MORPHOMETRY OF MATA DO AMPARO DAM, ITAMARACÁ ISLAND, PERNAMBUCO, BRAZIL

Morfometria do Reservatório Mata do Amparo, Ilha de Itamaracá, Pernambuco, Brasil

Abstract

Lake morphology is closely related to the geomorphological process responsible for its origin, and influences the dynamics of most physical, chemical and biological properties of lacustrine environments. Different methodologies and highly accurate equipment have greatly improved the technological capacity for bathymetric mapping in the last decade, but their use has been applied to a limited number of environments in Brazil, owing to their high cost and lack of trained personnel. In the present study, an accessible and low-cost approach was used to characterize the morphometrics of Mata do Amparo Dam, a man-made lake in Itamaracá Island, Pernambuco State, northeastern Brazil. Lake bathymetry with a portable echosounder and GPS was conducted in 372 points, and additional 138 points of lake perimeter were digitalized from a satellite image and later interpolated for generation of a bathymetry chart, 3D views and estimation of volume. The reservoir has a surface area of 0.042 km², a maximum depth of 6.2 m and an estimated volume of 0.11 x 10⁶ m³. The methodology used provided an acceptable estimate of morphometric parameters, and a physical background for future limnological studies on the reservoir.

Keywords: bathymetry, morphology, volume