Caracterização do litoral central de Pernambuco (Brasil) quanto ao processo erosivo em curto e médio-termo

This article aims for a better understanding of the ongoing erosion along the central coast of Recife Metropolitan Area in terms of the process and of spatial and temporal scales involved. For that, coastal variations of short and medium-term were analyzed, previous studies were reviewed, erosion indicators were surveyed and an inventory of damage records caused by erosion and reported in major newspapers in circulation in the state was conducted. The results showed that the process does not behave homogeneously along the coast, which present areas of intense erosion and other areas where the process does not occur or is incipient. Nor under the temporal point of view the area is homogeneous, presenting segments with distinct behaviors of shoreline in the different time scales considered. Moreover, we observed significant anthropogenic component acting on the reduction of the backshore width in certain segments, represented by the advance of the occupation on sectors of the beach system. The results of the study show us the necessity to consider spatial and temporal variability of the studied beaches before any intervention and demonstrated the importance of developing programs or actions of coastal management that prioritize the maintenance/restoration of the beach system, one of the main current environmental demands in the region.