The present study aimed to evaluate the water quality of the Icaraí Sewage Outfall (ISEO) area. Sampling was conducted during winter and summer, and water samples were analyzed for dissolved oxygen, pH, temperature, salinity, dissolved inorganic nutrients (DIN), seston, particulate organic matter (POM), and pigments. Results showed that the water chemistry of the area suffers temporal and spatial variation. Great variability was also seen in the C:N:P ratios of POM (August, 112:30:1; December, 59:11:1) and in the DIN concentrations. Chlorophyll-a and ammonium concentrations (4.5 µg L-1 - 71.2 µg L-1, and 0.20 µM - 52,6 µM, respectively) characterized the ISEO area as eutrophic. The dispersal of the material was not effective under certain oceanographic conditions.
eutrophication; sewage outfall; water pollution; nutrients; Guanabara Bay
