DIN and DIP budgets for Maric-Guarapina coastal lagoons,

Rio de Janeiro State

Erminda da C.G. Couto, Nicole A.C. Zyngier, Viviane R. Gomes , Bastiaan A. Knoppers
and Marcelo F. Landim de Souza

Study area description

The Maric-Guarapina system comprises three small choked coastal lagoons and a wetland connected by
narrow channels, on the east coast of Rio de Janeiro state (22.93S, 42.70W, Figure 1). Present
anthropogenic influence is mainly sewage inputs, but in the 1950s the system suffered several
hydrological impacts, such as the artificial change of oceanic opening from the middle to the eastern
extreme, and since then landfill in the link channels has restricted water circulation.

Figure 1. Map and location of Marica-Guarapina Lagoons.

Maric Lagoon (area 29 km2, mean depth 1.3 m) is a shallow lagoon which receives
untreated organic waste with no direct input of seawater. It is linked to Guarapina
Lagoon (area 6 km2, mean depth 1.0 m), a shallow lagoon permanently connected to the
sea via an artificial channel - Ponta Negra Channel (Figure 2) (Couto 1989). In choked
coastal lagoons, the entrance channel serves as a dynamic filter that effectively reduces
or eliminates tidal water fluctuations and tidal currents. In Guarapina Lagoon, which is

characterized by a 1.5 km long and 40 m wide tidal channel, water level oscillations are
usually reduced to 1 % or less as compared to the adjacent coastal tide (Kjerfve and
Knoppers 1991). Tidal exchange between Maric Lagoon and Guarapina Lagoon is dampened by
intermediate lagoons, wetlands and channels (Knoppers et al. 1991). The marginal vegetation
consists predominantly of the macrophyte Typha dominguensis Pers (Typhaceae), which
seems to serve as a physical and biological filter for biogenic matter transferred from the
drainage basin to the lagoon. However, some export of material from the vegetation belt may occur
during sporadic inundation and washout events during the passage of metereological fronts (Couto 1989).

Figure 2. Water and salt budgets for Marica-Guarapina coastal lagoons. Water flux in 106 m3 yr-1,
salt flux in 106 psu-m3 yr-1 and salinity in psu.
This system exhibits pronounced annual cycles of salinity (Moreira 1988; Couto 1989; Machado 1989).
Salinity changes are always smallest in the internal cells of lagoon systems. However, intense rain events
may induce drastic salinity changes. These events result in marked biogeochemical and ecological
responses (Knoppers and Moreira 1988).
Primary production is dominated by phytoplankton production. In the summer Guarapina Lagoon is
dominated by planktonic cyanobacteria (Moreira 1988). Mean annual primary production range is ~300400 g C m-2 yr-1 in Guarapina lagoon (Machado and Knoppers 1988; Moreira 1989). The highest fraction
of suspended detrital organic matter is encountered during the less productive period during late autumn
and winter. Most of the suspended detritus originates from autotrophic production, as indicated by the
relatively low particulate organic carbon to nitrogen ratios, with C:N by weight less than 9:1, and seems to
be an important source of nutrients for primary production in the spring (Moreira 1988; Knoppers and
Moreira, 1990; Moreira and Knoppers 1990). The presence of large suspended detrital pools has been
confirmed for Barra Lagoon (Carmouze et al. 1993) and Guarapina Lagoon (Moreira 1988).
Measurements of nutrient release rates from the sediment-water interface have been made in Maric
(Fernex et al. 1992), Barra (Kuroshima 1995) and Guarapina (Machado 1989) lagoons. The results reflect
seasonal variability of benthic nutrient fluxes, with the highest flux usually occurring during the summer
when primary production is highest.
The system presented marked seasonal shifts between autotrophy and heterotrophy, with autotrophy
dominating during the summer and heterotrophy during the winter. Net autotrophy and heterotrophy are
equal on an annual basis (Knoppers and Kjerfve, in press.). In Maric and Barra Lagoons sporadic
dystrophic crises and fish kills induce nutrient pulses (Esteves 1992; Carmouze et al. 1993).
A consistent data set for Maric Lagoon does not exist. Knoppers et al. (1991) presented concentration
ranges from sporadic sampling effort conducted by FEEMA. Nutrient and chlorophyll a concentrations

