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1.
The influence of wind and river pulses on an estuarine turbidity maximum: Numerical studies and field observations in Chesapeake Bay 总被引：1，自引：0，他引：1
The effect of pulsed events on estuarine turbidity maxima (ETM) was investigated with the Princeton Ocean Model, a three-dimensional
hydrodynamic model. The theoretical model was adapted to a straight-channel estuary and enhanced with sediment transport,
erosion, deposition, and burial components. Wind and river pulse scenarios from the numerical model were compared to field
observations before and after river pulse and wind events in upper Chesapeake Bay. Numerical studies and field observations
demonstrated that the salt front and ETM had rapid and nonlinear responses to short-term pulses in river flow and wind. Although
increases and decreases in river flow caused down-estuary and up-estuary (respectively) movements of the salt front, the effect
of increased river flow was more pronounced than that of decreased river flow. Along-channel wind events also elicited non-linear
responses. The salt front moved in the opposite direction of wind stress, shifting up-estuary in response to down-estuary
winds and vice-versa.
Modeled pulsed events affected suspended sediment distributions by modifying the location of the salt front, near-bottom shear
stress, and the location of bottom sediment in relation to stratification within the salt front. Bottom sediment accumulated
near the convergent zone at the tip of the salt front, but lagged behind the rapid response of the salt front during wind
events. While increases in river flow and along-channel winds resulted in sediment transport down-estuary, only reductions
in river flow resulted in consistent up-estuary movement of bottom sediment. Model predictions suggest that wind and river
pulse events significantly influence salt front structure and circulation patterns, and have an important role in the transport
of sediment in upper estuaries. 相似文献
2.
The sediment state of aeolian dune fields and sand seas at a basinal scale is defined by the separate components of sediment supply, sediment availability and the transport capacity of the wind. The sediment supply for aeolian systems is the sediment that contemporaneously or at some later point serves as the source material for the aeolian system. Numerous factors impact the susceptibility of grains on a surface to transport, but these are cumulatively manifested by the actual transport rate, which serves as a proxy for sediment availability. Transport capacity is the potential sediment transport rate of the wind. Because the three aspects of sediment state can be given as a volumetric rate, they are directly comparable. Plotted simultaneously against time, the generated curves define nine possible classes of sediment state. Sediment supply that is stored occurs because it is transport or availability limited, or generated at a rate greater than the potential or actual transport rates respectively. Contemporaneous or lagged influx to an aeolian system may be limited by sediment availability, but cannot exceed the transport capacity of the wind. For the Kelso dune field in the Mojave Desert of California, a variety of stratigraphic and geomorphic evidence is used to approximate the sediment state of the system. The sediment supply was generated during the latest Pleistocene and earliest Holocene during humid periods of enhanced discharge by the Mojave River to form the Lake Mojave fan delta or terminal fan, and has been calculated over time from the sedimentation rate and the frequency of floods. Estimation of transport capacity over time was based upon modern wind data, with an allowance for greater winds during the Pleistocene based upon climatic models. Sediment availability was approximated by calculation of a modern dune mobility index, with variation over time based upon climatic inferences. While quantifying the Kelso or any natural system is subject to numerous uncertainties, the sediment state approach reflects the temporal and spatial disjointed nature of accumulations at Kelso, as well as illuminating questions for future research. 相似文献
3.
Concentrations of copper, zinc, chromium, lead, cadmium, and phosphorus were obtained from 81 samples of unconsolidated estuarine
sediment from Great Bay, New Hampshire. Dispersal of aqueous chromium from localized industrial effluent is believed responsible
for an increase in sediment chromium throughout the entire estuary. High phosphorus concentrations exist in sediment near
the outfalls from several waste-water treatment plants. There is no evidence for any increase of copper, zinc, lead, or cadmium
in this estuary, except for localized high concentrations close to industrial outfalls.
Fine-grained sediments and organic carbon correlate highly with all the elements studied, except for chromium. This suggests
that conventional agents of sedimentary adsorption are not adequate to explain the incorporation of chromium into sediment
under the conditions of heavy industrial discharge which exist in this estuary. Sediment phosphorus correlates highly with
minor elements, suggesting that it is an adsorption agent, similar to more typical sedimentary parameters such as organic
matter and clay minerals. In such a capacity phosphorus may enhance the sedimentary uptake of other aqueous species, and account
for higher chromium sediment concentrations. Comparative data from other sedimentary environments emphasize the environmental
significance of these elements in Great Bay. 相似文献
4.
