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Ecological History, Catastrophism, And Human Impact On The Mississippi/Alabama Continental Shelf And Associated Waters: A Review, Rezneat M. Darnell

Gulf and Caribbean Research

The Mississippi/Alabama continental shelf and associated coastal waters together form a complex ecological system of interrelated parts. The biological system of the area has become established during the period of sea level rise following the last continental glacial maximum about 18,000 years ago. Contemporary biological populations of the inshore waters are subject to episodic catastrophic events caused by exceptional cold fronts, flooding, major storms, hypoxia, red tide outbreaks, and major droughts. Most of these events are not known to affect the shelf populations directly, but indirect effects through food chain disruptions are likely. Loop Current intrusions and entrainment of deep …