Abstract
Conspicuous sedimentary deposits forming well-structured and prominent submarine dunes are found on the coast of Yucatan (Mexico), close to the ports of Dzilam de Bravo, San Felipe, and El Cuyo. The objective of this study was to evaluate the morphological and sedimentological features of these submarine dunes. Sub-bottom seismologic profiles were obtained and standardized sedimentological analyses were performed on sediment samples collected at the three study sites. Both the height and wavelength of dunes were different between the three sites, mean heights ranging from 0.84 to 2.28 m and mean wavelengths from 98 to 330 m. Most of the dunes showed a wellmarked asymmetry, which is related to the direction of their movements. Their granulometric composition was dominated by medium, moderately well-sorted sand. This study provides bases for future systematic monitoring of these peculiar ecosystems, including information to be considered for the evaluation of their ecological role in the marine system.
Highlights
Dunes of variable extension were observed at both Dzilam de Bravo (DBR) and San Felipe (SFE), and those closest to shore were higher
At El Cuyo (ELC) we observed a sediment deposit forming a group of interconnected dunes, their thickness decreasing northwards with increasing depth
Significant statistical differences in mean dune height between transects were not observed at DBR and SFE (DBR: F = 0.76, d.f. = 2, P = 0.4726; SFE: F = 1.19, d.f. = 2, P = 0.3290), but they were found at ELC (F = 7.43, d.f. = 2, P = 0.0032)
Summary
Studies on marine sedimentary deposits have been conducted over decades, addressing aspects such as their spatial disposition (Aliotta and Perillo 1987), morphology and internal structure (Todd 2005), grain-size composition and relationship with the environment (Bartholdy et al 2005), dynamics and behavior (Xu et al 2008, Gómez et al 2010), interaction with seagrasses (Daniell et al 2008), and paleoclimate modeling (Peterson et al 2010). Por muchos años se recurrió a la extracción de Ciencias Marinas, Vol 39, No 1, 2013 the use of seismic reflection techniques has become more widespread (Gómez et al 2010). The relevance of these underwater structures is acknowledged worldwide because of the direct and indirect effects they have on the adjacent coastline (Le Bot et al 2000). Given the recreational use of the beaches in Yucatan, as well as the ecological, social, and economic importance of the coastal zone for this region, the location and characterization of the submarine dune fields is important because of their association with the sandy shoreline, which currently presents serious problems of erosive degradation in several segments (Cuevas-Jiménez and Euán-Ávila 2009)
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