The dynamics of a frictionally-dominated Amazonian estuary

Asp, Nils Edvin; Schettini, Carlos Augusto França; Siegle, Eduardo; Silva, Marcio Sousa da; Brito, Roney Nonato Reis de

Abstracts

The hydrodynamics, morphology and sedimentology of the Taperaçu estuary were investigated. This is one of several estuaries located within the largest mangrove fringe in the world, bordering the Amazon region, subject to a macrotidal regime and regionally atypical negligible fresh water supply. The results reveal widespread sand banks that occupy the central portion of the estuarine cross-section. Well-sorted very fine sandy sediments of marine origin prevail. Shorter flood phases, with substantially higher current velocities, were observed in the upper sector of Taperaçu, as expected for a shallow, friction-dominated estuary. However, ebb domination can be expected for estuaries with large associated mangrove areas and substantial estuarine infilling, both of which situations occur on the Taperaçu. The tidal asymmetry favoring flood currents could be the result of the absence of an effective fluvial discharge. Furthermore, it was observed that the Taperaçu is connected by tidal creeks to the neighboring Caeté estuary, allowing a stronger flux during the flood and intensifying the higher flood currents. As a whole, the results have shown a complex interaction of morphological aspects (friction, fluvial drainage, connections with neighbor estuaries, infilling and large storage area) in determining hydrodynamic patterns, thus improving the understanding of Amazon estuaries.

Amazon coast; estuarine infilling; hydrodynamics; tidal asymmetry

A hidrodinâmica, morfologia e sedimentologia do estuário do Taperaçu foram investigadas. Este é um entre vários estuários do litoral amazônico que integram a maior extensão contínua de manguezais do mundo, apresentando uma descarga de água doce muito reduzida, atípica para a região. Os resultados revelam grandes bancos arenosos que ocupam em grande parte a porção central do estuário. Areias muito finas e bem selecionadas de origem marinha prevalecem. Fases de enchente mais curtas, com velocidades de corrente substancialmente mais altas, são observadas na porção superior do estuário, como esperado para um estuário raso e dominado por fricção. Por outro lado, uma vazante mais intensa poderia ocorrer como resultado de grandes áreas de manguezais associadas e intenso preenchimento estuarino, sendo que ambas as condições são observadas no Taperaçu. Neste caso, a prevalência da enchente parece estar associada à ausência de uma descarga fluvial efetiva. Além disso, alguns canais de maré conectam o Taperaçu com seu vizinho estuário do Caeté, o que contribuiria para o domínio de enchente. Como um todo, os resultados demonstram uma complexa interação de aspectos de configuração (fricção, drenagem fluvial, conexões com estuários vizinhos, preenchimento e grandes áreas intermareais) na determinação dos padrões hidrodinâmicos, contribuindo para o entendimento dos estuários da região amazônica.

