Beachgoer perceptions on health regulations of COVID-19 in two popular beaches on the Brazilian Amazon.

The sandy beaches of the Brazilian Amazon coast have enormous touristic potential and attract thousands of visitors each year, principally in July, at the beginning of the summer vacation period. In 2020, beach going was affected worldwide by the Covid-19 pandemic, but how did the pandemic affect recreational beach use on the Amazon coast in the Brazilian state of Pará? Given this, the objective of this work is to identify public perception in compliance with health safety established by authorities due to COVID-19 pandemic in two popular beaches on the Brazilian Amazon. Recreational patterns on the beaches of this region were analyzed from the user's perspective in July, through semi-structured interviews and direct observations. Recreational activities were prohibited on the beaches located within protected areas. At other locations, however, including Ajuruteua and Atalaia, the beaches were reopened on July 1 st, and both sites received thousands of visitors in July, despite the fact that interviewees believed the pandemic to be dangerous, and considered the situation in Pará state to be at least as bad or worse than in previous months. Agglomerations were verified on both study beaches and social distancing and other protective measures were limited. The increase in the new cases recorded in August was due to the relaxation of restrictions on social, recreational, and economic activities by the local authorities in July 2020, including the reopening of public access to beaches. As Pará state has been hard-hit by the pandemic, prohibitions on recreational beach use should clearly not have been lifted during this period. A number of management measures were presented in this study. These measures should contribute to the prevention of the spread of the virus during the upcoming public holidays, as long as the pandemic continues.

Secondary production of Acartia tonsa Dana, 1849 and A. lilljeborgii Giesbrecht, 1889 in an Amazonian estuary (Brazil).

The dynamics of the copepods A. tonsa and A. lilljeborgii were described for the first time in the Taperaçu Estuary. The acartiids were collected using plankton nets (200 µm) in June 2012, March 2013 (rainy season) and September 2012 and 2013 (dry season). The oscillations in rainfall and the fluctuations in hydrological variables influenced the abundance, biomass, and production of both A. tonsa (17 ± 23 to 8501 ± 13,248 ind.m-3; 16,385.29 mg.C.m-3; 0.09 ± 0.21 to 355.17 ± 590.84 mg.C.m-3.d-1) and A. lilljeborgii (14 ± 11 to 1470 ± 1591 ind.m-3; 22,398.40 mg.C.m-3; 177.99 ± 263.13 mg.C.m-3.d-1) with clear monthly, seasonal, and spatial patterns. The high levels of production observed may be related to the presence of waters rich in particulate organic material derived from the adjacent mangrove forests. This material is consumed by a number of copepod species, in particular A. tonsa and A. lilljeborgii, favoring the development and reproduction of both species which are characterized by high rates of productivity in the study estuary. The present results indicate that the biomass and productivity in equatorial mangrove estuaries may be relatively high in comparison with the levels observed in other coastal systems around the world and that earlier stages of both species have a great relevance for biomass and production in Amazonian estuaries.

Understanding allochthonous marine litter in a Protected Area in the Amazon Coast.

Studies on international waste on the Amazon coast are lacking, leaving a substantial knowledge gap concerning the socioeconomic, cultural, and environmental repercussion of this issue. In this context, the objective of this study is to comprehensively characterize and trace the origins of allochthonous litter discovered on a beach situated within a Protected Area. Given this, the hypothesis of this study is that the international litters comes from vessels operating in the region. A total of 384 containers were collected, originating from 36 countries, with those located in Asia and Africa showing the highest prevalence. Among the bottles with identified expiration dates, 76 % are newly arrived, confirming our hypothesis. The presence of older waste may result from a combination of the absence of beach cleaning public services and local dynamic processes. While international engagement is necessary, local communities, along with the scientific community, have taken proactive measures to address the problem.

Effect of coastline properties and wastewater on plankton composition and distribution in a stressed environment on the north coast of Olinda-PE (Brazil)

Foi realizado um estudo sobre a estrutura das comunidades planctônicas ao longo das praias de Casa Caiada e Rio Doce (Pernanbuco, Brasil). A área de estudo sofre grande influência antrópica onde as condições ambientais são controladas pela presença de estruturas costeiras, reduzindo a intensidade da circulação neste ambiente; e pelos efluentes clandestinos de esgoto que aportam águas poluídas para dentro do sistema protegido. Os resultados obtidos indicam que nas zonas protegidas as águas apresentam alta turbidez, temperaturas elevadas, salinidades reduzidas e altas concentrações de nutrientes e oxigênio. Estas condições são responsáveis pela redução da diversidade do plâncton e pelo aumento da biomassa das espécies mais resistentes. As diferenças registradas com respeito a áreas similares, porém não impactadas, parecem indicar que a estrutura planctônica pode ser usada como um indicador da qualidade ambiental, sugerindo uma baixa qualidade das praias em estudo.