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Beaches of Rio Grande do Norte

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Brazilian Beach Systems

Part of the book series: Coastal Research Library ((COASTALRL,volume 17))

Abstract

The Rio Grande do Norte coast extends 410 km, and consists of sandy beaches (72 %), active sea cliffs carved into Cenozoic sediments of the Barreiras and Tibau formations (26 %), and transgressive dune fields and beachrock. It comprises two different sectors: the northern (equatorial) coast trends east for 244 km, while the eastern (oriental) coast trends south for 166 km. The eastern sector is characterized by wave-dominated and some tide-modified beaches that are mainly reflective to intermediate states. In contrast, the northern sector has resulted in tide-modified and tide-dominated beaches that range from reflective (the dominant state) to intermediate. In general the Refletive + Low tide terrace (R + LTT) is present along the entire coast for most of the year, while wave-dominated Longshore bar and trough (LBT), Rhythmic bar and beach (RBB), Transverse bar and rip (TBR), Low tide terrace (LTT) and reflective (R) occur along the eastern sector, and tide-dominated Beach + tidal sand flats (B + TSF) occurs along parts of the northern sector. R + rock flats and coral reef flats are present in both sectors, where bedrock and beachrock reefs are prevalent. Beachrock reefs are very common along the Rio Grande do Norte shore, occurring in both the offshore and onshore zones. Beach morphodynamics is modified due the presence of the beachrocks. Sea level variability is dominated by tides (up 98 % of the energy spectra). The sea level subtidal component is well correlated with the winds, but demonstrate very low amplitudes. Longshore currents are wind modulated, while cross-shore currents are primarily modulated by tides and secondarily by winds. Erosional hotspots and, both natural and anthropogenic hazards, are present along the Rio Grande do Norte coast.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    Virtual trajectories are found by integrating the velocity field in time and further assuming a horizontally uniform flow.

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Acknowledgements

The authors express their thanks to the editors (AD Short and AHF Klein) for their invitation to write this chapter and for their helpful comments on the initial version. We also thank the Navy of Brazil (SECIRM / SSN-3) with the support of boats and ships.This work was funded by CNPq (PQ 303481/2009-9, Universal 486451/2012-7), CAPES (Ciências do Mar 207/2010), FINEP/PETROBRAS (PRH-ANP22, PLAT N-NE). This is a contribution from GT 1.1 & GT 2.1 to INCT AmbTropic (CNPq/FAPESB/CAPES).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Departamento de Geologia/Programa de Pós-Graduação em Geodinâmica e Geofísica, Centro de Ciências Exatas e da Terra Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte-UFRN Campus Universitário, 1639 Lagoa Nova, Natal, RN, 59072-970, Brazil

    Helenice Vital, Werner Farkatt Tabosa, Francisco Pinheiro Lima-Filho & Moab Praxedes Gomes

  2. Museu Câmara Cascudo Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte- UFRN, Av Hermes da Fonseca, 1398 Tirol, Natal, RN, 59020-650, Brazil

    Iracema Miranda da Silveira

  3. Departamento de Geografia/Programa de Pós-Graduação em Geografia, Centro de Ciências Humanas Letras e Artes Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte-UFRN/Campus Universitário, 1596 Lagoa Nova, Natal, RN, 59072-970, Brazil

    Zuleide Maria Carvalho Lima & Marcelo dos Santos Chaves

  4. Centro de Tecnologia, Colégio Agrícola de Jundiaí, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte, UFRN, RN 160 Km 03 Distrito de Jundiaí, Escola Agrícola de Jundiaí, Macaiba, RN, 59280-000, Brazil

    Flavo Elano Soares de Souza

  5. Departamento de Geociências, Centro de Filosofia e Ciências Humanas, Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, UFSC/Campus Universitário, Trindade, Florianópolis, SC, 88040-900, Brazil

    Felipe M. Pimenta

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  1. Helenice Vital
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  2. Iracema Miranda da Silveira
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  3. Werner Farkatt Tabosa
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  4. Zuleide Maria Carvalho Lima
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Correspondence to Helenice Vital .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. School of Geosciences, University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

    Andrew D. Short

  2. Departamento de Geociências, Laboratório de Oceanografia Costeira, Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Florianopolis, Santa Catarina, Brazil

    Antonio Henrique da F. Klein

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Vital, H. et al. (2016). Beaches of Rio Grande do Norte. In: Short, A., Klein, A. (eds) Brazilian Beach Systems. Coastal Research Library, vol 17. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-30394-9_8

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