A history of aquatic plants in the Coorong,a Ramsar-listed coastal wetland,South Australia

The Coorong in South Australia is an internationally recognised ecologically significant coastal lagoon that extends 140 km south-east from the mouth of the River Murray. The Coorong has increasingly been impacted by a variety of human activities. Declining migratory bird abundance has been linked to the loss of Ruppia tuberosa, an aquatic plant that is the main feedstock for a wide variety of water birds. Analysis of Ruppia remains from a radiometrically dated core in the southern lagoon of The Coorong shows that the salt-tolerant annual Ruppia tuberosa has only been present at this site in recent times. By contrast, the perennial Ruppia megacarpa, which has limited tolerance to elevated salinity, appears to have been present at the site for several millennia, although it had never been observed in ecological surveys of this part of The Coorong. Diatom analysis from the same core reveals a shift from estuarine/marine assemblages to an assemblage reflective of elevated salinity levels. Charophyte, ostracod and foraminifera remains also indicate that the change in the aquatic plant community is associated with increased salinity at the study site since European settlement. Elevated salinity is the result of catchment modifications which have reduced freshwater inflows at the northern and southern extremities of The Coorong, and marine input via the Murray Mouth. This study demonstrates the utility of multiproxy palaeoecological data in addressing complex management questions. In the absence of such information, managers must ultimately rely on data sourced only from the historical record which, more often than not, is already skewed by the impact of European settlement.     

An evolutionary model for sabkha development on the north coast of the UAE

The north coast of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) provides a typical example of coastal sabkha (supratidal flat) formation. Various stages of sabkha development can be recognized along this coast. This paper combines previous studies of sabkha environment with the results of field investigation of sabkha geomorphology, sedimentology, and stratigraphy on the north coast of UAE, to formulate a model of sabkha evolution.The model has six stages in the evolution of coastal sabkhas following the early Holocene sea-level rise. These are: Stage 1: sea-level rise results in the formation of an embayment. Stage 2: involves subsequent spit development and progradation across the bay as a result of sediment availability. Stage 3: coincident with spit evolution is the development of a khor (tidal inlet) with or without mangrove. Channel depth of Khors varies from 4 to 6 m. Stage 4: sediment accumulates in the khor reducing the khor depth, turning it into a lagoon. There are three sub-stages of the lagoon stage. (a) With lagoon depths of 1–2 m, (b) with lagoon depths 0.5 m or less, (c) when the lagoon floor is exposed at low tide. Stage 5: is sabkha formation; development occurs in two sub-stages. In the first the sabkha is immature and flooded during rain storms and spring tides (0.1 m above present sea-level). Later the sabkha is only flooded after rainstorms, when it reaches an elevation of about 1 m or more above present sea-level. Stage 6: in sabkha development is the coastal plain, which results when large sabkhas are linked together.     

An evolutionary model for sabkha development on the north coast of the UAE

The north coast of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) provides a typical example of coastal sabkha (supratidal flat) formation. Various stages of sabkha development can be recognized along this coast. This paper combines previous studies of sabkha environment with the results of field investigation of sabkha geomorphology, sedimentology, and stratigraphy on the north coast of UAE, to formulate a model of sabkha evolution.The model has six stages in the evolution of coastal sabkhas following the early Holocene sea-level rise. These are: Stage 1: sea-level rise results in the formation of an embayment. Stage 2: involves subsequent spit development and progradation across the bay as a result of sediment availability. Stage 3: coincident with spit evolution is the development of a khor (tidal inlet) with or without mangrove. Channel depth of Khors varies from 4 to 6 m. Stage 4: sediment accumulates in the khor reducing the khor depth, turning it into a lagoon. There are three sub-stages of the lagoon stage. (a) With lagoon depths of 1–2 m, (b) with lagoon depths 0.5 m or less, (c) when the lagoon floor is exposed at low tide. Stage 5: is sabkha formation; development occurs in two sub-stages. In the first the sabkha is immature and flooded during rain storms and spring tides (0.1 m above present sea-level). Later the sabkha is only flooded after rainstorms, when it reaches an elevation of about 1 m or more above present sea-level. Stage 6: in sabkha development is the coastal plain, which results when large sabkhas are linked together.     

