Global Journal of Science Frontier Research, H: Environment & Earth Science, Volume 22 Issue 5

entire year and the relative proximity of the coast have provided and incentivized to marine tourism for over 20 years. The recreational tourist activity on the reef occurs throughout the year, with peaks in January, February and July. IV. M ethods a) Field and Laboratory Methods After the oil spill, 25 new sites were collected in the same Pirangi Reef, sandy sediments, and macroalgae substratum to compare temporal data after the disastrous event in October 2019. Stations 1 to 20 were sampled in the inner coast and stations 19 to 24 were sampled in the Pium River. Figure 1: New Sites Collected in the Pirangi Reef in 2019. Station 16 Represents Stations 17 and 18 Data on water and sediment from 55 sediment sample stations in Pirangi Reef were previously studied in 2013 and 2014 and there was no mention of spotting of oil patches or other intrusions in the sediment or water at that time. Samples sites in 2013, 2014 and 2019 are showing on figure 2. Figure 2: Collected Samples in 2013, 2014 and 2019. Yellow, Blue and White Dots are Showing Exact Location of Sampling in Different Years. The uppermost 1 cm of each sample was subsampled for foraminiferal analysis. Samples were stored in a mixture of 1 g Rose Bengal diluted in l liter of ethanol for up to 72 hours to stain live specimens. 1 Global Journal of Science Frontier Research Volume XXII Issue V Year 2022 5 ( H ) Version I © 2022 Global Journals Evidence of Sediment Sterility and Benthic Quality as Deleterious Consequences After the 2019 Oil Spill in Northeastern Brazil