Determination of water renewal rates in the Paranaguá estuarine complex

ABSTRACT This work investigates the water renewal in the Paranaguá Estuarine Complex (PEC), located in the state of Paraná, Brazil, using the SisBaHiA® computer modelling system. A hydrodynamic circulation model, for the definition of hydrodynamic circulation patterns, and an Eulerian transport model, for the computation of the water renewal rate, water age and residual circulation, were implemented. The water renewal rate, water age and residual circulation were computed for different hydrodynamic scenarios, with representative summer and winter periods and, consequently, with different forcings (tide, river flow or wind), in order to identify possible stagnation areas. Results show that the tide and the river flows are the most important forcings in the water renewal of the PEC. Two possible stagnation areas were identified in all scenarios, which presented lower renewal rates and higher water ages when compared to the other regions, namely, the Pinheiros bay region and the region near to Paranaguá city. During the summer and taking into account all the forcings, renewal rates in the Pinheiros Bay region and near the city of Paranaguá are less than 95% whereas in the other regions of the PEC, the values are higher than 95%.