one of the most important tourist resorts in Brazil. In turn, this increased economic activity has allowed increasingly extensive and costly coastal engineering structures to be built in the area.
This paper presents a comprehensive review on the interaction between hydrodynamic processes, bea... more This paper presents a comprehensive review on the interaction between hydrodynamic processes, beach morphology and sedimentology at large scale coastal behaviour along the coastline of Santa Catarina, between Laguna and São Francisco Island, a microtidal east coast swell environment with headland and bay geomorphologies. The parabolic bay shape equation has proven to be a convenient and practical tool for studying
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