Brazilian coral reefs in a period of global change: A synthesis

Abstract Brazilian coral reefs form structures significantly different from the well-known reef models, as follows: (i) they have a growth form of mushroom-shaped coral pinnacles called "chapeirões", (ii) they are built by a low diversity coral fauna rich in endemic species, most of them relic forms dating back to the Tertiary, and (iii) the nearshore bank reefs are surrounded by siliciclastic sediments. The reefs are distributed in the following four major sectors along the Brazilian coast: the northern, the northeastern and the eastern regions, and the oceanic islands, but certain isolated coral species can be found in warmer waters in embayments of the southern region. There are different types of bank reefs, fringing reefs, isolated "chapeirões" and an atoll present along the Brazilian coast. Corals, milleporids and coralline algae build the rigid frame of the reefs. The areas in which the major coral reefs occur correspond to regions in which nearby urban centers are experiencing accelerated growth, and tourism development is rapidly increasing. The major human effects on the reef ecosystem are mostly associated with the increased sedimentation due to the removal of the Atlantic rainforest and the discharge of industrial and urban effluents. The effects of the warming of oceanic waters that had previously affected several reef areas with high intensity coral bleaching had not shown, by the time of the 2010 event, any episodes of mass coral mortality on Brazilian reefs

Pobreza e espaço: padrões de segregação em São Paulo

ESTE ESTUDO busca atualizar o debate sobre a segregação urbana no Brasil, com base nos dados do Censo Demográfico de 2000 e da utilização de Sistemas de Informação Geográfica. Sustentamos que o modelo centro-periferia é uma simplificação genérica da forma urbana, sendo a periferia de São Paulo heterogênea, o que acarreta importantes conseqüências para as políticas públicas.<br>THIS STUDY intends to revisit the urban segregation debate in Brazil, taking into account new data from the 2000 Demographic Census and the use of geographic information systems. We argue that the center-periphery model is a rough simplification of the urban form, and that the São Paulo outskirts are heterogeneous, with important consequences for public policies