No abstract

Processes involving carbon in coastal marine ecosystems are important to the global cycle of this element. These processes have been changed by human activities, resulting in effects at local, regional and global scale. Studies concerning carbon cycling in this interface between land and ocean are still scarce, especially in tropical regions. The present article provides a brief review of these processes, characterizing biological, chemical and physical aspects related to the carbon cycle in the Todos os Santos Bay. A preliminary estimate of net community metabolism (gross primary productionrespiration) was made using data available in the literature for each kind of environment, revealing the importance of pelagic and soft bottom sediments to the production of organic matter. The relevance of mangrove and reef communities to the carbon fluxes is also described.