. Coast watch. Marine resources; Oceanography; Coastal zone management; Coastal ecology. dune erosion during storms. Sea Grant researchers will learn more about the forces that caused this erosion at Topsail Beach estuaries Photo by Jim Strickland The Albemarle-Pamlico Sound system is the second largest estuary in the nation, stretching from Currituck to Carteret counties. It accommodates numerous finfish and shellfish nursery areas and supports diverse commer- cial and sportfishing industries. M That adds up to at least $130 million for the state each year. â But this valuable estuary is thre
. Coast watch. Marine resources; Oceanography; Coastal zone management; Coastal ecology. dune erosion during storms. Sea Grant researchers will learn more about the forces that caused this erosion at Topsail Beach estuaries Photo by Jim Strickland The Albemarle-Pamlico Sound system is the second largest estuary in the nation, stretching from Currituck to Carteret counties. It accommodates numerous finfish and shellfish nursery areas and supports diverse commer- cial and sportfishing industries. M That adds up to at least $130 million for the state each year. â But this valuable estuary is threatened. H Burgeoning populations in nearby counties add new pressures to water use. More sediments and nutrients like nitrogen and phospho- rus find their way down the rivers into the sounds. â The results range from declines in some fisheries to nuisance algal blooms that surface in the summer. â Water quality managers are worried. They need more data on the current status of the sound system to find ways to protect it for future use. â Sea Grant researchers are hoping to fill the void. â Biologist Hans Paerl and physicist Richard Leuttich with the University of North Carolina Insti- tute of Marine Sciences plan to develop a new way to estimate the productivity of the estuary. They'll look at how much food is produced by algae, the first link in the estuary's food chain. Knowing this will tell them how much food is available to other. Sea Grant will focus much of its research on the e plants and animals. â Paerl and Leuttich will also examine the feeding activi- ties of zooplankton, the next link in the chain. â To get the most accurate results, the team will sample the water at various points in Pamlico Sound. Then they'll simulate the water's turbid conditions by spinning the samples in a horizontal wheel and exposing them to different amounts of light. â Using this approach, the team can tell how the food chain varies seasonally and under different environmental con
Size: 2355px × 1061px
Photo credit: © The Book Worm / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookcollectionunclibra, booksubjectoceanography