and the ratio of total inorganic nitrogen to total inorganic phosphorus (TIN/TIP) are far less in Guarapina
Lagoon than in the other lagoons along the Rio de Janeiro coast (Knoppers et al. 1991). The major
fraction of organic matter is stored in phytoplankton. Ammonia was the major component (>50%) of TIN
with major sources being the bottom in Guarapina (Machado 1989) and human effluents in Maric. An
estimate based on the per capita load of phosphorus from the population in Maric City (38,500) suggests
that this lagoon receives large amounts of effluent discharges (FEEMA 1987). The N/P ratio indicated a
trend towards nitrogen limitation. Loading from the Guarapina drainage basin is minimal and conditions
closely resemble a natural state (Figueiredo et al. 1996).
However, Guarapina Lagoon receives a
considerable load from its adjacent interior lagoons (Padre, Barra and Maric lagoons). The source of the
high TIN load (ammonia) in Guarapina is primarily due to decomposition of benthic macroalgae
(Cladophora vagabunda) in Padre Lagoon. The intermediate lagoons change their role in the transfer of
matter and nutrients seasonally between Maric and Guarapina lagoons, alternately functioning as a filter
and as an internal recycling source of releasing nutrients (Knoppers et al. 1991). Using both total
phosphorus and chlorophyll a concentrations as trophic state (TP) indices demonstrates that Maric,
Barra, Padre and Guarapina lagoons presented an eutrophic state.
Available early data was compiled to construct a preliminary nutrient budget and apply the LOICZ
biogeochemical approach (Gordon et al. 1996) on an annual basis.
Water and salt balance
Total water residence time was about 314 days in Maric, 25 days in Guarapina, and only 185 days
considering the whole system. The annual average salinity was higher in Guarapina (17 psu) than Maric
(5 psu). In Guarapina Lagoon mixing with the adjacent sea is continuous. Tidal exchange between
Maric and Guarapina lagoons is dampened by the narrow channel. In this lagoon a small residual flow is
produced by hydraulic gradient. This results in a high residence time.
Nonconservative materials balance
Dissolved inorganic phosphorus and nitrogen concentrations were higher in Maric (3.4 mM DIP and 9.6
mM DIN) than Guarapina (0.5 mM DIP and 5.2 mM DIN). Most of the hydraulic flux DIP exported
from Maric (90.4%) is retained in Guarapina. This resulted in net seaward fluxes of 3x103 moles DIP yr1.

Figure 3. DIP budget for Marica-Guarapina coastal lagoons.

The negative net nonconservative fluxes of DIP and DIN show that autotrophic processes prevail in the
system. A small fraction of DIN (3.7 %) exported from Maric is retained in Guarapina. This resulted in
net seaward fluxes of 694x103 moles DIN yr-1.

Figure 4. DIN budget for Marica-Guarapina coastal lagoons.

Stoichiometry and net system metabolism
The net N-fixation was estimated as +4.9x106 moles N yr-1 (+0.17 mole N m-2 yr-1) in Maric and
+4.9x106 moles N yr-1(+0.81 mole N m-2 yr-1) in Guarapina. The results are summarized in Table 1.
Table 1 Nonconservative dissolved inorganic P and N fluxes in the Maric Guarapina system.
DDINexp** (nfix-denit)(1*)
DDIP** DDINobs**
(p-r)*
Maric
-320
+230
-5,120
+0.17
+1.2
Guarapina
-290
-236
-4,640
+0.81
+5.2
Whole system -610
-6
-9,760
+0.28
+1.8
1Redfield N:P ratio; * mol m-2 yr-1; ** x 103 mol yr-1

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