A closer look at the effects of restoration design on biologic function in restored estuarine wetlands: A case study in Galveston Bay, Texas

An integrative approach across disciplines is needed for sustainable lagoon and estuary management as identified by integrated coastal zone management. The ARCH research project (Architecture and roadmap to manage multiple pressures on lagoons) has taken initial steps to overcome the boundaries between disciplines and focus on cross-disciplinary integration by addressing the driving forces, challenges, and problems at various case study sites. A model was developed as a boundary-spanning activity to produce joint knowledge and understanding. The backbone of the model is formed by the interaction between the natural and human systems, including economy and governance-based subsystems. The model was used to create state-of-the-lagoon reports for 10 case study sites (lagoons and estuarine coastal areas), with a geographical distribution covering all major seas surrounding Europe. The reports functioned as boundary objects to build joint knowledge. The experiences related to the framing of the model and its subsequent implementation at the case study sites have resulted in key recommendations on how to address the challenges of cross-disciplinary work required for the proper management of complex social-ecological systems such as lagoons, estuarine areas, and other land-sea regions. Cross-disciplinary integration is initially resource intensive and time consuming; one should set aside the required resources and invest efforts at the forefront. It is crucial to create engagement among the group of researchers by focusing on a joint, appealing overall concept that will stimulate cross-sectoral thinking and focusing on the identified problems as a link between collected evidence and future management needs. Different methods for collecting evidence should be applied including both quantitative (jointly agreed indicators) and qualitative (narratives) information. Cross-disciplinary integration is facilitated by functional boundary objects. Integration offers important rewards in terms of developing a better understanding and subsequently improved management of complex social-ecological systems. Integr Environ Assess Manag 2016;12:690-700. © 2016 SETAC.

Salt marshes are widespread in estuarine coastal areas and are one of the most productive natural ecosystems in the world. More importantly, the role of salt marshes in coastal protection is of increasing interest, as salt marshes significantly reduce wave height and stabilize substrates. However, the application of hydrodynamic models for coastal salt marsh management is still uncommon. In this study, TELEMAC is used to set up a hydro-morphodynamic model to simulate the dynamic process in the study area. After that, the influence of hydrodynamic stress on the salt marshes under natural conditions was analysed and the feasibility of applying artificial structures to restore salt marshes was discussed. Finally, the long-term evolution of salt marsh platform is modelled. The results show that salt marsh vegetation is strongly influenced by coastal dynamics. The artificial restoration measures such as submerged dikes have the potential to restore or rehabilitate salt marshes by attenuating the currents on tidal flats. The long-term marsh evolution contains both platform raising and channel incision, which forms the unique landscape of tidal salt marsh. The research results of the study can provide theoretical support for the management and restoration of coastal salt marsh wetlands and contribute to disaster prevention and mitigation in the coastal areas.

Preliminary results on the application of the inducible metal binding protein, i.e. metallothionein (MT) as a biomarker for the assessment of metal exposure of indigenous mussels Mytilus galloprovincialis Link are presented. This study is an amendment of the long-term monitoring program of the coastal seawater area [1] by which the metal body-burden in edible bivalves has been monitored. An attempt is made to get the additional and relevant information on the biological response of the widespread, sessile and filter-feeding marine organisms, often used to monitor metal pollution of the marine and the estuarine coastal areas [2].

The influence on seasonality on the ichthyofauna of shallow waters and estuaries of northeastern Brazil has been little studied. The present investigation evaluated the number of species, abundance and diversity as a function of alternation of dry and rainy periods along 12 months in three areas from the estuary of Timonha and Ubatuba rivers, between the border of Ceara and Piaui States. Overall, 25 hand-trawling net were performed from August 2014 to September 2015, assessing the structure of fish assemblage with the 1387 total individuals captured, belonging to 49 species of Teleostei (38 genera and 24 families). Considering the number of species, the families Carangidae (7 species), Gerreidae (6), and Lutjanidae (4) contributed most. The community structure revealed a greater numerical participation of Eucinostomos argenteus , Mugil curema , Atherinela brasiliensis , Trachinotus falcatus and Sphoeroides testudineus , which accounted for 68.9% of the total number of individuals captured. Estuarine species dominated the community, followed by marine migrants and marine stragglers. The upper part of estuary, Porto dos Mosquitos, presented 38 species, Porto do Itam 32 species, and Porto da Lama 6 species. The diversity index was higher in the dry season when compared to the rainy period, which may indicate higher competition between species during rainfall regime. The results presented here show seasonal differences in the ichthyofaunal composition throughout the hydrological cycle, where mangrove and estuarine coastal areas are the key early life fish habitats, contributing to the diversity and conservation of fish populations in the region. Keywords: Inventory; estuarine fishes; spatial distribution; mangrove; taxonomy.

