From a comprehensive diagnosis of the associated basins, islands, and wetlands of the coastal lagoon system of Ciénaga Grande de Santa Marta, Colombia, this work describes feasible options for the recovery of its ecosystem’s health and ecological resilience. Firstly, the state of the coastal lagoon was assessed, finding that hydrology, wave climate, and the morphological changes of the coastline explain recent changes in the coastal wetlands. Key variables were used to describe the level of conservation or degradation of the coastal lagoon system and to identify measures to improve its ecological functions. Finally, to mimic some of these functions and improve connectivity of the ecosystems, green infrastructure alternatives were proposed for the short and medium term to recover the services of these ecosystems and restore their resilience.

Bolívar, M.; Rivillas-Ospina, G.; Fuentes, W.; Guzmán, A.; Otero, L.; Ruiz, G.; Silva, R.; Mendoza, E.; Maza, M.; García, L., and Berrío, Y., 2019. Anthropic impact assessment on coastal ecosystems in the municipality of Puerto Colombia, NE Colombia. In: Silva, R.; Martínez, M.L.; Chávez, V., and Lithgow, D. (eds.), Integrating Biophysical Components in Coastal Engineering Practices. Journal of Coastal Research, Special Issue No. 92, pp. 112–120. Coconut Creek (Florida), ISSN 0749-0208.Human activity, mainly associated with the construction of coastal infrastructure, has caused ecological degradation to the coastal zone at Puerto Colombia, Colombia. Severe erosion attacked the ancient sandy spit that protected the municipality from wave energy to an extent that it completely disappeared. The groins constructed thereafter, with the aim of protecting the coast, have exacerbated the sediment imbalance, affecting the Balboa coastal wetland. At present, the coastline around Puerto Colombia is highly vulnerable; the remaining ecosystems are under severe pressure, and the population is at risk. Restoring the marine and terrestrial connectivity is key to improving this situation.

Monthly freshwater discharge data of ten rivers draining into the Caribbean Sea in the northern of Colombia (Caribbean alluvial plain) are analyzed. The data are used to quantify the magnitude, to estimate long-term trends, and to evaluate variability patterns of freshwater discharges into the ocean. These Colombian rivers contribute with ~340.9 km3 yr-1 of freshwater into the Caribbean Sea. The Magdalena River delivers the largest discharge, with a mean discharge at Calamar of 205.5 km3 yr-1 which represents 26% of the total fluvial discharge into this basin. From 2000 to 2010 the annual streamflow of these rivers rose up three fold. However, only the Mulatos, Canal del Dique, Magdalena, and Fundación Rivers have significant statistical upward trends. The concurrence of the major oscillation processes and the maximum power of the 3-7 year fluctuation defined a period of intense hydrological activity around 1998-2002. Wavelet spectrum analysis indicated a change in the variability patterns of fluvial systems between 2000 and 2010, characterized by a shift toward a domain of quasi-decadal processes (8-12 years). The Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ), ENSO events, and quasi-decadal climate processes (e.g. sea surface temperatures over tropical North Atlantic, Pacific Decadal Oscillation) are the main factors controlling fluvial discharge variability of these fluvial systems.

This work presents an application called APPMAR 1.0 based on Python ® environment, built to perform the downloading, treatment and analysis of meteorological and marine information. This application is composed of two main modules: the first module allows the downloading of information from the database (NOAA - WW3); the second module uses the principles of statistical mathematics for the treatment of waves and wind. The importance of this simple application is based on the free and agile access to meteorological and marine information for a coastal project. The determination of representative conditions of sea states ultimately will govern the process of design of coastal and oceanic infrastructure. The analysis of historical time series of local waves and winds allows the evaluation of average regimes or operational design, the ultimate limit states or extreme design, and the storms or design by persistence. In spite that the former analysis is a common task for coastal engineers, the codes generated are seldom shared for public use. In summary, for operational purposes is useful to have a freeware that can assist in the data processing for decision making and forcing of the mathematical models that are part of the common practice of coastal, oceanic and offshore engineering. This application has been tested in the Caribbean area of Colombia where meteorological and marine information are scarce.