A chemical survey of the Mississippi estuary |
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| Authors: | Lewis E Fox Frederick Lipschultz Lee Kerkhof Steven C Wofsy |
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| Institution: | 1. Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences and Division of Applied Sciences, Harvard University, 02138, Cambridge, Massachusetts
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| Abstract: | A “snap shot” survey of the Mississippi estuary was made during a period of low river discharge, when the estuarine mixing zone was within the deltaic channels. Concentrations of H+, Ca2+, inorganic phosphorus and inorganic carbon suggest that the waters of the river and the low salinity (<5‰) portion of the estuary are near saturation with respect to calcite and sedimentary calcium phosphate. An input of oxidized nitrogen species and N2O was observed in the estuary between 0 and 4‰ salinity. The concentrations of dissolved NH4 + and O2, over most of the estuary, appeared to be influenced by decomposition of terrestrial organic matter in bottom sediments. The estuarine bottom also appears to be a source of CH4 which has been suggested to originate from petroleum shipping and refining operations. Estuarine mixing with offshore Gulf waters was the dominant influence on distributions of dissolved species over most of the estuary (i.e., from salinities >5‰). The phytoplankton abundance (measured as chlorophylla) increased as the depth of the mixed layer decreased in a manner consistent with that expected for a light-limited ecosystem. Fluxes of NO3 ?+NO2 ? and soluble inorganic phosphorus to the Gulf of Mexico were estimated to be 3.4±0.2×103 g N s?1 and 1.9±0.2 g P s?1 respectively, at the time of this study. |
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