Although the supply and fate of suspended sediment is of fundamental importance to the functioning and morphological evolution
of muddy estuaries, reliable sediment budgets have been established in only a few cases. Especially for smaller estuaries,
inadequate bathymetric surveys and a lack of intertidal sedimentation data often preclude estimation of the sediment budget
from morphological change, while instrument-derived residual fluxes typically lie well within the errors associated with measurement
of much larger gross tidal transports. Given suitably long-term records of continuously monitored suspended sediment concentration
(SSC), however, analysis of the major scales of variation in sediment transport and their relation to hydrodynamic and meteorological
forcing permits qualitative testing of hypotheses suggested by directly measured residual fluxes. This paper analyzes data
from a 1-year acoustic Doppler profiler deployment in the Blyth estuary, a muddy mesotidal barrier-enclosed system on the
UK east coast. Flux calculations indicate a small sediment import equivalent to just 1.5% of the gross flood tide transport.
Little confidence can be assigned to either the magnitude or direction of such a small residual when considered in isolation.
However, the inference that the sediment regime is finely balanced is qualitatively supported by the close similarity between
flood-tide and ebb-tide SSC values. Singular spectrum analysis of the SSC time series shows the expectedly large contributions
to the variance in SSC at intratidal and subtidal (semimonthly and monthly) scales but also picks out intermittent variability
that is initially attributed to a combination of non-tidal surge and wind stress forcing. Closer examination of the data through
cross-correlograms and event-scale analysis indicates that local meteorological forcing is the major factor. Acting through
the resuspension of intertidal mudflat sediments at times of strong westerlies, meteorological forcing is directly implicated
in episodic sediment export from the estuary. Thresholding of tide-averaged fluxes using a range of critical wind stress values
further indicates that ‘tide-dominated’ (i.e., low wind stress) and ‘wave-dominated’ (high wind stress) conditions are associated
with sediment import and export. Sediment balance is potentially sensitive to the frequency of high wind stress events, since
the associated sediment exports are several times larger than the average import under calm conditions. Intermittent meteorological
forcing may thus exert an important control on the sedimentary balance of otherwise tidally dominated muddy estuarine systems,
and the role of wind climate should not be overlooked in studies of estuary response to environmental change. 相似文献
5.
Suspended Sediment Transport in the Freshwater Reach of the Hudson River Estuary in Eastern New York
Deposition of Hudson River sediment into New York Harbor interferes with navigation lanes and requires continuous dredging.
Sediment dynamics at the Hudson estuary turbidity maximum (ETM) have received considerable study, but delivery of sediment
to the ETM through the freshwater reach of the estuary has received relatively little attention and few direct measurements.
An acoustic Doppler current profiler was positioned at the approximate limit of continuous freshwater to develop a 4-year
time series of water velocity, discharge, suspended sediment concentration, and suspended sediment discharge. This data set
was compared with suspended sediment discharge data collected during the same period at two sites just above the Hudson head-of-tide
(the Federal Dam at Troy) that together represent the single largest source of sediment entering the estuary. The mean annual
suspended sediment–discharge from the freshwater reach of the estuary was 737,000 metric tons. Unexpectedly, the total suspended
sediment discharge at the study site in November and December slightly exceeded that observed during March and April, the
months during which rain and snowmelt typically result in the largest sediment discharge to the estuary. Suspended sediment
discharge at the study site exceeded that from the Federal Dam, even though the intervening reach appears to store significant
amounts of sediment, suggesting that 30–40% of sediment discharge observed at the study site is derived from tributaries to
the estuary between the Federal Dam and study site. A simple model of sediment entering and passing through the freshwater
reach on a timescale of weeks appears reasonable during normal hydrologic conditions in adjoining watersheds; however, this
simple model may dramatically overestimate sediment delivery during extreme tributary high flows, especially those at the
end of, or after, the “flushing season” (October through April). Previous estimates of annual or seasonal sediment delivery
from tributaries and the Federal Dam to the ETM and harbor may be high for those years with extreme tributary high-flow events. 相似文献
6.