Litoral Amazônico; Preenchimento Estuarino; Hidrodinâmica; Assimetria de maré

AHNERT, F. Estuarine meanders in the Chesapeake Bay area. Geogr. Rev, v. 50, p. 390-401, 1960.
ANGULO, R. J.; LESSA G. C.; SOUZA, M. C. A Critical review of Mid- to Late Holocene sea-level fluctuations on the eastern Brazilian coastline. Quaternary Sci. Rev., v. 25, p. 486-506, 2006.
ASP, N. E. Morphological changes of tidal flats at the German North Sea Coast induced by tidal asymmetry. J Coast. Res, v. SI39, p. 440-445, 2006.
AUBREY, D. G.; SPEER, P. E. A Study of non-linear propagation in shallow inlet/estuarine systems. Pt I: Observations. Estuar. Coast. Shelf Sci, v. 21, p. 185-205, 1985.
BOON, J. D.; BYRNE, R. J. On basin hypsometry and the morphodynamic response of coastal inlet systems. Mar Geol, v. 40, p. 27-48, 1981.
COHEN, M. C. L.; SOUZA FILHO, P. W. M.; LARA, R. L.; BEHLING, H.; ANGULO, R. J. A model of holocene mangrove development and relative sea-level changes on the Bragança Peninsula (northern Brazil). Wetl. Ecol. Manag., v. 13:, p. 433-443, 2005.
DALRYMPLE, R. W.; ZAITLIN, B. A.; BOYD, R. Estuarine facies model: Conceptual basis and stratigraphic implications. J. Sediment. Petrol, v. 62, p. 1130-1146. 1992.
DHN - Diretoria de Hidrografia e Navegação, Marinha do Brasil. Available at <https://www.mar.mil.br/dhn/dhn/index.html>. Accessed 20/10/08.
» link
DOMINGUEZ, J. M. L. The coastal zone of Brazil, p. 17-52. In: DILLENBURG, S.F.; HESP, P.A. (Ed.). Geology and Geomorphology of Holocene coastal barriers of Brazil New York: Springer-Verlag, 2009, 380p.(Series Lectures Notes in Earth Sciences, 107, p. 15-17).
DYER, K. R. Sediment transport processes in estuaries. In: PERILLO, G. M. E. (Ed.). Geomorphology and sedimentology of estuaries Amsterdam: Elsevier, 1995. 471 p. (Series Developments in Sedimentology, 53, p. 423-449).
FLEMMING, B. W. A revised textural classification of gravel-free muddy sediments on the basis of ternary diagrams. Cont. Shelf Res, v. 20, p. 1125-1137, 2000.
FOLK, R. L.; WARD, W. C. Brazos river bar: a study in the significance of grain size parameters. J. Sediment Petrol., v. 27, p. 3-26, 1957.
FRIEDRICHS, C. T.; AUBREY, D. G. Non-linear tidal distortion in shallow well-mixed estuaries: a synthesis. Estuar. Coast. Shelf Sci, v. 27, p. 521-545, 1988.
FRIEDRICHS, C. T.; LYNCH, D. R.; AUBREY, D. G. Velocity asymmetries in frictionally-dominated tidal embayments: longitudinal and lateral variability. In: D. PRANDLE (Ed). Dynamics and exchanges in estuaries and the coastal zone Wshington, DC: American Geophysical Union, 1992. p. 277-312.
INMET. Normais Climatológicas do Brasil 1961-1990. INMET Brasil, 465p. 2010.
KJERFVE, B. Bathymetry as an indicator of net circulation in well mixed estuaries. Limnol. Oceanogr, v. 23, p. 816- 821, 1978.
LAMBIASE, J. J. Hydraulic control of grain-size distributions in a macrotidal estuary. Sedimentology, v. 27, p. 433-446, 1980.
LENTZ, S. J. The Amazon River plume during AMASSEDS: subtidal current variability and the importance of wind forcing. J Geophys. Res, v. 100, p. 2377-2390, 1995.
LESSA, G. C. Morphodynamic controls on vertical and horizontal tides – field results from two macrotidal shallow estuaries: central Queensland, Australia. J. Coast.Res. , v. 16, p. 976-989, 2000.
LESSA, G. C.; MASSELINK, G. Morphodynamic evolution of a macrotidal barrier estuary. Mar. Geol, v. 129, p. 25-46, 1995.
