The Water Resources and Environment Concentration Area has the mission of consolidating and integrating the activities developed within the Civil Engineering Program with a water-environment focus. The research carried out in this area of concentration focuses on multidisciplinary themes related to the multiple uses of water and the preservation of the environment, involving analytical, computational and experimental studies through laboratory and field tests.

Due to its interdisciplinary nature, this area has interfaces with all the other academic areas of COPPE/UFRJ’s Civil Engineering Program and with other UFRJ units.

In order to facilitate the choice of research topics in this area, some lines of research have been highlighted, which may eventually be merged: Water and Environmental Management; Modeling in Water Resources and the Environment; Water-Environmental Monitoring; Atmospheric Sciences in Engineering; Environmental Acoustics; Environmental Geotechnics; Sustainable Materials.

The Water and Environmental Management line discusses tools and techniques for studying and dealing with impacts in the assessment of the quantity and quality of water in the hydrographic network at the watershed scale. In an integrated manner, the relationships between the terrestrial system and the atmospheric system are evaluated in order to better understand the hydrological cycle. In addition, it also involves the concept of sustainability applied to urban drainage projects in the search for systemic solutions for the basin, with distributed interventions, seeking to rescue flow patterns similar to those of pre-urbanization, in configurations with low hydrological impact. This approach integrates rainwater management, urban spatial planning and river rehabilitation in a broad sense, as a tool to help control floods and ensure more balanced and socially healthy environments.

In the Water Resources and Environment Modeling research line, computer models are developed to represent natural processes or those resulting from anthropogenic interventions involving water resources and the environment. Based on the understanding that it is not possible to manage without quantifying, this theme recognizes the importance of computer modeling platforms as tools for quantifying key variables for the decision-making process, both in the planning, implementation and operation process.

In Water-Environmental Monitoring, monitoring techniques are developed, laboratory and field tests are planned and conducted for water-environmental studies, as well as the organization of limnological, hydrometeorological and sedimentometric data obtained via in situ measurements and remote sensing in information systems with a view to their application in the management of water resources and the environment. This line of research also involves carrying out field tests with fluorescent tracers and imaging the earth’s surface using inverse analysis algorithms.

Atmospheric Sciences in Engineering addresses the solution of environmental issues and problems, especially those related to hydrometeorology and its application. Studies on atmospheric phenomena and atmospheric modeling work stand out. The subject makes it possible to assess their interaction and impact on various technological sectors, such as water, energy, transport and health.

Environmental Acoustics covers research aimed at developing computer programs based on finite element, finite difference and boundary element methods to model urban acoustics and underwater acoustics. In the field of urban acoustics, topics such as acoustic barriers including soil absorption, interaction with thin panels, with an emphasis on case studies in urban environments, can be highlighted. In terms of underwater acoustics, research into sound propagation in shallow and deep waters and interference with marine fauna is highlighted.

In the line of Environmental Geotechnics, research is carried out on issues related to the impact on soil, water and air, including contaminant transport and soil-contaminant interaction, investigation and remediation of drained areas, waste management, treatment and disposal. Several of the studies carried out in this line of research are applied, including, for example, studies on contaminated dredging sediments, coal and iron mining waste, municipal solid waste and soil stabilization.

In Sustainable Materials, research is being carried out on replacing cement with agro-industrial waste or other materials to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, the use of construction waste as building materials, the use of natural fibers as structural reinforcement, the durability of materials and structures to increase the useful life of buildings, obtaining and using artificial sand, the use of sewage sludge ash and urban solid waste in concrete with a low environmental impact.