The seasonal cycling of fine sediment in the upper reaches of a hypothetical macrotidal estuary and its possible consequences for the behaviour of a contaminant which partitions between dissolved and particulate forms are investigated theoretically. The simplest one-dimensional models are used as a starting point for future studies: (a) a within-tide hydrodynamic (tidal) model, (b) an associated sediment transport model and (c) a tidally-averaged contaminant dispersal model. The calculations are made for a four-year period and show that a cyclic migration of mobile sediment occurs in the upper reaches of the estuary. Sediment accumulates during spring to late summer, and is redistributed in the lower estuary during high runoff periods (autumn and winter). For a fluvial input of contaminant, the dissolved contaminant levels during summer are greatly depressed below conservative mixing values in the upper (turbidity maximum) region, whereas they are slightly enhanced in the lower reaches. During winter, the levels are substantially greater than conservative values except for a slight depression at very low salinities. Thus, sediment here acts as a source of contaminant for most of the salinity range. For a marine input of contaminant, levels are enhanced above the conservative mixing line at low salinities throughout the year, the effect being much larger during summer. 相似文献
7.
中小型山溪性河流易受极端事件和人类活动影响,且对环境变化响应敏感,在大陆边缘物质循环过程中发挥着十分重要的作用,但学术界对它们的重视程度不够。以闽江—东海陆架系统为例,通过资料收集、遥感解译、样品采集与分析等方法,系统研究了亚热带中小型山溪性河流—宽陆架系统的“源—汇”过程。研究结果表明,人类活动引起的土地利用变化使得闽江入海径流量和泥沙通量在波动中略有增加,但水库的建设显著减少了入海泥沙通量,并且减弱了水沙通量的季节差异,河流入海泥沙通量变化对流域人类活动敏感且响应迅速;河口水体环境、悬浮体浓度、沉积物粒度组成及陆源有机碳埋藏的空间分布格局均显示,闽江入海泥沙主要分布在闽江河口附近海域,其中粗颗粒泥沙在水动力的作用下主要堆积在河口水下三角洲平原及前缘,细颗粒泥沙主要堆积在水下三角洲前缘斜坡及前三角洲附近海域,仅有少量细颗粒泥沙沿岸向外输运并沿途沉积,与大河流—宽陆架系统及中小型山溪性河流—窄陆架系统显著不同。河口人类活动及极端事件通过改变沉积物组成、环境动力、入海泥沙通量等方式对河流—陆架系统的“源—汇”过程产生显著影响。在当前流域来沙量锐减、河口地区海砂开采等人类活动强度增大的情况下,有必要加强相关研究。 相似文献
8.
Estuary evolution is investigated using the hydrodynamic and sediment transport model, Delft3D, to study the response of a dammed tidal basin to restored tidal processes. The development of decadal (10-year) morphological simulations of the restored estuary required simplifying several data inputs and implementing a time-scale acceleration technique. An innovative river sediment discharge schematization was developed that connected sediment discharge to morphological change in the estuary. Mud erodibility parameters were determined from laboratory analysis of sediment cores from the modern lakebed and statistical refinement with a Bayes network of the probability of occurrence. The changing estuary morphology appears to have a dominant impact on the physical habitat (substrate, inundation frequency, mean salinity, and salinity range). The numerical model provides a tool to compare the functions of the historical estuary and possible future alternatives for a restored estuary. Sensitivity of the morphological model to sediment types and erodibility parameters was also examined. A conceptual model covering morphology and indicators of physical habitat for three phases of estuary evolution during restoration is presented that could be applied to estuarine systems that are severely out of equilibrium. 相似文献
9.
Sylvain Capo Isabelle Brenon Aldo Sottolichio Patrice Castaing Patrick Le Goulven 《Journal of African Earth Sciences》2009,55(1-2):52
In comparison to their temperate counterparts, sediment processes in tropical estuaries are poorly known and especially in African ones. The hydrodynamics of such environments is controlled by a combination of multiple processes including morphology, salinity, mangrove vegetation, tidal processes, river discharge, settling and erosion of mud and by physico-chemical processes as well as sediment dynamics.The aim of this study is to understand the sediment processes in this transitional stage of the estuary when the balance between river discharges and marine processes is reversing. Studying the hydrodynamics and sediment dynamics of the Konkouré Estuary has recently been made possible thanks to new data on bathymetry, sedimentary cover, salinity, water elevations, and current velocities. The Lower Konkouré is a shallow, funnel shaped, mesotidal mangrove-fringed, tide-dominated estuary, well mixed during low river discharge and stratified during high river discharge. The Konkouré Estuary is turbid despite the small amount of terrestrial input and its residual velocity at the mouth during low river discharges, landwards for two of the three branches, suggests a landward migration by tidal pumping of the suspended particulate matter. A Turbidity Maximum Zone (TMZ) is identified for typical states of the estuary with regard to fluvial and tidal components. Suspended sediment transport during a transitional stage between the rainy and dry seasons is known thanks to current velocity and Suspended Sediment Concentration (SSC) measurements taken in November 2003. The Richardson layered number calculation assesses that turbulence is the major mixing process in the water column, at least during the flood and ebb stages, whereas stratification occurs during the slack water periods. Tidal currents generate bottom erosion, and turbulence mixes the suspended sediment throughout the water column. As a result, a net sediment input is calculated from the western Konkouré outlet for two consecutive tidal cycles. Despite the net water export, almost 300 tons per tide reach the estuary through this outlet, for a moderate river flow. 相似文献
10.
