SGER: Effect of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita on Sediment Metabolism and Biogeochemical Functioning of Marshes in Coastal Louisiana and Texas

University Of Georgia Research Foundation Inc, Athens GA

Investigators

Abstract

Effects of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita on Sediment Metabolism and Biogeochemical Functioning of Marshes in Coastal Louisiana and Texas Samantha Joye, University of Georgia, Athens GA Karen McKee, USGS National Wetlands Research Center, Lafayette LA We will conduct a study of sediment metabolism in coastal marshes impacted in by recent (2005) major hurricanes in Louisiana and Texas. The overall objectives are to document the impact of hurricane-related storm deposition and plant mortality on microbial processes in coastal marsh sediments. Hurricanes are natural, but potentially catastrophic disturbances that affect coastal wetlands. The effects of hurricanes on ecosystem processes include driving changes in biological community composition, energy flows, geomorphology, local and/or regional hydrology, and nutrient cycling. The catastrophic impact of Hurricane Katrina, a Category 4 hurricane that made landfall on the U.S. Gulf Coast on August 29, 2005, and the flooding caused by Hurricane Rita, a Category 3 storm that made landfall on the U.S. Gulf Coast on September 24, 2005, have focused national attention on the role of wetlands in buffering coastal areas from major storms and long-term effects of sea-level rise. Although much attention is being paid to negative impacts of hurricanes, these periodic disturbances may be important in supplying sediment to deteriorating marshes cut off from river sediment sources. Currently, we do not understand the biogeochemical response of coastal marshes to acute disturbance and/or sudden inputs of sediment. The passage of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita over coastal Louisiana and Texas provides an opportunity to study how a major disturbance event affects marsh sediment metabolism.