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USGS scientists lead investigation of tropical subterranean estuaries in the Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico!

In partnership with the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) and Moody Gardens (MG), the USGS is leading an investigation of ecosystem dynamics and water quality within subterranean estuaries beneath the jungles of Yucatan Peninsula. The team is trying to understand the biological and hydrological mechanisms that sustain life within thousands of miles of caves within the coastal groundwater of the peninsula. Rapid urbanization and development threaten the well being of life in this extreme environment and condition of the region's primary water supply.Pictured here, John Pohlman (USGS), David Brankovits (USGS/WHOI) and Jake Emmert (MG) deploy a rack of acoustic devices in an open water sinkhole (or cenote) prior to a 6-month long installation 

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