THE CANANEIA LAGOON ESTUARINE SYSTEM, SAO-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 by Rhizophora) are more structurally developed than the basins dominated by Laguncularia 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. © 1990, Estuarine Research Federation. All rights reserved.