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Marine aquaculture of bivalve molluscs is an important economic activity in Santa Catarina State, Brazil, with more than 5000 persons directly and indirectly involved and an annual revenue of US$ 18 million in 2013. In the first decade of this activity, a lack of proper regulation imposed multiple obstacles to the sustainable management of local shellfish farming. The occupation of marine space occurred in a disorderly manner, and the unplanned development led to unfavourable conditions that threatened the sustainability of the industry. This study describes how better planning and management tools have improved governance of marine aquaculture in Santa Catarina State. The process included development of a legal framework for aquaculture planning, elaboration of local development plans with a participatory and multidisciplinary approach, development of a geographic information system to identify favourable areas and creation of a Webbased aquaculture management system. The combined application of these actions, along with continuing extension services, is expected to contribute to the regulation of 837 shellfish farming areas, the expansion of farming activity, the mitigation of the environmental and visual impacts caused by coastal aquaculture and an increase in the public health of shellfish consumers. In this manuscript, we report an example of how the application of better planning and management of the aquaculture sector can prepare the industry for a sustainable growing cycle.

Changes in the Earth's landscape have been the focus of much environmental research. In this context, hydrological models stand out as tools for several assessments. This study aimed to use the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) hydrological model to simulate the impact of changes in land use in the Camboriú River Watershed in the years 1957, 1978, and 2012. The results indicated that the SWAT model was efficient in simulating water flow and sediment transport processes. Thus, it was possible to evaluate the impact of different land use scenarios on water and sediment yield in the catchment. The changes in land use caused significant changes in the hydro-sedimentological dynamic. Regarding flow, the effects of land use changes were more pronounced at both ends of the curve representing duration of flow. The worst scenario was identified for the year 2012, which saw the highest peak discharges during flood events and lowest flows during the dry season. Concerning soil erosion, the highest values were identified for sub-basins that were predominantly covered by rice paddies and pastures; this was attributed mainly to surface runoff and changes in land use (represented by C-USLE). Overall, the Camboriú River Basin did not experience severe soil erosion issues; however, it was found that changes in land use related to soil and climate characteristics may increase soil degradation, especially in years with high precipitation levels.Keywords: Land use; Basin; Hydrologic scenarios. RESUMOAs mudanças de paisagem têm sido foco de pesquisas na área ambiental. Nesse contexto, os modelos hidrológicos se destacam como ferramentas para diferentes análises. Nesse trabalho, o objetivo foi utilizar o modelo hidrológico SWAT para simular os impactos das alterações no uso e ocupação das terras da bacia hidrográfica do Rio Camboriú (BHRC) entre os anos de 1957, 1978 e 2012. Os resultados indicaram que SWAT foi eficiente para simulação da vazão e da perda de solo possibilitando a quantificação dos impactos a partir da simulação de cenários. As mudanças na cobertura do solo acarretaram alterações significativas no regime hidrossedimentológico. Para a vazão, os impactos foram maiores nos extremos da curva de permanência. O cenário 2012 se destacou negativamente por apresentar as maiores vazões de pico e as menores vazões em período de estiagem. Para a perda de solo, os maiores valores foram identificados nas sub-bacias com uso predominante para rizicultura e pastagens, o que foi atribuído, fundamentalmente, a alterações da taxa de escoamento superficial e aos fatores relacionados ao uso, manejo do solo e práticas conservacionistas. De maneira geral, a BHRC não apresentou problemas severos de perda de solo, entretanto, as mudanças na paisagem associadas as características edafoclimáticas podem favorecer a degradação do solo, principalmente em anos com elevados volumes de precipitação.Palavras-chave: Uso e ocupação das terras; Bacia hidrográfica; Cenários hidrológicos.RBRH, Porto Alegre, v. 22, e33, 2017Simulation of land use...

-The design and performance of a radial anaerobic/aerobic immobilized biomass (RAAIB) reactor operating to remove organic matter, solids and nitrogen from sewage are discussed. The bench-scale RAAIB was divided into five concentric chambers. The second and fourth chambers were packed with polyurethane foam matrices. The performance of the reactor in removing organic matter and producing nitrified effluent was good, and its configuration favored the transfer of oxygen to the liquid mass due to its characteristics and the fixed polyurethane foam bed arrangement in concentric chambers. Partial denitrification of the liquid also took place in the RAAIB. The reactor achieved an organic matter removal efficiency of 84%, expressed as chemical oxygen demand (COD), and a total Kjeldahl nitrogen (TKN) removal efficiency of 96%. Average COD, nitrite and nitrate values for the final effluent were 54 mg.L , respectively.

