Hydrological Changes and Estuarine Dynamics

Pollack, Jennifer Beseres; Montagna, Paul A.; Palmer, Terence A.

doi:10.1007/978-1-4614-5833-3

Cited by 80 publications

(63 citation statements)

References 1 publication

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“…Additional research is needed to elucidate the relative importance of different kinds of freshwater inputs (e.g., the relative importance of local rainfall in comparison to watershedbased freshwater inflows), as well as the influence of landscape position (e.g., tidal position, geomorphology, hydrologic connectivity). Such investigations would help inform policy discussions regarding the allocation of freshwater flows to support estuarine ecosystem goods and services in dryland landscapes (e.g., Alber 2002, Montagna et al 2013. Collectively, our analyses highlight the importance of evaluating the effects of macroclimatic drivers (e.g., rainfall, temperature) within future-focused coastal wetland management plans and modeling efforts, especially along the Gulf of Mexico coast where climate-driven ecological transitions and thresholds are abundant.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 95%

Freshwater availability and coastal wetland foundation species: ecological transitions along a rainfall gradient

Osland

Enwright²,

Stagg³

2014

Ecology

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Climate gradient-focused ecological research can provide a foundation for better understanding critical ecological transition points and nonlinear climate-ecological relationships, which is information that can be used to better understand, predict, and manage ecological responses to climate change. In this study, we examined the influence of freshwater availability upon the coverage of foundation plant species in coastal wetlands along a northwestern Gulf of Mexico rainfall gradient. Our research addresses the following three questions: (1) What are the regional-scale relationships between measures of freshwater availability (e.g., rainfall, aridity, freshwater inflow, salinity) and the relative abundance of foundation plant species in tidal wetlands; (2) how vulnerable are foundation plant species in tidal wetlands to future changes in freshwater availability; and (3) what is the potential future relative abundance of tidal wetland foundation plant species under alternative climate change scenarios? We developed simple freshwater availability-based models to predict the relative abundance (i.e., coverage) of tidal wetland foundation plant species using climate data , estuarine freshwater inflow-focused data, and coastal wetland habitat data. Our results identify regional ecological thresholds and nonlinear relationships between measures of freshwater availability and the relative abundance of foundation plant species in tidal wetlands. In drier coastal zones, relatively small changes in rainfall could produce comparatively large landscape-scale changes in foundation plant species abundance that would affect some ecosystem good and services. Whereas a drier future would result in a decrease in the coverage of foundation plant species, a wetter future would result in an increase in foundation plant species coverage. In many ways, the freshwater-dependent coastal wetland ecological transitions we observed are analogous to those present in dryland terrestrial ecosystems.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 95%

Freshwater availability and coastal wetland foundation species: ecological transitions along a rainfall gradient

Osland

Enwright²,

Stagg³

2014

Ecology

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“…This paper highlights the relationship between water quality variables, benthic macrofauna and their use as food resources by a carnivorous fish species. Although many studies have revealed connections between water quality variables and benthic macrofauna (Montagna et al ., ), this study emphasizes the need for more integrated assessments of food‐web functioning when studying effects of changes in water quality. Holistic approaches such as these can serve as an important component toward conservation and sustainable fisheries management (Ludwig et al ., ) and improved prediction of estuarine response to increasing climatic variability (Bailey & van de Pol, ; Wetz & Yoskowitz, ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Dietary composition of black drum Pogonias cromis in a hypersaline estuary reflects water quality and prey availability

Rubio

Ajemian

Stunz

et al. 2018

Journal of Fish Biology

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The Baffin Bay estuary is a hypersaline system in the Gulf of Mexico that supports an important recreational and commercial fishery for black drum Pogonias cromis, a benthic predator. Seasonal measurements of water quality variables, benthic macrofauna densities and biomass, and determination of P. cromis food sources using stomach-content and stable-isotope analyses were carried out to determine how P. cromis food sources change with water quality and how this may affect P. cromis diet. Gut-content analysis indicated P. cromis selectively consumed bivalves Mulinia lateralis and Anomalocardia auberiana. Isotope compositions demonstrated that P. cromis relied on these benthic food resources produced in the Baffin Bay estuary year-round. Biomass and densities of these bivalves were influenced by changes in water quality variables, particularly salinity and dissolved oxygen. Thus, this paper demonstrates the relationship between water quality variables, benthic macrofauna, and their use as food resources by a carnivorous fish species, and emphasizes the need for integrated assessments when studying the effects of water quality on ecosystem function. Holistic approaches such as these can provide important information for management and conservation of fishery resources and can improve predictions of ecosystem response to climate variability.

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“…Relatively little freshwater enters this estuary from the Nueces River and Oso Creek. Low amounts of freshwater inflows coupled with high rates of evaporation cause the estuary to become hyper-saline for much of the year (Montagna et al, 2012).…”

Section: Study Area Climate and Sedimentary Processesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Estuarine Suspended Sediment Dynamics: Observations Derived from over a Decade of Satellite Data

2017

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Suspended sediment dynamics of Corpus Christi Bay, Texas, USA, a shallow-water wind-driven estuary, were investigated by combining field and satellite measurements of total suspended solids (TSS). An algorithm was developed to transform 500-m Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) Aqua satellite reflectance data into estimated TSS values. The algorithm was developed using a reflectance ratio regression of MODIS Band 1 (red) and Band 3 (green) with TSS measurements (n = 54) collected by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality for Corpus Christi Bay and other Texas estuaries. The algorithm was validated by independently collected TSS measurements during the period of 2011-2014 with an uncertainty estimate of 13%. The algorithm was applied to the period of 2002-2014 to create a synoptic time series of TSS for Corpus Christi Bay. Potential drivers of long-term variability in suspended sediment were investigated. Median and IQR composites of suspended sediments were generated for seasonal wind regimes. From this analysis it was determined that long-term, spatial patterns of suspended sediment in the estuary are related to wind-wave resuspension during the predominant northerly and prevalent southeasterly seasonal wind regimes. The impact of dredging is also apparent in long-term patterns of Corpus Christi Bay as concentrations of suspended sediments over dredge spoil disposal sites are higher and more variable than surrounding areas, which is most likely due to their less consolidated sediments and shallower depths requiring less wave energy for sediment resuspension. This study highlights the advantage of how long-synoptic time series of TSS can be used to elucidate the major drivers of suspended sediments in estuaries.

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Hydrological Changes and Estuarine Dynamics

Cited by 80 publications

References 1 publication

Freshwater availability and coastal wetland foundation species: ecological transitions along a rainfall gradient

Freshwater availability and coastal wetland foundation species: ecological transitions along a rainfall gradient

Dietary composition of black drum Pogonias cromis in a hypersaline estuary reflects water quality and prey availability

Estuarine Suspended Sediment Dynamics: Observations Derived from over a Decade of Satellite Data

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