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Waterfall Project: Sport, Science and Society Coming Together

2016; Wiley; Volume: 25; Issue: 4 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1002/lob.10148

1539-6088

F. Pacheco, Marcela Miranda, Jean Pierre Ometto, Arcilan Trevenzoli Assireu, Luciano Ponzi Pezzi,

Water Quality and Pollution Assessment

As a scientist, what would you do if a friend knocks on your door proposing an expedition through a river to collect limnological data with all resources needed to guarantee high quality data? Most of us would answer: “Sure! Under what conditions?” When this offer was presented to me in 2014 the conditions were unlike any we've confronted before as scientists. Probably, many scientists would reconsider their answer facing the adventure challenges that lied ahead and we never could have guessed. As a limnologist, I (Felipe Pacheco) have mostly focused on biogeochemical cycles in rivers and reservoirs. During my scientific career, I devoted most effort to answering questions about carbon emission, climate change, water quality, and eutrophication. Nowadays, I work as a post doc researcher at the National Institute for Space Research, Brazil, focused on watershed and lake ecological modeling. While technically an early career scientist, I've spent the last 12 yr conducting extensive fieldwork in regions from very small lakes in North America to large rivers and reservoirs in the Amazon. In all those years, joining an expedition like what was presented to me by my friend, Arcilan Assireu, never passed through my mind. And, believe me, it was one of the most exciting experiences I have ever had. The proposed expedition was unique: paddling the whole 1137 km extent—from the headwater to the ocean—of the Paraíba do Sul River (Fig. 1), on board of a Karma Unlimited Jackson kayak! The idea was brought to us by the Brazilian professional athlete, Pedro Oliva (who set the world record for kayak waterfall free ride in 2009) and Luciano Pezzi, senior researcher from the National Institute for Space Research who has been working with his research group on air-sea interaction processes for more than one decade. More information can be seen in Pezzi et al. 2016 and references there in. Since they needed a (young and excited) scientist interested in the Paraíba do Sul river and its watershed, I agreed to learn a bit about kayak and paddling technique to follow Pedro Oliva in some parts of the track and teach him how to use all the scientific gear for water and atmosphere sampling. This scientific-sport-social adventure was being filmed for a documentary, so our expedition starting team was pretty heterogeneous: camera operator, assistant camera, producer, kayakers, sociologist, geographer, biologists, and volunteers. Working with such a diverse and interdisciplinary group of people was extremely rewarding and enjoyable but—I admit—it was also the hardest part of the entire expedition. Map showing the Paraiba do Sul River. The professional athlete traveled the 1137 km of the main river, from the headwater to the ocean, on board of a kayak. Water samples were collected every 5 km for analysis of biological and physic-chemical characteristics of water. The pink polygons are major cities where social work were made with local people. WATER CRISIS IN BRAZIL AS A MOTIVATION TO ACT During the period of 2014–2016, the southeast region of Brazil experienced the greatest drought in over 80 yr. This climatic condition is affecting a densely populated and industrial region, including important cities like São Paulo, the largest city in South America, and Rio de Janeiro, the second largest city and the most important international tourist destination in Brazil. The biggest reservoir located in the Paraiba do Sul watershed (Paraibuna reservoirs) reached its lowest level in 2015 with only 1.09% of effective volume. This scenario of drought is intensified by problems in the water supply network, excessive water consumption, water wastage, pollution, and water mismanagement. For instance, according to the Company for Water and Sewers of Rio de Janeiro State, 30% of the treated water was lost due to structural problems in the supply network in 2015 in the municipality of Rio de Janeiro, one supplied by Paraiba do Sul River. The Paraíba do Sul river system supplies around 14 million people in more than 180 municipalities in one of the most populated regions in Brazil (20–50 hab km−2, IBGE, 2010). Forty-six percent of the domestic sewage generated in this area is untreated (AGEVAP 2011) and loaded directly to the river, exerting a large influence on river water quality and its biodiversity. Untreated domestic sewage accounts to about 90% of the pollutant load to the Paraíba do Sul River. The reservoirs along the river have experienced drastic eutrophication in recent decades, leading to frequent and intense cyanobacterial blooms (Branco et al. 2002; Rangel et al. 2016; Pacheco et al. 2015) and large macrophyte banks (Facioli and Moreira 2013) (Fig. 2). In a future scenario of extended and more frequent droughts, combined with increasing population and demand for water, those problems may be intensified (Mosley 2015) and lead to a dramatic water shortage. The actual scenario of Paraíba do Sul River. In the upper panels, the people in rural regions along the river uses the river as source of food and for transport (left). Due to the eutrophication, large macrophyte banks dominate the water surface of many parts of the river and reservoirs mainly during low water flow (right). In the lowermost panel, a typical scene of the riverbanks in the urban areas. Photos by P. Oliva. Motivated by the