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Water column physical and chemical properties of Cenote Bang, a component of the Ox Bel Ha cave network within the subterranean estuary coastal aquifer of the Yucatan Peninsula, from December 2013 to January 2016

October 28, 2021

Subterranean estuaries extend inland into density-stratified coastal carbonate aquifers that contain a surprising diversity of endemic animals (mostly crustaceans) within a highly oligotrophic environment. How complex ecosystems thrive in this globally-distributed, cryptic habitat (termed anchialine) is poorly understood. The northeastern margin of the Yucatan Peninsula contains over 250 km of mapped, diver-accessible caves passages where previous studies have suggested chemoautotrophic processes are the source of carbon and energy sustaining the anchialine food web. This dataset, collected during four field events during U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Coastal and Marine Geology Program Field Activities 2015-013-FA and 2016-003-FA in conjunction with Texas A&M University reports geochemical properties of the water column from Cenote Bang, a component of the Ox Bel Ha cave network that is located 5 km inland from the coast.

Publication Year 2021
Title Water column physical and chemical properties of Cenote Bang, a component of the Ox Bel Ha cave network within the subterranean estuary coastal aquifer of the Yucatan Peninsula, from December 2013 to January 2016
DOI 10.5066/F7DJ5DJW
Authors Adrian Green, John Pohlman, David Brankovitz
Product Type Data Release
Record Source USGS Digital Object Identifier Catalog
USGS Organization Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center