artículo científico
Spatial and temporal dynamics of the hydrology at Salinas Bay, Costa Rica, Eastern Tropical Pacific.
Fecha
2021Registro en:
2215-2075
10.15517/rbt.v69iS2.48314
808-A5-037
805-B8-766
805-B9-454
EC-497
805-C0-610
Autor
Rodríguez Badilla, Alejandro
Alfaro Martínez, Eric J.
Cortés Núñez, Jorge
Institución
Resumen
Introduction: Salinas Bay is located in the warm pool of the Eastern Tropical Pacific (ETP), characterized by
warm, shallow surface waters, a strong and shallow thermocline, and an important biological diversity. The
primary productivity of the region is influenced by the coastal upwelling, which occurs during the boreal winter
as a result of the strengthening of trade winds.
Objective: To study the spatial and temporal dynamics of physical and chemical parameters at seven hydrographic stations in Salinas Bay, Costa Rica, through the analysis of CTD data, and relate the warm and cold
events to the regional atmospheric conditions present when measuring the data.
Methods: Seven hydrographic stations, sampled at Salinas Bay between August 2008 and December 2014, were
selected. The variables processed for analysis are temperature, density, salinity, oxygen, chl-a and turbidity.
Once the data was processed, 42 Hovmöller kind diagrams were plotted.
Results: All variables, except turbidity, presented a seasonal periodicity associated with the upwelling. In
general, colder and denser waters, higher salinity and chl-a concentrations and lower dissolved oxygen values
were observed during the dry season, when the upwelling was active. Whereas, during the rainy season water
masses were warmer and less dense, salinity and chl-a concentrations decreased and dissolved oxygen values
tended to increase.
Conclusions: The spatial and temporal dynamics of the hydrology in Salinas Bay was influenced by the coastal
upwelling events. The region also presented an interannual variability associated with ENSO. Seasonal and interannual variability can counteract their effects on the oceanographic parameters when they coincide temporally.