Sul River Research Articles

Urban expansion and its impact on water security: The case of the Paraíba do Sul River Basin, São Paulo, Brazil

Increasing demand for water is one of the most challenging problems that human societies face today and has encouraged new studies to examine water security and water management. Seeking to discuss this important issue in the Brazilian context, we analyzed the impacts of urban expansion on water security in a basin located in the most populated region of Brazil. To quantify increased water demand, we combined urban sprawl and regional population increase projections. In this context, our study contributes to discussions on water security by addressing the importance of integration between water and urban planning. Simulations indicate good performance in reproducing actual water system conditions. The finding demonstrates that urban expansion in the region is mainly driven by road proximity. Urban occupation is projected to increase in 170% by 2050, increasing water demands for domestic use in 38%. Results indicate the feasibility of including landscape and socioeconomic constrains in order to obtain potential domestic water demand scenarios by using land use and land cover change modelling to assess urban expansion and population growth. For the study region, our findings suggest that although urban sprawl increases water demand, urban supply will not be compromised given the large volume of available water in the basin. However, the indirect consequences of urban sprawl, such as industrialization and agricultural intensification, may compromise the quality of this resource and require better water use management in the region.

Geoprocessing and climate simulation applied to transposition between watershed in São Paulo state, Brazil

The water crisis that hit the Southeast region of Brazil in the years 2014 and 2015 was generated by an atmospheric blocking associated with a high-pressure zone that persisted for more than 45 days, causing a drastic decrease in precipitation rates throughout the region. This fact had a major impact on the municipality of São Paulo, causing a crisis of lack of water availability. To face the problem of water shortages for the São Paulo Metropolitan Region, the water transposition from Paraíba do Sul River watershed to the Cantareira System was proposed to mitigate the referred crisis and other future ones. Therefore, to investigate the feasibility of the proposed solution becomes very important, given the changes in the rainfall profile generated by global climate changes that affect the climatic element precipitation. Geoprocessing techniques were associated with future rainfall data simulated by the HadCM3/Eta model using SRES (Special Report Scenarios Emission) A1B of IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) to investigate the long-term feasibility of this proposal. The results point to the possibility of the project’s unsustainability until the year 2040, since only 35% of the year’s transposition may occur, reducing to 30% if only considering the 2030s.

PAYMENTS FOR ECOSYSTEM SERVICES TO WATER RESOURCES PROTECTION IN PARAÍBA DO SUL ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AREA

Abstract One of the benefits of forest and reforestation is linked to the erosion control and reduction of the amount of sediments suspended in water. This study proposes a methodology for Payments for Ecosystem Services associated to these benefits in 24 water supply watersheds, under influence of the Paraíba do Sul River Basin Environmental Protected Area, in Brazil. In order to estimate the water resources protection through the reforestation, the current scenario was compared to a hypothetical scenario, in which degraded pasture are replaced by forest. The avoided soil erosion could reach around 40t.ha-1.yr-1. Reforestation can avoid expenditures in water treatment, sludge disposal and dredging around USD 7.8 million per year. Annual values for PES range from USD 6 to 3,014 per hectare of reforested area. The results highlight the importance of valuing the benefits of the ecosystem services rescued.

Impactos da crise hídrica 2014-2016 sobre os usuários dos rios Paraíba do Sul e Guandu

The Paraiba do Sul River Basin - shared by the states of Sao Paulo, Rio de Janeiro and Minas Gerais - experienced an unprecedented water crisis between 2014 and 2016, triggered by the worst drought ever recorded since 1931. This basin is strategic at national level for the intense activities but also for supplying around 90% of the metropolis of Rio de Janeiro and securing the water supply of the metropolis of Sao Paulo, both metropolises located outside the basin limits. This paper aims to identify and analyze the impacts of the 2014-2016 water crisis on the main water users of the Paraiba do Sul and Guandu rivers, which are regulated by the so-called “Paraiba do Sul-Guandu Hydraulic System”. We used the GTAOH / CEIVAP meeting records, hydro-energy generation information, official agency reports and scientific texts, as well as the application of questionnaires and interviews. The research found out that many problems were avoided due to the collective effort of emergency measures, but the drought has generated a water crisis with significant impacts on water users of the Paraiba do Sul and Guandu rivers. Above all, it became clear that it is necessary a new and proactive approach for drought management in order to move from reactive (crisis) management to risk management.

