The Lagoon Region and Estuary Ecosystem of Cananéia, Brazil

Abstract

The lagoon region and estuary of Cananéia extends for approximately 110 km along the southern part of the coastal plain of São Paulo State, Brazil (25°S, 48°W). A distinctive feature of the estuarine-lagoon complex is the presence of several islands, Cardoso, Cananéia (27 km2), Comprida (70 km2), and Iguape Island. The islands are isolated from the continent by interconnected channels, the Cubatão and Cananéia Sea and the Trapandé Bay, which are 1–3 km wide and up to 20 m deep (mean depth 6 m). The backwaters and small rivers are shallower and characteristically fringed by mangrove vegetation. The system connects with the Atlantic Ocean through channels at the northern (Barra de Icaparra) and southern (Barra de Cananéia) end of Comprida Island