scholarly journals Identification of the Gulf of Mexico as an important high‐use habitat for leatherback turtles from Central America

Ecosphere ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (8) ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel R. Evans ◽  
Roldán A. Valverde ◽  
Cristina Ordoñez ◽  
Raymond R. Carthy
1994 ◽  
Vol 4 (2-3) ◽  
pp. 251-262 ◽  
Author(s):  
John H. Rappole ◽  
Mario A. Ramos

SummaryOver half of the 332 migratory bird species that breed in North America and winter in the tropics are affected by the obstacle to migratory flight presented by the Gulf of Mexico. Landbird migration in the vicinity of the Gulf is considered from an historical perspective, and in light of netting and observational data from the western Gulf coast. A trans-Gulf crossing from the northern Gulf coast to, or over, Yucatan is the most commonly followed fall route for eastern Nearctic migrants that winter in Central America. The spring route for these species is different, involving a more westerly trans–Gulf course for some individuals, and a circum–Gulf route for others. Prevailing wind direction and the probability of meeting turbulence over the Gulf are suggested as the main selective factors affecting route form for Gulf–area migrants.


Eos ◽  
2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. González ◽  
M. Georgescu ◽  
M. Lemos ◽  
N. Hosannah ◽  
D. Niyogi

Nations that border the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean Sea are ideally placed for tracking the effects of global climate change and testing innovative ways to adapt to future changes.


1964 ◽  
Vol 54 (3) ◽  
pp. 909-925
Author(s):  
Basil C. Papazachos

Abstract Group and phase velocities of Rayleigh waves along 57 paths between Central America and the central United States were determined. The waves examined were of period between 15 and 60 seconds and crossed the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean Sea in many directions. The following conclusions about the structure of the region are drawn: Along the paths crossing the western and central Gulf and the regions near the coast of Texas and the eastern coast of Mexico the velocities were found to be very low. This is attributed to the great thickness of the sediments in these regions. The velocities along paths crossing the eastern Gulf and westernmost Caribbean were found to be higher than the typical continental velocities. This is considered as an indication of a difference in structure between the eastern and western Gulf of Mexico. Along one path in the western Caribbean Sea between Colombia and Cuba the velocities were almost continental. High velocities found for part of the eastern Caribbean indicate an almost oceanic character for this region. For each earthquake examined the initial phases were determined with an error less than ± π/4. For a given earthquake in all cases except two the initial phases were found to be the same at all stations.


2015 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 26-49 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rosío Córdova ◽  
Hipólito Rodríguez

Since the 1980s, the different crises that have taken place in the south of Mexico and Central America have raised the migrant flow to the United States. In parallel, these crises have contributed to make the journey for those who want to gain access to the American market more difficult and unsafe. Although legal measures have tried to stop the flow of migrants, in the last decade migrants have faced other kinds of non-legal obstacles that make dangerous their displacement. This article explores the process that has led to conditions of insecurity and vulnerability for migrants. It is focused on the corridor of the Gulf of Mexico, one of the main routes of migration to the territory of the United States. Spanish Desde los años ochenta del siglo pasado, diversas crisis económicas han detonado en el sur de México y en Centroamérica el incremento del flujo migratorio hacia EEUU. Colateralmente, las mismas crisis han propiciado la emergencia de circunstancias que hacen más difícil e inseguro el desplazamiento de quienes buscan acceder al mercado de trabajo de ese país. Si bien el crecimiento del flujo ha intentado ser detenido por medio de medidas legales, en la última década los migrantes han encontrado otro tipo de obstáculos no legales que han vuelto sumamente peligroso su tránsito. Este artículo explora el proceso que ha originado condiciones de inseguridad y vulnerabilidad para la población migrante y centra su atención en el corredor del Golfo de México, un territorio por el que pasa una de las principales rutas del movimiento migratorio hacia territorio estadounidense. French Dans les années 1980, différentes crises économiques sont survenues dans le sud du Mexique et en Amérique centrale, favorisant ainsi l'essor de la migration vers les États-Unis. Par ailleurs, ces mêmes crises ont conduit à l'émergence de circonstances qui ont rendu difficiles et dangereux les déplacements des individus souhaitant accéder au marché du travail de ce pays. Alors que la tendance première des politiques avait été de restreindre l'essor des flux par des mesures légales, dans la dernière décennie, les migrants feront face à d'autres types d'obstacles non juridiques qui auront pour effet de rendre leur transit extrêmement dangereux. Cet article analyse le processus ayant conduit à l'émergence des conditions d'insécurité et de vulnérabilité chez les migrants et se concentre sur le corridor du golfe du Mexique, reconnu comme étant la principale zone de transit des flux migratoires en direction des Etats-Unis.