Dwarf eelgrass (Zostera noltii) fatty acid remodelling induced by climate change

Marine bacterioplankton perform a very important role in the cycles of carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, and other elements in coastal waters. The impacts of environmental factors on bacterial community structure are dynamic and ongoing. This study investigated the spatiotemporal distributions of elements and their influences on bacterioplankton communities in the coastal waters around the Changli Gold Coast National Nature Reserve in northern China. The results demonstrate the significant temporal variability of phosphorus, nitrogen, and carbon in spring and summer, influenced by natural environmental factors and anthropogenic activities. In spring, increased biological activity, particularly phytoplankton growth, may elevate TOC and POC levels near the river estuaries, while in summer, microbial decomposition likely stabilized carbon concentrations. The seasonal variation in the bacterioplankton community was obvious. Bacteroidetes were enriched in spring samples and Cyanobacteriota proliferated in summer. The dominated genera in the spring, including Planktomarina, an unclassified NS5_marine_group (belonging to Flavobacteriaceae), and the OM43_clade (Methylophilaceae), showed significant positive correlation with salinity, TDP, TOC, POP, and DO levels, while Synechococcus_CC9902 (Synechococcus), PeM15_unclassified (Actinobacteria), and HIMB11 (Rhodobacteraceae), which all dominate in summer samples, are significantly positively correlated with TN, TDN, temperature, and ammonium levels. In summer in particular, the increase in human activities and river inputs greatly improves nutrient levels and promotes the propagation of photosynthetic microorganisms. These results indicate that the nutrient elements and environmental physical conditions are affected by seasonal changes and human activities, which have significant effects on the community structure of bacterioplankton. This study highlights the importance of ongoing monitoring in estuarine coastal areas, especially in protected areas like the Changli Reserve, to manage eutrophication risks and maintain ecological balance.

Lead geochemistry of sediments in Galveston Bay, Texas

There is major salt marsh loss in Galveston Bay and other estuarine environments. In Galveston Bay, the causes of marsh loss include wave action, subsidence, eustatic sea-level rise, and insufficient sediment supply. To assess the relative importance of these factors in marshes of West Galveston Bay, wave action, sediment supply, and sedimentation rates were studied. Analysis of the data indicated a significant gap between the historic sediment accretion rate of 0.20 cm y−1 and the relative sea-level rise (the rate of rise of the water depth due to the combined effects of eustatic rise and subsidence) of 0.65 cm y−1. Furthermore, in 94% of the eroding marshes, where 20% exceedance wave height was less than 0.17 m, the role of wave-induced erosion was relatively small. Thus, the major cause for salt marsh loss is insufficient sediment supply. These findings indicate that in the many eroding marshes in Galveston Bay, where wave action is not the major cause of marsh loss, marsh restoration efforts ...

Prymnesium parvum invasion success into coastal bays of the Gulf of Mexico: Galveston Bay case study

The entrenched Trinity River valley beneath Galveston Bay was studied using high resolution seismic data. The shape of the incised valley was determined on mini-sparker lines, which were obtained from the U.S. Geological Survey in Corpus Christi, Texas. Uniboom lines, shot in 1987 aboard the Rice University research vessel R/V Matagorda, provided detailed records of the sediments filling the valley. The correlation between lithofacies and high resolution seismic facies was established by integrating the uniboom data with information about sedimentary environments. Environments were interpreted from lithologic descriptions of sediment cores and tied to the seismic lines. In addition, many uniboom lines were shot directly over known modern environments (i.e., the Trinity bayhead delta, the middle estuary, and the flood tidal delta at Bolivar Roads). The good correlation between lithofacies and seismic facies warrants the use of high resolution seismic data to determine depositional environments in areas where they are unknown. Information concerning incised valley geometry and the valley-fill sequence led to conclusions concerning the evolution of the Galveston Bay estuary. Possible point bar deposits, seen overlying the Pleistocene surface on one of the uniboom lines, support the idea that the Trinity River entered a meandering phase during the Holocene transgression, prior to the flooding of the present estuary. The valley-fill sequence of fluvial sediments overlain by bayhead delta and then estuarine deposits, which is present throughout most of the estuary, seems to be interrupted in the middle of the bay. The lack of bayhead delta deposits in this area may indicate a rapid rise of sea level sometime between 6000 years B.P. and the present.

