Abstract
The habitats of La Mancha Lagoon, located midway along the coast of Veracruz, Mexico, are responding to the change of sediment supply reaching its primary inlet at the Gulf of Mexico. Until several decades ago, an abundant alongshore supply of sediment created a periodic opening and closing of the La Mancha inlet. The hydrologic regime of the lagoon consisted of raised water level and lower salinity during the closures, whereas the open inlet favored lower water level, higher salinity, and sediment accumulation in the flood tidal delta. Currently, diminished alongshore sediment supply has affected the inlet morphology and the discharge regime. Associated with the reduced sediment supply, the inlet is open longer in its periodic cycle, the water level variation is reduced, the salinity contrasts are reduced, and the rate of sedimentation in the flood-tide delta is increased. This combination of alterations to the inlet area is changing the flooding regime and affecting the conditions in a very well-developed mangrove habitat at the lagoon margins as well as conditions within the aqueous portions of the lagoon. Management options produce a conflict between supporting the direction of change or preserving the existing habitats.
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Aerial Photography
April, 1980, panchromatic photo, #17-a r-204 13-1, scale 1:70,000, Instituto Nacional de Estadística Geografía e Informática (INEGI)
April 1, 1995, digital panchromatic orthophoto, #E14B2C and #E14B28F, scale 1:20,000, Instituto Nacional de Estadística Geografía e Informática (INEGI), accessible online: <http://www.inegi.gob.mx/>
March 12, 2006, digital RGB orthophoto mosaic, Images 5–103 through 5–108, scale 1:10,000, GeoSistemas Aéreos (GeoSisA)
Acknowledgements
Many members and students of the Instituto de Ecologia A.C. have been involved in the collection of data within the lagoon and its environmental system. Their efforts have been an invaluable aid in the recognition of the changing habitats. They are hereby extended this expression of appreciation. Michael Siegel, Rutgers University, produced the cartography in this paper. This project was partially funded by SEMARNAT-2002-CO1-0126 and SEMARNAT-CONACYT 23669.
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Psuty, N.P., Martínez, M.L., López-Portillo, J. et al. Interaction of alongshore sediment transport and habitat conditions at Laguna La Mancha, Veracruz, Mexico. J Coast Conserv 13, 77–87 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11852-009-0060-0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11852-009-0060-0