The effectiveness of restoration actions on the biogeochemistry of a polluted Caribbean coastal lagoon
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.3989/scimar.05557.100Keywords:
recovery, tendency, lagoon, nutrients, trophic status, CaribbeanAbstract
Coastal lagoons are exposed to a variety of stressors, including natural and anthropogenic ones. Due to the rapid degradation of many of these lagoons, environmental and governmental authorities have implemented actions to restore their original or stable state, and hence the ecological functions of these ecosystems. Laguna Larga is a highly impacted and polluted Caribbean coastal lagoon in Cuba. It has low water transparency, high nutrient and eutrophication levels and a low dissolved oxygen concentration. Between 2010 and 2012, restoration actions such as dredging and channel opening were implemented to improve water quality and trophic conditions. Some physicochemical parameters and nutrients were determined between 2010 and 2014 at 12 sites inside the lagoon. To detect significant differences among the parameters assessed, a non-parametric Kruskal-Wallis test was used. Since the samples were not taken at regular time intervals and to handle missing data in our dataset by applying the non-parametric Mann-Kendall test, the missForest machine learning method was used. The concentration of nutrients, oxygen and salinity was similar to that of previous studies and showed an increase in nutrients and in the trophic state from the outer to the inner section of the lagoon. Salinity (0.2 per year) and dissolved oxygen (0.1 mg/L) showed a slight but significant decreasing trend. All the nutrients measured (except dissolved inorganic nitrogen) showed a significant decreasing trend after the restoration actions. Laguna Larga is an impacted tropical lagoon that needs more actions to restore the ecosystem, including the closure of wastewater discharge points and seawater pumping from the adjacent ocean.
Downloads
References
ACC/ICGC. 1990. Estudio de los grupos insulares y zonas litorales del archipiélago cubano con fines turísticos. Cayos: Guillermo, Coco y Paredón Grande. Instituto de Ecología y Sistemática. Monografía. 180 pp.
Adu-Boahen K., Dadson I.Y., Atubiga J.A. 2018. Customary practices and wetland management in Ghana: A case of Muni Lagoon Ramsar site in the Central Region. KNUST J. Geogr. Develop. l(2): 1.
Borja Á., Dauer, D.M., Elliott M., Simenstad C.A. 2010. Medium- and Long-term Recovery of Estuarine and Coastal Ecosystems: Patterns, Rates and Restoration Effectiveness. Estuaries and Coasts 33: 1249-1260. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12237-010-9347-5
Boscolo Brusà R., Feola A., Cacciatore F., Ponis E., Sfriso A., Franzoi P., Lizier M., Peretti P., Matticchio B., Baccetti N., Volpe V., Maniero L., Bonometto A. 2022. Conservation actions for restoring the coastal lagoon habitats: Strategy and multidisciplinary approach of LIFE Lagoon Refresh. Front. Ecol. Evol. 10:979415. https://doi.org/10.3389/fevo.2022.979415
Breiman, L. 2001. Random forests. Machine learning 45: 5-32. https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1010933404324
Díez I., Santolaria A., Secilla A., Gorostiaga J.M. 2009. Recovery stages over long-term monitoring of the intertidal vegetation in the Abra de Bilbao area and on the adjacent coast (N. Spain). European J. Phycol. 44: 1-14. https://doi.org/10.1080/09670260802158642
García-Barcina J.M., González-Oreja J.A., De la Sota A. 2006. Assessing the improvement of the Bilbao estuary water quality in response to pollution abatement measures. Water Res. 40(5): 951-960. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.watres.2006.01.004 PMid:16487564
Gikas G.D., Yiannakopoulou T., Vassilios A. Tsihrintzis V.A. 2006. Water quality trends in a coastal lagoon impacted by non-point source pollution after implementation of protective measures. Hydrobiologia 563: 385-406. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10750-006-0034-2
González de Zayas R., Merino-Ibarra M., Soto- iménez M., Castillo-Sandoval S. 2013. Biogeochemical Responses to Nutrient Inputs in a Cuban Coastal Lagoon: Runoff, Anthropogenic and Groundwater Sources. Environ. Monit. Assess. 185: 10101-10114. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-013-3316-y PMid:23856810
González-De Zayas R., Merino-Ibarra M., Valdespino-Castillo P.M., Olivera Y., Cas- tillo-Sandoval S.F. 2018. Coexisting ecosystem states in a tropical coastal lagoon under progressive eutrophication in the northern Cuban keys. Sci. Mar. 82(3): 139-146. https://doi.org/10.3989/scimar.04682.22A
González de Zayas R., Barredo Yera A., Manduca Artiles M., Lestayo González J.A., Castillo Sandoval F.S., Merino-Ibarra, M. 2020. Trace Metals in Sediments of Seven Coastal Lagoons of the Sabana - Camagüey Archipelago, Cuba. Soil Sediment Contam. 1849018. https://doi.org/10.1080/15320383.2020.1849018
González de Zayas R., Merino-Ibarra M., Lestayo González J.A., Chaviano-Fernández Y., Alatorre Mendieta M.A., Matos Pupo F., Castillo - Sandoval F.S. 2021. Biogeochemical responses of a highly polluted tropical coastal lagoon after the passage of a strong hurricane (Hurricane Irma). J. Water Clim. Change 2021: 178. https://doi.org/10.2166/wcc.2021.178
Grasshoff K., Kremling K., Ehrhardt M. 1983. Methods of Seawater Analysis. Verlag Chemie, Weinheim.
