| Study ID | Salishbenthicfluxes |
| Study Name | Springtime benthic fluxes in the Salish Sea |
| EIM Data Entry Review Status | Reviewed |
| Study Type | General environmental study |
| Study Purpose | Recent decades have seen changes to biogeochemical cycles in the Salish Sea, including
alterations in water column nutrients, an expansion of hypoxic zones, and bottom water
acidification. Marine sediments can be a major contributor to these biogeochemical cycles by exchanging solutes with bottom water. In an effort to understand the sediment biogeochemistry of the Salish Sea further, benthic fluxes of dissolved oxygen (DO), dissolved inorganic carbon(DIC), pH, total alkalinity (TA), and nutrients (ammonium, nitrate+nitrite, phosphate, silicate) between the sediment and the overlying water were directly measured using incubated flux cores at 42 sites in April and early May 2018. Explanatory variables describing bottom water conditions (salinity, temperature, DO, DIC, pH, and TA), sediment properties (grain size, total organic carbon, and C:N ratio), and site depth at the time of sampling were also collected.Denitrification estimates for each station were made using the benthic fluxes and estimates of C:N ratios of organic matter suspended in bottom water near each station.
This spatial study illuminates the varying contributions that sediments make to the functioning of Salish Sea biogeochemistry. Seasonal benthic flux measurements should be made to further understand and quantify the influence that sediments have on water column biogeochemistry in the Salish Sea. |
| Field Collection Date Range | 4/9/2018 - 5/8/2018 |
| Data First/Last Loaded Date |  |
| Data Last Updated Date | |
| Ecology Program or Other Responsible Entity | Ecy Environmental Assessment Program |
| Ecology Contact | Maggie Dutch |
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| Study QA Planning Level | LEVEL 4: Approved QAPP or SAP. |
| Study QA Project Plan Description | Unsigned Ecology QAPP was approved by QA officer in 2019. |
| Study QA Assessment Level | Level 4: Data Verified and Assessed for Usability in a Formal Study Report |
| Study Result Description | "Sample ID" field indicates time elapsed before sample was analyzed. “Field Collection Upper Depth” field indicates water column height above core in tube. |
| Study Comment | This study was funded through the Washington Department of Ecology and work was performed by Emma Rigby as part of an MS thesis project. The peer-reviewed published thesis can be found here: https://cedar.wwu.edu/wwuet/903/. |
| Linked Study | PSEMP_LT (Different studies in same general area, possibly at the same locations, conducted by one or more entities with similar goals. Might have different CSIDs, FSIDs, or grant numbers. Might be associated with same permit or QAPP, but different sampling year or QAPP cycle.)
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