Temporal behavior of air and sea surface temperature in a marine protected area of Cuba

Abstract

The Cuban Archipelago -particularly its coastal zones- is exposed to Global Warming. The rise of air and sea surface temperature value is a good indicator of its consequences to biodiversity. Air temperature was measured using an Automatic Meteorological Station at the Jardines de la Reina National Park between 2016 and 2017. Sea surface temperature was measured using temperature data loggers twice in the years 2000 (January and September) and 2016 (from January to June) in coral, mangrove and seagrass habitats. Air and sea surface temperature satellite data of the same studied sites were analyzed in the period 2003-2017 using in situ measurements. Results showed that all temperature values were similar to those reported in similar studies in Cuba and the Caribbean, and that extreme values were within the tolerance ranges previously reported for the studied habitats. Air temperature did not have a significant trend; however, sea surface temperature had a significant increase (0.01 °C) during the studied period. These results show the great influence of the Caribbean Sea over the marine waters and climate of this area. A combined monitoring system was proposed using in situ data logger measurements and satellite data temperature analysis to watch this important marine reserve of the Caribbean Region