Laguna Catemaco
| Laguna Catemaco | |
|---|---|
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| Location | Catemaco Municipality, Veracruz |
| Coordinates | 18°25′N 95°05′W / 18.417°N 95.083°WCoordinates: 18°25′N 95°05′W / 18.417°N 95.083°W |
| Type | polymictic, eutrophic |
| Primary outflows | Rio Grande de Catemaco |
| Basin countries | Mexico |
| Surface area | 72.54 km2 (28.01 sq mi) |
| Average depth | 7.6 m (25 ft) |
| Surface elevation | 340 m (1,120 ft) |
Laguna Catemaco (Spanish: Laguna de Catemaco) is a freshwater lake located at the center of the Sierra de Los Tuxtlas in south central Veracruz, in east central Mexico.
The word lagoon in English, and laguna in Spanish, generally describes a body of shallow brackish water, usually next to the sea. Thus despite the name, Laguna de Catemaco is not a lagoon, but an actual fresh water lake. Common usage in Mexico is Laguna de Catemaco, though scientific articles tend to use the correct and less ambiguous name of Lake Catemaco in English, and Lago Catemaco in Spanish.
Laguna Catemaco was formed millennia ago, when lava flow from Volcano San Martin Tuxtla blocked its current northern end, and stands now at 340 m (1,115 ft) above sea level. It is shallow, averaging 7.6 m (25 ft), with a maximum depth of 22 meters located in the channel between Isla Agaltepec and the city of Catemaco. The circulation pattern is clockwise. The laguna drains via the Rio Grande de Catemaco and its water level is controlled by several dams which replaced historic waterfalls. The change in water level is more than can be explained by evaporation and outflow. Apparently the laguna sits upon fissures permitting water to percolate down.
The lake is polymictic (water turns over more than twice a year), well oxygenated, and contains excessive nutrients (eutrophic) because of fertilizer runoff from the neighboring farms and nurseries. Because of the excessive nutrients, Laguna Catemaco is one of the more productive lakes in Mexico, up to 1,800 tons annually. Large netting is prohibited to assure the livelihood of more than a thousand registered fishermen. A perch like fish called Oreochromis aureus was introduced from Africa (Mojarra Tilapia), a sardine like Topote, and the snail Tegogolo are the most common catches.
According to Miller and Conner (1997) there are 14 species of fish in Lake Catemaco. Two species, Micropterus salmoides Lacepède and Oreochromis aureus Steindachner have been introduced into the lake, and another two species, Vieja fenestrata Günther and Ophisternon aenigmaticum Rosen & Greenwood, are widespread throughout eastern Mexico and Central America. Of the remaining 10 species, five are endemic to the lake and five may represent undescribed species endemic to the lake (Miller and Conner 1997, Meyer and Schartl 2003). The high rate of endemicity suggests that Lake Catemaco has been biogeographically isolated for some time, possibly since its origin up to 2 million years ago.
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