Diatom and foraminifera relationships to water quality in The Coorong,South Australia,and the development of a diatom-based salinity transfer function

The Ramsar-listed Coorong lagoon lies at the terminus of the Murray-Darling River system in South Australia. Diatom and foraminifera relationships with water quality were characterised in order to develop diatom- and foraminifera-based models with the potential to infer water column salinity. Seventy-four samples were collected during 2007, a year of continuing drought in the catchment, and of no discharges at the Murray Mouth. The sample sites had a salinity gradient of 1.8–190 g l⁻¹ total dissolved solids. The diatom data set comprised 215 taxa, while there were only eight taxa in the foraminiferal data set. Canonical correspondence analysis of diatom species-environment relationships showed that salinity explained the largest proportion of diatom variance. Hence, a diatom-based salinity transfer function with reasonable predictive power (measured vs. diatom-inferred salinity r _jack² = 0.82; Root Mean Squared Error of Prediction = 16 g l⁻¹) was developed. Application of the transfer function to fossil diatom assemblages from The Coorong suggested that pre-European salinity values were generally >50 g l⁻¹ and that salinity declined following settlement. These results, however, contradict the recent history of The Coorong where there have been substantial lagoon-wide salinity increases. The pre-impact diatom flora has no analogue in the modern data set, highlighting the degree of departure from past conditions. CCA of the foraminiferal data set identified salinity and total nitrogen as the variables with the greatest explanatory power. However, accurate predictive models could not be developed using either variable due to low foraminiferal abundance and species richness. These factors may have been a consequence of diminished foraminiferal recruitment rates over successive years, an artefact of reduced marine water input to The Coorong. Future attempts to generate predictive models from this region would benefit from the inclusion of data from distant locations, since suitable analogue sites do not exist in close proximity. The study has generated useful insights to the apparently broad salinity tolerances for several cosmopolitan diatom and foraminifera species, and has identified a number of diatom and foraminifera taxa that may prove useful in the qualitative interpretation of down-core trends in The Coorong and the lower Murray River region.     

南通海岸带滩涂开发类型选择与空间功能配置研究

海岸带滩涂开发类型选择与空间布局是海岸带综合管理研究的重要内容,对于促进海岸带可持续发展具有重要意义。以海岸带资源环境-社会经济条件与滩涂开发类型对应关系透视为基础,结合南通海岸带滩涂条件、开发类型演变和区域发展背景分析,提出该地区生态旅游、农业和港口–工业–城镇多元化的滩涂综合利用模式,集成适宜性评价与分区、多部门规划冲突与协调等方法,探讨了南通海岸带滩涂地区生态与旅游、农业和港工城等功能区的空间配置路径。南通海岸带地区三类空间适宜比例分别23.5%,32.7%和43.8%,可以作为海岸带综合管理政策制定的参考。     

STORM TIDES OF THE FUNDY

ABSTRACT. Historically, storm tides wreaked havoc in the Bay of Fundy. With the tidal system resonating at close to the 12-hour, 25-minute dominant lunar tide of the Atlantic Ocean, variations in normal Fundy tides are in the main caused by astronomical factors. The strongest Fundy tides occur when the three elements—anomalistic, synodical, and tropical monthly cycles—peak simultaneously. The closest match occurs at intervals of 18.03 years, a time known as the Saros. Problems arise when storms coincide with these intervals. A strong Saros has coincided with several major historical storm tides in the Bay of Fundy, including the 1976 Groundhog Day storm, the 1869 Saxby Tide, and the 1759 storm tide. With continuing global sea-level rise and regional crustal subsidence, the possible recurrence of destructive storm tides has grave implications for property owners and settlements in the Fundy coastal zone.     

Sediment delivery and accumulation in a developed area during coastal floods

The study area is a portion of a coastal community that is adjacent to a salt marsh and tidal creek. The developed area was built upon wetlands, and like the marsh, it floods during spring tides and strong coastal storms. Following floods, little visual evidence of sedimentation is in the built area, prompting the hypothesis that physical characteristics of coastal development limit sediment availability during floods and reduce deposition. Because the area floods from a tidal creek during the same events that lead to inundation of the adjacent high marsh, salt marshes are used as an analogue system for planning this research. Although salt marsh geomorphology is a starting point, people are endogenous actors at this site who influence geomorphic evolution by changing the flow of naturally occurring energy. Suspended sediment levels or deposition were measured during 10 flooding events. Water samples were collected from the tidal creek, at a catchbasin, at another location in the street, and in the Spartina patens marsh. Sediment is found to be delivered to the street in the same quantities and for the same duration as in the salt marsh. Suspended sediment levels are alike throughout the research area. The amount of sediment that accumulates following coastal floods was measured by placing samplers within the street and the marsh. Highly significant differences in sediment accumulation exist between the environments. After a flood event, much less sediment is deposited in the street than in the marsh.     

