| Contributors | Affiliation | Role |
|---|---|---|
| Wetz, Michael | Texas A&M, Corpus Christi (TAMU-CC) | Principal Investigator, Contact |
| Soenen, Karen | Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI BCO-DMO) | BCO-DMO Data Manager |
Discrete hydrographic measurements of Lavaca-Colorado, Guadalupe and Nueces Estuaries on the Texas coast between August 2017 and January 2018 to test the effects of Hurricane Harvey on estuarine water quality.
Multiple hydrographic measurements were made at the stations Lavaca-Colorado (LC), Guadalupe (GE) and Nueces Estuaries (NE) on the Texas coast, using a YSI Proplus multi-parameter instrument (The parameters were read from the digital display unit). Vertical profiles of Sal, Cond, DO, DOPct, pH and Temp were taken at 0.5 m intervals. Discrete samples were collected at 10 cm below the surface and for some variables at 10 cm above the bottom. Secchi disc was lowered until it could no longer be viewed.
Sampling trips/deployments were conducted from one of five small (≤25’) outboard engine equipped boats: Guardian, Mango, Stinger, Gator, or Guppy. Each cruise was less than 12 hrs in duration.
Additional methodological details can be found in Wetz et al. 2016.
BCO-DMO processing notes:
| File |
|---|
discrete_combined.csv (Comma Separated Values (.csv), 67.02 KB) MD5:993c0925725c0dc87b2d2448890511fe Primary data file for dataset ID 787316 |
| Parameter | Description | Units |
| Date | Sample Date (mm/dd/YYYY) in Central Standard Time (CST) | unitless |
| Latitude | Latitude, south is negative | decimal degrees |
| Longitude | Longitude, west is negative | decimal degrees |
| Times | Time (HH:MM) in Central Standard Time (CST) | unitless |
| Site | Site | unitless |
| Replicate | Replicate A or B | unitless |
| Depth | Depth | meters (m) |
| Chlorophyll | Chlorophyll [detection limit = 0.03] | migrograms per liter (ug/L) |
| Conductivity | Conductivity [detection limit = 10] | mircosiemens per centimeter (µS/cm) |
| Salinity | Salinity [detection limit = 0.01] | unitless |
| DOPct | Dissolved Oxygen saturation [detection limit = 2.0] | percentage (%) |
| DO | Dissolved Oxygen concentration [detection limit = 0.2] | milligram per liter (mg/L) |
| pH | pH [detection limit = 0.01] | pH units |
| Temp | Water temperature [detection limit = 0.2] | degrees celcius (°C) |
| Secchi | Secchi depth | meter (m) |
| DOC | Dissolved organic carbon [detection limit = 13.3] | Micromoles per Liter (umol/L) |
| TDN | Total dissolved nitrogen [detection limit = 3.8] | Micromoles per Liter (umol/L) |
| TOC | Total organic carbon [detection limit = 13.3] | Micromoles per Liter (umol/L) |
| TN | Total nitrogen [detection limit = 3.8] | Micromoles per Liter (umol/L) |
| Ammonium | Ammonium [detection limit = 0.03] | Micromoles per Liter (umol/L) |
| N_N | Nitrate plus nitrite [detection limit = 0.02] | Micromoles per Liter (umol/L) |
| Nitrite | Nitrite [detection limit = 0.02] | Micromoles per Liter (umol/L) |
| ortho_P | Orthophosphate [detection limit = 0.01] | Micromoles per Liter (umol/L) |
| Silicate | Silicate [detection limit = 0.01] | Micromoles per Liter (umol/L) |
| Estuary | Sampling station: Lavaca-Colorado, Guadalupe or Nueces Estuaries | unitless |
| ISO_DateTime_UTC | ISO format (YYYY-mm-ddTHH:MMZ) of Date/Time in Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) | yyyy-MM-dd'T'HH:mm'Z' |
| Dataset-specific Instrument Name | YSI Proplus multi parameter |
| Generic Instrument Name | YSI Professional Plus Multi-Parameter Probe |
| Dataset-specific Description | Hydrographic measurements were made at each station with a YSI Proplus multi parameter instrument. The parameters were read from the digital display unit. |
| Generic Instrument Description | The YSI Professional Plus handheld multiparameter meter provides for the measurement of a variety of combinations for dissolved oxygen, conductivity, specific conductance, salinity, resistivity, total dissolved solids (TDS), pH, ORP, pH/ORP combination, ammonium (ammonia), nitrate, chloride and temperature. More information from the manufacturer. |
| Website | |
| Platform | Small Boat |
| Description | Sampling trips/deployments were conducted from one of five small (≤25’) outboard engine equipped boats: Guardian, Mango, Stinger, Gator, or Guppy. Each cruise was less than 12 hrs in duration. They are listed here: (Estuary, Sampling Date (YYYY-MM-DD), Lead Scientist, Vessel name).
