Since 2013, there has been an increase (>23%) in naval traffic using maritime routes and ports on the coastal fringe of Santa Marta, Colombia. Of major concern, and described by several studies, is the relationship between maritime traffic and coastal contamination. This study proposed a maritime traffic indicator considering the simultaneous effects of several relevant measurements of water quality parameters to estimate the impact of naval activity. The approach involved developing a model including the number of vessels, hull length, and permanence time in berths. In addition, water quality variables, considering climatic seasons, were used to verify association with maritime traffic and touristic activities. The high concentrations of total coliforms (TC) and dissolved/dispersed petroleum hydrocarbons in chrysene equivalents (DDPH) reported by the International Marina of Santa Marta (SM) were affected by the local anthropic activities, including tourism, naval traffic, and urban wastewater discharges. Moreover, our results suggest the occurrence of multiple chemical impacts within Tayrona National Natural Park (PNNT) affecting conservation goals. The estimation of the maritime traffic indicator proposed in this study may be an easy and more complete tool for future studies evaluating the impact of naval activities on environmental quality.

Los isópodos terrestres constituyen uno de los grupos con mayor diversidad dentro del orden Isopoda.Hasta la fecha no se había documentado la presencia de estos organismos en el departamento deCórdoba. Recientes exploraciones en diferentes zonas del departamento permitieron identificar untotal de 17 especies pertenecientes a las familias Ligiidae, Tylidae, Detonidae, Halophilosciidae,Stenoniscidae, Rhyscotidae, Platyarthridae, Trachelipodidae, Agnaridae y Armadillidae; estos sonlos primeros registros del grupo en el departamento. Nagurus nanus se registra por primera vez en elpaís y Rhyscotoides parallelus en el Caribe colombiano. Se brindan datos de la historia natural y ladistribución global y local de cada una de estas especies.

<![CDATA[Between September 2006 and June 2007 the composition and abundance of polychaetes associated with intertidal red algae was studied, in 7 stations along the coast of Córdoba, Colombian Caribbean. To collect the specimens a quadrant of 625 cm² with 5 replicates randomly arrange at each sampling point was used. All intertidal red algae fronds examined contained polychaetes with a record of 288 individuals belonging to 19 species of 7 families. The most abundant species was Platynereis dumerilii (Nereididae) with 188 individuals, followed by Pseudonereis gallapagensis (Nereididae) with 23 individuals and Syllis corallicola (Syllidae) with 12 individuals. Also the sedentary polychaetes, Hydroides sanctaecrusis (Serpulidae) with 4 individuals and Pista palmata (Terebellidae) with 5 individuals were collected. The highest abundance of polychaetes abundance was recorded in December (T2) and March (T3) with 79 and 103 individuals respectively, and the lowest in September (T1) and June (T4) with 47 and 59 individuals. According to the ANOSIM test there were no significant differences among groups (R = 0.09, P = 0.52). This is because the polychaete P. dumerilii had the highest similarity contribution (> 77%) in each group, indicating which was the most important in terms of abundance in all sampling months. Finally, the species collected in the algal fronds are characteristic species of soft bottom and rocky substrates, suggesting a non-specific adaptation of these species to substrates algal.]]>

Los metales son contaminantes que son liberados al ambiente tanto por fuentes antropogénicas como naturales, y pueden llegar a los ecosistemas marinos y costeros mediante descarga fluvial y procesos atmosféricos. En el Caribe colombiano, el río Magdalena y el río Sinú aportan grandes cantidades de sedimentos que contienen trazas de múltiples contaminantes entre estos, metales. En la presente investigación se pretende determinar los niveles de contaminación por metales en los sedimentos marinos de dos sectores del Caribe colombiano influenciados por los ríos Magdalena y Sinú. El área de influencia del río Sinú presentó las mayores concentraciones de estos elementos potencialmente tóxicos en los sedimentos tanto en la época seca como lluviosa. Los metales que presentaron las concentraciones más altas, incluso sobrepasando los niveles de tolerancia por la biota y el ecosistema sin sufrir efectos deletéreos, fueron el Cd y el As en la época seca, y el Cr, Cu y Ni en ambas épocas climáticas. El sector Sinú se caracterizó por presentar una proporción mayor de arenas muy finas, finas y limos que posibilitan mayor retención de contaminantes.

Zooplankton is an important component to understand oceanographic dynamics, they are considered good indicators of environmental variability, since most species are short-lived they can be tight coupling of climate and population dynamics, and some taxa are sensitive to variables such as temperature, quality and quantity of food, oxygenation and stratification. In the Colombian Caribbean two oceanographic cruises were carried out, in order to characterize and analyze the biodiversity of the continental margin, for the periods May-June 2008 and November-December 2009. The objective of this study was to determine which oceanographic variable was the most important in the distribution of zooplankton in the oceanic waters, and how the variables structure the community. In each cruise, zooplankton samples were obtained by vertical hauls with a 1 m2 diameter conical net (200 μm mesh size). The zooplankton community structure was studied by automated image analysis (ZooImage), which combined with abundance data, allowed to calculate the slope of size spectrum, and diversity indexes of taxa and sizes. The environmental variables included temperature, salinity, oxygen and chlorophyll a of the water column, and were used to calculate the stratification with the Brunt-Vaiisala frequency; this information was complemented by satellite images of temperature, surface chlorophyll, geostrophic currents and sea level, obtained from MODIS and AQUA products. The association between environmental variables and the zooplankton community structure was determined using Spearman’s correlation ranges with the Bioenv routine and a stepwise regression model, and Principal component analysis (PCA). Our results showed spatial and temporal patterns in the oceanographic conditions of the study area, such as upwelling in the Northeast region, strong stratification in the Southwest, and mesoscale activity. The abundance of zooplankton exhibited differences between the two climatic seasons and zones. Temporal differences were also evident in the size and diversity of taxa (ANOVA 2-way p <0.05). These changes were related to the moderate upwelling and the activity of mesoscale eddies. Cyclonic and anticyclonic eddies of variable size can either transport or retain zooplankton over cross-shelf and oceanic areas, thus modifying the taxonomic structure of the community. According to the Bioenv analysis, the main variables that explained the abundance and composition of zooplankton were sea level and chlorophyll a (Spearman correlation = 0.49). The stepwise regression showed that stratification, oxygen and chlorophyll a were the most important predictors of zooplankton abundance and size. Rev. Biol. Trop. 66(2): 688-708. Epub 2018 June 01.