Future scenarios (2011-2040) of temporal and spatial changes in precipitation in the Paraitinga and Paraibuna watersheds, São Paulo, Brazil

The alteration of global climate regimes due to anthropic action and excessive emission of greenhouse gases has been widely researched because it alters the patterns of climatological normals, generating changes in temperatures and precipitation worldwide. This study aimed to analyze the spatial and temporal variability of precipitation in the Paraitinga and Paraibuna watersheds that together form the Paraibuna Dam, the main one of the Paraiba do Sul river watershed. This dam supplies the São Paulo Metropolitan Region by transporting water to the Cantareira System, the Rio de Janeiro Metropolitan Region by transporting water to the Guandu watershed, and the Paraiba Valley Metropolitan Region, one of the most industrialized in Brazil. To investigate future precipitation trends, past and future climate simulations were used from the HadCM3/Eta model using the SRES (Special Report Emission Scenarios) A1B, and precipitation analysis using Quantis techniques to determine extreme rainfall and drought periods. The results point to an increase in precipitation averages in the region, followed by a greater intensity of extreme rainfall, which may lead to a higher occurrence of natural disasters such as landslides.

Process for the identification of land use in environment preservation areas in the municipality of São José dos Campos – SP

The present article deals with the urbanization process in the Paraíba do Sul river basin, covering social occupation under consideration of the legal provisions for areas surrounding water resources. The study has the purpose of assessing the Environment Preservation Area, called APA Banhado, in the city of São José dos Campos, a municipality belonging to the Metropolitan Region of the Paraíba Valley and the Northern Sea Shore (RMVPLN) in the state of São Paulo, Brazil. The research carried out made use of materials and information collected from aerial images obtained from remote sensing databases maintained by public offices, and the provisions of the APA Banhado implementation law. In order to extract information from satellite images, the methodology proposed by Moreira (2011) was applied, which suggests an automatic software classification in the Geographical Information Systems (SIG), with visual interpretation. The maps generated from the classification of the APA Banhado were based on reference data from the years of 1995, 2000, 2005, 2010 and 2015. The results revealed conflicts between the environmental legislation and the land use, which prompted the possibility of generating basic data capable of incorporation into public planning policies and the preserved area environmental management, including a revision of concepts under the environmental preservation, as a future safety water reserve for the metropolitan region of the Paraíba Valley – SP.

Phylogeographic evidence for two species of muriqui (genus Brachyteles).

The taxonomy of muriquis, the largest extant primates in the New World, is controversial. While some specialists argue for a monotypic genus (Brachyteles arachnoides), others favor a two-species classification, splitting northern muriquis (Brachyteles hypoxanthus) from southern muriquis (B. arachnoides). This uncertainty affects how we study the differences between these highly endangered and charismatic primates, as well as the design of more effective conservation programs. To address this issue, between 2003 and 2017 we collected over 230 muriqui fecal samples across the genus' distribution in the Brazilian Atlantic Forest, extracted DNA from these samples, and sequenced 423 base pairs of the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) control region. Phylogenetic and species delimitation analyses of our sequence dataset robustly support two reciprocally monophyletic groups corresponding to northern and southern muriquis separated by an average 12.7% genetic distance. The phylogeographic break between these lineages seems to be associated with the Paraíba do Sul River and coincides with the transition between the north and south Atlantic Forest biogeographic zones. Published divergence estimates from whole mitochondrial genomes and nuclear loci date the split between northern and southern muriquis to the Early Pleistocene (ca. 2.0 mya), and our new mtDNA dataset places the coalescence time for each of these two clades near the last interglacial (ca. 120-80 kya). Our results, together with both phenotypic and ecological differences, support recognizing northern and southern muriquis as sister species that should be managed as distinct evolutionarily significant units. Given that only a few thousand muriquis remain in nature, it is imperative that conservation strategies are tailored to protect both species from extinction.

