(b) Hypersalinity. Water evaporation in shrimp ponds has been estimated to increase 50% in comparison to natural wetlands (Twilley, 1991). With this high evaporation rate, discharges of hypersaline waters to the adjacent estuarine system are significant. Consequently, the increased salinity is particularly critical for mangroves, especially for white mangrove (L. racemosa) which has a high affinity for fresh-estuarine waters (Kovacs, 2000). An elevation of interstitial salinity can induce mangrove mortality (Cintron et al., 1978).