present-day scenario, the project aimed to address the status of the interfaces on land-water-atmosphere in the Paraíba do Sul river during one of the most critical periods of the drought. We were convinced that carrying on the project, in a quite worrying environmental condition, we would highlight and diffuse the importance of ecosystem conservation and management for much more people and attract the curiosity of people that can really make difference to those who suffer most from mismanagement of water bodies. And we are already having good results! PADDLING TOWARD A BROADER PERSPECTIVE We, as natural scientists, should keep in mind that one of our most important duties is to disseminate scientific knowledge about natural world. As in many other countries, ecological knowledge rarely reaches people with low access to formal education in Brazil, particularly those that live under poverty. Although it is not a general rule, people along the Paraíba's riverbank, living in rural settlements, use the river as source of food and for transport and people in urban areas use the river as a big dump for deposit of dead animals and organic waste (Fig. 2). The Waterfall Project was very ambitious and, probably, a similar one was never made before worldwide! Between 12th July and 13th September of 2015, Pedro Oliva carried his sporting challenge of paddling the entire river and we had the opportunity of having a high resolution sampling program in one of the most important river of the Southeast region in Brazil. We sought a broader approach than just collecting data, although. The project was intended to have great visibility and a threefold impact to the local society promoting science, environmental education, and sport. The project team had close contact to people in the communities, settlements, and schools in the watershed (Fig. 3). We wanted to discover their problems and their feelings about the river. Through this approach, we learned how people everywhere want to help preserve the environment but they have no idea how simple actions can make a huge difference, such as take the right care about their own waste. The expedition included strategic stops in major cities to promote educational and informative activities on topics related to water resources. These forums were a great opportunity for the project team to share knowledge and experience, acquired by paddling the waterway, and foster the connection of the local population to the river environment. The communities living nearby the river were invited to share their knowledge and perceptions with the scientists and athletes about the environment and the importance of the river as water resource and ecosystem. They were motivated to think about how their activities affects the river and communities downstream. Inception activities were promoted and people were encouraged to exchange information, by drawing maps and exposing their point of view, concerning major issues related to the river environment, as part of their communities (Fig. 3). Additionally, kayaking teaching activities were offered to kids to teach basic skills and encourage a healthy lifestyle through sports. Exchanging knowledge. The activities developed in close contact to people in the communities, settlements, and schools were the most rewarding part of the expedition. We talked about ecology and our experiences along the river and people shared their perception of the neighborhood environment. Photos by A. Y. Iwama. Back on dry land, people from many institutes are preparing textbooks and teaching manuals based on the acquired knowledge on the development and implementation of the project, including information on land cover, water quality, influences of the river to the local microclimate and societal perception of the neighborhood environment. These documents will be compiled into a guide for teachers of primary and secondary schools (5–19 yr old), bringing up-to-date information on the current situation and problems existing in the watershed in which they live. In this project, the sport (extreme kayaking) worked as an efficient and interesting tool to unite science and society! MAKING MAINSTREAM SCIENCE Before we could launch the expedition, although, we had to transform the kayak into a data-sampling platform (Fig. 4)! We had a limited space to carry equipment, flasks, tend and food. Our solution was maintaining an effective support on land with stocks of food and flasks, and equipment to store and preserve the samples. We had to be in constant harmony to collect samples every 5 km for analysis of biological and physic-chemical characteristics of the water. Also, automatic equipment were adapted and attached to the kayak for real time measurements. A multiparameter sonde (model YSI 6600, Yellow Springs, Ohio, U.S.A.) was attached to the kayak to collect temperature, conductivity, pH, dissolved oxygen and turbidity data every 5 min. In addition, a weather balloon attached to the kayak collected atmospheric temperature and humidity data in a vertical profile using sensors (Maxim, iButtons, San Jose, California, U.S.A.) tied along the balloon's rope (10 m with sensors every 2 m). Twenty iButtons sensors were installed along the riverbank prior the beginning of the expedition to investigate spatial and temporal variation of temperature and humidity. During 63 d, the team collected 438 water samples at 219 sampling points; 2459 records with the sonde; 393,881 temperature and humidity records with the sensors installed along the riverbank and weather balloon's rope. The professional kayak (Karma Unlimited Jackson Kayak) was adapted to be a data-sampling platform. Water quality probes, weather balloon, weather