Guimarais-Bermejo, M. González-De Zayas, R. 2011 Productividad primaria en Laguna Larga, Cayo Coco, Cuba. Rev. Mar. Cost. 3: 31-41. https://doi.org/10.15359/revmar.3.2
Greening H., Janicki A. 2006. Toward Reversal of Eutrophic Conditions in a Subtropical Estuary: Water Quality and Seagrass Response to Nitrogen Loading Reductions in Tampa Bay, Florida, USA. Environ. Manag. 38(2): 163-178. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00267-005-0079-4 PMid:16788855
Karydis M., Ignatiades L., Moschopoulou N. 1983. An index associated with nutrient eutrophication in the marine environment. Est. Coast. Shelf Sci. 16: 339-344. https://doi.org/10.1016/0272-7714(83)90151-8
Kjerfve B., Magill K.E. 1989. Geographic and hydrodynamic characteristics of shallow coastal lagoons. Mar. Geol. 88(3-4): 187-199. https://doi.org/10.1016/0025-3227(89)90097-2
Leruste A., Malet N., Munaron D., Derolez V., Hatey E., Collos Y., De Wit R., Bec B. 2016. First steps of ecological restoration in Mediterranean lagoons: Shifts in phytoplankton communities. Estuar. Coast. Shelf Sci. 180: 190-203. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecss.2016.06.029
Mudge S.M., Icely J.D., Newton A. 2008. Residence times in a hypersaline lagoon: Using salinity as a tracer. Estuar. Coast. Shelf Sci. 77: 278-284. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecss.2007.09.032
Newton A., Icely J., Cristina S., Perillo G.M.E., Turner R.E., Ashan D., et al. 2020. Anthropogenic, direct pressures on coastal wetlands. Front. Ecol. Evol. 8: 144. https://doi.org/10.3389/fevo.2020.00144
Olivera Espinosa, Y. 2013. Evaluación de la superposición de nichos en los ensambles de moluscos marinos de una laguna costera en Cayo Coco, Cuba. Master Thesis. Centre for Marine Research, Havana Univ., Havana, Cuba.
Padedda B.M, Pulina S., Satta C.T., Lugliè A., Magni P. 2019. Eutrophication and Nutrient Fluxes in Mediterranean Coastal Lagoons. Fundamentals of Water, Chemistry, Particles, and Ecology. In: Maurice A.M. (eds), Encyclopedia of Water: Science, Technology, and Society, JohnWiley & Sons, Inc., pp. 1-15. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781119300762.wsts0161
Pérez-Ruzafa A., Pérez-Ruzafa I.M., Newton A., Marcos C. 2019. Chapter 15. Coastal Lagoons: Environmental variability, ecosystem complexity, and goods and services uniformity in coast and estuaries, the future. In: Wolanski E., Day J., Elliott M., Ramesh R. (eds) Coasts and Estuaries: The Future, Elsevier (2019), pp. 253-276. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-814003-1.00015-0
Salvat-Torres H.M., González-Sansón G., Salvat Quesada M., Pina-Amargós F. 2013. Variación temporal de la comunidad de peces en un canal de comunicación al mar en Cayo Coco, Cuba. Rev. Invest. Mar. 31(2): 131-140.
Shah A.D, Bartlett J.W., Carpenter J., Nicholas O., Hemingway, H. 2014. Comparison of Random Forest and Parametric Imputation Models for Imputing Missing Data Using MICE: A CALIBER Study. Am. J. Epidemiol. 179: 764-774. https://doi.org/10.1093/aje/kwt312 PMid:24589914 PMCid:PMC3939843
Sheridan P. 2004. Recovery of floral and faunal communities after placement of dredged material on seagrasses in Laguna Madre, Texas. Estuar. Coast. Shelf Sci. 59: 441-458. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecss.2003.10.004
Sneyers E.T. 1992. On the use of statistical analysis for the objective determination of climate change. Meteorol Z, 1: 247-256. https://doi.org/10.1127/metz/1/1992/247
Stekhoven D.J., Buhlmann P. 2012. missForest-Non-Parametric Missing Value Imputation for Mixed-Type Data. Bioinformatics 28: 112-118. https://doi.org/10.1093/bioinformatics/btr597 PMid:22039212
Stekhoven D.J. 2022. missForest: Nonparametric Missing Value Imputation using Random Forest. R package version 1.5.
Valderrama J.C. 1981. The simultaneous analysis of total nitrogen and total phosphorus in natural waters. Mar. Chem. 10: 109-122. https://doi.org/10.1016/0304-4203(81)90027-X
Waljee A.K., Mukherjee A., Singal A.G., Zhang Y., Warren J., Balis U., Marrero J., Zhu J., Higgins P.D. 2013. Comparison of Imputation Methods for Missing Laboratory Data in Medicine. BMJ Open 3. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2013-002847 PMid:23906948 PMCid:PMC3733317
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC)
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
© CSIC. Manuscripts published in both the print and online versions of this journal are the property of the Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, and quoting this source is a requirement for any partial or full reproduction.
All contents of this electronic edition, except where otherwise noted, are distributed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) licence. You may read the basic information and the legal text of the licence. The indication of the CC BY 4.0 licence must be expressly stated in this way when necessary.
Self-archiving in repositories, personal webpages or similar, of any version other than the final version of the work produced by the publisher, is not allowed.
