Composition and settling properties of suspended particulate matter in estuaries of the Chesapeake Bay and Baltic Sea regions

Abstract

Our goal was to understand how differences in source material (allochthonous vs. autochthonous) and phytoplankton communities (diatoms vs. cyanobacteria) influence composition and settling properties of suspended particulate matter. We characterized the composition and settling properties of suspended particulate matter in two systems—one which has a high hydrologic loading factor (watershed to surface area ratio), and a diatom-dominated phytoplankton community (James River Estuary, USA), and a second, where hydrologic inputs are proportionally smaller, and the summer phytoplankton community is dominated by cyanobacteria (Curonian Lagoon, Lithuania). In the James, we found that TSS concentrations were positively related to discharge, whereas POC concentrations were negatively correlated with discharge and positively correlated with Chl-a. We infer that suspended particulate matter in this system was largely derived from allochthonous inputs, but that the organic matter fraction was derived from autochthonous production. In the Curonian Lagoon, TSS concentrations were correlated with Chl-a, but not discharge, indicating that suspended particulate matter was largely of autochthonous origin. In the James, the proportion of settleable materials was greater during high TSS concentrations, indicating that high discharge events delivered heavier particulates. In the Curonian Lagoon, we observed a seasonal decline in settling rates associated with the shift from mixed (diatoms and chlorophytes) to cyanobacteria-dominated phytoplankton, which we attribute to the presence of positively buoyant cyanobacteria. We found that a comparative approach yielded useful insights regarding sources, composition, and settling properties of suspended particulate matter in two estuaries that differ in hydrologic loading and phytoplankton community composition. Our findings suggest that the presence of positively buoyant cyanobacteria favors export losses of particulate C, N, and P to marine waters over retention through sedimentation in transitional zones.