LINDHOLM, R. C. A practical approach to Sedimentology London: Allen and Unwin, 1987. 276 p.
MEADE, R. H; DUNNE, T.; RICHEY, J. E.; SANTOS, U. M.; SALATI, E. Storage and remobilization of suspended sediment in the lower Amazon River of Brazil. Science, v. 228, p. 488-490, 1985.
MEHLIG U. Aspects of tree primary production in an equatorial mangrove forest in Brazil. ZMT-Contribution , n. 14, 2001. 155 p.
MIRANDA, L. B.; CASTRO, B. M.; KJERFVE, B. Princípios de Oceanografia Física de estuários São Paulo: EDUSP, 2002. 414 p.
MONTEIRO, M. C.; PEREIRA, L. C. C. Morphodynamic change of a macrotidal sand beach on the Brazilian Amazon Coast (Ajuruteua - Pará). J. Coast. Res., v. SI56, p. 103-107, 2009.
MORAES, B. C.; COSTA, J. M. N.; COSTA, A. C. L.; COSTA, M. H. Variação espacial e temporal da precipitação no estado do Pará. Acta Amazon, v. 35, p. 207-214, 2005.
NITTROUER, C. A.; KUEHL, S. A.; STERNBERG, R. W.; FIGUEIREDO JR., A. G.; FARIA, L. E. C. Introduction to the geological significance of sediment transport and accumulation on the Amazon continental shelf. Mar. Geol, v. 125, p. 177-192, 1995.
PEREIRA, L. C. C.; RIBEIRO, C. M.; MONTEIRO, M.; ASP, N. E. Morphological and sedimentological changes in a macrotidal sand beach in the Amazon littoral (Vila dos Pescadores, Pará, Brazil). J. Coastal Res, v. SI56, p 113-117, 2009.
PIANCA, C.; MAZZINI, P. L.; SIEGLE E. Brazilian offshore wave climate based on NWW3 reanalysis. Braz. J. Oceanogr, v. 58, p. 53-70. 2010.
SCHETTINI, C. A. F.; MIRANDA, L. B. Circulation and suspended particulate matter transport in a tidally dominated estuary: Caravelas estuary, Bahia, Brazil. Braz. J. Oceanogr, v. 58, p. 1-11, 2010.
SOUZA FILHO, P. W. M. Costa de manguezais de Macromaré da Amazônia: Cenários morfológicos, mapeamento e quantificação a partir de dados de sensores remotos. Rev. Bras Geofís, v. 23, p. 427-435, 2005.
SOUZA FILHO, P. W. M.; TOZZI, H. A. M.; EL-ROBRINI, M. Geomorphology, land use and environmental hazard in Ajuruteua macrotidal sandy beach, northeastern, Pará, Brazil. J. Coastal Res, v. 35, p. 580-589, 2003.
SOUZA FILHO, P. W. M.; LESSA, G. C.; COHEN, M. C. L.; COSTA, F. R.; LARA, R. J. The subsiding macrotidal barrier estuarine system of the eastern Amazon coast, Northern Brazil, p. 347-376. In: DILLENBURG, S. F., HESP, P. A. (Ed.). Geology and Geomorphology of Holocene coastal barriers of Brazil. New York: Springer-Verlag, 2009. 380 p.(Series Lecture Notes in Earth Sciences, 107, p. 347-376, 2009.
STRAHLER, A. N. Hypsometric (area-altitude) analysis of erosional topography. Bull. Geol. Soc. Am, v. 63, p. 1117-1142, 1952.
VELLOZO, T. G; ALVES, A. R. Características gerais do fenômeno da maré no Brasil. An. Hidrogr, v. 61, p. 121-129, 2005.
WELLS, J. T. Tidal-dominated estuaries and tidal rivers, p. 179-205. In: PERILLO, G. M. E. (Ed.). Geomorphology and Sedimentology of estuaries Amsterdam: Elsevier, 1995. p. 179-205. (Series Development in Sedimentology, 53, 1995, 471 p.
WRIGHT, L. D.; COLEMAN, J. M.; THOM, B. G. Processes of channel development of a high-tide range environment: Cambridge Gulf-Ord River Delta, Western Australia. J. Geol, v., p. 81: 15-41, 1973.
ZEMBRUSCKI, S. G; GORINI, M. A.; PALMA, J. J. C.; COSTA, M. P. A. Fisiografia e distribuição dos sedimentos superficiais na Plataforma Continental Norte Brasileira. Bol. Téc.Petrobras, v. 14, p. 127-155, 1971.

