HIDRO-SEDIMENTOLOGY AND CONNECTIVITY OF THE MACAÉ RIVER, NORTH OF RIO DE JANEIRO STATE, BRAZIL

Abstract

Doi: 10.12957/geouerj.2015.16436

Landscape connectivity is defined by the transfer of material and energy between different compartments of an environmental system and it can be analyzed by hidro-sedimentology approaches. The study was conducted in the Macaé River, located in the north of Rio de Janeiro State, in order to present the hidro-sedimentology characteristics and establish longitudinal patterns of connectivity among river environments, considering defined spatial and temporal analysis. The identification of these patterns was based on hydrological analysis (water flow and rain) from 2000 to 2013, sedimentological analysis (background loads and suspension) and geomorphological (morphometry and multi-temporal mapping of geomorphic features within the channel). Four river sections were identified (I, II, III and IV) with different patterns of longitudinal connectivity, in relation to the transfer of sediments: connected, partially connected and potentially connected. The river sections II and III (middle course of the river) showed better retention of sediments, with development of depositional forms within the channel. For the analyzed period, the Macaé River showed different responses in the range of their behavior, but without markedly compromising the dynamic transport and flow of sediments along the channel, considering this channel with a good connectivity among its sub-environments.