TY - JOUR
T1 - Water quality assessment in the Mexican Caribbean
T2 - Impacts on the coastal ecosystem
AU - Hernández-Terrones, Laura M.
AU - Null, Kimberly A.
AU - Ortega-Camacho, Daniela
AU - Paytan, Adina
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2015 Elsevier Ltd.
PY - 2015/7/1
Y1 - 2015/7/1
N2 - Coastal zones are dominated by economically important ecosystems, and excessive urban, industrial, agricultural, and tourism activities can lead to rapid degradation of those habitats and resources. Groundwater in the Eastern Yucatan Peninsula coastal aquifer discharges directly into the coastal ocean affecting the coral reefs, which are part of the Mesoamerican Coral Reef System. The composition and impacts of groundwater were studied at different coastal environments around Akumal (SE Yucatan Peninsula). Radium isotopes and salinity were used to quantify fresh groundwater and recirculated seawater contributions to the coastal zone. Excess Ra distribution suggests spatially variable discharge rates of submarine groundwater. High NO3- levels and high coliform bacteria densities indicate that groundwater is polluted at some sites. Dissolved phosphorous content is elevated in the winter and during the high tourism season, likely released from untreated sewage discharge and from aquifer sediments under reducing conditions.
AB - Coastal zones are dominated by economically important ecosystems, and excessive urban, industrial, agricultural, and tourism activities can lead to rapid degradation of those habitats and resources. Groundwater in the Eastern Yucatan Peninsula coastal aquifer discharges directly into the coastal ocean affecting the coral reefs, which are part of the Mesoamerican Coral Reef System. The composition and impacts of groundwater were studied at different coastal environments around Akumal (SE Yucatan Peninsula). Radium isotopes and salinity were used to quantify fresh groundwater and recirculated seawater contributions to the coastal zone. Excess Ra distribution suggests spatially variable discharge rates of submarine groundwater. High NO3- levels and high coliform bacteria densities indicate that groundwater is polluted at some sites. Dissolved phosphorous content is elevated in the winter and during the high tourism season, likely released from untreated sewage discharge and from aquifer sediments under reducing conditions.
KW - Coastal
KW - Estuary
KW - Lagoon
KW - Nutrient
KW - Pollution
KW - Water quality
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84928643245&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.csr.2015.04.015
DO - 10.1016/j.csr.2015.04.015
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:84928643245
SN - 0278-4343
VL - 102
SP - 62
EP - 72
JO - Continental Shelf Research
JF - Continental Shelf Research
ER -