Effect of land use, geology, and seasonality on hydrogeochemical baseline variations in a watershed impacted by human activities in the eastern Amazon.

ABSTRACT: Watershed monitoring is vital for ecosystem sustainability and contamination source identification. Such studies are scarce in the Amazon region. To address this, an integrated study was conducted to assess variations in baseline concentrations of Fe and potentially toxic elements in the Gelado Creek Watershed (GCW), eastern Amazon. This watershed, situated in the Carajás Mineral Province, hosts two world-class Fe mines with tailing dams. It has also faced extensive deforestation due to rapid human settlement and artisanal mining. Surface water samples were collected at 12 sites within the GCW during 25 monthly field campaigns from April 2016 to April 2018, and physicochemical analyses were conducted. Data processing included statistical treatment, geospatial characterization, multivariate

SUBMITTER: Salomao GN 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12454543 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature