No abstract

[1] The Southern Brazilian Shelf is a region influenced by freshwater, and the evolution of stratification can present important ecological consequences in this area. The aim of this paper was to investigate the importance of straining and advection processes that affect the stratification and destratification of the water column along the Southern Brazilian inner shelf, a region that is influenced by the Patos Lagoon coastal plume. The study was carried out through 3-D numerical modeling experiments and the results were analyzed using the potential energy anomaly equation and wavelet analysis. Results showed that the potential energy anomaly showed strong variability over a time scale of several days and followed the wind pattern over the study region, and was accompanied by the monthly modulation of river discharge and remote effects associated with variability in oceanic circulation. However, the most important events in synoptic time scales occurred in periods shorter than 20 days and were coincident with the passage of meteorological systems over the study region. Straining and advection were the most important mechanisms for the evolution of stratification in the adjacent coastal region. Nonlinearities and dispersion terms were as important as modulation effects, mainly during periods of high fluvial discharge. Close to the Patos Lagoon mouth, vertical advection explained most of the stratification evolution, due to the morphological characteristics in this region. In the frontal region and far field of the plume, the following two regions must be considered: the northeast part, which is characterized by the convergence of the coastal currents and ebb flows associated with the freshwater discharge that promote the domination of the cross-shore straining and advection, and the southwest part, which is controlled by the coastal currents that result in the domination by alongshore straining and advection and cross-shore advection terms. Close to the mouth of the Patos Lagoon, the occurrence of downward velocities generated downward displacement of the isopycnals, which decreases the potential energy anomalies, and vice versa. Near the frontal region, the anomalies were dependent on the intensity of the fluvial discharge. During moderate to high discharge events, the northeastward currents intensified mixing along shore, which decreased the potential energy anomalies. In the same way, the southwestward currents intensified the spreading of freshwater and increased the stratification and the potential energy anomalies.

[1] The southern Brazilian shelf (SBS) is a region influenced by fresh water. The initial deposition of suspended sediments carried by this fresh water presents important ecological consequences for the area. The aim of this study was to investigate the contribution of the Patos Lagoon coastal plume to the deposition pattern observed along the inner continental shelf by providing estimates of estuarine-shelf suspended sediment exchange. The study was carried out through three-dimensional numeric modeling experiments on coupled hydrodynamic and morphodynamic processes. Results were analyzed using the dynamic method proposed by Garvine (1995) to study persistent plumes. The results were also analyzed using wavelet analysis. Results showed that the Patos Lagoon coastal plume behaves as a hypopycnal plume covering the first meters of the water column. The Patos Lagoon presents a dominant ebb condition with a mean discharge of 2088 m 3 s −1 and an exportation rate of suspended matter of approximately 1.3 × 10 7 t yr −1 . In the adjacent coastal region deposition prevails in sheltered regions up to 10 m deep, with enrichment in silt reaching up to 10% in the deceleration region of the Patos Lagoon coastal plume. The dynamic balance indicates a behavior typical of small to average-sized plumes, with a well-developed displacement along the coast that is mainly controlled by the alongshore wind component. The Coriolis force and bed shear stress present significant contributions during periods of moderate to high freshwater discharge when large-scale plumes are formed. Transversally to the coast the force balance is associated with the Coriolis effect and wind influence, with a less important contribution from bed shear stress. The inner continental shelf adjacent to the Patos Lagoon entrance is dominantly influenced by plume occurrence. In this region northeasterly winds induce the formation of southwestward currents near the coast. These currents deflect around jetties and generate recirculation zones to the south. The formation of a cyclonic eddy occurs in this area and creates convergence zones that intensify the vertical velocities promoting the deposition of suspended sediments.

No abstract

No abstract

We investigated reproductive features of the dipsadid snake Erythrolamprus poecilogyrus sublineatus in the southernmost Brazilian coast, a subtropical region characterized by well-marked seasons. Females are significantly smaller than males, have a shorter tail, and reach sexual maturity at later times along their development. In contrast to tropical subspecies, E. p. sublineatus females presented a seasonal pattern, with secondary follicles occurring from late winter to early autumn and egg production restricted to the whole spring and early summer. Males presented seasonal variation in testes volume (increase in autumn and decrease in winter) while no significant seasonal variation was found in ductus deferens width. The number of oviductal eggs varied from two to nine, thus, real fecundity is also inferior than that observed in tropical E. poecilogyrus forms. Considering the thermal requirements for reproduction, it is possible that the colder climatic conditions of the southern Brazilian coast have shaped the seasonal reproductive pattern in E. p. sublineatus. The shorter body size of this subspecies may also represent a conditioning factor of low fecundity.

[1] The estuarine area of coastal lagoons and freshwater-influenced regions presents periodically stratified and destratified conditions. The Patos Lagoon, one of the most important hydrological resources in South America, is located in the southernmost part of Brazil and exhibits such variable conditions. Therefore the aim of this study was to investigate the contributions of straining and advection to the modulation of stratification conditions in the Patos Lagoon estuarine region using potential energy anomaly budgets. This study was based a three-dimensional hydrodynamic numerical model that provided information for the potential energy anomaly equation and wavelet analysis. Results from the potential energy anomaly time series revealed strong variability over a timescale of several days following local wind action and the river discharge pattern. Each part of the estuary exhibited contrasting regimes that were spatially distributed with a different balance of terms. The upper part was dominated by along-shore currents associated with east-west wind component and gravitational flux. Contribution from cross-shore advection became important in the middle part of the estuary, where there was an increase in superficial area observed. The lower region was controlled by the north-south wind component being influenced by advection, cross-shore straining, and transversal circulation, suggesting that current velocity maintained transversal pressure gradients and further circulation. Nonlinear interactions between deviations in the dispersion terms and vertical density and velocity were important everywhere but were associated with modulation effects.

No abstract