Martín Merino-Ibarra

Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México | UNAM · Institute of Ocean Sciences and Limnology

In recent years, Mexico has experienced a rapid increase in coastal activities. A general review on coastal resources and management in the country is presented. Major coastal environments, resources, and problems are outlined. The three main coastal activities are: oil extraction, fisheries, and tourism. Critical problems are associated with each...

Ramírez-Zierold JA, Merino-Ibarra M, Monroy-Ríos E, Olson M, Castillo FS, Gallegos ME, Vilaclara G. 2010. 2010. Changing water, phosphorus and nitrogen budgets for Valle de Bravo reservoir, water supply for Mexico City Metropolitan Area. Lake Reserv. Manage. 26:23-34.Valle de Bravo reservoir (VB) provides water supply to the Mexico City Metropolita...

The quality of groundwater is threatened in karstic regions with very high population growth, such as the eastern coast of Yucatan. As polluted groundwater flows towards the ocean, coastal ecosystems and coral reefs may also be affected. Pollution and the interaction between the coastal aquifer and the reef lagoon were assessed at a developing area...

Valle de Bravo (VB) is a tropical reservoir located (19°21′30″N, 100°11′00″W) in the highlands of Mexico. The reservoir is daily swept by strong (7.4ms−1 mean speed) diurnal (12:00–19:00h) winds that blow along its two main arms. As expected from its fetch (6.9km) and its depth (21.1m mean), the reservoir behaves as a warm monomictic water body. Du...

Dissolved oxygen regulates microbial distribution and nitrogen cycling and, therefore, ocean productivity and Earth's climate. To date, the assembly of microbial communities in relation to oceanographic changes due to El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) remains poorly understood in oxygen minimum zones (OMZ). The Mexican Pacific upwelling system su...

Inland aquatic ecosystems are valuable sentinels of anthropic-associated changes (e.g., agriculture and tourism). Eutrophication has become of primary importance in altering aquatic ecosystem functioning. Quantifying the CO2 emissions by inland aquatic ecosystems of different trophic statuses may provide helpful information about the role of eutrop...

Cadmium is a toxic element and its effects are well understood for human health, but its biogeochemical behaviour is still poorly studied and understood in natural ecosystems. This work addresses knowledge gaps concerning its presence, biogeochemical behaviour and impacts in mangrove ecosystems. Through geochemical data and multivariate analysis (i...

Methane (CH4) is the second most important greenhouse gas (GHG) and in recent years, eutrophication has been found to greatly affect its emission in epicontinental waters. The present work evaluates the concentration and emission of CH4 in two lakes with different degrees of anthropic impact: Tziscao (pristine) and San Lorenzo (impacted). Vertical...

High mountain lakes and their catchments are remote ecosystems in areas with low anthropogenic disturbance. High mountain lakes integrate changes in the atmosphere and catchment areas (e.g., acid rain, airborne pollutants, climate change). The present research analyses long-term datasets of meteorological and limnological variables representing two...

The hydroperiod determines the biogeochemical conditions and processes developing in the man-grove soil. Floods control the input of nutrients and the presence of regulators such as salinity and sulfides that, in high concentrations, degrade mangrove vegetation. This work aimed to determine biogeochemical and hydroperiod characteristics in natural...

Management actions are necessary to protect tropical coastal lagoons from present and future natural and anthropogenic impacts. Three coastal lagoons located in Cayo Sabinal (Sabana-Camagüey Archipelago, Cuba) were sampled on five dates distributed between 2015 and 2017. Physicochemical parameters (temperature, salinity, pH, dissolved oxygen), diss...

Nitrogen and phosphorous loading drives eutrophication of aquatic systems. Lakes and reservoirs are often effective N and P sinks, but the variability of their biogeochemical dynamics is still poorly documented, particularly in tropical systems. To contribute to the extending of information on tropical reservoirs and to increase the insight on the...

Dissolved and particulate organic matter are the energy source for secondary production in forested streams. Cycling of or¬ganic matter and stream ecosystem functioning are linked to organic matter input and storage capacity and timing. This study assessed the seasonal variation (dry and rainy seasons) of environmental parameters, organic matter st...

