Análise Espaço-Temporal da Pluma de Dispersão dos Sedimentos Dragados do Porto de Maceió, Alagoas

The understanding of the sedimentary dynamics is important in the characterization of impacts caused by dredging and this knowledge becomes decisive for their discernment. The aim of this article was to analyze the plume of dispersion of the sediments of the Port of Maceió. The analyzes were carried out in three sampling campaigns, before, during and after the port works, in which the collection points in the dredging and discard areas were plotted. The suspended particulate material (SPM) was analyzed using the gravimetric method and in situ sampling of the parameters turbidity, dissolved oxygen and percentage of saturation, salinity and electrical conductivity with a multiparameter probe and water transparency with Secchi disk. The parameters SPM, turbidity and transparency were analyzed by linear interpolation, while the other variables were subjected to analysis on a polynomial calibration curve. The multiparameters worked were submitted to box plot analysis in order to assess the variance between campaigns. The variation of SPM in the sample campaigns showed dynamic spatial and temporal behavior; The interpolation promoted a better visualization of the physical parameters that directly express the plume of dispersion; The supplementary variables showed trend patterns in relation to the sediment charge; Box plot analysis proved to be pertinently useful for evaluating and interpreting the results in an integrated manner, mainly due to the large number of parameters analyzed; The dredging works had a balanced management between the amount of dredged sediments and their spatial disposition at the discard site when compared to the dredging area.

Aerobiología en hospitales de Guayaquil: microorganismos resistentes a cobre

The present work reports the presence of bacteria and fungi in particulate matter suspended in the exterior of three hospitals in Guayaquil, during the month of March 2019, winter time. The isolated microbial diversity was tolerant to a toxic copper concentration of 3.1 mM. From the particulate material, a greater number of bacterial than fungal species was isolated. However, the fungal species found are related to nosocomial diseases. This is a seed study that aims to lay the foundations for the characterization of microbial diversity through bioprospecting studies, based on aerodynamic factors (wind speed), climatic factors (temperature and relative humidity) and physical composition (content of dust in the air) to correlate the viability of formation of bioaerosols in particulate material in Guayaquil hospitals. Therefore, one of the objectives of the present work is the investigation of the influence of the heavy metal copper in the formulations of culture media to evaluate the microbial tolerance. And due to the potential risk of lack of air control in health institutions, the main objective of the present work is to evaluate the growth conditions of microorganisms present in the suspended particulate material surrounding three hospitals in Guayaquil. Index Terms—nosocomial, pathogens, airborne, SEM

Spectral Variation and Corresponding Changing Mechanism of Suspended Particulate Material Absorption in Poyang Lake during Flood Periods

Remote sensing accuracy of the dynamic water environment under a changing environment due to climate and anthropogenic impacts should be improved by a deep understanding of the absorption properties pertinent to the water body. Spectral variation of suspended particulate material (SPM) absorption and its changing mechanism during flood periods of Poyang Lake were analyzed in this study. Absorption coefficients were measured and determined by spectrophotometry using the quantitative filter techniques (QFTs) based on field samples from July 12 to September 06, 2017. Two main optical active constituents (OACs) of SPM including nonalgal and phytoplankton algal particulates were quantified and analyzed in detail. The results suggested that, during study periods, Poyang Lake exhibits an overall high level of suspended nonalgal detritus and algal concentration and lower water clarity, showing a strong absorption by total suspended sediments that are closely related with the land-derived nonalgal detritus material which varied significantly with diverse proportions of minerals and organic materials from multiple sources. Due to variations in phytoplankton community pigment composition, concentration, and package effect, there exists a difference between optical absorption capacity on blue (440) and red (675) portions of bands, the former of which had an obvious enhancement due to the increased effect of accessory pigments in suspended phytoplankton particles from July to September. Evidence also presented that the nonlinear dependency of specific phytoplankton particulate absorption on pigment concentration for various trophic statuses in different periods could be unstable due to relative contributions of the package effect and accessory pigments; this could bring uncertainties to the parameterization of optical models and remote sensing algorithms proposed for accurate applications in lake water environment monitoring.

Pollen storage by stingless bees as an environmental marker for metal contamination: spatial and temporal distribution of metal elements

Since the middle of the 20th century, human activities have led to overall ecosystem contamination and to major modifications in landscape structure and composition. Mining activities represent a major source of environmental contamination by metal residues. The objective of our study was to evaluate the presence of heavy metals and other elements on stingless bee pollen, and compare them to samples of Suspended Particulate Material (SPM) in five points a Mineral Province, in Brazil. More than 50 elements were identified by ICP-OES and ICP-MS, after microwave digestion. Overall, we found a strong relation among elements present on pollen and SPM. Samples from the four areas exhibited higher levels of minerals compared to the reference site. Mineral levels varied widely within the two seasonal periods. Some elements, like Pb, Cd, As, Cu, Zn, and Fe were found at levels considered potentially toxic to human health. Pollen stored by stingless bees was a successful bioindicator, and demonstrated the value of quantitative ecological information for detecting air pollution.

INFLUENCE OF RAINFALL ON PHYSICAL, CHEMICAL AND BIOLOGICAL PARAMETERS IN WASHOUTS ON THE COAST OF PARANÁ STATE, BRAZIL

Reduction in precipitation, and consequently fresh water, can affect the food loop and the time necessary for an increase in nutrients and contaminants in coastal and estuarine ecosystems. The combined effect of human development and reduction in river flow can degrade water quality, negatively affecting the fishery and human health. The objective of the present research was the study of the water quality (temperature, salinity, alkalinity, carbon dioxide, dissolved oxygen, phosphate, silicate, nitrate, nitrite, ammonium, humic substances, suspended particulate material, particulate organic matter, chlorophyll-a, total coliforms and Escherichia coli), of two washouts (Barranco and Olho d’Água) located in the municipality of Pontal do Paraná (Pontal do Paraná, Brazil), comparing them in periods of lower and higher rainfall. The results showed that during the rainy period, there was an increase in nitrite, suspended particulate material, particulate organic matter, and a decrease in nitrate and chlorophyll-a in the two washouts. An increase in phosphate, ammonium and humic substances were only observed in Barranco; whereas an increase in dissolved oxygen and E. coli were only observed in Olho d’Água. These results showed that larger quantities of nutrients are exported to the adjacent continental shelf in high rainfall periods.