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Spatiotemporal Variation of Trace Elements and Stable Isotopes in Subtropical Estuaries: II. Regional, Local, and Seasonal Salinity-Element Relationships

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Abstract

Trace elements and stable isotopes are commonly used in chronologically formed biominerals as proxies of temperature and/or salinity in estuarine and marine environments. To accurately use the chemistry of biominerals as salinity proxies, understanding the consistency of dissolved element-salinity relationships across spatiotemporal scales is essential. We examined relationships between dissolved Ba:Ca, Sr:Ca, Mg:Ca, Mn:Ca, δ18O, and salinity on regional, local, and seasonal scales in the lower portions of subtropical estuaries (salinities 15–42 ppt) of Texas, including locations where seasonal alternations between negative and positive estuaries can occur. Across all spatiotemporal scales, Ba:Ca displayed a negative linear relationship within the sampled salinity range and was elevated at sites furthest from the ocean and lowest at locations closest to the Gulf of Mexico. This pattern remained consistent as the neutral estuary switched from negative to positive after a rain event. On regional scales, δ18O displayed a positive linear relationship with salinity and was strongly related to evaporation rates. On local and seasonal scales, evaporation-enriched δ18O at upper enclosed estuarine sites and this pattern was consistent over time including periods of reverse estuary conditions. Dissolved Sr:Ca and Mg:Ca varied linearly with salinity on regional scales but displayed minimal variation across temporal scales within an estuary. High variability in dissolved Mn:Ca-salinity relations was found at all spatiotemporal scales, with localized episodic peaks of Mn:Ca possibly due to sediment disturbance. Although dissolved Ba:Ca and δ18O were not predictably related to salinity on local scales, consistent up-estuary enrichment and lower-estuary depletion make these two constituents reliable proxies for animal movements across the ocean–estuary gradient as recorded in chronologically formed biominerals.

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Acknowledgments

We are much obliged for the assistance of J. Barnes, D. Breecker, J. Banner, and N. Miller at the Jackson School of Geosciences for help with sample analysis and R. Mooney, B. Dean, L. Pollard, and staff at the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department for help with sample collection. Helpful comments were provided by G. Ward, two anonymous reviewers, and editor D. Swaney that considerably improved the manuscript. This work was conducted in part in the Mission-Aransas National Estuarine Research Reserve, part of the National Estuarine Reserve System under an award from the Estuarine Reserves Division, Office of Ocean and Coastal Resource Management, National Ocean Service, and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Funding during this study was provided by Mission-Aransas National Estuarine Research Reserve GRA to J. Mohan and EPA STAR fellowship to J. Mohan.

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  1. Marine Science Institute, The University of Texas at Austin, 750 Channel View Drive, Port Aransas, TX, 78373, USA

    John A. Mohan & Benjamin D. Walther

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  1. John A. Mohan
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Correspondence to John A. Mohan.

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Communicated by Dennis Swaney

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Mohan, J.A., Walther, B.D. Spatiotemporal Variation of Trace Elements and Stable Isotopes in Subtropical Estuaries: II. Regional, Local, and Seasonal Salinity-Element Relationships. Estuaries and Coasts 38, 769–781 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12237-014-9876-4

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