莱州湾东岸陆海相互作用与海岸缓冲区

提出了海岸缓冲区的概念。结合莱州湾东岸晚更新世以来陆海相互作用历史与近期变化,将海岸缓冲区分为古潟湖地貌限制型、开放型和人工海岸型3种基本类型,在横向上划分出3个缓冲带,对海岸缓冲区的结构与功能及缓冲区范围进行了研究。本研究对防范海岸带地质灾害、减轻灾害损失与海岸带资源与环境的可持续发展将起到积极的作用。     

Comparison of tide model outputs for the northern region of the Antarctic Peninsula using satellite altimeters and tide gauge data

This study compares the common harmonic constants of the O₁, K₁, P₁, Q₁, M₂, S₂, N₂, and K₂ tidal constituents from eight global and four regional tide models with harmonic constants from satellite altimeter and tide gauge data for the northern region of the Antarctic Peninsula (58°S–66°S, 53°W–66°W). To obtain a more representative comparison, the study area was divided into three zones with different physical characteristics but similar maximum tidal amplitude variations: Zone I (north of 62°S), Zone II (south of 62°S and west of the Antarctic Peninsula), and Zone III (between 62°S and 64.3°S, and east of 58.5°W). Root sum square (RSS) values are less than or equal to 3.0, 4.2, and 8.4 cm for zones I, II, and III, respectively. No single model shows superior performance in all zones. Because there are insufficient satellite altimetry observations in the vicinity of Matienzo Base (64.9761°S, 60.0683°W), this station was analyzed separately and presents the greatest values of both root mean square misfit and RSS. The maximum, minimum, and average amplitude values of the constituents that follow in importance after the eight common tidal constituents, and which have amplitudes greater than 1 cm, are also analyzed.     

Tidal gravity in Britain: tidal loading and the spatial distribution of the marine tide

Summary. Tidal gravity measurements have been made at six sites in Britain with two nulled LaCoste and Romberg Earth tide gravitymeters. The M ₂ observations from these and two further sites are compared with calculations of the tidal loading from the seas around the British Isles and the major oceans. Models of the M ₂ marine tides are convolved with Green's functions for appropriate radially stratified Earth models. The differences between the M ₂ observations and the theoretical calculations are less than 0.6 μ gals and it is shown that these differences contain further information concerning the errors in the marine tide models. The M ₂ marine tides on the north-west European continental shelf are reasonably well known and this allows a useful test of the feasibility of using tidal gravity measurements for the inverse ocean tide problem in areas where the ocean tides are less well known. The differential gravity loading signal between pairs of gravity stations is shown to be important for considerations of the uniqueness and accuracy of the inverse problem. M ₂ tidal gravity loading maps for the British Isles and Europe have been produced which are of use in making corrections to various geodetic measurements.     

Modern Diatom Assemblages in Surface Sediments from Estuarine Systemsin the Southeastern Buenos Aires Province, Argentina