Publication Dates

Publication in this collection
30 Oct 2012
Date of issue
Sept 2012

History

Received
19 Oct 2011
Accepted
22 Oct 2012
Reviewed
19 Aug 2012

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

[1] AHNERT, F. Estuarine meanders in the Chesapeake Bay area. Geogr. Rev, v. 50, p. 390-401, 1960.

[2] ANGULO, R. J.; LESSA G. C.; SOUZA, M. C. A Critical review of Mid- to Late Holocene sea-level fluctuations on the eastern Brazilian coastline. Quaternary Sci. Rev., v. 25, p. 486-506, 2006.

[3] ASP, N. E. Morphological changes of tidal flats at the German North Sea Coast induced by tidal asymmetry. J Coast. Res, v. SI39, p. 440-445, 2006.

[4] AUBREY, D. G.; SPEER, P. E. A Study of non-linear propagation in shallow inlet/estuarine systems. Pt I: Observations. Estuar. Coast. Shelf Sci, v. 21, p. 185-205, 1985.

[5] BOON, J. D.; BYRNE, R. J. On basin hypsometry and the morphodynamic response of coastal inlet systems. Mar Geol, v. 40, p. 27-48, 1981.

[6] COHEN, M. C. L.; SOUZA FILHO, P. W. M.; LARA, R. L.; BEHLING, H.; ANGULO, R. J. A model of holocene mangrove development and relative sea-level changes on the Bragança Peninsula (northern Brazil). Wetl. Ecol. Manag., v. 13:, p. 433-443, 2005.

[7] DALRYMPLE, R. W.; ZAITLIN, B. A.; BOYD, R. Estuarine facies model: Conceptual basis and stratigraphic implications. J. Sediment. Petrol, v. 62, p. 1130-1146. 1992.

[8] DHN - Diretoria de Hidrografia e Navegação, Marinha do Brasil. Available at <https://www.mar.mil.br/dhn/dhn/index.html>. Accessed 20/10/08.
» link

[9] DOMINGUEZ, J. M. L. The coastal zone of Brazil, p. 17-52. In: DILLENBURG, S.F.; HESP, P.A. (Ed.). Geology and Geomorphology of Holocene coastal barriers of Brazil New York: Springer-Verlag, 2009, 380p.(Series Lectures Notes in Earth Sciences, 107, p. 15-17).

[10] DYER, K. R. Sediment transport processes in estuaries. In: PERILLO, G. M. E. (Ed.). Geomorphology and sedimentology of estuaries Amsterdam: Elsevier, 1995. 471 p. (Series Developments in Sedimentology, 53, p. 423-449).

[11] FLEMMING, B. W. A revised textural classification of gravel-free muddy sediments on the basis of ternary diagrams. Cont. Shelf Res, v. 20, p. 1125-1137, 2000.

[12] FOLK, R. L.; WARD, W. C. Brazos river bar: a study in the significance of grain size parameters. J. Sediment Petrol., v. 27, p. 3-26, 1957.

[13] FRIEDRICHS, C. T.; AUBREY, D. G. Non-linear tidal distortion in shallow well-mixed estuaries: a synthesis. Estuar. Coast. Shelf Sci, v. 27, p. 521-545, 1988.

[14] FRIEDRICHS, C. T.; LYNCH, D. R.; AUBREY, D. G. Velocity asymmetries in frictionally-dominated tidal embayments: longitudinal and lateral variability. In: D. PRANDLE (Ed). Dynamics and exchanges in estuaries and the coastal zone Wshington, DC: American Geophysical Union, 1992. p. 277-312.

[15] INMET. Normais Climatológicas do Brasil 1961-1990. INMET Brasil, 465p. 2010.

[16] KJERFVE, B. Bathymetry as an indicator of net circulation in well mixed estuaries. Limnol. Oceanogr, v. 23, p. 816- 821, 1978.

[17] LAMBIASE, J. J. Hydraulic control of grain-size distributions in a macrotidal estuary. Sedimentology, v. 27, p. 433-446, 1980.

[18] LENTZ, S. J. The Amazon River plume during AMASSEDS: subtidal current variability and the importance of wind forcing. J Geophys. Res, v. 100, p. 2377-2390, 1995.

[19] LESSA, G. C. Morphodynamic controls on vertical and horizontal tides – field results from two macrotidal shallow estuaries: central Queensland, Australia. J. Coast.Res. , v. 16, p. 976-989, 2000.

[20] LESSA, G. C.; MASSELINK, G. Morphodynamic evolution of a macrotidal barrier estuary. Mar. Geol, v. 129, p. 25-46, 1995.

[21] LINDHOLM, R. C. A practical approach to Sedimentology London: Allen and Unwin, 1987. 276 p.

[22] MEADE, R. H; DUNNE, T.; RICHEY, J. E.; SANTOS, U. M.; SALATI, E. Storage and remobilization of suspended sediment in the lower Amazon River of Brazil. Science, v. 228, p. 488-490, 1985.

[23] MEHLIG U. Aspects of tree primary production in an equatorial mangrove forest in Brazil. ZMT-Contribution , n. 14, 2001. 155 p.

