Abstract
Hurricanes cause landscape-scale disturbances that affect biogeochemical cycling and water quality in coastal ecosystems. During Hurricane Irma’s passage through northern Florida, water movements driven by wind velocities up to 105 km h−1 caused a salinity peak in an estuary/blackwater river complex. Water quality was monitored across the 15 km site to detect the magnitude and duration of disturbance. Saline water intruded 15 km inland into a freshwater portion of the river that peaked at a salinity of 2 psu. Due to the volume of precipitation from the hurricane, significant runoff of freshwater and dissolved organic matter (DOM) caused a decrease in salinity, dissolved oxygen (DO), and Chlorophyll-a concentrations while increasing turbidity and fluorescent dissolved organic matter (fDOM). The disturbance caused rapid changes observed by in-situ water quality monitors over a 3-week period, but some effects persisted for longer periods as shown by 3-month weekly water sampling. This disturbance caused shifts in DOM loading, altered salinity dynamics, and reshaped landscapes due to wind and wave surge both in upland marsh and downstream estuary. Hurricane disturbance temporarily and abruptly alters the aquatic continuum, and observations of system response can help us understand the mechanisms associated with ecosystem resilience and recovery.
Highlights
As global temperatures continue to rise, tropical cyclone activity in the north Atlantic has concomitantly increased over the past 50 years [1]
Hurricane Irma originated as a tropical wave from the west coast of Africa that quickly moved across the eastern Atlantic where it rapidly intensified
In the late 1990s in Pamlico Sound, North to drop by 70%, driven by extremely high discharge volumes from the rivers and stream entering
Summary
As global temperatures continue to rise, tropical cyclone activity in the north Atlantic has concomitantly increased over the past 50 years [1]. These storms have the power to substantially impact coastal ecosystems and influence biogeochemical cycling and water quality [2–4]. During these storm events, high velocity winds transport dissolved and particulate materials and affect water levels and salinity [5]. Intense rainfall associated with these storms increases runoff contributions to local waterways resulting in elevated surface water discharge and causing significant loading of organic matter (OM) and sediment to nearby streams and rivers [6,7]. Nutrients transported by stormwater runoff and physical effects from storm damage in areas upstream will eventually influence areas downstream along the flow path
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