Lavaca-Colorado, 2017-10-11, Rick Kalke, Guardian
Lavaca-Colorado, 2017-11-13, Terry Palmer, Guardian
Lavaca-Colorado, 2017-11-16, Terry Palmer, Stinger
Lavaca-Colorado, 2017-12-11, Terry Palmer, Guardian
Lavaca-Colorado, 2018-01-22-23, Rick Kalke, Guardian
Nueces, 2017-10-06, Rick Kalke, Guardian
Nueces, 2017-11-07, Terry Palmer, Guardian
Nueces, 2017-12-01, Terry Palmer, Guardian
Nueces, 2017-01-05, Rick Kalke, Guardian
Guadalupe, 2017-08-16, Rick Kalke, Guardian
Guadalupe, 2017-08-23, Terry Palmer, Guardian
Guadalupe, 2017-09-01, Terry Palmer, Mango
Guadalupe, 2017-09-08, Terry Palmer, Mango
Guadalupe, 2017-09-13, Terry Palmer, Mango
Guadalupe, 2017-09-25, Terry Palmer, Mango?
Guadalupe, 2017-10-09, Rick Kalke, Guardian
Guadalupe, 2017-10-17, Lily Walker, Mango?
Guadalupe, 2017-11-02, Lily Walker, Gator
Guadalupe, 2017-11-13, Terry Palmer, Guardian,
Guadalupe, 2017-11-28, Terry Palmer, Stinger
Guadalupe, 2017-12-05, Terry Palmer, Guardian
Guadalupe, 2018-01-09, Rick Kalke, Guardian |
NSF Award Abstract:
Hurricane Harvey made landfall Friday 25 August 2017 about 30 miles northeast of Corpus Christi, Texas as a Category 4 hurricane with winds up to 130 mph. This is the strongest hurricane to hit the middle Texas coast since Carla in 1961. After the wind storm and storm surge, coastal flooding occurred due to the storm lingering over Texas for four more days, dumping as much as 50 inches of rain near Houston. This will produce one of the largest floods ever to hit the Texas coast, and it is estimated that the flood will be a one in a thousand year event. The Texas coast is characterized by lagoons behind barrier islands, and their ecology and biogeochemistry are strongly influenced by coastal hydrology. Because this coastline is dominated by open water systems and productivity is driven by the amount of freshwater inflow, Hurricane Harvey represents a massive inflow event that will likely cause tremendous changes to the coastal environments. Therefore, questions arise regarding how biogeochemical cycles of carbon, nutrients, and oxygen will be altered, whether massive phytoplankton blooms will occur, whether estuarine species will die when these systems turn into lakes, and how long recovery will take? The investigators are uniquely situated to mount this study not only because of their location, just south of the path of the storm, but most importantly because the lead investigator has conducted sampling of these bays regularly for the past thirty years, providing a tremendous context in which to interpret the new data gathered. The knowledge gained from this study will provide a broader understanding of the effects of similar high intensity rainfall events, which are expected to increase in frequency and/or intensity in the future.
The primary research hypothesis is that: Increased inflows to estuaries will cause increased loads of inorganic and organic matter, which will in turn drive primary production and biological responses, and at the same time significantly enhance respiration of coastal blue carbon. A secondary hypothesis is that: The large change in salinity and dissolved oxygen deficits will kill or stress many estuarine and marine organisms. To test these hypotheses it is necessary to measure the temporal change in key indicators of biogeochemical processes, and biodiversity shifts. Thus, changes to the carbon, nitrogen and oxygen cycles, and the diversity of benthic organisms will be measured and compared to existing baselines. The PIs propose to sample the Lavaca-Colorado, Guadalupe, Nueces, and Laguna Madre estuaries as follows: 1) continuous sampling (via autonomous instruments) of salinity, temperature, pH, dissolved oxygen, and depth (i.e. tidal elevation); 2) bi-weekly to monthly sampling for dissolved and total organic carbon and organic nitrogen, carbonate system parameters, nutrients, and phytoplankton community composition; 3) quarterly measurements of sediment characteristics and benthic infauna. The project will support two graduate students. The PIs will communicate results to the public and to state agencies through existing collaborations.
| Funding Source | Award |
|---|---|
| NSF Division of Ocean Sciences (NSF OCE) |