Branched GDGTs as Proxies in Surface Sediments From the South-Eastern Brazilian Continental Margin

Branched glycerol dialkyl glycerol tetraethers (brGDGTs) are membrane lipids produced by bacteria usually ascribed to soil and peat deposits. The presence of brGDGTs in marine sediments can thus be used to track terrigenous organic matter inputs to the continental margin and to infer the local continental mean annual air temperature (MAT) and soil pH. The proxy rationale is based on the degree methylation and cyclization of the brGDGTs from terrestrial bacteria, but recently evidence was found of river and oceanic production of brGDGTs with similar configuration, indicating the necessity to better constrain the applicability of the soil brGDGTs in the marine realm. Here we considered crenarchaeol and brGDGTs obtained in 46 core-top sediments from cross-margin transects in the Campos Basin in the Southwest Atlantic, with the goal to evaluate the effectiveness of the brGDGT-associated proxies in a region in the southeastern tropical Brazilian continental margin influenced by upwelling events and low terrigenous inputs. The separation of the 5- and 6-methyl brGDGTs proved to be essential for a better evaluation of the sources of brGDGTs in the environment. Direct evidence of input of terrigenous organic matter by the medium-sized Paraiba do Sul River and other small rivers in the region were observed. More importantly, the high proportions of ring-containing brGDGTs – and the consequent increased values of the #ringstetra – in the sediments deposited between 75 and 400 m water depths (mid-shelf to upper slope) were clear evidence of marine in situ production of brGDGTs. In some stations deeper than 1900 m, an increase in the acyclic 6-methyl hexamethylated compounds can also be ascribed to in situ production. Our results revealed that the initial soil signal is lost during transport and after river discharge in the Campos Basin, which compromise the use of brGDGTs to reconstruct the soil pH and MAT of the nearby land area.

Gonadal development and reproductive period of the characin Astyanax aff. bimaculatus (Characiformes: Characidae) in a tropical reservoir in southeastern Brazil

The gonadal development of the characin Astyanax aff. bimaculatus from Funil Reservoir, an impoundment in the middle reaches of the Paraiba do Sul River in southeastern Brazil was analysed through histological, histochemical and histometric techniques, and the spawning season was determined. Unbalanced sex ratio was found, with females outnumbering and reaching larger sizes than males. The following stages of oogenic cell development were identified for females: primary growth, pre-vitellogenic (cortical alveolar) and vitellogenic. In males, the following stages were determined: spermatogonia primary and secondary, spermatocyte primary and secondary, spermatid and spermatozoa. The spawning occurs most of the year, peaking in January-February, as indicated by the gonadosomatic index. In the peak of the spawning period, the condition factor and hepatosomatic indices decreased suggesting use of stored body energy reserves during the reproduction. Spawning in batches, small-sized oocytes and a long reproductive season suggest that Astyanax aff. bimaculatus fits to an opportunist strategy. Such strategy may facilitate the use of a wide range of lentic and lotic body waters in the Neotropical region.

Steady infiltration rate spatial modeling from remote sensing data and terrain attributes in southeast Brazil