Paleoecological reconstructions of Holocene sea-level changes in Argentinean coastal regions were based mainly on ecological data gathered from other regions, as there was a lack of information on modern estuarine diatom distributions. The aim of the present work was to assess the spatial variation of diatom assemblages in two representative estuaries of Argentina in order to gather ecological information for paleoecological reconstructions in the region. The two selected estuaries have different geomorphologic features and salinity regimes: Mar Chiquita Lagoon is shallow, which prevents the development of a stable salinity gradient as it occurs in the Quequén Grande River. Surface sediment samples were taken from selected stations representative of the environmental gradient from the inlet to the inner reaches of both estuaries. Cluster analysis defined three diatom zones at Mar Chiquita: marine/brackish assemblages dominate the inlet (zone I), where salinity, tidal range and current speed are higher. The brackish/freshwater tychoplankton Staurosira construens var. venter and Staurosirella pinnata dominate the inner lagoon (zone II), where environmental conditions are very variable and concentrations of suspended sediments are higher. Brackish/freshwater euryhaline diatoms dominate the headwaters (zone III). On the other hand, the Quequén Grande River was divided into three diatom zones: coastal taxa are distributed at the inlet (zone I), while the middle estuary (zone II) is dominated by brackish/freshwater euryhaline taxa. At the upper estuary region (zone III), freshwater diatoms dominate, and the halophobous Nitzschia denticula increased in abundance values. Diatom distributions were most closely related to the salinity gradient at Quequén Grande River than at Mar Chiquita Lagoon. Fossil data of a sequence from Mar Chiquita Lagoon (Las Gallinas Creek) were compared to the modern data set in order to search for analogies between fossil and modern diatom assemblages. DCA results showed that fossil diatom assemblages have modern counterparts. Most diatom assemblages of Las Gallinas Creek fall within Mar Chiquita zone III, representing a shallow brackish/freshwater environment, with low salinity fluctuations (~1–9‰) and no tidal influence. Therefore, our modern diatom data provide useful analogs to interpret paleoenvironments in the region.     

海南博螯沿岸地貌与人类活动的潜在影响

The Boao coastal system along the eastern coast of Hainan Island is a dynamic delta-tidal inlet-barrier formed during the late Holocene. The delta developed inside a shallow lagoon barred by a sandy barrier with a narrow, shallow tidal inlet opening. Two major distributary channels separated by small islands characterize the delta. The lagoon is silting up receiving and trapping sediments from both the river and, in minor measure during storms, through the tidal inlet opening and barrier washovers. The barrier at the tidal inlet is highly dynamic and changes its form, accreting (migrating spit) against the inlet during fair-weather conditions and being eroded during storms and river floods.The delta has almost completely filled the lagoon and major concerns exist on the effect that ongoing large development plans may have on the environment. These concerns include the effect on floods and rate of siltation once banks of the islands have been stabilized and floodwater and sediment load are impeded from spreading over the lowlands, and the effect of increasing pollutant loads from the new facilities on the ecosystems of the increasingly restricting lagoon water and on the seashores.     

Geomorphology of the Boao coastal system and potential effects of human activities -Hainan Island, South China

1 IntroductionThe objectives of this paper are to analyze the principal characteristics of the W anquan Riverdelta that has developed in a narrow , shallow lagoon, and to determ ine the effect that theever-increasing hum an activities of the area m ay hav…     

Geomorphology of the Boao coastal system and potential effects of human activities - Hainan Island, South China

The Boao coastal system along the eastern coast of Hainan Island is a dynamic delta-tidal inlet-barrier formed during the late Holocene. The delta developed inside a shallow lagoon barred by a sandy barrier with a narrow, shallow tidal inlet opening. Two major distributary channels separated by small islands characterize the delta. The lagoon is silting up receiving and trapping sediments from both the river and, in minor measure during storms, through the tidal inlet opening and barrier washovers. The barrier at the tidal inlet is highly dynamic and changes its form, accreting (migrating spit) against the inlet during fair-weather conditions and being eroded during storms and river floods. The delta has almost completely filled the lagoon and major concerns exist on the effect that ongoing large development plans may have on the environment. These concerns include the effect on floods and rate of siltation once banks of the islands have been stabilized and floodwater and sediment load are impeded from spreading over the lowlands, and the effect of increasing pollutant loads from the new facilities on the ecosystems of the increasingly restricting lagoon water and on the seashores.     

STRATIFIED MARINE LAKES OF PALAU (WESTERN CAROLINE ISLANDS)

The physical geography of the limestone islands of Palau permits permanent water-column stratification in 13 tropical sea-level marine lakes, each with unique water-column physics, chemistry, and biology. Embayments and lagoons amid the coral became isolated as marine lakes after Miocene uplifting. Surface mixing of lake water by wind is reduced by jungle-covered karst ridges. Surface tidal exchange through fissures in fenestrated karst is slow while midwater exchange through submarine tunnels is fast, but both produce damped, delayed tides with modest seawater exchange from the barrier-reef lagoon. Topographic protection from wind, heavy regular rain throughout the year, with precipitation exceeding evaporation, and modest tidal exchange produce stratified water columns with brackish waters above permanently anoxic saline hypolimnia. Permanent lake stratification is documented for 18 years; sediment cores (by others) show stratification for >100 years, and recent constant sea level implies ecosystem stability for thousands of years. Therefore, the marine lakes in Palau are small, closed, simple ecosystems that do not change over time–steady-state chemostats permitting replicate field measurements of biological and physical attributes from day to day, month to month, or decade to decade. [Key words: Palau, meromictic, marine lake, karst, lake stratification, tides, model ecosystem.]     

