Grain-size trend and ecological state of Southern Mediterranean coastal lagoons: case of the Gulf of Tunis

Abstract Coastal lagoons are among the highest biological productive ecosystems; they offer a variety of habitats and feeding grounds for several species. These ecosystems are besmirched by human activities which entail the degradation to their environmental aspects. The purpose of this study is the identification of the grain-size characteristics and the unprecedented recognition of the vegetation cover, so as to assess the ecological state and the water body quality of Kalâat Andalous lagoon: a fast changing ecosystem under its dynamic sandy spit and human pressures. The methodology is based on the sedimentological analysis and the microfauna identification. The study of the environmental quality of the lagoon was built on an unprecedented identification of the macrophyte communities and the use of diversity indexes and the EXCLAME indicator; the latter combines the taxonomic composition and the species abundance. The sedimentological investigations showed that the northern and southern areas of the lagoon, as well as its channel area are all dominated by a sandy facies provided by the continental shelf i.e. the nearshore zone. The central area of the lagoon is characterized by the finest grain size facies (