On the Sensitivity of the West Caribbean Sea Circulation to Tides, Wind, and Mesoscale Ocean Eddies: A Three-Dimensional Ocean Model Study

A three-dimensional, primitive equation ocean model is used to study the circulation in the West Caribbean Sea (WCS) region, and to test the sensitivity of the coastal flow to various forcing fields such as tides, climatological wind, and Caribbean eddies. The model domain is bordered by latitudes 15 – 22 degrees N and longitudes 76 – 87 degrees W, with the MesoAmerican Barrier Reef System (MBRS, along the coasts of Mexico, Belize, Guatemala, and Honduras) and the southern coast of Cuba as land boundaries. The WCS is open to the Caribbean Sea in the southeast and the Yucatan Channel in the northwest, with a prescribed 25 Sv flow-through from southeast to northwest. The results show that the base flow is highly variable even without time dependent forcing and without assimilation of eddies. The interaction of the base flow with the bathymetry gives rise to frequent westward propagating cyclonic eddies with diameters of 50-150 km in the Gulf of Honduras, and an anticyclonic eddy southeast of the Yucatan Channel with diameter of 200 km. When mesoscale eddies are included in the initial condition through assimilation of altimeter data, the WCS model simulates the propagation of those eddies, so that the eddy field is quite realistic even after 45 days from the initialization. Moreover, eddies were found to influence the coastal flow, such that when a cyclonic or an anticyclonic eddy is propagating through the WCS, the velocity field along the MBRS is either attenuated or enhanced, respectively. The area-averaged mean surface kinetic energy is influenced mostly by the 25 Sv flow-through and climatological winds, while the area- averaged eddy surface kinetic energy is influenced mostly by the mesoscale Caribbean eddies

Assessing, quantifying and valuing the ecosystem services of coastal lagoons

The natural conservation of coastal lagoons is important not only for their ecological importance, but also because of the valuable ecosystem services they provide for human welfare and wellbeing. Coastal lagoons are shallow semi-enclosed systems that support important habitats such as wetlands, mangroves, salt-marshes and seagrass meadows, as well as a rich biodiversity. Coastal lagoons are also complex social-ecological systems with ecosystem services that provide livelihoods, wellbeing and welfare to humans. This study assessed, quantified and valued the ecosystem services of 32 coastal lagoons. The main findings of the study are: (i) the definitions of ecosystem services are still not generally accepted; (ii) the quantification of ecosystem services is made in many different ways, using different units; (iii) the evaluation in monetary terms of some ecosystem service is problematic, often relying on non-monetary evaluation methods; (iv) when ecosystem services are valued in monetary terms, this may represent very different human benefits; and, (v) different aspects of climate change, including increasing temperature, sea-level rise and changes in rainfall patterns threaten the valuable ecosystem services of coastal lagoons.DEVOTES project, from the European Union's Seventh Framework Programme for research, technological development and demonstration [308392]; networks and communities of Eurolag; Future Earth Coasts; SCOR; Fundacao para a Ciencia e a Tecnologia (FCT) Investigador Programme [IF/00331/2013]; Fundacao para a Ciencia e a Tecnologia [UID/MAR/04292/2013]; CESAM by FCT/MEC national funds (PIDDAC) [UID/AMB/50017/2013 - POCI-01-0145-FEDER-007638]; FEDER; European Commission, under the 7th Framework Programme through the collaborative research project LAGOONS [283157]; FCT [SFRH/BPD/107823/2015, SFRH/BPD/91494/2012

Adenosine 5′-Triphosphate Flux Through the North Inlet Marsh System

The distribution, fluctuation, and short-term transport of total microbial biomass (measured as adenosine 5′-triphosphate [ATP]) was investigated in a large salt marsh creek. Hourly samples were collected synoptically for 25 h from 10 boats positioned across the 320-m width of the creek. Samples were collected from three depths ranging from 0.2 to 8.0 m. Hourly data obtained from each station were graphed, plotting depth against ATP. Subsequently, interpolated ATP values were generated for every one-tenth depth from the surface to the bottom with the use of an 11-point proportional divider. A total of 2,750 values were generated, and a mean value of 0.865 mg of ATP per m(3) was determined. Maximum levels of ATP were found at high tide and minimal values were found at low tide. The distribution of ATP concentrations was found to be complex, with no suggestion of vertical stratification; however, horizontal divisions were apparent. ATP values corrected for direction of flow or velocity indicated two ebb-directed channels; however, when considered in total, there was a net import of ATP through the interface. The total import of ATP for this 25-h sampling period was calculated to be 3.58 kg, corresponding to a net transport of 39.8 mg of ATP per s through the cross section. Results suggest that detailed characterization of a creek transect in terms of ATP or any similar parameter requires the simultaneous measurements of both the concentration of the parameter in question and the velocity at the time and point from which the sample was taken

