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RESEARCH AT THE GULF ECOLOGY DIVISION ON THE EFFECTS OF LOW DISSOLVED OXYGEN ON ESTUARINE ANIMALS
Citation:
Goodman, L R. AND J G. Campbell. RESEARCH AT THE GULF ECOLOGY DIVISION ON THE EFFECTS OF LOW DISSOLVED OXYGEN ON ESTUARINE ANIMALS. Presented at Gulf of Mexico Symposium 2000, Mobile, AL, 9-12 April 2000.
Description:
Concerns about hypoxia and its effects on saltwater organisms are increasing as environmental conditions in the inshore and nearshore marine environments are better understood. Along the Gulf of Mexico coast, periods of very low dissolved oxygen (D.O.) concentrations have been reported for bays and estuaries such as Perdido Bay, Alabama/Florida, Mobile Bay, Alabama, Escambia Bay, Florida, and for larger offshore areas along the Louisiana and upper Texas coasts. An experimental apparatus for conducting experiments with low D.O. was fabricated at the Gulf Ecology Division and is being used in a research project to determine the relative sensitivity of estuarine animals. The apparatus is computer-controlled and provides water at the desired temperature, D.O. concentrations and flow rates. Seawater flows in a microlayer through a column under vacuum where dissolved gases are removed. Degassed seawater is automatically mixed with oxygen-saturated seawater to achieve the desired experimental concentrations. The apparatus is capable of simultaneously providing up to six experimental D.O. concentrations ranging from 0.5 mg/l to saturation at flow rates from 0.1 to 1.5 l/min. Our testing program targets young organisms found inshore during summer and tests have been conducted on several species including mysids, blue crabs, pink shrimp, and shortnose sturgeon.