Abstract
Structure and composition of coastal forested wetlands are mainly controlled by local topography and soil salinity. Hydrology plays a major role in relation with tides, seaward, and freshwater inputs, landward. We report here the results of a two-year study undertaken in a coastal plain of the Guadeloupe archipelago (FWI). As elsewhere in the Caribbean islands, the study area is characterized by a micro-tidal regime and a highly seasonal climate. This work aimed at understanding groundwater dynamics and origin (seawater/freshwater) both at ecosystems and stand levels. These hydrological processes were assessed through 18O/16O and 2H/1H isotopic analyses, and from monthly monitoring of water level and soil salinity at five study sites located in mangrove (3) and swamp forest (2). Our results highlight the importance of freshwater budget imbalance during low rainfall periods. Sustained and/or delayed dry seasons cause soil salinity to rise at the mangrove/swamp forest ecotone. As current models on climate change project decreasing rainfall amounts over the inner Caribbean region, one may expect for this area an inland progression of the mangrove forest to the expense of the nearby swamp forest.
Highlights
In natural contexts, coastal tropical lowland areas are covered by mangroves, swamp forests, and/or herbaceous marshes [1,2]
We modelled site by site the link between edaphic parameters and climate through two forcing variables with a linear regression framework according to Wagner et al 2012 [19]
Comparison between mangrove and swamp forest sites shows that for a same relative elevation (1MF vs. 4SF and 3MF vs. 5SF), swamp forest sites are more prone to flooding than mangrove forest
Summary
Coastal tropical lowland areas are covered by mangroves, swamp forests, and/or herbaceous marshes [1,2]. Such wetlands generally display a typical zonation which has been described for long in the literature as distinct vegetation belts following one another from the shores landwards [3,4,5,6]. Freshwater input during the rainy season is not the sole factor explaining seasonal variations of groundwater salinity. The vegetation of coastal tropical wetlands, which mostly consists of tidal forests, interacts with hydrologic processes [12,13]
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