Sistema de monitoreo para los ambientes arrecifales en Colombia y evaluación de agentes de mortalidad coralina

IP 2105-09-327-97v.1. Informe final. -- v.2. Evaluacion preliminar de algunos indicadores de contaminacion de origen terrestre en areas coralinas de la region de Santa Marta,CaribeColombiano. -- v.3. Sistema nacional de monitoreo de arrecifes coralinos en Colombia.LIBRO(S): Caribbean coral reef, seagrass and mangrove sites /edited by Bjorn Kjerfve. -- Francia : UNESCO;'-- CAPITULO(S) en LIBRO: Assessing and monitoring Coral Reef Condition inColombia During the Last Decade / J.;Garzon Ferreira and J.M. Diaz. -- En: Information, Managementand decisionsupport for marine biodiversity;protection and human welfare: coral reefs / Australian instituteof marinescience. -- Australia: National;library of Australia cataloguin-in-publication data : Australianinstituteof marine science. Workshop (1999 :;Townsville, Qld.); p. 51-58 -- ISBN 0642322015. -- ARTICULO(S)EN REVISTA: Evaluacion rapida de estructura y;salud de las formaciones coralinas de la isla de Malpelo (Pacifico Colombiano) / Jaime Garzon Ferreira y Jorge;H. Pinzon. -- En: Boletin de investigaciones Marinas y costeras.-- No. 28(1999); p. 137-154. -- ISSN;01229761. -- Another unknown caribbean coral phenomenon? /J.Garzon Ferreira, D.L. Gil. -- En: Reef;encounter. -- No. 24 (1998); p. 10. -- ISSN 02552787. -- SIMAC:a new program to monitor coral reef condition;Regional Sector sur de America Tropical (1 : 2000 jun. 6: SanJose, Costa Rica);informe / Jaime Garzon Ferreira. -- En: Reunion Red Mundial deMonitoreo de Arrecifes Coralinos (GCRMN) : Nodo;PONENCIA(S) EN CONGRESO: Problematica ambiental en los mares colombianos /Jaime Garzon Ferreira. -- En:;Expolisboa 98 (1998) -- Cinco años de monitoreo Caricomp en Colombia / Jaime Garzon Ferreira y Alberto;Rodriguez Ramirez. -- En: Seminario Nacional de Politica,Ciencias y Tecnologias del Mar (11 : 1998 oct. 26-30;: Santafe de Bogotá) -- Caracteristicas, incidencia y distribucion de la enfermedad de lunares oscuros en;corales petreos del parque nacional natural Tayrona, Caribe Colombiano / D.L. Gil Agudelo, J. Garzon Ferreira.; En: Seminario Nacional de Politica, Ciencias y Tecnologiasdel Mar (11: 1998 oct. 26-30 : Santafe de;Bogotá) -- Launching SIMAC : the national monitoring system forthe coralreefs of Colombia / J. Garzon;Ferreira ... [et.al]. -- En: International Conference on Scientific Aspects of Coral Reef Assessment,;Monitoringm and Restoration (1999 Apr. 14 : Florida, USA)-- Caricomp y SIMAC: monitoreo de ecosistemas;marinos costeros en Colombia / Jaime Garzon Ferreira, AlbertoRodriguez Ramirez. -- En: Taller de;Investigaciones Ecologicas a Largo Plazo (1 : 1999 ago. 26-28:Villa de Leyva, Colombia) -- Caricomp y SIMAC:;monitoreo de ecosistemas marinos costeros en Colombia / JaimeGarzon Ferreira, Alberto Rodriguez Ramirez. --;En: Seminario-taller Nacional sobre los Efectos del Fenomeno ElNiño enColombia (1 : 1999 nov. 10-11 :;Santiago de Cali, Colombia) -- Patterns of change in coralreef,seagrassande mangrove communities from;Chengue bay Caricomp site (Colombia) over the last seven years/Jaime Garzon Ferreira, Alberto Rodrigez;Ramirez. -- En: Caricomp site Directors Workshop (8 : 2000Jun1-5 : San Jose, Costa Rica) -- Monitoring and;status of coral reefs in southern tropical America / J. GarzonFerreira ..[et.al]. -- En: International Coral;Reef Symposium (9 : 2000 Oct. 23-27 : Bali, Indonesia) --NodoRegional Sector sur de America tropical :;in Colombia / J. Garzon Ferreira, Jorge H. Pinzon C. -- En: ReefEncounter. -- No. 25 (Jul. 1999); p. 14-15.; ISSN 02552787. -- Rapid assesment of coral communitiesof Malpelo island (Colombian Pacific) / J. Garzon;Ferreira, Jorge H. Pinzon. -- En: Reef encounter -- No. 26(Dec.1999); p.12-13. -- ISNN 02552787. -