A Spatiotemporal Analysis of Nitrogen Pollution in a Coastal Region with Mangroves of the Southern Gulf of Mexico

Nitrogen pollution is a growing problem in many rivers and estuaries of the Southern Gulf of Mexico. In Costa Esmeralda, a tourist destination in Veracruz, the increasing nitrogen pollution is causing severe environmental damage. However, very few studies addressed nitrogen pollution and its consequences for beaches and mangroves. In this study, a spatiotemporal evaluation of nitrogen concentrations was performed along two rivers discharging into Costa Esmeralda and the associated mangrove and coastal areas. The data used was obtained from the local government, which measured ammonium, nitrate and organic nitrogen concentrations between 2013 and 2016 with four annual measurements. Clustering analysis was used to detect the nitrogen concentration differences between riverine and coastal sites. Additionally, Mann-Kendall test was used to detect the trends throughout the study period. The Mann-Whitney W-test determined the difference in the median concentrations between the dry and the wet season. The results indicate that organic nitrogen concentrations are increasing in river mouths and coastal waters. Nitrogen pollution caused an intrusion of water hyacinths in touristic beaches and completely covered mangroves. The decomposition of these plants in saline waters was identified as the main potential source of increasing organic concentrations, driven by nitrogen pollution from wastewater, deforestation and fertilizers, and causing many environmental and socio-economic damage to the area. The results shed light on the prevailing water pollution problems in the Southern Gulf of Mexico.

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Nitrogen cycling in a Venezuelan tropical seasonally flooded forest: soil nitrogen mineralization and nitrification

Journal of Tropical Ecology ◽

10.1017/s0266467400008075 ◽

1994 ◽

Vol 10 (3) ◽

pp. 399-416 ◽

Cited By ~ 20

Author(s):

Barrios E. ◽

Herrera R.

Keyword(s):

Soil Nitrogen ◽

Nitrogen Availability ◽

Inorganic Nitrogen ◽

Nitrogen Concentration ◽

Ammonium Nitrogen ◽

Wet Season ◽

Flooded Forest ◽

Nitrogen Concentrations ◽

Minimum Stress ◽

Seasonally Flooded

ABSTRACTSeasonally flooded forests represent a transition between terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. The Mapire river, a tributary of the Orinoco river, floods its surrounding forests during the wet season (May–December). The soils are very acid and the total nitrogen concentration (0.1%) is only half that found in nearby soils flooded by Orinoco waters. Ammonium-nitrogen predominates in the soil during the flooded period while nitrate-nitrogen concentrations are higher in the dry period. Wide fluctuations in the inorganic nitrogen fractions did not considerably affect the annual course of soil nitrogen.The predominance of mineralization versus nitrification (56 and 5 μgsoil month−1respectively) and possibly the synchronization of nitrogen availability with plant demand could be considered as nitrogen conserving mechanisms.In synchrony with the hydrologic cycle, the seasonally flooded forest studied shows a nitrogencycle where inputs and accumulation are maximized when the system is under minimum stress (dry season). During flooding, the system enters a period of dormancy making minimal use of nutrient and energy to avoid or tolerate anaerobiosis.

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Effects of Submergence and Nitrogen Concentration on the Resources Utilization of Alternanthera philoxeroides

Advanced Materials Research ◽

10.4028/www.scientific.net/amr.864-867.239 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 864-867 ◽

pp. 239-242

Author(s):

Wen Juan Ding ◽

Hua Yong Zhang ◽

Fang Juan Zhang

Keyword(s):

Water Level ◽

Biomass Allocation ◽

Invasive Plant ◽

Nitrogen Concentration ◽

Soluble Sugar ◽

Nitrogen Pollution ◽

Water Bodies ◽

Alternanthera Philoxeroides ◽

Negative Effects ◽

Nitrogen Concentrations

This study examined the effects of submergence and nitrogen concentration on biomass allocation and nutrients utilization of an invasive plant Alternanthera philoxeroides. In the experiment, A. philoxeroides was applied to two water level treatments (0 and 25cm above the surface) across with two nitrogen concentrations (0 and 10 mg/l N). The results showed that submergence decreased leaf fraction and increased stem fraction, but high N changed this situation. In submergence, high N increased leaf fraction but decreased stem fraction due to leaves survival and maintenance. Submergence decreased root fraction and the content of soluble sugar in stem. The results suggested that high N concentration could counteract the negative effects of submergence. Therefore, the risk of A. philoxeroides invasion might be enhanced by nitrogen pollution in fluctuating water bodies, and should be attention intensely.

