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SPATIAL AND TEMPORAL VARIATION IN NITROGEN CONCENTRATIONS AND PHYTOPLANKTON IN THREE NORTHWEST FLORIDA BAYOUS
Citation:
Smith, L M., W G. Craven Jr., J M. Macauley, AND J K. Summers. SPATIAL AND TEMPORAL VARIATION IN NITROGEN CONCENTRATIONS AND PHYTOPLANKTON IN THREE NORTHWEST FLORIDA BAYOUS. Presented at Gulf of Mexico Symposium 2000, Mobile, AL, April 9-12, 2000.
Description:
Nitrogen concentrations are important indicators of the condition of the estuarine waters of the northern Gulf of Mexico. Elevated levels of inorganic nitrogen as ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate have been associated with increased concentrations of chlorophyll a in the water column. Forty stations were established in the Pensacola Bay System, FL and sampled quarterly from 1997-1998. Mean concentrations of inorganic nitrogen and chlorophyll a were higher in all three bayous as compared to open waters. Quarterly sampling over a two-year period in Bayou Chico, Bayou Grande, and Bayou Texar indicated that the bayous of the Pensacola Bay system supported increased phytoplankton populations, possibly related to increased nutrient loading. Annually, organic nitrogen concentrations in Bayou Texar were almost twice those found in Bayou Chico and Bayou Grande. In addition, nutrient samples taken from Bayou Texar showed, on average, much higher nitrogen concentrations in the spring. The large freshwater input and residential fertilizer application along Bayou Texar may contribute a large fraction of the inorganic nitrogen in early spring. High nitrogen concentrations in conjunction with increased chlorophyll a concentrations are indicative of excess available nitrogen in the bayous and can have significant effects on the ecosystem's trophic status.