An interdisciplinary view of a world heritage site and one of the most important eutrophic estuaries in Brazil, Guanabara bay

Abstract

Internationally renowned, Guanabara Bay, located in the state of Rio de Janeiro, southeastern Brazil, has been recognized by the United Nations as a World Heritage Site since 2012. Despite receiving exorbitant amounts of daily discharges of untreated sewage from approximately 8.5 million inhabitants residing in its surroundings, as well as from nearby industrial and port areas, this bay is one of the most important Brazilian coastal estuaries and a vital source of sustenance for the surrounding population. Initiatives for the bay’s depollution were initiated in the 1990 s with different public and private bodies acting alongside research institutions, but this objective has still not been achieved. In this context, this study aimed to conduct a comprehensive literature review on Guanabara Bay studies conducted from the 1970s to 2023. Searches were carried out at the Scopus and Web of Science databases, retrieving a total of 1292 articles in English, reduced to 826 documents after filtering. The findings demonstrate a gradual, consistent and significant increase in the number of studies concerning the bay by both Brazilian and international researchers. The network of research groups and institutions that contributed most to monitoring the bay is also discussed. The data highlights the fact that, even after decades of research in this region, due to its economic, social and environmental importance and the lack of planning for its complete depollution, many research groups are continuously carrying out efforts to monitor this important Brazilian bay. Most studies deal with chemical contamination, although some assessments report noise pollution and solid pollution (microplastics).