Caribbean coral reefs are under strong natural and human pressures and many have undergone phase shifts as a result of local and global change. However few studies have quantified the extent of these phase shifts and the potential impacts that they have on coral reef communities. A temporal comparative analysis of several coral reefscape and landscape metrics was conducted for data from Mahahual, Quintana Roo, Mexico, between the years 2000 and 2006, when a phase shift occurred. Landscape metrics were calculated from coral reef and coastal cover maps obtained by multispectral satellite image classification using IKONOS satellite imagery. These metrics showed that the coastal landscape and reefscape of Mahahual lost 85 ha of vegetation cover and 43 ha of coral cover over 6 years, respectively. Coastal landscape transformation was induced by the construction of a cruise ship pier and multiple associated tourist developments along the coast, such as hotels and restaurants, meanwhile alteration of the reefscape may be associated with potential stressors such as coastal development, bleaching events and hurricanes.
The hydrogen and oxygen isotopic composition of water is a very important tool to estimate water balance, groundwater recharge, and evaporation. Stable water isotopes integrated with hydrogeological and dating tools have been used to increase our understanding of the 2022, Instituto Mexicano de Tecnología del Agua Open Access bajo la licencia CC BY-NC-SA 4.0
A water distribution system must maintain water quality throughout the entire network to guarantee public health. Although several studies have focused on changes in water quality along distribution systems, very few have evaluated the entire process from the water source to household containers. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of bacteriological control and to determine the critical points of potential contamination along the distribution system in Cancún, Mexico. We addressed three aspects: 1) physicochemical and bacteriological analysis of water, 2) biochemical oxygen demand (BOD5) and nitrate-nitrite associated with organic matter, and 3) trihalometanes (THMs) as chlorine by-products from the disinfection process. The results showed that the water supply met the required quality standards in most parts of the distribution system but that there are critical points that could increase the risk of recontamination, specifically the geological setting and the critical aspects in irregular urban development in the area of water extraction. Mexico and any other country that relies on groundwater as a drinking water source must review and reinforce the regulations to protect areas with extraction wells and encourage the maintenance of containers to ensure water quality.
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