Seeking harmony in coastal development for small islands: Exploring multifunctional artificial reefs for São Miguel Island,the Azores

The Azores is a remote archipelago rich in biodiversity, geodiversity and cultural heritage located in the middle of the North Atlantic Ocean. It comprises nine volcanic Small Islands (SIs) scattered over 600 km and are vulnerable to coastal hazards due to limited land availability and ocean exposure. To mitigate and adapt to hazards and human occupation, traditional hard-engineering structures have been used. However, these structures have negative impacts on natural coastal character and amenity value and with growing environmental awareness, soft-engineering solutions designed to work with natural processes, such as multifunctional artificial reefs (MFARs), are globally becoming more appealing. MFARs are offshore submerged structures which provide coastal protection while enhancing marine and recreational amenities such as surfing, diving and beach widening. This paper determines “optimal” MFAR multifunctional design criteria based on current progress and assessment of nine international MFARs installed to-date. It subsequently explores MFAR feasibility in São Miguel Island, the biggest and most populated Azorean Island with the largest surfing population. An assessment of surf breaks was undertaken, including coastal processes and retreat rates, and MFAR site selection, criteria and rationale are discussed. By considering site-specific parameters such as local bathymetry, wave climate, tides, coastal processes and marine environment alongside tourism potential and surf culture, São Roque reef was selected as a potential MFAR to provide both coastal protection and surfing amenity.     

Coastal morphodynamics and Chenier-Plain evolution in southwestern Louisiana, USA: A geomorphic model

Using 28 topographic profiles, air-photo interpretation, and historical shoreline-change data, coastal processes were evaluated along the Chenier Plain to explain the occurrence, distribution, and geomorphic hierarchy of primary landforms, and existing hypotheses regarding Chenier-Plain evolution were reconsidered. The Chenier Plain of SW Louisiana, classified as a low-profile, microtidal, storm-dominated coast, is located west and downdrift of the Mississippi River deltaic plain. This Late-Holocene, marginal-deltaic environment is 200 km long and up to 30 km wide, and is composed primarily of mud deposits capped by marsh interspersed with thin sand- and shell-rich ridges (“cheniers”) that have elevations of up to 4 m.In this study, the term “ridge” is used as a morphologic term for a narrow, linear or curvilinear topographic high that consists of sand and shelly material accumulated by waves and other physical coastal processes. Thus, most ridges in the Chenier Plain represent relict open-Gulf shorelines. On the basis of past movement trends of individual shorelines, ridges may be further classified as transgressive, regressive, or laterally accreted. Geomorphic zones that contain two or more regressive, transgressive, or laterally accreted ridges are termed complexes. Consequently, we further refine the Chenier-Plain definition by Otvos and Price [Otvos, E.G. and Price, W.A., 1979. Problems of chenier genesis and terminology—an overview. Marine Geology, 31: 251–263] and define Chenier Plain as containing at least two or more chenier complexes. Based on these definitions, a geomorphic hierarchy of landforms was refined relative to dominant process for the Louisiana Chenier Plain. The Chenier Plain is defined as a first-order feature (5000 km²) composed of three second-order features (30 to 300 km²): chenier complex, beach-ridge complex, and spit complex. Individual ridges of each complex type were further separated into third-order features: chenier, beach ridge, and spit.To understand the long-term evolution of a coastal depositional system, primary process–response mechanisms and patterns found along the modern Chenier-Plain coast were first identified, especially tidal-inlet processes associated with the Sabine, Calcasieu, and Mermentau Rivers. Tidal prism (Ω) and quantity of littoral transport (M_total) are the most important factors controlling inlet stability. Greater discharge and/or tidal prism increase the ability of river and estuarine systems to interrupt longshore sediment transport, maintain and naturally stabilize tidal entrances, and promote updrift deposition. Thus, prior to human modification and stabilization efforts, the Mermentau River entrance would be classified as wave-dominated, Sabine Pass as tide-dominated, and Calcasieu Pass as tide-dominated to occasionally mixed.Hoyt [Hoyt, J.H., 1969. Chenier versus barrier, genetic and stratigraphic distinction. Am. Assoc. Petrol. Geol. Bull., 53: 299–306] presented the first detailed depositional model for chenier genesis and mudflat progradation, which he attributed to changes in Mississippi River flow direction (i.e., delta switching) caused by upstream channel avulsion. However, Hoyt's model oversimplifies Chenier-Plain evolution because it omits ridges created by other means. Thus, the geologic evolution of the Chenier Plain is more complicated than channel avulsions of the Mississippi River, and it involved not only chenier ridges (i.e., transgressive), but also ridges that are genetically tied to regression (beach ridges) and lateral accretion (recurved spits).A six-stage geomorphic process-response model was developed to describe Chenier-Plain evolution primarily as a function of: (i) the balance between sediment supply and energy dissipation associated with Mississippi River channel avulsions, (ii) local sediment reworking and lateral transport, (iii) tidal-entrance dynamics, and (iv) possibly higher-than-present stands of Holocene sea level. Consequently, the geneses of three different ridge types (transgressive, regressive, and laterally accreted) typically occur contemporaneously along the same shoreline at different locations.     

