The fluxes of organic carbon and nutrients in Southampton water
The fluxes of organic carbon and nutrients in Southampton water
An organic carbon budget is described for an urbanised, industrial estuary - Southampton Water, the site of one of 3'suropes largest oil refineries. This present work, which was part of n collaborative study of the estuary, considers the more chemical and mathematical aspects.Seasonal variation of organic material, determinedas dissolved and particulate organic carbon, and nutrients were measured alongside plankton production and respiration. The organic and nutrient inputs of the rivers, major sewage and industrial effluents were determined. Preliminary in situ measurements of seasonal variation of sublittoral sediment respiration and nutrient release were also made. A continuous, automated, photo-oxidation method for determining dissolved organic carbon was developed following investigation of aspects of the UV-photo-degradation of organic material in seawater. The major external source of organic material and ammonia was industry, of nitrate, the rivers and of phosphate, sewage effluents. During the winter period, biological turnover was small in comparison. However, during the mid-summer phytoplankton bloom photosynthetic production exceeded external inputs with resultant reduction of nutrient concentrations. In summer the combined fluxes of organic material due to sediment and water column respiration were comparable with the external input. A segmented tidal prism model of Southampton Water was developed, which enabled the observed input and biological turnover data to be incorporated in the prediction of observed levels. Organic material, oxygen and in particular inorganic nitrogen, were successfully modelled for winter and summer situations. The agreement between observed and predicted data supported the overall accuracy of the organic carbon and nutrient fluxes determined.
University of Southampton
1978
Collins, Kenneth John
(1978)
The fluxes of organic carbon and nutrients in Southampton water.
University of Southampton, Doctoral Thesis.
Record type:
Thesis
(Doctoral)
Abstract
An organic carbon budget is described for an urbanised, industrial estuary - Southampton Water, the site of one of 3'suropes largest oil refineries. This present work, which was part of n collaborative study of the estuary, considers the more chemical and mathematical aspects.Seasonal variation of organic material, determinedas dissolved and particulate organic carbon, and nutrients were measured alongside plankton production and respiration. The organic and nutrient inputs of the rivers, major sewage and industrial effluents were determined. Preliminary in situ measurements of seasonal variation of sublittoral sediment respiration and nutrient release were also made. A continuous, automated, photo-oxidation method for determining dissolved organic carbon was developed following investigation of aspects of the UV-photo-degradation of organic material in seawater. The major external source of organic material and ammonia was industry, of nitrate, the rivers and of phosphate, sewage effluents. During the winter period, biological turnover was small in comparison. However, during the mid-summer phytoplankton bloom photosynthetic production exceeded external inputs with resultant reduction of nutrient concentrations. In summer the combined fluxes of organic material due to sediment and water column respiration were comparable with the external input. A segmented tidal prism model of Southampton Water was developed, which enabled the observed input and biological turnover data to be incorporated in the prediction of observed levels. Organic material, oxygen and in particular inorganic nitrogen, were successfully modelled for winter and summer situations. The agreement between observed and predicted data supported the overall accuracy of the organic carbon and nutrient fluxes determined.
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Published date: 1978
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Local EPrints ID: 462580
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/462580
PURE UUID: d446a0a5-27e2-49f4-be51-eb6cdeade938
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Date deposited: 04 Jul 2022 19:25
Last modified: 04 Jul 2022 19:25
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Author:
Kenneth John Collins
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