Respiration and Metabolic Age as Controls of Bottom Water Hypoxia on the Louisiana Continental Shelf; 18Δ as the Ghost of Respiration Past

Abstract

Bottom waters of the Louisiana mid-continental shelf regularly become hypoxic with 64 mmol m−3) bottom waters. The field isotope measurements also showed that RP was above average and more important when and where river influences were larger, especially in the flood year 2008 and on the eastern shelf. In contrast, bottom water metabolic ages estimated as TSOS were above average and more important for hypoxia formation when and where river influences were smaller, especially in the average-flow year 2007 and on the western shelf.