Hidrochemical characterization meant for environmental certifying of the Santos-São Vicente and Cananéia estuaries

Abstract

Aquatic environments, especially estuaries, are affected by a number of different factors. The aim of this study was to characterize the contamination processes in different areas of Santos-São Vicente and Cananéia estuaries, São Paulo State, Brazil. For this purpose, both estuaries were segmented in three areas according to the levels of contamination in the polluted estuary (Santos-São Vicente) and in accordance with the hydrodynamic characteristics of the non-polluted estuary (Cananéia). The results of hydrochemistry and nutrients concentration confirmed the larger human influence in Santos-São Vicente estuary, mainly in the inshore zone overall when compared to Cananéia, an estuary under more natural conditions.