Environmental Deterioration of the Tecomate Coastal Lagoon, in the Guerrero State, Mexico

Abstract

An exhaustive field study was undertaken between November 2011 and August 2012, with the aim to know the causes of the environmental deterioration of the Tecomate Lagoon, in the Guerrero state, Mexico. Data of temperature, dissolved oxygen, salinity parameters and depth of the lagoon were interpolated using the Kriging geostatistical method to generate a prediction surface. The lagoon registered a great variation in its saline concentration, which ranged from 8.0 to 65.0 ppt, with the lowest values in November 2011 and the highest at May 2012. The great variability in the salinity throughout the year contributed in significant form to the lagoon's instability. An average water temperature of 32˚C and dissolved oxygen levels of 4.49 to 7.44 mg/L were recorded. The low depth registered in the lagoon (mean = 1 m), is related to fluvial and marine processes, both of which modify depth through the transport of sediment to its interior. Currently, fishing is scarce, with the mangrove forest in some areas in a process of deterioration due to a lack of moisture. The lagoon system is undergoing a process of environmental deterioration, with an advanced ecological succession and non-aquatic vegetable species colonizing the area surrounding the lagoon.