Hydrology, Biogeochemistry and Metabolism in a Semi-Arid Mediterranean Coastal Wetland Ecosystem

Experimental and numerical approaches were used to assess the functioning of a flagship coastal wetland ecosystem for improved water management. Very pronounced seasonal contrast in Salinity and Chlorophyll a were found, with high correlation between Chl a and Phosphorus during winter and Chl a and Nitrogen during summer. Water and Dissolved Inorganic Phosphorus (DIP) and Dissolved Inorganic Nitrogen (DIN) fluxes exhibited seasonal variation, where the lake is a source of DIN and DIP during the wet season. A considerable anthropogenic-driven amount of nitrogen is transferred into N 2 /N 2 O to the atmosphere during the dry season with predominance of denitrification-anammox processes. The primary production is impacted by forcing the respiration of the ecosystem to reduce the Net Ecosystem Metabolism so that the system is functioning as heterotrophic. Climate change and anthropogenic pressures explain the deterioration of water quality and possibly the decrease in populations of Palearctic birds, warranting depollution and effective National Wetland Management Strategies through improved water resources management.