Application of geo-ecological and thematic mapping to the analysis of estuarine environments in northeastern Brazil

Abstract

Over the past few decades, the occupation and exploitation of the natural resources found in Brazilian estuaries have increasingly impacted the ecological integrity of these systems, altering their internal dynamics and the daily life of local communities. In this context, this chapter focuses on a conservation unit located on the western coast of the northeastern Brazilian state of Ceará, centered on the estuary of the Mundaú River. The research included the diagnosis of the water quality of the study area, based on the analysis of pH, salinity, dissolved oxygen, temperature, and transparency, and the identification and mapping of the geo-ecological units of the study area. Data were collected in the field using digital multianalyzers every 3 months between April 2011 and December 2011, during the spring tide (low and high tide), and the maps were produced in ArcGIS 9.3. The results indicate that the water quality of the study area complied with Brazilian sanitary norms with only localized abnormalities, which do not appear to reflect any major disequilibrium of the estuarine system at the present time.