Tropical Marine Environments Of Brazil

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.

"Anyone fascinated by the underwater world will be riveted by the photos in this richly illustrated guide... Readers can lose themselves in the magnificent environment beneath the sea...." --Publishers Weekly on the first edition of Reef Life The lure of the life that inhabits the ocean's reefs and open waters is no secret to scuba enthusiasts and snorkelers who enjoy gazing upon this wonderful world through their dive masks. This practical and comprehensive guidebook for divers, naturalists and ocean lovers identifies the most commonly encountered animals and other organisms in the tropical marine environment and identifies them in more than 1,000 beautiful color photographs to provide a window into this magnificent world. This updated edition features new photos, 33 new species profiles and an extended chapter about the state of the ocean and reefs on our rapidly changing planet. Reef Life is a handy, portable and comprehensive reference in a time when understanding and appreciating the diversity of our tropical oceans is at a critical point. A gallery of over 425 ray-finned fish species, as well as elasmobranchs (sharks, rays and skates), invertebrates, marine reptiles and marine mammals, offers readers an extensive identification guide to the most commonly seen marine species, with detailed descriptions of size, habitat, range and behavior. The book also includes: A guide to tropical marine ecosystems; Surveys of global coral reef communities, from the Caribbean to the Red Sea; A discussion about factors threatening marine ecosystems today. This is an essential selection for marine science and travel/tourism collections, scuba divers and snorkelers, and retailers and libraries in oceanside locations.

This book provides a broad overview of how the promotion of ocean and coastal literacy is being planned, applied and evaluated in Brazil, a country of continental dimensions with a great diversity of cultural, educational and social realities. It discusses a range of target groups, from children to adults; formal and informal strategies; and various promoting players, such as groups/institutions. Researchers representing Brazilian academic institutions and NGOs share their environmental education (EE) experiences in Brazil and describe the main concerns regarding the marine and coastal environments as well as how they are addressing these concerns in their EE projects. This book is of interest to anyone who is looking for ways of designing and implementing EE activities with a robust theoretical background in different socio-cultural scenarios.

Coastal and marine ecosystems, some severely degraded, other still pristine, control rich resources of inshore environments and coastal seas of Latin America's Pacific and Atlantic margins. Conflicts between the needs of the region's nations and diminishing revenues and environmental quality have induced awareness of coastal ecological problems and motivated financial support for restoration and management. The volume provides a competent review on the structure, processes and function of 22 important Latin American coastal marine ecosystems. Each contribution describes the environmental settings, biotic components and structure of the system, considers trophic processes and energy flow, evaluates the modifying influence of natural and human perturbations, and suggests management needs. Although the focus of the book is on basic ecological research, the results have application for coastal managers.

Most of the coral reefs of the American continent: the Brazilian waters, the Caribbean Sea and the eastern Pacific Ocean are in Latin American countries, the subject of this book. For the first time, information on coral reefs of such a vast region is mined from reports, obscure journals, university thesis and scientific journals, summarized and presented in a way both accessible and informative for the interested reader as well as for the coral reef expert. The chapters of the book, divided by country and ocean, were written by either scientists from the countries or by those that know the area well. Reefs not documented in the past are described in detail here, including location maps. The natural and anthropogenic impacts affecting the reefs are presented, as well as sections on management, conservation and legislation in each country. Nineteen chapters, plus an introduction, present information of coral reefs from Brazil to Mexico, and from Chile to Cuba.

The ‘Aquatic Habitat Conservation in South America’ Symposium occurred during the XXI Brazilian Society of Ichthyology Meeting. The proceedings were published as a special issue in the Journal of Fish Biology (vol. 89, Number 1, June 2016). In this special issue, authors provided an analytical overview of problems faced by the conservation of fishes and aquatic habitats of South America. Habitat loss emerged as the greatest concern for all South American aquatic ecosystems, with a long list of causes related to unsustainable development models. Based on this finding, we would like to extend this topic to other continents, different climates, fauna and flora around the world. Our goal is to provide a comprehensive and multidisciplinary overview of variables that influence flora and fauna distributions and shape their ecological interactions within aquatic ecosystems

The goal of marine spatial planning is to manage uses of marine space to reduce tensions between human activities and the health of marine ecosystems. This is a major and complex challenge, as oceans lie at the intersection of multiple and increasing interests: biodiversity conservation, climate change regulation, economic development, food security. This handbook takes an interdisciplinary, sustainability science approach to explore the potential and limitations of marine spatial planning, a tool developed in the Global North, and its current or possible future applications in the tropical South Atlantic – specifically in Brazil, Senegal and Cabo Verde. To protect our global ocean commons, communities of stakeholders need to transcend disciplinary boundaries and bring together diverse knowledge to move towards a shared goal of sustainability (part 1). The development of this collective intelligence in tropical marine ecosystem research must take into account local, national and international issues (part 2) and can be supported by innovative interdisciplinary tools (part 3). This handbook is aimed at decision-makers, researchers and, more generally, all users of marine areas, highlighting crucial points to consider when implementing marine spatial planning.