FAS Abstracts 2004 Meeting Page

Atmospheric & Oceanographic Sciences (AOS): AOS-3

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Influence of hydrologic reconnection of a mangrove marsh impoundment on adjacent sediment and seagrass in the Indian River Lagoon, Florida.  M. LE LAY, F. BREHIN, and E. IRLANDI. Dept. of Marine and Environmental Systems, Florida Institute of Technology, Melbourne, FL  32901.  Four sites were sampled: two near culverts that provided hydrologic reconnection of the marsh to the lagoon, one midway between the two culverts, and a fourth south of the reconnected impoundment adjacent to a non-reconnected impoundment.  Percent cover of seagrass and canopy height were lower at the culvert sites than at the other two sites.  Amount of fine-grained sediments and sediment organic content were highest at the northern culvert as were pore water concentrations of ammonia, nitrate, and phosphate.  While both sites adjacent to culverts appeared to be influenced by the reconnection, release of water to an embayment with restricted circulation at the northern culvert appeared to have a more negative effect on the adjacent sediments and seagrass.