The interaction between human and land in estuarine–coastal areas has become a focus of the global change research. Since the sixteenth century, the Old Huanghe River delta has experienced rapid accretion, the formation of rich ecological resources and diverse land use pattern changes; such information, in combination with a large number of historical documents, provides a unique research area for revealing the processes for ecosystem–human changes. We use historical documents and adopt multidisciplinary methods, to identify the relationship between ecosystem changes and human activities, on the basis of spatial and temporal analysis, for in the Old Huanghe River delta region. The results indicate that, in the sixteenth to nineteenth centuries, the long-term monopolistic development pattern under the government leadership, which occupied large quantities of ecological resources, controlled the coastal salt industry and marsh land exploitation. However, along with the delta ecosystem change and population growth, the development pattern became gradually unsustainable, i.e., the salt industry migrated toward the north, while the farming activities migrated toward the south with enhanced intensity of marsh reclamation. The government monopoly collapsed in the late nineteenth century, which enlarged the independent development space for the local residents, which, to a large extent, improved the land-use efficiency and reduced the population pressure.

MEPS Marine Ecology Progress Series Contact the journal Facebook Twitter RSS Mailing List Subscribe to our mailing list via Mailchimp HomeLatest VolumeAbout the JournalEditorsTheme Sections MEPS 193:217-239 (2000) - doi:10.3354/meps193217 Small-scale patterns of nekton use among marsh and adjacent shallow nonvegetated areas of the Galveston Bay Estuary, Texas (USA) Lawrence P. Rozas*, Roger J. Zimmerman NOAA/National Marine Fisheries Service, Southeast Fisheries Science Center, 4700 Avenue U, Galveston, Texas 77551-5997, USA *E-mail: lawrence.rozas@noaa.gov ABSTRACT: We quantified and compared nekton and infaunal densities among vegetated (edge Spartina alterniflora, inner Spartina alterniflora, Scirpus maritimus, Juncus roemerianus, and Spartina patens marsh) and shallow nonvegetated (marsh pond, marsh channel, cove, and shallow bay) areas of upper Galveston Bay and East Bay, Texas. In 2 seasons (spring and fall) of high nekton abundance, and over 2 yr, we collected 267 quantitative samples (upper Galveston Bay, 1993 = 127 and East Bay, 1994 = 140) using a 1 m2 drop sampler. The vegetated marsh surface consistently contained more species (i.e. higher species richness) and total numbers of decapod crustaceans than nonvegetated areas. In contrast, fish species richness and densities of total fishes on the marsh and in nonvegetated areas were not significantly different in most comparisons. Most numerically dominant species of nekton seemed to exhibit at least some degree of habitat selection. Within vegetation, 2 factors, elevation and proximity to open water, were most important in influencing the distribution of nekton. Low marsh edge dominated by Spartina alterniflora or Scirpus maritimus was apparently selected by most species that used the marsh surface including brown shrimp Farfantepenaeus aztecus, blue crab Callinectes sapidus, and daggerblade grass shrimp Palaemonetes pugio. White shrimp Litopenaeus setiferus and striped mullet Mugil cephalus also were concentrated in low edge marsh; although in one comparison, densities of these 2 species in edge and inner S. alterniflora were not significantly different. In contrast, gulf killifish Fundulus grandis and sheepshead minnow Cyprinodon variegatus were most abundant on inner S. alterniflora or S. patens marsh. Other fishes (gulf menhaden Brevoortia patronus, spot Leiostomus xanthurus, bay anchovy Anchoa mitchilli, blackcheek tonguefish Symphurus plagiusa, and Atlantic croaker Micropogonias undulatus) had higher densities over nonvegetated bottoms than on the marsh surface. Specific habitat types that these pelagic species seemed to favor were marsh channels (gulf menhaden, bay anchovy), marsh ponds (spot), and coves (Atlantic croaker, blackcheek tonguefish). Overall, marsh-surface and adjacent nonvegetated habitat types contained much higher densities of most nekton than the shallow bay. Infaunal densities were estimated from sediment cores, and taxa (mainly annelids, crustaceans, molluscs, and insects) were most abundant in nonvegetated areas contiguous with marsh in the spring. Factors that influenced infaunal abundance are complex and may include predation, flooding patterns, elevation, and distance to edge. Our study has important implications for designing marsh-creation projects. Based on our results, we recommend creating a variety of marsh and contiguous shallow-water areas to enhance nekton biodiversity. To maximize fishery habitat, priority should be given to constructing low marsh edge by creating large areas of low marsh interspersed with a dense network of shallow channels and interconnected ponds. KEY WORDS: Fishery species · Gulf of Mexico · Habitat comparisons · Habitat selection · Nursery areas · Penaeid shrimps · Tidal marsh · Restoration Full text in pdf format PreviousNextExport citation RSS - Facebook - Tweet - linkedIn Cited by Published in MEPS Vol. 193. Publication date: February 28, 2000 Print ISSN:0171-8630; Online ISSN:1616-1599 Copyright © 2000 Inter-Research.