Extraction and spatiotemporal evolution analysis of tidal flats in the Bohai Rim during 1984-2019 based on remote sensing

Tidal flats, a precious resource that provides ecological services and land space for coastal zones, are facing threats from human activities and climate change. In this study, a robust decision tree for tidal flat extraction was developed to analyse spatiotemporal variations in the Bohai Rim region during 1984-2019 based on 9539 Landsat TM/OLI surface reflection images and the Google Earth Engine (GEE) cloud platform. The area of tidal flats significantly fluctuated downwards from 3551.22 to 1712.36 km² in the Bohai Rim region during 1984-2019, and 51.31% of tidal flats were distributed near the Yellow River Delta and Liaohe River Delta during 2017-2019. There occurred a drastic spatial transition of tidal flats with coastline migration towards the ocean. Low-stability tidal flats were mainly distributed in reclamation regions, deltas, and bays near the estuary during 1984-2019. The main factors of tidal flat evolution in the Bohai Rim region included the direct impact of land cover changes in reclamation regions, the continuous impact of a weakening sediment supply, and the potential impact of a deteriorating sediment storage capability. The extraction process and maps herein could provide a reference for the sustainable development and conservation of coastal resources.     

北极阿拉斯加巴罗地区现代环境的地球化学特征研究*

本文以北极阿拉斯加巴罗地区样品分析为依据,研究泻湖、淡水湖、河流、沼泽、土壤等的环境地球化学特征。结果表明,巴罗地区融冻物理风化作用强烈,化学风化和生物地球化学作用较弱,物质以机械搬运为主,H⁺为地带性标型元素。地表水化学类型阴离子以Cl^-为主,阳离子以K⁺Na⁺为主。现代沉积物、地表土壤、沼泽泥炭层有机质含量丰富,最高可达50.07%.大量元素SiO₂含量极高,稀有稀土元素、微量元素含量偏低,但Hg、Cd、Cr的含量相对较高。     

Variations in some physico-chemical parameters in a hypersaline coastal lagoon of Baja California,Mexico

San Jose lagoon is a hypersaline body of water located in Mexico in the Baja California Peninsula. The lagoon belongs to a system that lies between the fault ridge known as San Jose Creek. Because of its marine origin, it can be considered as thalassohaline, but its isolation from the ocean has brought about changes in its salt composition. It has an area of 13,500 m², a mean depth of 80 cm and a total volume of 10,000 m³. It does not desiccate and can be considered as a permanent lagoon. Seasonal variations are small. TheArtemia population in San Jose produces cysts all year. To determine the physico-chemical conditions inducing permanent production of cysts, temperature, salinity, dissolved oxygen, and pH of the lagoon were monitored, as well as relative humidity and wind conditions in the region in different seasons of the year. From spring to summer, differences of 1 mg L^–1 of O₂, 1°C in water temperature, and 8 g L^–1 in salinity were observed, and from summer to winter differences of 3.3 mg L^–1, 6.5°C, and 14 g L^–1, respectively. Despite small seasonal variations, the lagoon exhibits strong spatial and daily changes that are important for cyst production.