Seasonal Variations in Inorganic Nutrient Budgets of the Bangpakong Estuary, Thailand

Abstract

Seasonal variations in freshwater, salt, dissolved inorganic phosphorus (DIP) and dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN) in the Bangpakong estuary, Thailand were investigated by employing the database obtained in the National Research Council of Thailand (NRCT)-Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS) cooperative project from 1994 to 1997. The results showed that variation in interaction between coastal sea and river discharge played an important role in controlling the characteristics of the water in the estuary. Residence time of fresh water was short in wet season and dry season, but it was long in the transition period from season to season. DIP and DIN load depended on river discharge, while high peak concentrations were related to loading and the long residence time in the transition period between dry and wet seasons. A strong eutrophic condition could possibly occur when the concentration of DIP and DIN were high during the onset of the wet season from April to July. The annual average of inorganic nutrient budgets indicated that the Bangpakong estuary is the internal source of 38.2 tons/month DIP and the internal sink of 4.9 tons/month DIN.