LTSER MONDEGO ESTUARY - Portugal

Basic Information
Site Name
LTSER MONDEGO ESTUARY
Short name
Mondego estuary
Country
Portugal
Site Description
3M_RECITAL - MINHO, MONDEGO, AND MIRA ESTUARIES observatory: Long term vaRiation of ECOLOGICAL sTAtus as a response to naturaL and human induced changes. Implications for management and restoration. Mondego estuary site: The Mondego River drains a basin of approximately 6670 Km2 and its valley is considerably steep in upstream sections, forming a large alluvial plain consisting of good agricultural land in downstream areas. Since the 1960s, the Mondego catchment area underwent a large scale morphological modification, involving the construction of stone walls, to regulate the river water flow and enlarge harbor facilities, and water reservoirs to control floods, improve the uses of water resources, and produce electric power, which modified the riverbed topography and changed the system hydrodynamics. The river contributes presently with a high anthropogenic loading of nutrients and several chemicals into its relatively small estuary (1600 ha, splitting in two arms separated by an island in the terminal part), causing eutrophication. Besides, the estuary - Western coast of Portugal - North Atlantic Ocean Eco-region - supports industrial activities, salt-works, and aquaculture farms, and is the location of Figueira da Foz, a harbour and a centre of seasonal touristic activity. A comprehensive study on the Mondego estuary environmental quality has been carried out during the last two decades, focusing on water quality, hydraulics and sediments dynamics, plankton communities (phyto, zoo, and ichtyoplankton), the term evolution of the benthic communities (intertidal and subtidal), and the changes in macrophytes’ beds (Zostera noltei) and green macroalgae distribution in relation to morphological alterations.
Last modified
2023-08-08 10:08:30

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General Characteristics and Status
Site Status
Operational
Year Established
2011
Affiliation and Network Specific Information
Affiliation
ILTERThis site is a verified "ILTER" member.
LTER EuropeThis site is a verified "LTER Europe" member.
LTER Portugal (LTER_EU_PT_012)This site is a verified "LTER Portugal" member.
Photos
not defined
not defined
Geographic
Centroid/Representative Coordinates

Latitude: 40.133577 Longitude: -8.819962

Size
ca. 1600.00ha
Elevation (average)
10.00msl
Elevation (min)
0.00msl
Elevation (max)
30.00msl
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Site information [.json]

Centroid/representative coordinates [.shp] [.kml]
Bounding Box [.shp] [.kml]
Boundaries [.shp] [.kml]