Modelagem dos fluxos de ressuspensão de sedimentos de um lago raso subtropical

Abstract

The sediments resuspension process is of fundamental importance for the shallow water ecosystems. The resuspension leads to increased turbidity and increased vertical nutrient flows by changing the dynamics of the food chain of this water body and often favoring the maintenance of eutrophic states. This study evaluated the behavior of the suspended solids concentration in Lake Mangueira through the use of a mathematical model that represents the sediments resuspension rates in different episodes of measured winds. A formulation that considers the applied shear stress and the physical characteristics of sediments was implemented in the ecological model IPH-ECO. The suspended solids dynamics was well represented in the simulated results. In comparing the concentrations measured with the simulated results the medians were well represented. In the analysis of spatial distributions, the resuspension rates were predominantly more intense in the western portion of the lagoon, due to the predominance of eastern winds that affect this region.