Flux of Particulate Matter in the Tidal Marshes and Subtidal Shallows of the Rhode River Estuary

Abstract

There was a net influx of suspended particulate matter to the uppermost part of the Rhode River estuary during the several years of this study. Most of the influx was due to episodic discharges of suspended sediment from the watershed during heavy rains. In contrast, tidal exchange of particulate matter was not related to rainstorms. Sediment composition data and historical records indicate that marsh accretion accounts for only 13% of the sediment trapping although marshes occupy 60% of the study area. Influx of particulate matter to the marshes is directly related to the amount of time they are submerged during tidal cycles.

Effects of land-use change on nutrient discharges from the Patuxent River watershed

“…At each site, we established an automated station, which monitored stream depth continuously and controlled the compositing of volume-integrated water samples. Such samples accurately quantify both dissolved and suspended materials, including those transported episodically during storm flows ( Jordan et al 1986. The composited water samples were collected weekly and analyzed for total suspended sediment (TSS), total organic carbon (OC), dissolved silicate (Si), forms of nitrogen (nitrate, NO 3 , total Kjeldahl nitrogen, TKN, and ammonium, NH 4 ), and forms of phosphorus (total phosphorus, TP, and phosphate, PO 4 ).…”

“…For the Patuxent watershed, four sources of land cover information (Table 11) were examined. Three were derived from Landsat scenes taken between 1986(C-CAP 1992EPA-EMAP 1994;Vogelmann et al 1998a,b;U.S. Geological Survey 2001), while one was derived from 1990 aerial photography (MOP 1991) that was updated to 1997 using newer satellite imagery, property ownership information, and transportation maps (Weller and Edwards 2001).…”

Precipitation Effects on Sediment and Associated Nutrient Discharges from Rhode River Watersheds

“…Many studies have measured the fluxes of TSS from small watersheds dominated by cropland (e.g., Alberts et al, 1978;Burwell et al, 1977; Schuman et al, 1973a,b ), pasture land (e.g., Doran et al, 1981;Owens et al, 1982Owens et al, , 1983a Owens et al., ,b, 1989 Schuman et al, 1973a,b;Smith, 1992), and forest (e.g., McDowell and Asbury, 1994;Naiman, 1982;Owens et al, 1983aOwens et al, , 1989. Other studies have measured TSS fluxes from larger mixed land use watersheds (e.g., Haith and Shoemaker, 1987;Jordan et al, 1986;Kronvang, 1992 Many studies also have examined the nitrogen and phosphorus content of the TSS discharged from study watersheds and compared this with the discharge of dissolved nutrients (e.g., Alberts et al, 1978; Cooke, 1988a,b;Duffy et al, 1978;McDowell and Asbury, 1994; Schuman et al, 1973a,b ). Some studies also measured the organic-C content of the TSS (e.g., Mulholland, 1981;Naiman, 1982;McDowell and Asbury, 1994).…”

“…Many studies have measured the fluxes of TSS from small watersheds dominated by cropland (e.g., Alberts et al, 1978;Burwell et al, 1977;Schuman et al, 1973a,b ), pasture land (e.g., Doran et al, 1981;Owens et al, 1982Owens et al, , 1983aOwens et al, ,b, 1989Schuman et al, 1973a,b;Smith, 1992), and forest (e.g., McDowell and Asbury, 1994;Naiman, 1982;Owens et al, 1983aOwens et al, , 1989. Other studies have measured TSS fluxes from larger mixed land use watersheds (e.g., Haith and Shoemaker, 1987;Jordan et al, 1986;Kronvang, 1992). These studies have demonstrated that land use and land use practices are important in controlling the magnitude ofTSS fluxes, and that most TSS flux occurs during unusually large or intense storm events.…”

Observations of particle capture on a cylindrical collector: Implications for particle accumulation and removal in aquatic systems

“…Indeed, Gacia et al (1999) observed that retention of particles by a seagrass meadow is up to 15 times greater than by barren beds. Moreover, some observational studies suggest that capture of particles onto vegetative surfaces is an additional potential mechanism for removing particles (Reay 1972;Stumpf 1983;Jordan et al 1986;Leonard et al 1995). For example, Leonard et al (1995) observed that the capture of sediment on the stems and leaves of Juncus roemerianus contributed up to 10% of the total sediment deposition to a tidal marsh.…”