Tropical Marine Environments of Brazil: Spatio-Temporal Heterogeneities and Responses to Climate Changes

Description

This book provides an overview of the tropical marine environments of Brazil and a multi-disciplinary assessment of the impact of ongoing climate change in these environments. These changes will affect physical, biological and biogeochemical characteristics of coastal zones and oceans, modifying their ecological structure, their functions and the various services provided to humans and have the potential of causing severe socioeconomic impacts in local (coastal zone), regional (continental shelf and shallow seas) and global (ocean) scales. The Tropical Brazil presents a unique opportunity to evaluate how spatial and temporal heterogeneity influences the response and resilience of marine environments to climate changes. This region comprises the main reef constructions of the Western South Atlantic Ocean, the majority of the Brazilian deltas, one of the longest mangrove areas of the world, a very narrow and shallow continental shelf, extreme variations in sediment and nutrient flows, as well as undeniable importance in transferring heat and mass between hemispheres.  Preface Acknowledgements Contents Editors and Contributors 1 Tropical Marine Environments of Brazil and Impacts of Climate Change 1.1 Introduction 1.2 The Tropical Marine Environments of Brazil 1.2.1 The Deltaic Coast of Eastern Brazil 1.2.2 The Sediment-Starved Coast of Northeastern Brazil 1.2.3 The Tidal Embayment of the Amazon 1.2.4 The Tropical Atlantic Ocean 1.3 Climate Change Impacts 1.3.1 Deltas 1.3.2 Mangroves 1.3.3 Coral Reefs 1.3.4 Continental Shelf 1.3.5 Zoo- and Ichthyoplankton Communities 1.4 Book Organization 1.5 Final Remarks References 2 Climate Variability and Change in Tropical South America 2.1 Introduction 2.1.1 Components of the Climate System 2.1.2 Natural Climate Variability and Change 2.1.3 Anthropogenic Climate Change 2.1.4 Main Concepts in Climate Change and Modeling 2.2 Climate Modeling: A Primer 2.2.1 Climate Models: Concepts and Evolution 2.2.2 Evolution of Climate Emissions Scenarios for IPCC 2.2.3 Uncertainties in Model Projections and Model Limitations 2.3 Observed and Projected Climate Scenarios in Tropical South America 2.3.1 Observed Changes: A Summary 2.3.2 Changes in Rainfall and Hydrology in the Amazon Region 2.3.3 Rainfall and Hydrological Variability in the Pantanal Region 2.3.4 Rainfall Variability in Northeast Brazil 2.3.5 Rainfall and Hydrological Variability in the Paraná-La Plata River Basin 2.3.6 Cyclones Over the South Atlantic Ocean 2.3.7 Changes in Mean Climate and Extremes Based on CMIP6 and CORDEX Models Under Various Levels of Warming (from 1.5 to 4 °C) 2.3.8 Temperature Projections 2.3.9 Precipitation Projections 2.3.10 Drought Projections 2.4 Impacts on Natural and Human Systems 2.4.1 Impacts on Natural Ecosystems 2.4.2 Potential Impacts on Society 2.4.3 Governance Actions to Mitigate Climate Change: Examples for Northeast Brazil (NEB) and Amazon 2.5 Gaps, Limitations and Future Lines of Work References 3 Mangrove Swamps of Brazil: Current Status and Impact of Sea-Level Changes 3.1 Introduction 3.2 Environmental Information 3.2.1 Geology 3.2.2 Climate 3.2.3 Oceanographic Parameters 3.3 Mangrove Spatial Distribution Along the Brazilian Coast 3.3.1 The North Sector 3.3.2 The Northeast Sector 3.3.3 The East Sector 3.3.4 The Southeast Sector 3.4 Mangrove Changes from 1985 to 2020 3.5 Impacts of Sea-Level Changes in the Brazilian Mangroves 3.5.1 Sea-Level Changes and Evolution of Mangrove Sedimentation Evolution During the Holocene 3.5.2 Impact of Future Sea-Level Rise in the Brazilian Mangroves 3.6 Concluding Remarks References 4 The