Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®
Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons™
Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®
Articles 1 - 2 of 2
Full-Text Articles in Physical Sciences and Mathematics
Will Lowering Estuarine Salinity Increase Gulf Of Mexico Oyster Landings?, R. Eugene Turner
Will Lowering Estuarine Salinity Increase Gulf Of Mexico Oyster Landings?, R. Eugene Turner
Faculty Publications
Previous studies provide conflicting opinions on whether lower than average salinities in Gulf of Mexico (GOM) estuaries are likely to increase or decrease oyster harvests (Crassostrea virginica), which represented 69% and 54% of the United States oyster landings by weight, and dockside value, respectively, in 2003. The present study examined a 54-yr record (1950–2003) of oyster harvests and river discharge in five major estuaries in GOM states (Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Texas). Oyster landings were inversely related to freshwater inflow. Peaks in landings, 21 of 23 in West Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, and Texas combined, were coincidental with …
Oxygen Depletion In The Gulf Of Mexico Adjacent To The Mississippi River, Nancy N. Rabalais, R. Eugene Turner
Oxygen Depletion In The Gulf Of Mexico Adjacent To The Mississippi River, Nancy N. Rabalais, R. Eugene Turner
Faculty Publications
The seasonal formation of a bottom water layer severely depleted in dissolved oxygen has become a perennial occurrence on the Louisiana continental shelf adjacent to the Mississippi River system. Dramatic changes have occurred in this coastal ecosystem in the last half of the 20th century as the loads of dissolved inorganic nitrogen tripled. There are increases in primary production, shifts in phytoplankton community composition, changes in trophic interactions, and worsening severity of hypoxia. The hypoxic conditions (dissolved oxygen less than 2 mg l-1) cover up to 22,000 km2 of the seabed in mid-summer. Dissolved oxygen concentrations seldom decrease to anoxia, …