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M/V ALVENUS: ANATOMY OF A MAJOR OIL SPILL1

International Oil Spill Conference Proceedings ◽

10.7901/2169-3358-1987-1-27 ◽

1987 ◽

Vol 1987 (1) ◽

pp. 27-32

Author(s):

Anthony C. Alejandro ◽

Jack L. Buri

Keyword(s):

Gulf Of Mexico ◽

Suspended Solid ◽

Coast Guard ◽

Solid Particles ◽

Economic Damage ◽

Environmental Damage ◽

Structural Failure ◽

San Luis ◽

The United Kingdom ◽

The Town

ABSTRACT At 12:36 p.m. on July 30, 1984, the United Kingdom tank vessel Alvenus grounded with catastrophic structural failure in the Calcasieu River Bar Channel about 11 nautical miles south-southeast of Cameron, Louisiana, creating the largest oil spill from a ship ever encountered in the Gulf of Mexico. The vessel's hull buckled and fractured vertically on both the port and starboard sides and across the tank tops in way of its No. 2 port, center, and starboard cargo tanks. Between July 30 and August 4, 1984, the Alvenus discharged approximately 2.7 million gal of viscous Venezuelan Merey and Pilon crude oil into international waters of the Gulf of Mexico. Attempts to contain and recover the oil at sea were rendered ineffective by rough seas and the magnitude of the spill. A well-defined 75-mile slick of oil traveled west from the Alvenus for over 100 miles, arriving on Texas beaches on August 3 and 4 between the town of Gilchrist, and San Luis Pass at the west end of Galveston Island. Beach cleanup crews were reasonably prepared for the massive influx of oil and were able to remove the oil with only minimal environmental damage. Sensitive inland estuaries were spared by a combination of chance (the oil passed inlets during ebb tides) and prestaged booms. However, economic damage was great, since Galveston's resort beaches were heavily oiled during the height of the tourist season. Damage to the vessel was extensive and estimated at $4.9 million by the vessel's owner. Loss of cargo was estimated at approximately $1.7 million at $26.00 a barrel. The Coast Guard and cleanup crews encountered a major problem when a large portion of the slick approached the shoreline, absorbed suspended solid particles, and sank in the nearshore surf zones at Galveston Island. No effective method of collecting the oil in the submerged state was discovered. Cleanup crews had to wait until the oil beached itself, a process that took several weeks

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Critical In-Water Habitats for Post-Nesting Sea Turtles from the Southern Gulf of Mexico

Journal of Marine Science and Engineering ◽

10.3390/jmse9080793 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 9 (8) ◽

pp. 793

Author(s):

Abigail Uribe-Martínez ◽

María de los Angeles Liceaga-Correa ◽

Eduardo Cuevas

Keyword(s):

Gulf Of Mexico ◽

Marine Ecosystem ◽

Satellite Telemetry ◽

Marine Turtle ◽

Home Ranges ◽

The Bahamas ◽

Turtle Species ◽

Southern Gulf Of Mexico ◽

Large Marine Ecosystem ◽

Physical Features

Marine turtles are globally endangered species that spend more than 95% of their life cycle in in-water habitats. Nevertheless, most of the conservation, recovery and research efforts have targeted the on-land habitats, due to their easier access, where adult females lay their eggs. Targeting the large knowledge gaps on the in-water critical habitats of turtles, particularly in the Large Marine Ecosystem Gulf of Mexico, is crucial for their conservation and recovery in the long term. We used satellite telemetry to track 85 nesting females from their beaches after they nested to identify their feeding and residency habitats, their migratory corridors and to describe the context for those areas. We delimited major migratory corridors in the southern Gulf of Mexico and West Caribbean and described physical features of internesting and feeding home ranges located mainly around the Yucatan Peninsula and Veracruz, Mexico. We also contributed by describing general aggregation and movement patterns for the four marine turtle species in the Atlantic, expanding the knowledge of the studied species. Several tracked individuals emigrated from the Gulf of Mexico to as far as Nicaragua, Honduras, and the Bahamas. This information is critical for identifying gaps in marine protection and for deciphering the spatial connectivity in large ocean basins, and it provides an opportunity to assess potential impacts on marine turtle populations and their habitats.