河海交互作用沉积与平原地貌发育* 总被引：3，自引：15，他引：3
河流是搬运陆源泥沙的主要动力,对相邻的海岸海洋沉积动力有巨大影响。中国河流汇入海洋中的泥沙曾占全球入海泥沙的10 ％ ,现代中国边缘海大陆架在晚更新世时曾是海岸平原,河-海交互作用是形成海岸平原与浅海输积泥沙的主要因素。本文选择5个不同类型的河流展示其不同的泥沙运动与河口沉积的特性以及对相邻陆架之影响,包括: 1)强潮型动力的鸭绿江河口湾,形成从陆向海与从海向陆的双向水流交汇沉积,海岸形成潮流脊体系。 2)季风波浪为主导动力的滦河口,以泥沙的横向运动为主,形成沙坝环绕的双重海岸,沉积粒径自海向陆减小; 沿岸浪流携运泥沙向河口两侧分布,使沙坝具有沙咀状的复合特点。 3)弱潮型、多沙的黄河口,径流于两侧堆积指状沙咀,沙咀下风侧形成粉砂粘土淤泥湾,沿岸流携运泥沙向渤海湾延伸为淤泥舌。 4)径流与沿岸流组合作用的沉积模式,以长江口为代表,泥沙沿岸向南输运为主导,向海岸与向内陆架构成颗粒变细的带状沉积,外陆架出露残留砂。 5)充填河口湾的三角洲,以珠江为代表,河流分汊与会潮点泥沙堆积,悬移质扩散至湾外,被沿岸流携带沿海岸向SW运移,外陆架为残留砂沉积。20世纪80年代以来,上述河流均受到人为活动的改造影响,河流自然过程与河海交互作用效应均发生改变。本文主要以滦河三角洲为例阐述河-海交互作用与平原的地貌特征。 相似文献
11.
全新世长江泥沙堆积的时空分布及通量估算 总被引：1，自引：1，他引：0
利用长江中下游、河口及口外、浙-闽沿岸陆架6个主要沉积盆地的40个晚第四纪钻孔及其年代学数据和长江口外、陆架的浅地层剖面,计算了全新世不同阶段各沉积盆地的沉积速率,并进行了近7 000年来泥沙堆积通量的估算。研究发现全新世早期距今10 000年至8 000年间长江口下切古河谷是长江泥沙的主要堆积中心,沉积速率可高达15m/ka。随着海平面上升,全新世中期长江中下游也成为长江泥沙的重要沉积盆地,其中江汉盆地的沉积速率可达10m/ka。近2 000年来,口外、陆架的堆积呈明显增加趋势,反映长江中下游盆地和河口可容空间日益减小。根据沉积速率估算,距今7 000年来长江中下游堆积泥沙约13 074×108 t,同期水下三角洲和陆架的泥沙堆积量约为9 470×108 t。研究还发现全新世以来有两个异常低沉积速率时期：距今8000-7 000年期间上述各沉积盆地沉积速率均显著低,未见长江泥沙的沉积中心; 距今4 000-2 000 年期间长江口呈现低沉积速率。 这两次异常的原因推测与海平面、气候波动事件密切相关。 相似文献
12.
13.
新世纪上海地区相对海平面变化影响因素及预测方法 总被引：1，自引：0，他引：1
针对传统相对海平面变化分析方法均将理论海平面变化和地面沉降进行的叠加分析,本文讨论和分析了近20年来全球理论海平面上升速率加快背景下的区域海平面变化速率,利用灰色线性回归组合模型预测上海地区海平面变化趋势。考虑了上海地面沉降发展的新特点,以及长江流域来沙显著减少和河口大型工程建设对上海地区相对海平面变化的影响。在流域来沙量显著减少但来水量变化不大情况下,流域大坝的坝下冲刷使得河槽刷深,河口水位降低,同时长江口深水航道整治工程和促淤围垦工程束狭入海口,使得潮位站水位发生变化,两者的综合效应是目前研究长江口相对海平面变化时必须考虑的重要因素。 相似文献
14.
