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WATER QUALITY IN THE NEAR COASTAL WATERS OF THE GULF OF MEXICO AFFECTED BY HURRICANE KATRINA: BEFORE AND AFTER THE STORM
Citation:
SMITH, L. M., J. M. MACAULEY, L. C. HARWELL, AND C. A. CHANCY. WATER QUALITY IN THE NEAR COASTAL WATERS OF THE GULF OF MEXICO AFFECTED BY HURRICANE KATRINA: BEFORE AND AFTER THE STORM. ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT. Springer-Verlag, New York, NY, 44(1):149-162, (2009).
Impact/Purpose:
To determine the effect of Hurricane Katrina on water quality in Gulf Coast coastal waters.
Description:
Water quality was assessed following Hurricane Katrina in the affected waters of Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana. Post-landfall water quality was compared to pre-hurricane conditions using indicators assessed by EPA's National Coastal Assessment program and additional indicators of contaminants in water an dpathogens. Water quality data collected after Hurricane Katrina indicate that the coastal waters affected by the storm were diluted by incoming Gulf water and mixed by wave and wind action. These indications include a decrease in salinity following the storm and an increase in bottom dissolved oxygen concentrations. Contaminant concentrations measured in the water column were very low or not detected, as were the presence of pathogens. Overall water quality did not differ from water quality assessed in the five years preceding the storm. Post hurricane water quality assessments may indicate that the Gulf of Mexico estuaries impacted by Katrina are extremely resilient. Natural disturbances, such as hurricanes, may allow for purging and turnover in these sytems and help maintain and improve water quality.