Floods in RS: satellite records arrival of sediment stains in the ocean; look

Satellite image captured last Sunday (26) shows the arrival of the sediment stain from the flood in Rio Grande do Sul to the Atlantic Ocean, through the southern end of Lagoa dos Patos. The record was made by researchers from the Dynamic Oceanography and Satellite Laboratory at the Federal University of Rio Grande (Lods/Furg).

Professor Fabricio Sanguinetti, who is the laboratory coordinator, states that the stain reached the ocean on Thursday (23). The satellite recording, however, could not be done on the same day due to excessive clouds. In the image released, a comparison is made with the same location on April 25th, shortly before the start of the historic rains that hit the state.

According to Sanguinetti, it is not possible to say that the sediments reached the Atlantic Ocean only last week. “They were arriving at different depths, but it can be said that, en masse, they started arriving last Thursday, that is, on the 23rd.”

In relation to the impacts caused by the arrival of garbage and other waste on the coast, one of the possibilities is that Praia do Cassino, in the city of Rio Grande (RS), will be the most affected. “Given the oceanographic conditions and the coastal circulation pattern, coastal currents will direct part of this residue to the beaches”, he comments.

“A very visible environmental impact that we will probably have is the arrival of part of this material at Praia do Cassino, right, depositing there on the sand strip. This causes an environmental impact on the animals that live in that sector and on the use of the beach, even though it is winter”, he details.

Another possibility is the formation of so-called debris pockets. “It will be necessary to monitor the areas prone to the formation of these pockets to validate this hypothesis.”