辽东湾北部浅海区泥沙输送及其沉积特征 总被引：16，自引：1，他引：16
根据实测资料，本文定量分析了辽东湾北部泥沙输送及其分布，并对辽河三角洲沉积区划作了初步讨论。研究表明本区泥沙以纵向搬运为特征。双台子河以西来沙和辽河西水道入海泥沙是区域东部拦门沙体和浅滩发育的主导因素。汛季大潮期，泥沙自西向东运移落淤在河口及毗邻浅水域；小潮期，泥沙除向东扩散外，大部泥沙向海方搬运。调查区可划分六个现代沉积作用区，即潮坪沉积区、辽河水下三角洲细粒沉积区、河口沙洲沉积区、波浪潮流冲蚀沉积区、河口冲积沉积区以及潮汐水道沉积区。 相似文献
15.
Estuarine salinity distributions reflect a dynamic balance between the processes that control estuarine circulation. At seasonal and longer time scales, freshwater inputs into estuaries represent the primary control on salinity distribution and estuarine circulation. El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) conditions influence seasonal rainfall and stream discharge patterns in the Tampa Bay, Florida region. The resulting variability in freshwater input to Tampa Bay influences its seasonal salinity distribution. During El Niño events, ENSO sea surface temperature anomalies (SSTAs) are significantly and inversely correlated with salinity in the bay during winter and spring. These patterns reflect the elevated rainfall over the drainage basin and the resulting elevated stream discharge and runoff, which depress salinity levels. Spatially, the correlations are strongest at the head of the bay, especially in bay sections with long residence times. During La Niña conditions, significant inverse correlations between ENSO SSTAs and salinity occur during spring. Dry conditions and depressed stream discharge characterize La Niña winters and springs, and the higher salinity levels during La Niña springs reflect the lower freshwater input levels. 相似文献
16.
Two surface‐sediment sampling campaigns were carried out in November and December 2003, before and after a strong swell event, in the back‐reef area of a microtidal fringing reef on the western coast of La Reunion, Indian Ocean. The spatial distributions of the mean grain size, sorting and skewness parameters are determined, and grain‐size trend analysis is performed to estimate the main sediment transport pathways in the reef. The results of this analysis are compared with hydrodynamic records obtained in the same reef area during fair weather conditions and during swell events. Sediment dynamics inferred from the hydrodynamic records show that significant sediment erosion and transport occur only during swell events and under strongly agitated sea states. Under normal wave conditions, there is a potential for onshore sediment transport from the reef‐flat to the back‐reef, but this transport is episodic and occurs principally during high‐tide stages. Sediment transport trends revealed by the grain‐size trend analysis method show onshore and alongshore low‐energy transport processes that are in agreement with the hydrodynamic records. The grain‐size trend analysis method also provides evidence of an offshore high‐energy transport trend that could be interpreted as a real physical process associated with return flow from the shore to the reef. The impact of swell on the reef sediment dynamics is clearly demonstrated by onshore and alongshore transport. Considering different combinations of the vector transport trends computed through the grain‐size trend analysis approach, more realistic and pertinent results can be obtained by applying an exclusive OR operation (XOR case) on the vectors. The main results presented here highlight a trend towards the accumulation of carbonate sands in the back‐reef area of the fringing reef. These sediments can only be resuspended during extreme events such as storms or tropical cyclones. 相似文献
17.
An Idealized Model and Systematic Process Study of Oxygen Depletion in Highly Turbid Estuaries 总被引：1，自引：0，他引：1
The sensitivity of oxygen depletion in turbid estuaries to parameters like freshwater discharge, depth, and sediment availability
is investigated using an idealized model. The model describes tidally averaged circulation and suspended sediment concentration
(SSC), which are input into an advection–diffusion sink module of dissolved oxygen (DO). Based on the analysis of field data
collected in the Ems estuary, the modeled oxygen depletion rates are proportional to SSC. The model is calibrated to the observed
variation of DO with SSC and temperature. Modeled DO closely tracks changes to the estuarine turbidity zone (ETZ): increased
channel depth, decreased freshwater discharge, and decreased mixing move the ETZ upstream, amplify SSCs, and decrease DO.
Summertime temperatures produce lower DO than cooler periods. Model results are consistent with historical measurements in
the Ems, which indicate that hypoxic events (DO concentrations < 2 mg l−1) have occurred more frequently after deepening from 5 to 7 m. 相似文献
18.