This study was conducted in the Jardines de la Reina National Park, Cuba. The health of the communities of corals and crustose coralline algae was studied in the years 2001, 2012 and 2017. The probable effect of hurricanes and sea surface temperature on these communities was also assessed. The area was only affected by three hurricanes and a tropic...

Nitrogen and phosphorous loading drives eutrophication of aquatic systems. Lakes and reservoirs are often effective N and P sinks, but information is needed on the variability of their biogeochemical dynamics, especially for tropical systems. A long-term N and P mass balance (2003-2018) in a small tropical eutrophic reservoir lake, Valle de Bravo (...

The phytoplankton biomass (chlorophyll-a, Chl-a) is directly related to the total production of lakes. Chl-a in temperate lakes oscillates on an annual scale. However, Chl-a oscillations in tropical lakes have hardly been documented, particularly over multiple years. Here, we described the periodicity of the Chl-a by performing a continuous wavelet...

Globally, nutrient river discharges drive water quality of coastal ecosystems, and excess nutrients can cause eutrophication impacts. The Grijalva-Usumacinta River System (GURS) discharges in the southern Gulf of Mexico (SGoM) and it is the second largest riverine input to the Gulf. To study how contrasting GURS freshwater flow between rainy and dr...

The traditional upscaling approach to greenhouse gas (GHG) emission estimates of inland waters is imprecise, but more precise methods based on environmental drivers are a longstanding challenge. Mexico lacks GHG emission estimates for its inland waters, and only sparse but scientifically validated information is available. This study provides the f...

The physical and chemical characteristics of Lake Alchichica are tightly coupled to the thermal (mixing-stratification) pattern and the phytoplankton dynamics. Tropical, deep Lake Alchichica is warm monomictic. Although tropical in latitude (19°N), the high-altitude setting of Lake Alchichica (2300 m a.s.l.) tempers water temperature (average 15.8...

Laguna Larga (Cayo Coco, Cuba) is a eutrophic coastal lagoon due to tourism development. As part of long-term monitoring of Laguna Larga, we were able to follow the lagoon's water quality from 2015 to 2018 and could assess the impacts of Hurricane Irma (September 8–9, 2017) by intensifying our sampling frequency. Physicochemical parameters (salinit...

Physical processes play important roles in controlling eutrophication and oligotrophication. In stratified lakes, internal waves can cause vertical transport of heat and nutrients without breaking the stratification, through boundary mixing events. Such is the case in tropical Valle de Bravo (VB) reservoir lake, where strong diurnal winds drive int...

Physical processes play important roles in controlling eutrophication and oligotrophication. In stratified lakes, internal waves can cause vertical transport of heat and nutrients without breaking the stratification, through boundary mixing events. Such is the case in tropical Valle de Bravo (VB) lake, where strong diurnal winds drive internal wave...

The present study explores the impact of different land uses on water quality in a Mexican basin and addresses key mitigation measures, with key measurements made by citizen scientists. The Amanalco-Valle de Bravo Basin reservoir is the major freshwater supply for Mexico City. By measuring physical-chemical and bacteriological parameters in creeks...

Physical processes play important roles in controlling eutrophication and oligotrophication. In stratified lakes, internal waves can cause vertical transport of heat and nutrients without breaking the stratification, through boundary mixing events. Such is the case in tropical Valle de Bravo (VB) lake, where strong diurnal winds drive internal wave...

For decades, La Redonda lagoon was an excellent location for fishing the largemouth bass ( Micropterus salmoides , Lacepède) in Cuba. There are indications that the species disappeared from the lagoon in 2009. Three water surveys were carried out in 2013 and 2014. Physicochemical parameters, including nutrients, were measured in all surveys. Chloro...

Considerable variability in methane production and emissions has been reported in mangroves, explained by methane inhibition and oxidation. In this study, soil pore waters were collected from mangrove forests located in the Gulf of California (Mexico) exposed to shrimp farm disturbance. The δ13C of dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) and CH4 were anal...

Physical processes play important roles in controlling eutrophication and oligotrophication. In stratified lakes, internal waves (IW) can cause vertical transport of heat and nutrients without breaking the stratification, through boundary mixing (BM) events. Such is the case in tropical Valle de Bravo (VB) lake, where strong diurnal winds drive IW,...