Wave-Dominated Deltas of Brazil 4.1 Deltas—Hot Spots of Vulnerability to Climate Changes 4.2 Wave Versus Tide Dominance in the Brazilian Deltas 4.3 Regional Setting 4.3.1 Catchment 4.3.2 Receiving Basin 4.3.3 Holocene Climate Changes 4.3.4 Sea-Level History 4.4 Geology-Geomorphology of the Deltas 4.5 Holocene Evolutionary History 4.6 Holocene Climate Changes and Delta Construction 4.7 Recent Coastline Changes 4.8 Vulnerability to Ongoing Climate Change 4.9 Research Opportunities 4.10 Concluding Remarks References 5 Reefs of the Western Tropical South Atlantic Ocean: Distribution, Environmental Impacts and Trends on Environmental Suitability Due to Climate Changes 5.1 Introduction 5.2 Reef Distribution Along the Continental Shelf and Seamounts 5.3 Coral and Fish Communities (Along the Tropical Shelf) and Impact Variability 5.3.1 Coral Distribution 5.3.2 Fish Diversity Variability 5.4 Main Global and Local Impacts and Bleaching 5.5 Projections/Tendencies of Endemic Coral Species Distribution 5.5.1 Methods 5.5.2 Suitability Areas (Modern and Future Scenarios) 5.6 Concluding Remarks References 6 Geodiversity and Biodiversity of the Tropical Shelf of Northeastern Brazil 6.1 A General Overview of the Brazilian Tropical Shelf 6.2 The Northeastern Brazil Shelf 6.2.1 The Açu Incised Valley System of Rio Grande do Norte 6.2.2 The Pernambuco Shelf 6.2.3 The Narrow, Low-Accommodation Shelf of Central Bahia 6.2.4 The Abrolhos Shelf 6.3 Quaternary Evolution 6.3.1 Rio Grande do Norte Shelf 6.3.2 Pernambuco Shelf 6.3.3 Salvador Shelf 6.3.4 Abrolhos Shelf 6.4 Shelf Environments and Human Uses 6.5 Concluding Remarks References 7 Zoo- and Ichthyoplankton Communities of Pelagic Ecosystems in the Western Tropical Atlantic 7.1 Introduction 7.1.1 Zooplankton and Ichthyoplankton Research in Northern Brazil 7.1.2 Zooplankton and Ichthyoplankton Research in Northeastern Brazil 7.1.3 Zooplankton and Ichthyoplankton Research off the Oceanic Islands of Northeastern Brazil 7.1.4 Sampling Design and Abiotic Conditions 7.2 Seasonal and Interannual Variability of the Zooplankton and Ichthyoplankton in Neritic and Offshore Waters off Salvador, Bahia, Brazil. 7.2.1 Zooplankton Community 7.2.2 Ichthyoplankton Community 7.3 Spatial, Seasonal and Interannual Dynamics of the Zoo- and Ichthyoplankton at the Continental Shelf off Tamandaré, Pernambuco, Brazil 7.3.1 Zooplankton Composition and Spatial Distribution 7.4 Seasonal and Interannual Variability of the Zoo- and Ichthyoplankton in Neritic and Offshore Waters off São Luís, Maranhão, Brazil 7.4.1 Zooplankton Community 7.4.2 Ichthyoplankton Community 7.5 Spatial, Seasonal and Interannual Dynamics of Zooplankton Biomass and Biodiversity Along a Large-Scale Transect off Pará, Northern Brazil 7.5.1 Zooplankton 7.5.2 Ichthyoplankton Community 7.6 Mesoscale Distribution of Zooplankton off the Oceanic Islands in the Tropical Western Atlantic 7.6.1 Total Microzooplankton Abundance and Biomass at Rocas Atoll 7.6.2 Macrozooplankton Relative Abundance at the Fernando de Noronha Archipelago 7.6.3 Zooneuston Abundance 7.7 The Future of Pelagic Ecosystems off Northern and Northeastern Brazil in the Context of Climate Change—Scenarios, Challenges, Research Gaps, and Perspectives References 8 Circulation, Biogeochemical Cycles and CO2 Flux Variability in the Tropical Atlantic Ocean 8.1 The Western Boundary Systems of Brazil: General Overview 8.1.1 Ocean Circulation 8.1.2 Ocean–Atmosphere Teleconnections and Climate Variability 8.2 Biogeochemical Cycles and CO2 Flux 8.3 The Eastern Northeast Brazilian Offshore Region: Connecting the Central Atlantic 8.4 The Equatorial Broadband 8.4.1 The North Brazil Chain 8.4.2 Amazon River–Ocean Continuum 8.5 Synopsis References Index