Biogeochemistry of Estuaries

by Bianchi, Thomas S.

• ISBN13: 9780195160826
• ISBN10: 0195160827
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2006-09-14
• Publisher: Oxford University Press

Summary

Biogeochemistry of Estuaries offers a comprehensive and interdisciplinary approach to understanding biogeochemical cycling in estuaries. Designed as a text for intermediate to advanced students, this book utilizes numerous illustrations and an extensive literature base to impart the current state-of-the-art knowledge in this field. While many of the existing books in estuarine science are comprised of edited volumes, typically focused on highly specific topics in estuaries, Biogeochemistry of Estuaries provides, for the first time, a unique foundation in the areas of geomorphology, geochemistry, biochemistry, aqueous chemistry, and ecology, while making strong linkages (trhoughout the text) to ecosystem-based processes in estuarine sciences. Estuaries, located at the interface between land and the coastal ocean are dynamic, highly productive systems that, in many cases, have been historically associated with development of many of the great centers of early human civilization. Consequentially, these systems have and continue to be highly impacted by anthropogenic inputs. This timely book takes the foundational basis of elemental cycling in estuarine and applies it to estuarine management issues. Biogeochemistry of Estuaries will be welcomed by estuarine/marine scientists, ecologists, biogeochemists, and environmentalists around the world.

Author Biography

Thomas S. Bianchi is a Professor in the Department of Oceanography at Texas A&M University, College Station

Table of Contents

1 Estuarine Science and Biogeochemical Cycles	3	(8)
Importance of Estuaries	3	(1)
Description of Estuarine Science	3	(3)
Human Impact on Estuaries and Management Issues	6	(3)
Biogeochemical Cycles in Estuaries	9	(1)
Summary	10	(1)
I Physical Dynamics of Estuaries	11	(44)
2 Origin and Geomorphology	13	(21)
Age, Formation, and Classification	13	(6)
Distribution and Sedimentary Processes within Estuarine Types	19	(13)
Summary	32	(2)
3 Hydrodynamics	34	(23)
Hydrologic Cycle	34	(7)
General Circulation, Mixing Patterns, and Salt Balance	41	(9)
Residence Times	50	(3)
Summary	53	(2)
II Chemistry of Estuarine Waters	55	(46)
4 Physical Properties and Gradients	57	(27)
Thermodynamic Equilibrium Models and Kinetics	57	(3)
Physical Properties of Water and Solubility of Salts	60	(5)
Sources and Mixing of Dissolved Salts in Estuaries	65	(7)
Concepts and Measurement of Salinity	72	(2)
Reactivity of Dissolved Constituents	74	(1)
Ion Activity, Speciation, and Equilibrium Models	75	(5)
Effects of Suspended Particulates and Chemical Interactions	80	(1)
Summary	81	(3)
5 Dissolved Gases in Water	84	(19)
Composition of the Atmosphere	85	(2)
Atmosphere–Water Exchange	87	(3)
Water-to-Air Fluxes of Carbon Dioxide and Other Dissolved Gases in Estuaries	90	(9)
Summary	99	(2)
III Properties of Estuarine Sediments	101	(74)
6 Sources and Distribution of Sediments	103	(16)
Weathering Processes	103	(3)
Erosion, Transport, and Sedimentation	106	(5)
Estuarine Turbidity Maximum, Benthic Boundary Layer, and Fluid Muds	111	(6)
Summary	117	(2)
7 Isotope Geochemistry	119	(58)
Basic Principles of Radioactivity	119	(3)
Radionuclides in Estuarine Research	122	(37)
Stable Isotopes	159	(12)
Summary	171	(4)
IV Organic Matter Sources and Transformation	175	(122)
8 Organic Matter Cycling	177	(47)
Production of Organic Matter	177	(4)
Particulate and Dissolved Organic Matter in Estuaries	181	(19)
Decomposition of Organic Detritus	200	(4)
Early Diagenesis	204	(10)
Animal-Sediment Relations and Organic Matter Cycling	214	(3)
Controls on the Preservation of Organic Matter in Estuarine Sediments	217	(4)
Summary	221	(3)
9 Characterization of Organic Matter	224	(73)
Bulk Organic Matter Techniques	224	(11)
Molecular Biomarkers	235	(59)
Summary	294	(3)
V Nutrient and Trace Metal Cycling	297	(166)
10 Nitrogen Cycle	299	(47)
Sources of Nitrogen to Estuaries	299	(12)
Transformations and Cycling of Inorganic and Organic Nitrogen	311	(15)
Sediment-Water Exchange of Dissolved Nitrogen	326	(10)
Nitrogen Budgets for Selected Estuaries	336	(7)
Summary	343	(3)
11 Phosphorus and Silica Cycles	346	(27)
Sources of Phosphorus to Estuaries	346	(5)
Phosphorus Fluxes Across the Sediment-Water Interface	351	(6)
Cycling of Inorganic and Organic Phosphorus	357	(5)
Phosphorus Budgets from Selected Estuaries	362	(3)
Sources of Silica to Estuaries	365	(3)
Silica Cycling	368	(5)
Summary	373	(1)
12 Sulfur Cycle	373	(22)
Sources of Sulfur to Estuaries	373	(2)
Cycling of Inorganic and Organic Sulfur in Estuarine Sediments	375	(13)
Cycling of Inorganic and Organic Sulfur in Estuarine Waters	388	(5)
Summary	393	(2)
13 Carbon Cycle	395	(41)
The Global Carbon Cycle	395	(1)
Transformations and Cycling of Dissolved Inorganic Carbon	396	(6)
Carbon Dioxide and Methane Emissions in Estuaries	402	(11)
Transformations and Cycling of Dissolved and Particulate Organic Carbon	413	(9)
The Ecological Transfer of Carbon	422	(1)
Carbon Budgets for Selected Estuaries	423	(11)
Summary	434	(2)
14 Trace Metal Cycling	436	(27)
Sources and Abundance of Trace Metals	436	(2)
Background on Metal Ion Chemistry	438	(6)
Trace Metal Cycling in the Water Column	444	(12)
Trace Metal Cycling and Fluxes in Sediments	456	(5)
Summary	461	(2)
VI Anthropogenic Inputs to Estuaries	463	(30)
15 Anthropogenic Stressors in Estuaries	465	(28)
Anthropogenic Change in Estuaries	465	(5)
Partitioning and Toxicity of Trace Metals	470	(2)
Partitioning and Toxicity of Hydrophobic Organic Contaminants	472	(9)
Nutrient Loading and Eutrophication	481	(5)
Historical Reconstruction of Environmental Change	486	(5)
Summary	491	(2)
VII Global Impact of Estuaries	493	(13)
16 Estuarine—Coastal Interactions	495	(11)
Rivers, Estuaries, and the Coastal Ocean	495	(3)
River-Dominated Ocean Margins	498	(4)
Groundwater Inputs to the Coastal Ocean	502	(2)
Summary	504	(2)
Appendices	506	(6)
1 Atomic Weights of Elements	506	(3)
2 SI Units and Conversion Factors	509	(2)
3 Physical and Chemical Constants	511	(1)
4 Geologic Timetable	511	(1)
Glossary	512	(23)
References	535	(154)
Index	689