The mangrove-estuarine system of Marismas Nacionales, Mexico is considered the most extensive wetland complex of the eastern Pacific coast. Originally, this large wetland was connected to the ocean solely through a natural inlet (Teacapán). However, in the early 1970s, it was decided that an artificial inlet (Cuautla Canal) will provide a second direct connection to the ocean that could help enhance local economic development. Unfortunately, it is believed that hydrological modification resulting from this inlet changed the hydrodynamics and thus massive loss of mangroves. Hence, the purpose of this investigation was to assess the tidal hydrodynamics before and after the canal’s construction and thus understand the potential negative impacts of such unsupervised coastal projects. Specifically, sea level elevation and tidal circulation velocities were simulated during flood and ebb currents using nonlinear numerical models for both inlets. Results indicated that sea level elevation and salinity increased from 2 to 35 cm and 0.5 to 35 PSU in the Agua Brava lagoon, respectively. Additionally, there was an overall increase of 0.6 m/s regarding the tidal current velocities, and thus it is probable that the Cuautla Canal contributed to the deterioration of the once Laguncularia racemosa dominated forests, which is slowly being replaced by Avicennia germinans, Rhizophora mangle, and extensive hypersaline floodplains. Consequently, such modeling could help in mitigating the impacts of future coastal developments in Mexico or elsewhere by helping in the prediction of the possible influence of tidal hydrodynamic changes on the subtropical coastal vegetation.

中文翻译：

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模拟由亚热带红树林为主的河口内的人工入口的开放引起的潮汐水动力变化

墨西哥Marismas Nacionales的红树林-河口系统被认为是东太平洋海岸最广泛的湿地综合体。最初，这个大湿地仅通过自然入口（Teacapán）连接到海洋。但是，在1970年代初，人们决定通过人工进水口（Cuautla Canal）提供与海洋的第二条直接连接，这将有助于促进当地的经济发展。不幸的是，据信由该入口引起的水文改变改变了水动力，从而改变了红树林的大量损失。因此，这项研究的目的是评估运河建设前后的潮汐水动力，从而了解这种无人监管的沿海项目的潜在负面影响。特别，使用两个入口的非线性数值模型在洪水和退潮期间模拟海平面升高和潮汐环流速度。结果表明，阿瓜布拉瓦泻湖的海平面升高和盐度分别从2 cm增加到35 cm和0.5 PSU增加到35 PSU。此外，潮汐速度总体增加了0.6 m / s，因此，Cuautla运河很可能导致一次潮汐的恶化。Laguncularia racemosa占主导地位的森林，正逐渐被Avicennia的germinans，Rhizophora mangle和大量的高盐泛滥平原所取代。因此，通过帮助预测潮汐水动力变化对亚热带沿海植被的可能影响，这种建模可以帮助减轻墨西哥或其他地区未来沿海发展的影响。