2 The Coastal Lagoon Cienaga Grande
de Santa Marta, Colombia
J. POLANIA, A. SANTOS-MARTINEZ, J.E. MAN CERA-PINEDA,
and L. BOTERO ARBOLEDA
2.1 Introduction
Located on the central Caribbean coast of Colombia, the lagoon complex of
Cienaga Grande de Santa Marta ( CGSM) is part of the eastern delta of the
Magdalena River, Colombia's largest river. The delta and the CGSM rest on
a coastal plain, which was formed by marine and fluvial sedimentary depositions during Holocene transgression and regression phases (10,000 B.P.),
while the surrounding formations date back to the Cenozoic era. The
lagoon complex (1,321 km 2 ) comprises the Cienaga Grande (450 km 2 ), the
Cienaga de Pajarales (120 km 2 ), several smaller lagoons, creeks, and channels ( 150 km 2 ), and mangrove swamps. A narrow, continuous sandbar (Isla
de Salamanca) borders the entire CGSM complex to the north. At the
eastern end of Isla de Salamanca a 120-m-wide and 10-m-deep inlet (Boca
de la Barra) connects the shallow (average depth 1.2 m) Cienaga Grande
lagoon to the Caribbean Sea (Fig. 2.1). The CGSM is a highly productive
ecosystem but has suffered severe degradation in the last four decades.
However, the system is likely to considerably recuperate if current restoration plans are successful.
2.2 Environmental Setting
The geomorphologic, geophysical and biological characteristics of the
CGSM identify the region as a Type I setting (Thorn 1984). The region is
arid, with a high annual water deficit (mean 1,031 mm) and low annual precipitation (mean 531 mm; Wiedemann 1973 ), which decreases from the west
(760 mm) to the east ( 450 mm) of the lagoon complex. Rainfall patterns are
seasonal, with a dry season (249mm) beginning in December, including a
Ecological Studies, Vol. 144
U. Seeliger and B. Kjerfve (eds.)
Coastal Marine Ecosystems of Latin America
©Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2001
de Santa Marta, Colombia
J. POLANIA, A. SANTOS-MARTINEZ, J.E. MAN CERA-PINEDA,
and L. BOTERO ARBOLEDA
2.1 Introduction
Located on the central Caribbean coast of Colombia, the lagoon complex of
Cienaga Grande de Santa Marta ( CGSM) is part of the eastern delta of the
Magdalena River, Colombia's largest river. The delta and the CGSM rest on
a coastal plain, which was formed by marine and fluvial sedimentary depositions during Holocene transgression and regression phases (10,000 B.P.),
while the surrounding formations date back to the Cenozoic era. The
lagoon complex (1,321 km 2 ) comprises the Cienaga Grande (450 km 2 ), the
Cienaga de Pajarales (120 km 2 ), several smaller lagoons, creeks, and channels ( 150 km 2 ), and mangrove swamps. A narrow, continuous sandbar (Isla
de Salamanca) borders the entire CGSM complex to the north. At the
eastern end of Isla de Salamanca a 120-m-wide and 10-m-deep inlet (Boca
de la Barra) connects the shallow (average depth 1.2 m) Cienaga Grande
lagoon to the Caribbean Sea (Fig. 2.1). The CGSM is a highly productive
ecosystem but has suffered severe degradation in the last four decades.
However, the system is likely to considerably recuperate if current restoration plans are successful.
2.2 Environmental Setting
The geomorphologic, geophysical and biological characteristics of the
CGSM identify the region as a Type I setting (Thorn 1984). The region is
arid, with a high annual water deficit (mean 1,031 mm) and low annual precipitation (mean 531 mm; Wiedemann 1973 ), which decreases from the west
(760 mm) to the east ( 450 mm) of the lagoon complex. Rainfall patterns are
seasonal, with a dry season (249mm) beginning in December, including a
Ecological Studies, Vol. 144
U. Seeliger and B. Kjerfve (eds.)
Coastal Marine Ecosystems of Latin America
©Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2001