[24] MIRANDA, L. B.; CASTRO, B. M.; KJERFVE, B. Princípios de Oceanografia Física de estuários São Paulo: EDUSP, 2002. 414 p.

[25] MONTEIRO, M. C.; PEREIRA, L. C. C. Morphodynamic change of a macrotidal sand beach on the Brazilian Amazon Coast (Ajuruteua - Pará). J. Coast. Res., v. SI56, p. 103-107, 2009.

[26] MORAES, B. C.; COSTA, J. M. N.; COSTA, A. C. L.; COSTA, M. H. Variação espacial e temporal da precipitação no estado do Pará. Acta Amazon, v. 35, p. 207-214, 2005.

[27] NITTROUER, C. A.; KUEHL, S. A.; STERNBERG, R. W.; FIGUEIREDO JR., A. G.; FARIA, L. E. C. Introduction to the geological significance of sediment transport and accumulation on the Amazon continental shelf. Mar. Geol, v. 125, p. 177-192, 1995.

[28] PEREIRA, L. C. C.; RIBEIRO, C. M.; MONTEIRO, M.; ASP, N. E. Morphological and sedimentological changes in a macrotidal sand beach in the Amazon littoral (Vila dos Pescadores, Pará, Brazil). J. Coastal Res, v. SI56, p 113-117, 2009.

[29] PIANCA, C.; MAZZINI, P. L.; SIEGLE E. Brazilian offshore wave climate based on NWW3 reanalysis. Braz. J. Oceanogr, v. 58, p. 53-70. 2010.

[30] SCHETTINI, C. A. F.; MIRANDA, L. B. Circulation and suspended particulate matter transport in a tidally dominated estuary: Caravelas estuary, Bahia, Brazil. Braz. J. Oceanogr, v. 58, p. 1-11, 2010.

[31] SOUZA FILHO, P. W. M. Costa de manguezais de Macromaré da Amazônia: Cenários morfológicos, mapeamento e quantificação a partir de dados de sensores remotos. Rev. Bras Geofís, v. 23, p. 427-435, 2005.

[32] SOUZA FILHO, P. W. M.; TOZZI, H. A. M.; EL-ROBRINI, M. Geomorphology, land use and environmental hazard in Ajuruteua macrotidal sandy beach, northeastern, Pará, Brazil. J. Coastal Res, v. 35, p. 580-589, 2003.

[33] SOUZA FILHO, P. W. M.; LESSA, G. C.; COHEN, M. C. L.; COSTA, F. R.; LARA, R. J. The subsiding macrotidal barrier estuarine system of the eastern Amazon coast, Northern Brazil, p. 347-376. In: DILLENBURG, S. F., HESP, P. A. (Ed.). Geology and Geomorphology of Holocene coastal barriers of Brazil. New York: Springer-Verlag, 2009. 380 p.(Series Lecture Notes in Earth Sciences, 107, p. 347-376, 2009.

[34] STRAHLER, A. N. Hypsometric (area-altitude) analysis of erosional topography. Bull. Geol. Soc. Am, v. 63, p. 1117-1142, 1952.

[35] VELLOZO, T. G; ALVES, A. R. Características gerais do fenômeno da maré no Brasil. An. Hidrogr, v. 61, p. 121-129, 2005.

[36] WELLS, J. T. Tidal-dominated estuaries and tidal rivers, p. 179-205. In: PERILLO, G. M. E. (Ed.). Geomorphology and Sedimentology of estuaries Amsterdam: Elsevier, 1995. p. 179-205. (Series Development in Sedimentology, 53, 1995, 471 p.

[37] WRIGHT, L. D.; COLEMAN, J. M.; THOM, B. G. Processes of channel development of a high-tide range environment: Cambridge Gulf-Ord River Delta, Western Australia. J. Geol, v., p. 81: 15-41, 1973.

[38] ZEMBRUSCKI, S. G; GORINI, M. A.; PALMA, J. J. C.; COSTA, M. P. A. Fisiografia e distribuição dos sedimentos superficiais na Plataforma Continental Norte Brasileira. Bol. Téc.Petrobras, v. 14, p. 127-155, 1971.

Brasil

Brasil

The dynamics of a frictionally-dominated Amazonian estuary

Abstracts

Publication Dates

History