This paper aims to describe the development of steady infiltration rate (SIR) spatial prediction models using accessible input data. The models were created from SIR data collected through simulated rainfall at 71 points in part of the Cachimbal stream watershed (a Paraíba do Sul River tributary watershed) in Rio de Janeiro state – Brazil, using as covariates: terrain attributes derived from digital elevation model (DEM), remote sensing data and soil class, physical and chemical attributes maps. It was discussed how different land uses and soil degradation levels affect SIR and how NDVI can be used to represent them on SIR modeling. Among the soil physical properties, bulk density (BD) and total sand (TS) were selected as covariates. SIR was higher when lower the bulk density and higher the sand content. Soil types play a big role in SIR, highlighting the Gleissolos Háplicos (Gleysols) as the soil class that presented the lower average SIR values and the Latossolos Vermelho Amarelos and Nitossolos Háplicos (Ferralsols and Nitisols) that presented the highest. Topographic position Index (TPI), curvature, and Topographic Wetness Index (TWI) were the terrain covariates used in the models. Their usage indicate lower SIR in concave, lower and wetter parts of the landscape. The results demonstrated that is possible to achieve satisfactory results for SIR spatial modeling using easily accessible data (remote sensing and terrain attributes), but soil information is also necessary to develop better prediction models.

Classificação do uso e cobertura da terra de elemento suporte à implantação de corredor ecológico no trecho entre a fazenda São Bento e o viveiro municipal de Jacareí-SP

O paper apresenta estudo de possível traçado dos limites da área de preservação às margens do rio Paraíba do Sul (regimento do código florestal), do trecho entre a Fazenda São Bento e o Viveiro Municipal de Jacareí-SP, em área de aproximadamente 2 km2, utilizando software “SPRING /OPEN SOURCE”, imagem do sensor RapidEye, datada de 2013, análise da classificação do uso, cobertura da terra e interferências existentes para implantação do Corredor Ecológico, conforme a Lei Federal 12.651/12 (Código Florestal Brasileiro), Lei no. 6.938 do Conselho Nacional do Meio Ambiente (CONAMA) e anexos. A abordagem de Corredores Ecológicos representa a evolução do pensamento científico sobre Unidades de Conservação para o objetivo da conservação da biodiversidade. Na região do Vale do Paraíba, as áreas de vegetação representam em torno de 11% da superfície da bacia do rio Paraíba do Sul, sendo boa parte dela constituída de fragmentos isolados de diferentes dimensões e baixa conectividade. Para reverter esta situação, várias instituições financiadoras desenvolveram um projeto que tem como meta recuperar 150 mil hectares de áreas degradadas da porção paulista do Vale do Paraíba até 2020, vide, a Associação Corredor Ecológico do Vale do Paraíba-ACEVP. O método proposto nesse trabalho mostra uma forma simples e consagrada de dar suporte a essa iniciativa, utilizando ferramentas livres, técnicas de sensoriamento remoto e imagens de fácil acesso a comunidade técnica e afins.

An inconvenient routine: introduction, establishment and spread of new non-native fishes in the Paraíba do Sul River basin, state of Minas Gerais, Brazil

This study updates the introduction of non-native fishes Nannostomus beckfordi, Aphyocharax anisitsi, Knodus moenkhausii, Moenkhausia costae, Ancistrus multispinis and Astronotus ocellatus in the largest ornamental aquaculture center located in Paraíba do Sul River basin, state of Minas Gerais, Brazil. There is evidence that all species are established and that some are spreading to a reservoir in the region. Management actions such as awareness campaigns to educate fish farmers and the inspection of fish farms carried out by IBAMA officials are suggested to avoid new introductions and spread.

Mid–late Holocene event registered in organo-siliciclastic sediments of Lagoa Salgada carbonate system, southeast Brazil

Abstract. The formation of the Paraíba do Sul river delta plain on the coast of Rio de Janeiro state, Brazil, gave rise to diverse lagoons formed under different sea level regimes and climate variations. Sedimentary core lithology, organic matter geochemistry, and isotopic composition (δ13C and δ15N) were analyzed to interpret the sedimentation of the paleoenvironment of the Lagoa Salgada carbonate system. Different lithofacies reflect variations in the depositional environment. The abundance of silt and clay between 5.8 and 3.7 kyr enhances the interpretation of a transgressive system, which promoted the stagnation of coarse sediment deposition due to coast drowning. Geochemistry data from this period (5.8–3.7 kyr) suggest the dominance of a wet climate with an increase of C3 plants and a marked dry event between 4.2 and 3.8 kyr. This dryer event also matches with previously published records from around the world, indicating a global event at 4.2 ka. Between 3.8 and 1.5 kyr, Lagoa Salgada was isolated; sand and silt arrived at the system by erosion with the retreat of the ocean and less fluvial drainage. Geochemistry from this moment marks the changes to favorable conditions for microorganisms active in the precipitation of carbonates, forming microbial mats and stromatolites in the drier phase.