es, coastal prairie, scrub oak brushland, and harvested grain fields (Guthery, 1975). Sandhill cranes roost on shallow open water marshes in coastal Texas (Guthery, 1975), saline lakes in west Texas (Iverson et al., 1985), and shallow rivers and lakes in New Mexico (Walker and Schemnitz, 1987). However, data are lacking on the types of wetlands and deepwater habitats important to sandhill cranes. Low recruitment rates in the mid-continent population emphasize the need for close monitoring of populations and habitats (Tacha et al., 1992). Our objective was to determine the most important wetland and deepwater habitat types, based on density, for wintering sandhill cranes along the Texas Gulf Coast. We conducted the study from Galveston Bay, Texas south to the Rio Grande River, an area of 55,000 km2 (Anderson et al., 1996, 1998). This area corresponds to the region occupied by the Gulf Coast subpopulation of sandhill cranes (Tacha et al., 1992). The region is predominantly rice fields and coastal marsh in the northeast and coastal prairie and sandy plains in the southeast (Anderson et al., 1996). Palustrine and estuarine wetlands and deepwater habitats (Cowardin et al., 1979) are common (Muehl et al., 1994). We conducted ground surveys of all flooded wetlands and deepwater habitats on 512 randomly located, 64.75-ha plots in 1991-1992 and 1,009 plots in 1992-1993 (Anderson et al., 1996, 1998) for sandhill cranes. Surveys were conducted throughout the day during 2 week periods in September, November, January, and March as part of a larger project investigating habitat use by other waterbirds (Anderson, 1994; Anderson et al., 1996), waterbird abundance (Anderson et al., 1998), and wetland abundance (Muehl et al., 1994). The wetlands surveyed are representative of habitat conditions and wetland types found throughout most of the Gulf Coast (Anderson, 1994). All suitable habitat was surveyed for sandhill cranes to estimate populations (Anderson et al., 1998), but only cranes observed on wetlands and deepwater habitats are included in this paper. Few sandhill cranes were observed in September and March (Anderson, 1994), so we only present data for November and January. We classified all wetlands and deepwater habitats on plots according to Cowardin et al. (1979) by recording system, subsystem, class, and subclass. We recorded wetland size as the

A framework for integrating GIS features with processing engines to simulate hydrologic behavior is presented. The framework is designed for compatibility with the ArcGIS ModelBuilder environment, and utilizes the data structure provided by the SchemaLink and SchemaNode feature classes from the ArcGIS Hydro data model. SchemaLink and SchemaNode form the links and nodes, respectively, in a schematic network representing the connectivity between hydrologic features pertinent to the movement of surface water in the landscape. A specific processing engine is associated with a given schematic feature, depending on the type of feature the schematic feature represents. Processing engines allow features to behave as individual hydrologic processors in the landscape. The framework allows two types of processes for each feature, a Receive process and a Pass process. Schematic network features operate with four types of values: received values, incremental values, total values, and passed values. The framework assumes that the schematic network is dendritic, and that no backwater effects occur between schematic features. A case study is presented for simulating bacterial loading in Galveston Bay in Texas from point and nonpoint sources. A second case study is presented for simulating rainfall-runoff response and channel routing for the Llano River in Texas.

Nitrogen is an essential nutrient to form amino acids for fauna and flora. Its compound ammonia, however, is also one of the most important contaminants in an aquatic environment for its highly toxic nature and ubiquity in the surface water. Monitoring and controlling the total ammonia nitrogen are vital for human health and sustainable economic development. This paper attempts to develop an optimal model to monitor and predict the development of total ammonia nitrogen in a water body. A case study was carried out in the Houston Ship Channel and Galveston Bay in Texas, whichaquatic environment is a nursery and spawning ground for diverse types of marine life. Meanwhile, the Bay also assimilates ammonia pollutants from Texas’s municipal and industrial wastewater. The toxic threat of total ammonia nitrogen in the bay was assessed, based on observed samples and forecasted values. Forty years of samples were collected from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality. Correlations analysis was conducted between all physical, biological and chemical parameters and the total ammonia nitrogen. The trends of total ammonia nitrogen were modeled through a multivariate regression and an auto-regression, followed by an estimation of hazard quotient. The outcome shows that the total ammonia nitrogen in this study area is spatially correlated. For upstream flow, most measured parameters were highly correlated with the total ammonia nitrogen, whereas for downstream flow, weak correlations were noticed. Modeling results indicate that the auto-regression models can better fit the observed data than the multivariate regression models. Meanwhile, the predicted total ammonia nitrogen and the hazard quotient will remain at a lower level, meeting the ambient water criteria continuous concentration.