Marine zooplankton play a pivotal position in the pelagic ecosystem and, as one of their principal members, copepods represent by far the most significant direct link between phytoplankton and the higher trophic levels. In this study, observational evidence of the effect of a mesoscale cyclonic eddy on the abundance of copepods (adult calanoids, ad...

The marine N cycle is driven mainly by microorganisms whose distribution can be shaped by mesoscale eddies. Recently, eddies containing oxygen minimum zones (OMZs) have been recognised as N-loss hotspots, complicating even more the calculations of the marine N budgets. As a contribution to this understanding, we investigated the effect of a cycloni...

The Ring of Cenotes (RC) extends along the edge of the Chicxulub crater, in the limestone platform of the Yucatan Peninsula (YP), where groundwater shows two preferential flow paths toward the coast near Celestun and Dzilam Bravo towns. The objectives of this study were to describe the regional hydrogeochemical evolution of the groundwater in the R...

Karst aquifers show dissolution/precipitation processes of the minerals present in the carbonate rocks. The Ring of Cenotes (RC) extends along the edge of the Chicxulub crater, in the limestone platform of the Yucatan Peninsula (YP), where groundwater shows preferential flow paths toward the coast near Celestun and Dzilam Bravo towns. This study ai...

La fotosíntesis de las algas calcificantes es un relevante conductor de la formación de carbonatos en las costas. El carbono inmovilizado en los talos calcificados de estas algas es un componente estructural de diferentes tipos de carbonatos. Entre ellos, la calcita magnesiana es el mineral más comúnmente reportado. El contenido de otros cationes (...

Coralline algae are worldwide carbonate builders, considered to be foundational species and biodiversity hotspots. Coralline habitats face increasing pressure from human activities and effects related to Global Change, yet their ecological properties and adaptive responses remain poorly understood. The relationships of the algal microbiota with the...

Coastal lagoons are highly sensitive ecosystems from the ecological point of view. Water samples to assess physicochemical parameters, as well as sediments to measure trace metals (Cd, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb, Zn and Hg) were collected in seven coastal lagoons of the Sabana-Camagüey Archipelago. Los Caimanes, Tortuguilla and La Salina lagoons showed high sa...

Mesoscale eddies are ubiquitous oceanic structures that play pivotal roles in planktonic ecosystems. In this paper, we present observational evidence of the impact of a mesoscale cyclonic eddy on the phytoplankton biomass, measured by chlorophyll-a concentration, in the Bay of La Paz, Gulf of California, using information gathered during a multidis...

Stable isotopes of nitrogen (δ15N) have been widely used around the world to evaluate the impact of anthropogenic activities on marine ecosystems; however, in the Caribbean Sea countries, such as México and Cuba, they are rarely used. Inputs of nutrients related to urban development and tourist activities along the coasts of the Caribbean Sea have...

Globally, oxygen concentration in many coastal areas is depleting. River nutrient discharges may produce hypoxia events. The Southern Gulf of Mexico receives the discharges of the Grijalva-Usumacinta River System, the second largest in the Gulf of Mexico. To evaluate the influence of river discharges on dissolved oxygen concentrations in the receiv...

The petrochemical industry and urban activities are widely recognized worldwide as a source of pollution to mangrove environments. They can supply pollutants such as trace elements that can modify the ecosystem structure and associated services, as well as human populations. Through geochemical data, multivariate statistical analysis and pollution...

Isla del Carmen se encuentra en un área natural protegida del sur del Golfo de México y alberga muchas especies de interés para la conservación. Sin embargo, la rápida urbanización amenaza su biodiversidad. Aunque aquí muchos grupos animales están relativamente bien estudiados, carece de monitoreo de la comunidad de aves al menos en los últimos 15...

The restoration of mangroves has gained prominence in recent decades. Hydrological rehabilitation has been undertaken to connect impaired mangroves with the sea, lagoons or estuaries. Because mangrove hydrodynamics occurs on the surface and interstitial spaces in the sediment, we propose to determine the hydrological flow paths to restore the hydro...