Sustainability of mangrove crab (Ucides cordatus) gathering in the southeast Brazil: A MESMIS-based assessment

This study assesses the sustainability of mangrove crab (Ucides cordatus) gathering in the mangrove of the Paraíba do Sul River estuary, located in southeast Brazil. Ethnographic interviews using a semi-structured questionnaire with open- and closed-ended questions were individually conducted with 35 gatherers of U. cordatus. The gatherers' reports and data from the literature were used to measure sustainability of this production system using the Framework for the Evaluation of Natural Resource Management Systems Incorporating Sustainability Indicators (MESMIS, the acronym in Spanish for ‘Marco para la Evaluación de Sistemas de Manejo de Recursos Naturales incorporando Indicadores de Sustentabilidad’). Ten indicators were developed to assess the social, economic and ecological parameters related to the sustainability of this fishing activity. All indicators had below-ideal values, with a 47% relative sustainability index. This finding demonstrates that mangrove crabs are not sustainably gathered in the region. The indicators can be applied to other fishing systems and used by community agents themselves in routine sustainability assessments.

A GRADIENT BOOSTING MODEL OPTIMIZED BY A GENETIC ALGORITHM FOR SHORT-TERM RIVERFLOW FORECAST

The short-term streamflow forecast is an important parameter in studies related to energy generation and the prediction of possible floods. Flowing through three Brazilian states, the Paraíba do Sul river is responsible for the supply and energy generation in several municipalities. Machine learning techniques have been studied with the aim of improving these predictions through the use of hydrological and hydrometeorological parameters. Furthermore, the predictive performance of the machine learning techniques are directly related to the quality of the training base and, moreover, to the set of hyperparameters used. The present study explores the combination of the Gradient Boosting technique coupled with a Genetic Algorithm to found the best set of hyperparameter to maximize the predicting performance of the Paraíba do Sul river streamflow.

Heavy metals in the São Mateus Stream Basin, Peixe River Basin, Paraiba do Sul River Basin, Brazil

Large-scale enterprises with high potential to pollute need to be licensed, properly supervised and monitored during and after their operations to avoid and/or mitigate impacts in their areas of influence. The São Mateus Stream Basin (SMSB), located in rural area of Juiz de Fora (MG), is impacted by several activities, highlighting a deactivated landfill and an industrial park. This study monitored the concentration of heavy metals in the waters of the main tributaries of the SMSB. Strategic points were selected in each sub-basin, before the mouth and meeting of the Bocaina, Salvaterra and São Mateus Streams, measured monthly between January and December 2014 using the Metalyser probe, and applying the Contamination Index (CI). The CI results showed that the enterprises located in this basin, especially the Park Sul and Salvaterra Landfill in the Bocaina and Salvaterra Streams, respectively, are negatively impacting the quality of these waters. Metals such as Hg, Cu, Pb and Zn were the ones that most violated CONAMA Resolution 357/2005, directing management in order to control the sources of these metals, which are cumulative in organisms and damage the whole trophic chain. The inhabitants of this rural area are not served by any water concessionaire and make use of springs and wells below the level of these streams.

Festivities as Spaces of Identity Construction

Jongo is a cultural practice specific to the cities located in the Paraíba do Sul river valley, in the south-eastern region of Brazil. It is a form of expression rooted in the knowledge, rituals and beliefs of the African populations of Bantu language and which incorporates drum percussion, collective dance, and magic-religious, poetic elements. The roda, literally meaning “round,” is the performance space of the jongo. The quest for an “authentic jongo dance” at the time of the rodas often leads to disputes among various groups claiming the greater “purity” of their group, or the greater “truth” of their personal history. Indeed, during the rodas, the quest for the “afro authenticity” of the jongo becomes the ground for identity construction and for the recognition and legitimization of African origins. This paper focuses on the jongo rodas as a festive event that exhibits the African ancestral past of Brazilian blacks as well as the signs and symbols of a Brazilian black identity.

