Preprint Article Version 1 Preserved in Portico This version is not peer-reviewed

Unraveling the Impact of Human Activities on Water Quality of an Urban River in an Unplanned Zone of the Amazonian Coast

Luci Cajueiro Carneiro Pereira
ORCID logo ,
Natália do Socorro da Silva Sousa
,
Brenda Ribeiro Padilha da Silva
,
Ana Lucia Biondo da Costa
,
Francielle Raquel Baltazar Cavalcante
,
Laiane Maria dos Santos Rodrigues
,
Rauquírio Marinho da Costa
*
Version 1 : Received: 4 August 2023 / Approved: 7 August 2023 / Online: 8 August 2023 (14:04:58 CEST)

A peer-reviewed article of this Preprint also exists.

Pereira, L.C.C.; Sousa, N.S.S.; Silva, B.R.P.; Costa, A.L.B.; Cavalcante, F.R.B.; Rodrigues, L.M.S.; Costa, R.M. Influence of Anthropogenic Activities on the Water Quality of an Urban River in an Unplanned Zone of the Amazonian Coast. Limnol. Rev. 2023, 23, 108-125. Pereira, L.C.C.; Sousa, N.S.S.; Silva, B.R.P.; Costa, A.L.B.; Cavalcante, F.R.B.; Rodrigues, L.M.S.; Costa, R.M. Influence of Anthropogenic Activities on the Water Quality of an Urban River in an Unplanned Zone of the Amazonian Coast. Limnol. Rev. 2023, 23, 108-125.

Abstract

This study focuses on the Cereja River, a Permanent Preservation Area located in Amazon coast. The hypothesis tested was that the water quality of the Cereja River has worsened over recent years due to unplanned urban growth. To assess changes in the water quality, seven campaigns were undertaken with data being collected at six fixed points, during two distinct periods (2013–2014 and 2018–2019). High-resolution satellite images from GoogleEarth (2012 and 2019) were used to register unplanned occupation. The DPSWR (Driver-Pressure-State-Welfare-Response) socioecological framework was used to identify potential measures for the management of environmental and anthropogenic problems. The increase in the number of households found on the Cereja margins between 2012-2019 has contributed to the river’s intense trophic condition, low concentrations of dissolved oxygen, high concentrations of pathogenic bacteria, and loss of vegetation cover. The water of the Cereja River is inadequate for any human use, and its contamination is one of the principal factors determining the reduction of the water quality of the Caeté estuary. According to the obtained results, the DPSWR model proved to be an excellent analytical tool for the evaluation of specific local scenarios, through the integrated analysis of socio-environmental issues. The scenario observed can be extrapolated to other rivers located within urban areas in the Amazon region that have relatively unplanned growth.

Keywords

Sewage; population growth; pathogenic bacteria; DPSWR; Amazon coast

Subject

Biology and Life Sciences, Aquatic Science

Copyright: This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Download PDF Download Supplementary

Comments (0)

We encourage comments and feedback from a broad range of readers. See criteria for comments and our Diversity statement.

Leave a public comment
Send a private comment to the author(s)
* All users must log in before leaving a comment
Views 0
Downloads 0
Comments 0
Get PDF Supplementary Files Cite Share 0
Bookmark BibSonomy Mendeley Reddit Delicious
×
Alerts
Notify me about updates to this article or when a peer-reviewed version is published.
We use cookies on our website to ensure you get the best experience.
Read more about our cookies here.