Temporal Variability of Suspended-Solids Concentration in the Estuarine Channel of Patos Lagoon, Southern Brazil
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Laboratório de Oceanografia Costeira e Estuarina, Instituto de Oceanografia, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande, Avenida Itália km 8, Rio Grande, RS 96203-900, Brazil
2
Laboratório de Oceanografia Física, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciência e Tecnologia Ambiental, Universidade do Vale do Itajaí, Escola do Mar, Ciência e Tecnologia, Rua Uruguai 458, Itajaí, SC 88302-901, Brazil
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
†
Current address: UL International GmbH. Ebertstrasse 96, 26382 Wilhelmshaven, Germany.
Water 2021, 13(5), 646; https://doi.org/10.3390/w13050646
Received: 28 November 2020
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Revised: 28 December 2020
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Accepted: 14 January 2021
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Published: 28 February 2021
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Hydro-Sedimentary Processes and Methods in Estuarine and Coastal Environments)
The assessment of suspended-solids dynamics is crucial for the effective monitoring of estuarine environments. As the recurring in-situ sampling is usually problematic, the calibration of the backscattering from acoustic Doppler profilers has shown to be a reliable technique to estimate the suspended-solids concentration (SSC) in estuaries and rivers. In this study, we obtained a linear model that provides SSC estimates for the estuarine channel of Patos Lagoon by calibrating turbidity and acoustic data with in-situ concentration samples. The model output was analyzed in terms of its relationship with estuarine hydrodynamics and temporal variability. In this estuary, the supply of suspended solids is known to be due the runoff from its main tributaries, but also through the exchanges between the estuary and the coastal ocean. Both sources provide sediments and organic solids which affect water quality, geomorphology, and harbor operations. Results show that SSC is strongly linked to estuarine hydrodynamics, where concentrations increase with streamflow. During outflow periods, higher concentrations are associated with river runoff, whereas with inflow conditions they are induced by southern and southwesterly winds. However, relationship between SSC and streamflow is asymmetrical, meaning that the largest concentrations are majorly linked to outflow currents and downstream transport.
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Keywords:
suspended-solids concentration; acoustic signal backscatter; Patos Lagoon estuary; temporal variability
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MDPI and ACS Style
Ávila, R.A.; Orozco, P.M.S.; Andrade, M.M.; Möller, O.O., Jr. Temporal Variability of Suspended-Solids Concentration in the Estuarine Channel of Patos Lagoon, Southern Brazil. Water 2021, 13, 646. https://doi.org/10.3390/w13050646
AMA Style
Ávila RA, Orozco PMS, Andrade MM, Möller OO Jr. Temporal Variability of Suspended-Solids Concentration in the Estuarine Channel of Patos Lagoon, Southern Brazil. Water. 2021; 13(5):646. https://doi.org/10.3390/w13050646
Chicago/Turabian StyleÁvila, Rafael A., Priscila M.S. Orozco, Mauro M. Andrade, and Osmar O. Möller Jr. 2021. "Temporal Variability of Suspended-Solids Concentration in the Estuarine Channel of Patos Lagoon, Southern Brazil" Water 13, no. 5: 646. https://doi.org/10.3390/w13050646
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