The Cananéia Lagoon estuarine system,São Paulo,Brazil

The Cananéia Lagoon estuarine system lies at 25°S, near the latitudinal limit for mangroves. It is 110 km long, consisting of 1–3 km wide channels behind a barrier island, with narrow inlets at the southern and northern ends. Average and maximum depths are 6 m and 12 m. The system is microtidal and subtropical. Mean annual temperature is 21.4°C (annual amplitude=7.0°C). When the area receives sporadic frosts, temperatures close to 2°C occur in the estuary. Annual precipitation (2,270 mm) exceeds annual potential evapotranspiration (1,656 mm). The water budget of the 1,339 km² watershed is controlled primarily by local rainfall. Before 1978, a large river discharged a significant portion of its flow into the lagoon, but closure of the diversionary channel has since caused changes in salinity, phytoplankton populations, and mangrove coverage. About 90 km² of intertidal habitat is occupied by mangroves and tidal marsh; mangroves are dominant. Fringe and riverine forests (dominated byRhizophora) are more structurally developed than the basins dominated byLaguncularia and have higher litterfall rates (2.08 g m^?2 d^?1, fringes; 1.04 g m^?2d^?1, basins). Primary production exhibits pronounced seasonal pulses; heterotrophic processes lag photosynthetic production and are partially driven by particulate matter inputs. Synthetic models must consider the spatial and temporal heterogeneity of this region.