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Drivers of coral bleaching in a Marine Protected Area of the Southern Gulf of Mexico during the 2015 event

Marine Pollution Bulletin ◽

10.1016/j.marpolbul.2021.112256 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 166 ◽

pp. 112256

Author(s):

Aarón Israel Muñiz-Castillo ◽

Jesús Ernesto Arias-González

Keyword(s):

Gulf Of Mexico ◽

Coral Bleaching ◽

Protected Area ◽

Marine Protected Area ◽

Southern Gulf Of Mexico

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Ecological strategies and recruitment of Syacium gunteri (pisces: bothidae) in the southern gulf of Mexico shelf

Netherlands Journal of Sea Research ◽

10.1016/0077-7579(94)90019-1 ◽

1994 ◽

Vol 32 (3-4) ◽

pp. 433-439 ◽

Cited By ~ 10

Author(s):

P. Sánchez-Gil ◽

F. Arreguín-Sánchez ◽

M.C. García-Abad

Keyword(s):

Gulf Of Mexico ◽

Ecological Strategies ◽

Southern Gulf Of Mexico

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The Fitness Advantage of Commercial Wine Yeasts in Relation to the Nitrogen Concentration, Temperature, and Ethanol Content under Microvinification Conditions

Applied and Environmental Microbiology ◽

10.1128/aem.03405-13 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 80 (2) ◽

pp. 704-713 ◽

Cited By ~ 19

Author(s):

Estéfani García-Ríos ◽

Alicia Gutiérrez ◽

Zoel Salvadó ◽

Francisco Noé Arroyo-López ◽

José Manuel Guillamon

Keyword(s):

Abiotic Factors ◽

Nitrogen Concentration ◽

Wine Yeast ◽

Wine Industry ◽

Wine Yeasts ◽

Simple Method ◽

Fitness Advantage ◽

Yeast Strains ◽

Industrial Strains ◽

Nitrogen Concentrations

ABSTRACTThe effect of the main environmental factors governing wine fermentation on the fitness of industrial yeast strains has barely received attention. In this study, we used the concept of fitness advantage to measure how increasing nitrogen concentrations (0 to 200 mg N/liter), ethanol (0 to 20%), and temperature (4 to 45°C) affects competition among four commercial wine yeast strains (PDM, ARM, RVA, and TTA). We used a mathematical approach to model the hypothetical time needed for the control strain (PDM) to out-compete the other three strains in a theoretical mixed population. The theoretical values obtained were subsequently verified by competitive mixed fermentations in both synthetic and natural musts, which showed a good fit between the theoretical and experimental data. Specifically, the data show that the increase in nitrogen concentration and temperature values improved the fitness advantage of the PDM strain, whereas the presence of ethanol significantly reduced its competitiveness. However, the RVA strain proved to be the most competitive yeast for the three enological parameters assayed. The study of the fitness of these industrial strains is of paramount interest for the wine industry, which uses them as starters of their fermentations. Here, we propose a very simple method to model the fitness advantage, which allows the prediction of the competitiveness of one strain with respect to different abiotic factors.

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Morphological variations of Phrosina semilunata Risso, 1822 juveniles (Crustacea: Amphipoda: Hyperiidea), new evidence from the Gulf of Mexico

Zootaxa ◽

10.11646/zootaxa.4995.3.13 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 4995 (3) ◽

pp. 594-600

Author(s):

MARCO VIOLANTE-HUERTA ◽

LAURA SANVICENTE-AÑORVE ◽

MARGARITA HERMOSO-SALAZAR ◽

AURORA MARRÓN-BECERRA

Keyword(s):

Gulf Of Mexico ◽

Monotypic Genus ◽

Stages Of Development ◽

Morphological Variations ◽

Stages Of Growth ◽

Early Stages ◽

Southern Gulf Of Mexico ◽

New Evidence ◽

Lack Of Knowledge

Lack of knowledge of morphological variations during growth of amphipod crustaceans can result in misidentification of species. In this study, we advance the knowledge of morphological variations of juveniles of the monotypic genus Phrosina Risso, 1822 collected in the oceanic province of the southern Gulf of Mexico. The juveniles differed from the adults mainly in the morphology of pereopods 3 & 4 in that the carpal process is parallel to the propodus, also the rami of the pleopoda consist of only four segments, uropoda 3 are more lanceolate, and the uropoda bear a large prominent spine terminally. These morphological variations have not been described for the species previously. Therefore, the current observations enrich the description of P. semilunata in the early stages of growth and support the need for further taxonomical studiest that could help identify species at different stages of development.

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