Eddy-induced upwelling off Cape São Tomé (22°S, Brazil)

Particle Fluxes and Bulk Geochemical Characterization of the Cabo Frio Upwelling System in Southeastern Brazil: Sediment Trap Experiments between Spring 2010 and Summer 2012

“…The oceanography of the Cabo Frio region is marked by the occurrence of the following three main water masses: the warm and low-salinity coastal water at the surface of the inner shelf (CW: >15°C; salinity, 32-34; <50 m depth), resulting from the dilution of oceanic waters within the continental drainage area; the warm and salty tropical water at the surface in the outer shelf (TW: 24-28°C; salinity, ~37; 0-200 m depth), which comprises the southward branch of the Brazil Current (BC); and the SouthAtlantic Central Water (SACW: <18°C; salinity, 35-36.4), located almost constantly at the shelf bottom and periodically upwelled to the surface or subsurface 604 ANA LUIZA S. ALBUQUERQUE et al (Aidar et al 1993, Franchito et al 2008, Calado et al 2010) ( Figure 1B). The interaction among these three water masses, coupled with a complex pattern of flow that is also marked by the meandering of the CB, is responsible for the sedimentation patterns on the Southeastern Brazilian Continental Margin (SEBCM) (Mahiques et al 2004).…”

“…These compartments can be described as follows: (1) The coastal upwelling area, represented by a narrow, nearshore area in the inner shelf, where the northeasterly prevailing winds favor the Ekman transport of surface waters (CW and TW) and result in a typical coastal upwelling mechanism that provides SACW to the surface close to the coast (Moreira da Silva 1973, Valentin and Kempf 1977, Valentin 1984, Franchito et al 2008. Typically, the highly productive coastal upwelling plume is advected southwestward, following the coastline (Lorenzetti and Gaeta 1996); (2) The mid-shelf area -this wide area covers the entire mid-shelf and is dominated by the effects of wind curl (Castelao and Barth 2006), thermal fronts (Castro et al 2008) and small eddies induced by the meandering of the BC , Calado et al 2010. Although the upwelling of the SACW does not occur on the mid-shelf, it potentially intrudes into the photic zone, producing biogeochemical effects, such as enhancing primary production; (3) The outer shelf area, where the dominant mechanism is the mesoscale regional dynamics of the internal front of the BC and the breaking of internal waves and tidally induced vertical displacements (Pereira and Castro 2007).…”

“…Despite its location on a passive margin under the control of the nutrient-poor western boundary current, the sea surface temperature and chlorophyll concentrations in the CFUS area reveal a dynamic, complex oceanographic system controlled by interactions among instabilities of the southward trajectory of the oligotrophic Brazil Current (BC) , Belem et al 2013, wind-driven coastal Ekman transport (Valentin 1984, Carbonel 2003, Castelao and Barth 2006, mid-shelf eddy-induced cold-water intrusion of South Atlantic Central Water (SACW) to the photic zone (Brandini 1990, Campos et al 2000, Calado et al 2010) and mid-shelf thermal fronts (Castro et al 2008), leading to a heterogeneous pattern of primary productivity (Franchito et al 1998, Lopes et al 2006, recycling and transport of particulate material on the shelf. Understanding these synergic interactions among the physical and biogeochemical features in the CFUS is crucial to identifying particle sources and determining the extent of recycling or reworking as well as predicting whether the material will be deposited on the sea floor or exported to the deep ocean.…”

Spatial Assessment of the Bioclimatic and Environmental Factors Driving Mangrove Tree Species’ Distribution along the Brazilian Coastline

“…Yet A. germinans and C. erectus are known to survive in more arid regions in the northeast (<600 mm of Annual precipitation). However, under upwelling conditions, sea surface temperature can reach as low as 13˝C [61] or 18˝C [62], which is below or close to the temperature limit known to inhibit propagule germination in the mangrove A. germinans [63]. Although also non-upwelling conditions with temperatures over 21˝C [61] exist, the upwelling conditions might also be a barrier for A. germinans and C. erectus and should be further investigated.…”

The Impact of Surface Heat Fluxes on the Simulation of the Brazil Current

“…Preliminary efforts, and also previous numerical studies presented in the literature on the BC dynamics have addressed the issues of current intrinsic variability (Calado et al, 2006;Fernandes et al, 2009) and of mechanical local wind forcing (Rodrigues & Lorenzzetti, 2001;Castelão & Barth, 2006;Calado et al, 2010). So far, not much attention has been paid to the impacts that heat and mass fluxes at the oceanatmosphere interface may have upon this system.…”