Program presentation

Terminos lagoon is one of the largest tropical coastal Ecosystem characterized by shallow water depths, major river inputs (largest system in Mexico), submitted to anthropogenic threats (proximity to oil production sites) and declared as a fauna and flora protection area. Terminos lagoon (16 times Berre and Arcachon, 33 times Thau) has a moderate seasonal pulse of temperature and light and is characterized by strong near-permanent physical gradients and a high diversity of estuarine habitats making it an excellent candidate to measure physical-biological interactions and continent to sea exports. We propose to perform a multidisciplinary study of Terminos lagoon looking toward the main physical, chemical, biological and environmental components and processes. The strategy is based on:
- analyzing past records of organic matter and associated pollutants in the sediments,
- present-day description and quantification of the main input and output fluxes including from the atmosphere, and fates of the carbon cycling including hydrodynamic transport and biogeochemical transformations and
- 3D ecosystem modeling to provide management tools for the end-users, in the context of increasing human pressure and climate changes.