The challenges of climate change and human impacts faced by Mexican coasts: A comprehensive evaluation
Por:
Martínez M.L., Silva R., Chávez V., López-Portillo J., Salgado K., Marín-Coria E., Pérez-Maqueo O., Maximiliano-Cordova C., Landgrave R., de la Cruz V.
Publicada:
1 ene 2025
Resumen:
The extensive shoreline of Mexico is heterogeneous and diverse, but it is increasingly exposed to degradation and loss. This is the first study performed at a national level and with a multidisciplinary approach, that aims to assess the impact of climate change and human-related pressures affecting Mexican coasts. From 1863 to 2022, 386 tropical cyclones have landed on Mexican coasts, six of them of category 5 (most on the Atlantic). Sea level rise projections showed that the Atlantic coast is the most vulnerable, whereas intense coastal erosion (> 25m/year) is more widespread on the northern Pacific coast. Human impacts include coastal urbanization, ecosystem degradation and coastal armouring. Six million people live on Mexican coasts, mostly in the Caribbean. Mangroves and coastal dunes each cover nearly 800,000 ha. The mangroves are relatively well preserved, but almost half the area of the coastal dunes is degraded. Coastal armouring is widespread along the coasts, but most of these structures (55%) are found on the Yucatan peninsula. Activities required to improve the condition of Mexican coasts and make them a sustainable place to live would include: adaptation of human settlements to the conditions of the dynamic coasts; appropriate coastal protection measures that do not induce downdrift erosion; dealing with coastal risks by restoring and preserving coastal ecosystems. © 2025 Martínez et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
Filiaciones:
Martínez M.L.:
Instituto de Ingeniería, UNAM, Ciudad de México, Mexico
Instituto de Ecología, A.C., Xalapa, Mexico
Silva R.:
Instituto de Ingeniería, UNAM, Ciudad de México, Mexico
Chávez V.:
Instituto de Ingeniería, UNAM, Ciudad de México, Mexico
López-Portillo J.:
Instituto de Ecología, A.C., Xalapa, Mexico
Salgado K.:
Instituto de Ecología, A.C., Xalapa, Mexico
Marín-Coria E.:
Instituto de Ecología, A.C., Xalapa, Mexico
Pérez-Maqueo O.:
Instituto de Ingeniería, UNAM, Ciudad de México, Mexico
Instituto de Ecología, A.C., Xalapa, Mexico
Maximiliano-Cordova C.:
Instituto de Ingeniería, UNAM, Ciudad de México, Mexico
Landgrave R.:
Instituto de Ecología, A.C., Xalapa, Mexico
de la Cruz V.:
Instituto de Ingeniería, UNAM, Ciudad de México, Mexico
gold, All Open Access; Gold Open Access
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