Caracterização Fotoestratigráfica e Petrofaciológica dos Cordões Arenosos Litorâneos do Delta do Rio Paraíba do Sul, RJ

O estudo do delta holocênico do rio Paraíba do Sul (RJ) a partir da interação de dados fotoestratigráficos, texturais e de minerais pesados, permitiu a delineação de petrofácies relacionadas a diversas rochas-fonte e processos sedimentares. A região do delta foi separada em planícies norte e sul, tendo o rio como referencial. A planície sul foi dividida em setores Sul 1, adjacente ao rio, e Sul 2, no extremo sul do delta. Os atributos fotoestratigráficos permitiram a identificação na planície norte de quinze fotossequências com onlaps S-N e poucos truncamentos erosivos. Na planície sul foram identificadas trinta fotossequências com onlaps dominantemente N-S e truncamentos erosivos SW-NE. O setor Sul 2 apresenta onlaps de direções variadas, truncamentos erosivos NW-SE e fonte sedimentar diferenciada, possivelmente relacionada a áreas ao sul do delta, enquanto a planície norte e o setor Sul 1 foram alimentados principalmente pela ação do rio e sua interação com correntes de deriva litorânea. Uma importante feição aproximadamente N-S é visível em todo delta e reflete um evento erosivo maior associado a um possível processo regressivo. Também foi possível delinear a ocorrência temporal do predomínio de contribuição de diferentes rochas-fonte e agentes deposicionais, sintetizadas nas petrofácies estabelecidas.

The fish fauna of the upper Piraí drainage, a transposed mountain river system in southeastern, Brazil

An annotated checklist of the ichthyofauna from the upper Piraí river drainage is provided. The Piraí river was a major right-bank tributary of the Paraíba do Sul river, but it has been artificially diverted to the coastal Guandu river system in southeastern Brazil to generate electric power and water for the metropolitan area of Rio de Janeiro. Based on our field sampling of 23 sites, 32 species belonging to 24 genera and 12 families were collected in 6 headwater tributaries of the Piraí river between 2009 and 2016. Phalloceros harpagos (Lucinda, 2008), Astyanax intermedius (Eigenmann, 1908), and Neoplecostomus microps (Steindachner, 1877b) were the most abundant and most widely distributed species in the samples. The sampled ichthyofauna is mostly composed by species from the Paraíba do Sul basin. Eight species are reported for the first time in the upper Piraí drainage, showing the importance of continuous ichthyofaunal surveys of fish in remaining areas of Atlantic Forest.

Variation in the structure of the ichthyoplankton community in the lower Paraíba do Sul River

ABSTRACT The Paraíba do Sul River is affected by extensive water collection for supply, organic and industrial pollution, and dams. Nonetheless, the ichthyofauna maintains biodiversity and sustains artisanal fisheries. This study analyzes the composition, abundance and distribution of fish larvae, an important approach to determine the reproductive period and spawning sites. The sampling occurred from August 2011 through February 2013 in five sites at a transect between the banks on the lower reach of the Paraíba do Sul River. A total of 5,412 larvae belonging to 20 taxa was captured. The predominant order was Characiformes. Larvae of Prochilodus spp. and Leporinus spp. were the most abundant; larvae of Brycon insignis, an endangered species, were present. Fewer larvae were collected in the second reproductive cycle during a severe drought. The absence of eggs indicates that the study area is not used for spawning, and highlights the need for studies in the main channel and in the tributaries of the Paraíba do Sul River. Fish larvae need to have access to the marginal lagoons along the lower stretch of the river, an area which is the object of disputes between fishermen and farmers.