A Review of 50 Years of Study of Hydrology, Wetland Dynamics, Aquatic Metabolism, Water Quality and Trophic Status, and Nutrient Biogeochemistry in the Barataria Basin, Mississippi Delta—System Functioning, Human Impacts and Restoration Approaches

Water

WilliamH. Conner¹  RobertR. Lane²  RachaelG. Hunter²  GaryP. Shaffer³  Demetra Kandalepas³  CharlesS. Hopkinson⁴  JohnR. White⁵  IvanA. Vargas-Lopez⁵  JohnW. Day⁵  RonaldD. DeLaune⁵  G.Paul Kemp⁵  CharlesE. Sasser⁵  VictorH. Rivera-Monroy⁵  RichardF. Keim⁶ 

[1] Baruch Institute of Coastal Ecology and Forest Science, Box 596, Clemson University, Georgetown, SC 29442, USA;Comite Resources, PO Box 66596, Baton Rouge, LA 70896, USA;Department of Biological Sciences, Southeastern Louisiana University, Hammond LA 70402, USA;Department of Marine Sciences, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA;Department of Oceanography and Coastal Sciences, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA 70803, USA;School of Renewable Natural Resources, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge LA 70803, USA;

关键词: Barataria Basin;    Mississippi Delta;    trophic state;    denitrification;    eutrophication;    forested wetlands;   

DOI  :  10.3390/w13050642

来源: DOAJ

【 摘 要 】

Here we review an extensive series of studies of Barataria Basin, an economically and ecologically important coastal basin of the Mississippi Delta. Human activity has greatly altered the hydrology of the basin by decreasing riverine inflows from leveeing of the river and its distributaries, increasing runoff with high nutrient concentrations from agricultural fields, and channelization of wetlands of the basin interior that has altered flow paths to often bypass wetlands. This has resulted in degraded water quality in the upper basin and wetland loss in the lower basin. Trophic state analysis found the upper basin to be eutrophic and the lower basin to be mesotrophic. Gross aquatic primary production (GAPP) was highest in the upper basin, lowest in the mid basin, and intermediate in the lower basin. Forested wetlands in the upper basin have degraded over the past several decades due to increased periods of flooding, while there has been massive loss of emergent wetlands in the lower basin due to increasing water levels and pervasive alteration of hydrology. Restoration will entail reconnection of waterways with surrounding wetlands in the upper basin, and implementation of river sediment diversions, marsh creation using dredged sediments and barrier island restoration. Findings from this review are discussed in terms of the functioning of deltas globally.

【 授权许可】

Unknown