High frequency monitoring in environmental studies is increasingly being used due to the availability of equipment and quick response. With high frequency time series, it is possible to extract short-term responses during and after a rain event, which is not captured by conventional monitoring. The aim of this study is to evaluate the superficial water quality change of a stream in a preserved area in Atlantic Forest by short-term data (hour interval). The Cubatão do Sul watershed is located in the Central Coast region of the state of Santa Catarina in Brazil. Rain height and water quality parameters were monitored using rain gauge and multiparameter probes. Two fluviometric sections were also monitored -one in Vargem do Braço stream (FS1), which is mainly native forest (dense ombrophilous forest), and the other in Cubatão do Sul River (FS2), which is influenced by urban, agricultural and sand extraction uses. The temperature and nitrate ion permanency curve in FS1 showed slightly lower values during rainy events, but an opposite behavior was observed for turbidity. On the other hand, the permanency curves during rainy periods of FS2 presented lower conductivity and ammonium ion. When the dry and rainy periods were statistically compared, there was a significant difference for temperature, conductivity, pH, nitrate ion, turbidity and dissolved oxygen for FS1, and temperature, conductivity and turbidity for FS2. The water quality of the Cubatão do Sul watershed is influenced by stream flow and has a short-term time response considering the rain events. The oscillation of the monitored parameters between two periods, dry and rainy, is smaller in native forest than urban and rural land use.Keywords: Atlantic Forest; Serra do Tabuleiro; High frequency monitoring; Background area. RESUMOO monitoramento ambiental de alta frequência está sendo cada vez mais utilizado, devido à disponibilidade de equipamentos e pela resposta rápida gerada. As séries temporais de alta frequência mostram que as respostas de curto prazo, durante e após a ocorrência de chuva não são capturados por programas de monitoramento convencionais. Este trabalho teve por objetivo a avaliação da alteração da qualidade da água de escoamento fluvial em uma bacia hidrográfica em unidade de conservação no bioma Mata Atlântica, com resposta de curto prazo, devido a ocorrência de evento de chuva, monitorado em intervalo de tempo horário. A Bacia do Rio Cubatão do Sul localiza-se na zona Litoral Centro de Santa Catarina, Brasil. Foram monitorados a altura de chuva, por meio de pluviógrafo e parâmetros de qualidade das águas, com o uso de sondas multiparâmetros. Foram monitoradas duas seções fluviométricas, uma no rio Vargem do Braço (FS1), que localiza-se em situação praticamente natural, com predominância de Floresta Ombrófila Densa e outra no rio Cubatão do Sul (FS2) que possui influência de área urbana, agrícola e extração de areia. As curvas de permanência da temperatura e do íon nitrato na FS1 apresentaram valores levemente inferiores no período...

Thermotolerant coliform (TC) loadings were quantified for 49 catchments draining into the North and South Bays of Santa Catarina (SC, southeastern Brazil), an area known for its tourism and aquaculture. TC loadings were calculated based on flow measurements taken in 26 rivers. TC concentrations ere quantified based on surface water samples collected at 49 catchment outlets in 2012 and 2013. Median TC loads ranged from 3.7 × 10 to 6.8 × 10 MPN s. TC loadings in the catchments increased in proportion to increases in resident human population, population density and percentage of urbanised area. Catchments with more than 60% of area covered by wastewater collection and treatment systems had higher TC loads per person than catchments with less than 25%. Based on the study catchments, these results indicate that current sewerage infrastructure is ineffective in reducing contamination of faecal origin to surface waters. These findings have important implications for the management of microbiological health hazards in bathing, recreational and shellfish aquaculture waters in the North and South Bays of Santa Catarina Island.

Coastal ocean observing and modeling systems (coastal observatories), connected with regional and global ocean systems, improve the quality of information and forecasts for effective management of safe and sustainable maritime activities. The public availability of systematic and long-term information of the ocean is an engine for the Blue Economy, boosting economic growth, employment, and innovation. An overview of some Brazilian initiatives is presented in this paper, involving universities, private companies, federal and state agencies, covering institutions from south to north of Brazil. Although these initiatives focus mainly on ocean physics, integrated efforts can extend the scope to include biogeochemistry and marine biodiversity, helping to address interdisciplinary problems. Existing initiatives can be connected, and new ones fostered, to fill in the gaps of temporal and spatial coverage of ocean monitoring in the vast oceanic area under Brazilian jurisdiction (nationally referred to as the Blue Amazon, in reference to the similar richness of the Amazon Forest). The alignment among national and regional initiatives, as well as with international programs, can be promoted if coordinated by a national-level organization, maximizing the return of public investment and socioeconomic benefits. In light of international examples, possible future institutional arrangements are discussed, leveraging from existing national public policies and international cooperation that Brazil is taking part. The United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development is a timely opportunity to encourage an institutional arrangement to support and articulate an integrated network of coastal observatories in Brazil.

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