HR: 1330h
AN: H13A-07    [Abstracts]
TI: Organic Carbon Fluxes From the Atchafalaya River Into the Gulf of Mexico
AU: Xu, Y
EM: yjxu@lsu.edu
AU: * Patil, A
EM: apatil1@paws.lsu.edu
AU: Viosca, A D
EM: adrienneviosca@hotmail.com
AB: The continental flux of organic carbon to the ocean represents a significant component of the global carbon cycle. The total amount and timing of the fluxes may have crucial impacts on marine ecosystems and habitats, yet its seasonal and annual variations have not been well investigated. This study analyzed twenty-five years of total organic carbon (TOC) fluxes from the Atchafalaya River which transports thirty percent of the Mississippi River into the Gulf of Mexico. By utilizing the Atchafalya's long-term discharge and water quality data from 1978 thru 2002, the monthly and annual TOC fluxes were quantified, and their seasonality and interannual variation in relationship with the river's hydrologic conditions were investigated. The results showed that annual TOC fluxes from the Atchafalaya averaged 1,093,625 Mg, varying from 642,555 Mg in the dry year of 2000 to 1,466,981 Mg in the wet year of 1979. Monthly TOC fluxes from the river averaged 91,135 Mg and were highest from March to June (132,582 Mg mon-1) and lowest from August to November (49,117 Mg mon-1). The large variations in both monthly and annual TOC fluxes were closely related to the amount of the river's discharge.
DE: 1803 Anthropogenic effects
DE: 1871 Surface water quality
DE: 4251 Marine pollution
SC: Hydrology [H]
MN: 2005 Joint Assembly