The pelagic / anoxic hypolimnion population of Spirostomum teres was investigated as a part of the long-term ciliates’ monitoring (2003-2016) in an oligo- to mesotrophic monomictic hyposaline crater lake Alchichica (Puebla / Veracruz, Mexico), including an analysis of picoplankton (both heterotrophic, HPP and autotrophic, APP) and inorganic nitroge...

El conocimiento del mundo microbiano cada día crece, sorprendiéndonos y cuestionando los paradigmas de la Biología y la Química. Contrario a lo que solemos pensar, los microbios no viven solos sino en asociación con otros, formando en ocasiones capas tan delgadas como la punta de una aguja. Estas delgadas biopelículas están por todas partes y sus c...

Microbial communities play a central role in the N cycle of oceanic oxygen minimum zones (OMZs), such as in the Eastern Tropical North Pacific (ETNP). We explored the spatial distribution of the genetic potential for ammonia oxidation (amoA gene for bacteria and archaea), denitrification (nirS and nirK), anaerobic ammonium oxidation (anammox) (hzo)...

Background Mangrove forests provide many ecosystem services, including the provision of habitat that supports avian biodiversity. However, hurricanes can knock down trees, alter hydrologic connectivity, and affect avian habitat. In 1995, Hurricanes Opal and Roxanne destroyed approximately 1,700 ha of mangrove forest in Laguna de Términos, Mexico. S...

The mangroves of Laguna de Términos, Campeche have been affected by the loss of hydrological connection due to tropical storms and hurricanes. The objective of this study was to evaluate the natural regeneration in a degraded area, after having implemented actions of restoration through hydrological restoration. Three sampling sites with different...

The relevance of inland waters in the global carbon cycle has been stressed recently, particularly because of a reassessment of their capacity for carbon exportation to the atmosphere and to the sediments. Global surveys have also highlighted the acute lack of information on tropical systems, which are exposed to crescent problems in the Global Cha...

The relevance of inland waters in the global carbon cycle has been stressed recently, particularly because of a reassessment of their capacity for carbon exportation to the atmosphere and to the sediments. Global surveys have also highlighted the acute lack of information on tropical systems, which are exposed to crescent problems in the Global Cha...

Resumen El papel activo de los sistemas acuáticos epicontinentales en el ciclo y balance de carbono local y global ha sido reconocido en los últimos años. Las concentraciones y flujos de carbono inorgánico particulado (CIP) y disuelto (CID) del río Usumacinta, el principal sistema fluvial tropical de México, fueron evaluados para conocer los cambio...

The growth of human activities in the coastal zone has contributed to an important increase of contaminants (organic matter, industrial and domestic residues, oil derivates and heavy metals) and direct impacts to aquatic ecosystems, particularly in those that have limited water exchange or are closed, and therefore have small load capacity.One of t...

RESUMEN El golfo de Ana María es una de las regiones cubanas con mayor peso en la explotación pesquera y con un futuro promisorio en el turismo. El objetivo de este trabajo fue evaluar hidroquímicamente el sector central del golfo de Ana María. Se determinaron en 38 estaciones los siguientes parámetros: temperatura, salinidad, oxígeno disuelto y nu...

Abstract Background: Changes in hydrological patterns produce degradation that affects forest structure and primary productivity. With actions of hydrological restoration, it is intended to restore biogeochemical conditions to facilitate the establishment, survival and growth of mangrove vegetation to recovering the forest structure and the produc...

The identification and quantification of global change, including climate change, requires long time series of key variables. In this work, the fundamentals and operation of low-cost long-term coastal observatories are described, and preliminary data are shown. The vision is to offer a scientific platform of physicochemical data for at least the ne...

Through a nested suite of methods here we contrast the coexistence of different ecosystem states in a tropical coastal lagoon, the Laguna Larga, with increasing eutrophication stress between 2007 and 2009. Water temperature averaged 27.4°C in the lagoon and showed a slight positive trend during the study period. Salinity averaged 35.0±6.2, exhibiti...

The “Lagunas de Montebello” National Park, Mexico, is a tourist destination well known for its crystal‐clear lakes surrounded by tropical rainforest. We selected four lakes, two pristine and two deteriorated, to investigate the changes from transparent, blue waters to turbid, yellowish‐green that have been taking place in the past 15 years. Nutrien...