Acute physicochemical effects in a large river-floodplain system associated with the passage of hurricane gustav

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

10-1-2011

Abstract

On 1 September 2008, Hurricane Gustav passed over the Atchafalaya River Basin (ARB) in south-central Louisiana. Anticipating physicochemical shifts due to concentrated precipitation and wind stress generated by this strong category 2 storm, we deployed a continuous recording multiparameter water quality sonde in a southern ARB bayou 3 days prior to storm arrival to document conditions before, during, and after hurricane landfall. Quarter-hourly physicochemical measurements taken over a 2-week period indicated that dissolved oxygen (DO), pH, and specific conductance all reached annual lows immediately following storm passage. The most pronounced poststorm fluctuation involved DO. Daily mean DO concentration dropped to hypoxic level (DO-2 mg/L) within 3 days of landfall, followed by near anoxic conditions within 5 days that resulted in extensive system-wide fish kills. Within 6 weeks, however, DO returned to, and pH was near pre-storm levels. To evaluate the impact of Hurricane Gustav on ARB physicochemistry, we contrasted data on DO, pH, temperature, and specific conductance collected from 16 lower ARB sampling sites over a 54-day interval prior to storm landfall with data collected during a 45-day post-storm period. Results indicated that water quality was highly dissimilar (P<0.0001) between the two periods. © Society of Wetland Scientists 2011.

Publication Source (Journal or Book title)

Wetlands

First Page

979

Last Page

987

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