308
F.J. Flores Verdugo et al.
PIAXTLA
GULF OF MEXICO
21°N
PACIFIC OCEAN
GULF OF TEHUANTEPEC
200km
104"W
95" W
Fig. 20.1. The tropical Pacific coast of Mexico with coastal states and major coastal ecosystems
co, prevail in the Gulf of Tehuantepec (Lankford 1977). The mean annual
temperature is > 26 oc and heavy rains occur mainly in the summer
(July- September) with an annual mean of 800 mm. Precipitation differences between years are largely a result of frequency and intensity of hurricanes and tropical storms.
20.3 Coastal Ecosystems and Biota
20.3.1 Lagoons
The coastal lagoons of the semi-arid Sinaloa coast are shallow (El Verde
Camacho mean depth 1.00 m; Huizache-Caimanero mean depth 0.65 m).
During the dry season, when river flow is absent, the El Verde Camacho
lagoon (0.5 km 2 ) inlet is closed and estuarine conditions (salinity 4-35
psu) are presumably maintained by groundwater infiltration. During the
dry season mangrove (Laguncularia racemosa) litter tends to accumulate
in the lagoon and is only exported to the ocean when the inlet opens with
river flow in summer (Flores-Verdugo et al. 1987). In contrast, more than
F.J. Flores Verdugo et al.
PIAXTLA
GULF OF MEXICO
21°N
PACIFIC OCEAN
GULF OF TEHUANTEPEC
200km
104"W
95" W
Fig. 20.1. The tropical Pacific coast of Mexico with coastal states and major coastal ecosystems
co, prevail in the Gulf of Tehuantepec (Lankford 1977). The mean annual
temperature is > 26 oc and heavy rains occur mainly in the summer
(July- September) with an annual mean of 800 mm. Precipitation differences between years are largely a result of frequency and intensity of hurricanes and tropical storms.
20.3 Coastal Ecosystems and Biota
20.3.1 Lagoons
The coastal lagoons of the semi-arid Sinaloa coast are shallow (El Verde
Camacho mean depth 1.00 m; Huizache-Caimanero mean depth 0.65 m).
During the dry season, when river flow is absent, the El Verde Camacho
lagoon (0.5 km 2 ) inlet is closed and estuarine conditions (salinity 4-35
psu) are presumably maintained by groundwater infiltration. During the
dry season mangrove (Laguncularia racemosa) litter tends to accumulate
in the lagoon and is only exported to the ocean when the inlet opens with
river flow in summer (Flores-Verdugo et al. 1987). In contrast, more than