2007 ◽  
Vol 20 (19) ◽  
pp. 4853-4873 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard Justin O. Small ◽  
Simon P. de Szoeke ◽  
Shang-Ping Xie

Abstract The midsummer drought (MSD) is a diminution in rainfall experienced during the middle of the rainy season in southern Mexico and Central America, as well as in the adjacent Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico, and eastern Pacific seas. The aim of this paper is to describe the regional characteristics of the MSD and to propose some possible forcing mechanisms. Satellite and in situ data are used to form a composite of the evolution of a typical MSD, which highlights its coincidence with a low-level anticyclone centered over the Gulf of Mexico and associated easterly flow across Central America. The diurnal cycle of precipitation over the region is reduced in amplitude during midsummer. The MSD is also coincident with heavy precipitation over the Sierra Madre Occidental (part of the North American monsoon). Reanalysis data are used to show that the divergence of the anomalous low-level flow during the MSD is the main factor governing the variations in precipitation. A linear baroclinic model is used to show that the seasonal progression of the Pacific intertropical convergence zone (ITCZ), which moves northward following warm sea surface temperature (SST) during the early summer, and of the Atlantic subtropical high, which moves westward, are the most important remote factors that contribute toward the low-level easterly flow and divergence during the MSD. The circulation associated with the MSD precipitation deficit helps to maintain the deficit by reinforcing the low-level anticyclonic flow over the Gulf of Mexico. Surface heating over land also plays a role: a large thermal low over the northern United States in early summer is accompanied by enhanced subsidence over the North Atlantic. This thermal low is seen to decrease considerably in midsummer, allowing the high pressure anomalies in the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans to extend into the Gulf of Mexico. These anomalies are maintained until late summer, when an increase in rainfall from the surge in Atlantic tropical depressions induces anomalous surface cyclonic flow with westerlies fluxing moisture from the Pacific ITCZ toward Central America.


Oryx ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 50 (2) ◽  
pp. 274-282 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marga L. Rivas ◽  
Carlos Fernández ◽  
Adolfo Marco

AbstractThe leatherback turtle Dermochelys coriacea, the only extant species in its family, is categorized as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List. The protection of nesting beaches and the associated conservation efforts along the Western Atlantic coast of Central America have improved the population trends of some of the most important rookeries. Here we report the life history, ecology and population trends of leatherback turtles over 18 years (1994–2012, excluding 1998) of effective protection in the Pacuare Nature Reserve, on the Caribbean coast of Costa Rica. A mean density of 142 nests per km, probably the highest in Central America, indicates the importance of this rookery within the Caribbean region. Long-term conservation efforts at the Reserve have significantly reduced poaching and contributed to maintaining a high level of hatchling production. Long-term monitoring has also facilitated estimation of relevant demographic parameters of the population, such as nesting success (mean 69.8 ± SD 7.3%), clutch size (which is positively correlated with female size), hatching success (mean 55.2 ± SD 6.0%), remigration interval (2.5 years), and growth rate of remigrant females (mean 0.3 ± SD 1.0 cm per year), which is slightly faster than growth rates reported for Pacific leatherback turtles. Overall, efforts at Pacuare have been successful in protecting leatherback turtles and understanding their life history, highlighting the importance of long-term conservation projects for maintaining threatened leatherback populations.


2015 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. 19-35 ◽  
Author(s):  
Huancui Hu ◽  
Francina Dominguez

Abstract This work evaluates the oceanic and terrestrial moisture sources that contribute to North American monsoon (NAM) precipitation over a 30-yr period using the modified analytical dynamic recycling model. This computationally efficient modeling framework reveals previously overlooked moisture source regions such as Central America and the Caribbean Sea in addition to the well-known Gulf of California and Gulf of Mexico source regions. The results show that terrestrial evapotranspiration is as important as oceanic evaporation for NAM precipitation, and terrestrial sources contribute to approximately 40% of monsoonal moisture. There is a northward progression of terrestrial moisture sources, beginning with Central America during the early season and transitioning north into northern Mexico and the NAM region itself during the peak of the monsoon season. The most intense precipitation occurs toward the end of the season and tends to originate in the Gulf of California and the tropical Pacific, associated with tropical cyclones and gulf surges. Heavy stable isotopes of hydrogen and oxygen in precipitation (δD and δ18O) collected for every precipitation event measured in Tucson, Arizona, for the period 1981–2008 complement the numerical results. The analysis shows that precipitation events linked to sources from the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean Sea are more isotopically enriched than sources from the Gulf of California and tropical Pacific. It is also seen that terrestrial regions that derive their precipitation from the Gulf of Mexico are also more isotopically enriched than moisture sources from the Pacific.


1980 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
pp. 327-345 ◽  
Author(s):  
John W. Drexler ◽  
W. I. Rose ◽  
R. S. J. Sparks ◽  
M. T. Ledbetter

AbstractThe Los Chocoyos Ash, having erupted from vents near the Lake Atitlán caldera, Guatemala, is perhaps the largest Quaternary silicic pyroclastic unit in Central America. It consists of an underlying H-tephra member and an overlying ash-flow member. One-hundred-and-five samples of ash from the Guatemalan Highlands and deep-sea cores in the equatorial Pacific and Gulf of Mexico were analyzed by neutron activation and/or electron microprobe. Glass shard chemistry, determined by microprobe, is useful for distinguishing several very widespread, distinct, deep-sea ash layers, but needs support from trace-element data when applied on land to distinguish between many individual eruptions from the same province. Data from this study support the correlation of the Worzel ‘D’ layer and the Los Chocoyos Ash proposed by Hahn et al. (1979) and Bowles et al. (1973). Chemical data from this study are used to correlate the Y-8 ash layer of the Gulf of Mexico with the Los Chocoyos Ash. The recognition of the Los Chocoyos Ash in the Gulf of Mexico and equatorial Pacific increases the known areal extent of the unit to more than 6 × 106 km2 and allows an age of 84,000 yr B.P. to be assigned to the formation on the basis of oxygen-isotope stratigraphy, biostratigraphy, and Pa-Th-isotope data. Trace-element data obtained from seven other ash layers in the Gulf of Mexico and the equatorial Pacific, when combined with new land-based data, should allow further correlation and dating of ash units in Central America.


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