Research Objectives

• Mapping the extent of hypoxic water (< 2mg/L) across the Louisiana and Texas inner to mid continental shelf, along with associated physical, chemical and biological parameters. Associated rate measurements of biogeochemical processes.

Projects

• Oxygen isotopes, respiration measurements
• POC/PONspatial distribution;
• Primary production with C14, nitrogen cycling with N15
• Surface pCO2, alkalinity, pH, DIC; bottom water alkalinity, pH
• Microassays for nutrient limitation of phytoplankton growth and microbial fingerprinting of substrates, surface and bottom water
• Benthic foraminiferal distributions and assessment of living individuals (stating techniques) with depth in sediment cores
• Sediment cores for paleoindicators of productivity and oxygen stress
• Potential collection of water column and sediments for petroleum hydrocarbons

Principal Investigators

• Nancy Rabalais, Louisiana Universities Marine Consortium
• Brian Roberts, Louisiana Universities Marine Consortium
• Geoff Sinclair, Louisiana Universities Marine Consortium
• Dubravko Justic, Louisiana State University
• Chunyan Li, Louisiana State University
• Brian Fry, Louisiana State Unviersity
• Don Scavia, University of Michigan

Funded by

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Center for Sponsored Coastal Ocean Research, NGOMEX09: Integrated Ecosystem Modeling of the Causes of Hypoxia (Rabalais et al.), grant numbers NA09NOS4780204 to Louisiana Universities Marine Consortium and NA09NOS4780230 to Louisiana State University.