Jennifer L. Miselis Brian D. Andrews Robert S. Nicholson Zafer Defne Neil K. Ganju Anthony Navoy 《Estuaries and Coasts》2016,39(4):916-934
Assessments of coupled barrier island-estuary storm response are rare. Hurricane Sandy made landfall during an investigation in Barnegat Bay-Little Egg Harbor estuary that included water quality monitoring, geomorphologic characterization, and numerical modeling; this provided an opportunity to characterize the storm response of the barrier island-estuary system. Barrier island morphologic response was characterized by significant changes in shoreline position, dune elevation, and beach volume; morphologic changes within the estuary were less dramatic with a net gain of only 200,000 m3 of sediment. When observed, estuarine deposition was adjacent to the back-barrier shoreline or collocated with maximum estuary depths. Estuarine sedimentologic changes correlated well with bed shear stresses derived from numerically simulated storm conditions, suggesting that change is linked to winnowing from elevated storm-related wave-current interactions rather than deposition. Rapid storm-related changes in estuarine water level, turbidity, and salinity were coincident with minima in island and estuarine widths, which may have influenced the location of two barrier island breaches. Barrier-estuary connectivity, or the transport of sediment from barrier island to estuary, was influenced by barrier island land use and width. Coupled assessments like this one provide critical information about storm-related coastal and estuarine sediment transport that may not be evident from investigations that consider only one component of the coastal system. 相似文献
19.
现场试验表明,三角架观测系统稳定性良好,获取了边界层内多层位、连续的温、盐、流速、浊度同步观测数据,适用于浅海近底部沉积动力过程高分辨率观测及物质输运研究。观测结果显示:观测期间,边界层内存在向陆的余流,并呈现逐渐减小的趋势,其主要由涨、落潮流的不对称造成,大风天气和密度环流亦是影响余流强弱的重要因素;观测期间多数时刻底部切应力大于起动切应力,底质沉积物可产生明显的搬运甚至再悬浮;悬沙浓度对沉积动力的响应在涨、落潮,大、小潮阶段均有各自的特点,水动力的变化、潮流加/减速时间的长短、床面泥沙的供应量、上部水体泥沙的沉降是导致悬沙浓度变化的主要原因;底部边界层内,涨、落潮期间不对称输沙导致潮周期内悬沙净向河口湾内输运。 相似文献
20.
Degraded water quality due to water column availability of nitrogen and phosphorus to algal species has been identified as the primary cause of the decline of submersed aquatic vegetation in Chesapeake Bay and its subestuaries. Determining the relative impacts of various nutrient delivery pathways on estuarine water quality is critical for developing effective strategies for reducing anthropogenic nutrient inputs to estuarine waters. This study investigated temporal and spatial patterns of nutrient inputs along an 80-km transect in the Choptank River, a coastal plain tributary and subestuary of Chesapeake Bay, from 1986 through 1991. The study period encompassed a wide range in freshwater discharge conditions that resulted in major changes in estuarine water quality. Watershed nitrogen loads to the Choptank River estuary are dominated by diffuse-source inputs, and are highly correlated to freshwater discharge volume. in years of below-average freshwater discharge, reduced nitrogen availability results in improved water quality throughout most of the Choptank River. Diffuse-source inputs are highly enriched in nitrogen relative to phosphorus, but point-source inputs of phosphorus from sewage treatment plants in the upper estuary reduce this imbalance, particularly during summer periods of low freshwater discharge. Diffuse-source nitrogen inputs result primarily from the discharge of groundwater contaminated by nitrate. Contamination is attributable to agricultural practices in the drainage basin where agricultural land use predominates. Groundwater discharge provides base flow to perennial streams in the upper regions of the watershed and seeps directly into tidal waters. Diffuse-source phosphorus inputs are highly episodic, occurring primarily via overland flow during storm events. Major reductions in diffuse-source nitrogen inputs under current landuse conditions will require modification of agricultural practices in the drainage basin to reduce entry rates of nitrate into shallow groundwater. Rates of subsurface nitrate delivery to tidal waters are generally lower from poorly-drained versus well-drained regions of the watershed, suggesting greater potential reductions of diffuse-source nitrogen loads per unit effort in the well-drained region of the watershed. Reductions in diffuse-source phosphorus loads will require long-term management of phosphorus levels in upper soil horizons. *** DIRECT SUPPORT *** A01BY074 00021 相似文献