Análise da influência do Rio Santa Maria da Vitória na Baía de Vitória, através da modelagem computacional: uma contribuição ao processo de enquadramento

Abstract

Coasts and firths are environments in which human impacts have caused a variety of changes. Among the main impact is the increasing use of water resources, which has caused several quality and quantity of water conflicts. In order for the control and monitoring actions to be effectively adopted, aiming at lessening the damage caused by these practices, one should understand the movement pattern of the relevant bodies of water as well as their correlation with the water quality. This is the purpose of this paper. To do so, a computer model of the region comprising the final section of the Santa Maria da Vitória River and Vitória bay was implemented. It was named SisBAHIA. After the model was calibration and verification, the hydrodynamic characteristics of the region were associated with aspects related to water quality, by performing component transport simulations. These simulations allowed the analyses of the influence of river output on the saline intrusion behavior; correlation of river and tide conditions with concentrations in the Vitória bay firth area, considering a conservative component; and evaluation of the amount of water in the region considering a non-conservative component, by using several river and tide output scenarios. It is intended that the obtained results contribute to the process of classification of the Vitória Bay. Results should also provide data to allow access to information, in order to help make decisions and manage the studied region coast. This aims at improving the quality of life of the people using the bay water