station, GPS, and cameras collected data from the water, atmosphere and riverbanks. Photos by F. S. Pacheco and P. Oliva. At this time, the project team is working on publishing the data collected during the expedition. The preliminary analysis show a significant influence of the city's economic profile on water biogeochemical parameters. This observation mirrors the cities with high population density, lower economic condition, which leads to further degradation and erosion of the riverbanks. A reservoir (named Funil), located in the lower reach of the river, and considered the most degraded reservoir of the Paraiba do Sul River, plays a buffer role of retaining the excess nutrient load from the upper watershed, leading to better downstream water quality. Water from downstream Funil reservoir will, ultimately, feed the city of Rio de Janeiro. Associated to the retention of nutrient by Funil reservoir, the best preservation of the riverbanks in the downstream reach act as important factor contributing to the quality of the river ecosystem and its water. In addition to being an extremely effective communication strategy for propagating scientific knowledge to the society, the data generated by the project will be presented in the scientific peer-reviewed literature, bringing in an integrative manner, the impact and risks that the tropical ecosystem freshwater environment are facing. A second expedition of the Waterfall Project is planned to be conducted in the Iguaçu River in the Southern Brazil on next year. SPREADING GOOD PRACTICES We sought reaching a large number of people through presentations and interviews with local communities showing local problems and good practices that can minimize the impact of our activities. The presence of the professional athlete at social activities was extremely important to engage people in the project objectives and environmental cause. During the expedition, people from many places followed the kayaks and the project team (Fig. 5). Many of them had already seen Pedro Oliva on TV dropping giant waterfalls worldwide and they were happy to see a celebrity working for an environmental cause in their region. The project also attracted spontaneous media, radio, and newspaper coverage, which leveraged the propagation of the project information and ideas. Participants of the project. Our team were composed by athletes, scientists, students, and volunteers focused on the single purpose of understanding the Paraiba do Sul River as an ecological and social environment. Along the way, our team changed all the time. People from many places who supported our ideas followed us by kayak. In this project, the sport practice worked as an amplifier to highlight and diffuse the importance of ecosystem conservation. Photos by R. Gallo and M. Miranda. We see projects like this one as an innovative and effective approach to spread scientific knowledge. Partnering with professional athletes like canoeists, yachtsman, mountaineers, cyclists etc can engage people for environmental causes and can also be a nice opportunity to collect large amounts of data from areas we would consider as impossible to reach in a “regular project.” We also believe this kind of project may be an encouraging motivation for scientists to look at using sport practices as a bridge to connect science and society. Articles and videos about the project can be found in the links below (Portuguese): Videos: https://globoplay.globo.com/v/4574961/http://g1.globo.com/sp/vale-do-paraiba-regiao/jornal-vanguarda/videos/v/canoista-joseense-se-une-a-pesquisadores-em-expedicao-pelo-rio-paraiba-do-sul/4327036/http://g1.globo.com/sp/vale-do-paraiba-regiao/link-vanguarda/videos/t/edicoes/v/canoista-faz-expedicao-para-avaliar-qualidade-da-agua-do-paraiba/4371401/http://g1.globo.com/rj/sul-do-rio-costa-verde/rjtv-2edicao/videos/t/edicoes/v/canoista-que-faz-expedicao-pelo-rio-paraiba-do-sul-passa-por-resende-rj/4417267/http://g1.globo.com/sp/vale-do-paraiba-regiao/jornal-vanguarda/videos/t/edicoes/v/expedicao-de-pedro-oliva-chega-ao-fim/4486509/ Articles: http://www.inpe.br/noticias/noticia.php?Cod_Noticia=3925 http://integralsustentavel.blogspot.com.br/2015/08/projeto-cachoeiras.html http://integralsustentavel.blogspot.com.br/2015/08/oficina-de-cartografia-social.html INVOLVEMENT OF RESEARCH AND EDUCATION INSTITUTES The Project was conducted under the supervision of 17 scientists from six Brazilian research and education institutes: Felipe S. Pacheco,1 Marcela Miranda,2 Luciano Pezzi,1 Allan Iwama,3 André Reis,4 Arcilan Assireu,4 Conrado Rudorff,3 Gilsinéia Correia,5 Jean Ometto,1 Liana Anderson,3 Líliam Medeiros,6 Marcelo M. Marinho,5 Márcio Andrade,3 Márcio Malafaia,1 Matias Sales,4 Patrícia Domingos,5 Rachel Trajber,3 Victor Marchezini3 The project had the financial support of research institutes and universities (listed below), São Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP, project number 2014/06556-3) and eight private companies (Clean Environment Brazil, GEOKLOCK Environmental Consultancy and Engineering, Bachema Environmental Analytical Services, Tracking System Brazil, Thule Sweden, Hot Buttered, Mitsubishi Motors and Red Nose). We thank Pedro Oliva for bringing this challenge to us and for his professionalism and friendship. Also, we especially thank Peterson and Marcos Lobos for helping us all the time and all the many others supporters we found along our journey (people and companies). Felipe S. Pacheco, Jean P. Ometto, and Luciano Pezzi, National Institute for Space Research (INPE); felipe.pacheco@inpe.br Marcela Miranda, Federal University of Juiz de Fora (UFJF) Arcilan Assireu, Federal University of Itajubá (UNIFEI)