Trinidad mangroves

Coordinates: 10°25′N 61°03′W / 10.42°N 61.05°W / 10.42; -61.05
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Trinidad mangroves
Mangroves
Geography
Area259 km2 (100 sq mi)
CountryTrinidad and Tobago
Coordinates10°25′N 61°03′W / 10.42°N 61.05°W / 10.42; -61.05

The Trinidad mangroves

Orinoco River and Amazon River to the south, which flow northwest around the island. The mangroves of Trinidad are found on all coasts, and are usually in the estuaries of rivers, but also found in coastal lagoons.[1][2][3]

Location and description

The largest mangrove wetland on Trinidad is the Nariva Swamp, a permanent brackish lagoon, on the east coast. It is separated from the sea by a sand bar, and has a salinity of 18-25 ‰. The water level typically fluctuates by 0.6 - 1.9 meters.[4] The second largest is the Caroni Swamp, formed where the Caroni River enters Gulf of Paria just south of Port of Spain in the northwest of the island.[3] The ecoregion surrounding the mangroves on the inland side is Trinidad and Tobago moist forests, except for the Caroni Swamp, which is surrounded by a thin band of Trinidad and Tobago dry forests.[2]

Climate

The climate of the ecoregion is Tropical rainforest climate (Köppen climate classification (Af)). This climate is characterized as hot, humid, and having at least 60 mm of precipitation every month.[5][6] Precipitation in the ecoregion averages 1,556 mm/year. The wet season is June to November.[3][4]

Flora and fauna

The most common mangrove tree species is red mangrove (

Laguncularia racemosa), and button mangrove (Conocarpus erectus
) are found in small stands.

Protected areas

There are officially protected areas in the two largest mangrove areas:

[7]

References

  1. ^ "Trinidad mangroves". World Wildlife Federation. Retrieved November 20, 2020.
  2. ^ a b "Map of Ecoregions 2017". Resolve, using WWF data. Retrieved November 20, 2020.
  3. ^ a b c "Trinidad mangroves". The Encyclopedia of Earth. Retrieved November 20, 2020.
  4. ^ a b "NARIVA SWAMP". RAMSAR Sites Information Service. Retrieved November 20, 2020.
  5. ^ Kottek, M.; Grieser, J.; Beck, C.; Rudolf, B.; Rubel, F. (2006). "World Map of Koppen-Geiger Climate Classification Updated" (PDF). Gebrüder Borntraeger 2006. Retrieved September 14, 2019.
  6. ^ "Dataset - Koppen climate classifications". World Bank. Retrieved September 14, 2019.
  7. ^ http://www.biodiversity.gov.tt/home/images/stories/pdf/ramsar%20site-%20buccoo%20reef%20bon%20accord%20lagoon.pdf[bare URL PDF]