Coastal outwelling of organic carbon from mangrove wetlands contributes to
near-shore productivity and influences biogeochemical cycling of elements. I used a
flume to measure fluxes of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) between a mangrove forest
and adjacent tidal creek along Shark River, Florida. Shark RiverÂs hydrology is
influenced by diurnal tides and seasonal rainfall and wind patterns. Samplings were
made over multiple tidal cycles in 2003 to include dry, wet, and transitional seasons.
Surface water [DOC], temperature, salinity, conductivity and pH were significantly
different among all sampling periods. [DOC] was highest during the dry season (May),
followed by the wet (October) and transitional (December) seasons. Net DOC export
was measured in October and December, inferring the mangrove forest is a source of
DOC to the adjacent tidal creek during these periods. This trend may be explained by
high rates of rainfall, freshwater inflow and subsequent flushing of wetland soils during
this period of the year.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:tamu.edu/oai:repository.tamu.edu:1969.1/3751 |
| Date | 16 August 2006 |
| Creators | Romigh, Melissa Marie |
| Contributors | Davis, Stephen E. |
| Publisher | Texas A&M University |
| Source Sets | Texas A and M University |
| Language | en_US |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Book, Thesis, Electronic Thesis, text |
| Format | 882864 bytes, electronic, application/pdf, born digital |
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