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Spatial and seasonal dynamics of phosphorous and physicochemical variables in the Negro River Estuary (Argentina): a preliminary approach

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Abstract

Nutrient discharge into rivers and estuaries and the factors that control it need to be further understood to decrease the risk of harmful algae blooms on these ecosystems. Preliminary seasonal physicochemical parameters at six stations along the Negro River Estuary (Argentina) were studied during 2019 (Austral summer, winter, and spring) with high- and low-frequency data. Three of the stations were mainly estuarine-influenced and three were marine-influenced ones. The concentration of phosphate (P), river discharge, meteorological conditions, seasonality, and physicochemical variables were analyzed. Total phosphorus (TP) showed seasonal variations and was higher than previously reported for the upper watershed in all stations in the warmer months, except for the marine control one. Orthophosphate values were also high compared to previous watershed data and changed independently of TP fluctuations. Changing turbidity, water temperature, pH, and conductivity did not appear to have an essential role in phosphorus variations. An unexplained high TP spike in the late spring sample shows the need for further research in the area, while the seawater mixing with P-rich river water could be acting as a dilution agent at the mouth of the river.

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Fig. 1

Source: Administrative boundaries and hydrography features were obtained from Instituto Geográfico Nacional de la República Argentina (IGN) database, and watershed delimitation corresponds to the Subsecretaría de Recursos Hídricos de la Nación Argentina (SRHN) e Instituto Nacional del Agua (INA) database. Topography was represented on the Shuttle Radar Topographic Mission (SRTM) Digital Elevation Model (DEM) data (United States Geological Survey, USGS) (Farr et al. 2007)

Fig. 2
Fig. 3

Source: data from the 2015 CCI-LC project (ESA 2017). Hydrography features were obtained from Instituto Geográfico Nacional de la República Argentina (IGN) database

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Abbreviations

PO4 3− :

Orthophosphate

TP:

Total phosphorus

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Acknowledgements

Authors wish to thank the ESA Project and the United States Geological Survey (USGS) for their satellite data provision, the Instituto Geográfico Nacional de la República Argentina (IGN) and Subsecretaría de Recursos Hídricos de la Nación Argentina (SRHN) e Instituto Nacional del Agua (INA) for vector data provision, and personnel of the Prefectura Naval Argentina at the Carmen de Patagones headquarters for providing us with aid and permission to sample at the site.

Funding

This work was funded through an Agencia Nacional de Promoción de Ciencia y Tecnología grant (PICT 2016/373) and partly supported by a grant from Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research (IAI) CRN3038, which is supported by the US National Science Foundation (Grant GEO-1128040), and an IAI-CONICET special grant as well as a grant from the Universidad Nacional del Sur (PGI 24/H081).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Instituto Argentino de Oceanografía (IADO-CONICET-UNS), Camino La Carrindanga km 7 E1, B8000CPB, Bahía Blanca, Argentina

    Vanesa L. Perillo, María Clara Menéndez, Ana C. Ronda, Alejandro J. Vitale, Gerardo M. E. Perillo, M. Cintia Piccolo & Diana G. Cuadrado

  2. Departamento de Biología, Bioquímica y Farmacia, Universidad Nacional del Sur, San Juan 670 Piso 1, B8000ICN, Bahía Blanca, Argentina

    Vanesa L. Perillo & Ana C. Ronda

  3. Departamento de Geografía y Turismo, Universidad Nacional del Sur, 12 de Octubre y San Juan, B8000CPB, Bahía Blanca, Argentina

    Vanesa Y. Bohn, Alejandro J. Vitale & M. Cintia Piccolo

  4. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), CCT Bahía Blanca, Camino de la Carrindanga km 7, B8000CPB, Bahía Blanca, Argentina

    Vanesa L. Perillo, Vanesa Y. Bohn, María Clara Menéndez, Ana C. Ronda, Alejandro J. Vitale, Gerardo M. E. Perillo, M. Cintia Piccolo & Diana G. Cuadrado

  5. Departamento de Ingeniería Eléctrica y de Computadoras, Universidad Nacional del Sur, San Andrés 800, B8000, Bahía Blanca, Argentina

    Alejandro J. Vitale

  6. Departamento de Geología, Universidad Nacional del Sur, Alem 1253 2 Piso 2 Cuerpo B, B8000ICN, Bahía Blanca, Argentina

    Gerardo M. E. Perillo & Diana G. Cuadrado

Authors
  1. Vanesa L. Perillo
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  2. Vanesa Y. Bohn
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  3. María Clara Menéndez
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  4. Ana C. Ronda
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  5. Alejandro J. Vitale
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  6. Gerardo M. E. Perillo
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  7. M. Cintia Piccolo
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  8. Diana G. Cuadrado
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Contributions

VLP, idea generation, data processing and interpretation, and writing/reviewing; VYB, idea generation, gathering data and GIS processing, and writing/reviewing; MCM, idea generation, sampling, data processing, and writing/reviewing; ACR, idea generation, sampling, and writing/reviewing; AJ Vitale, idea generation, sampling, data processing, sensor development, and writing/reviewing; GMEP, idea generation, data interpretation, and writing/reviewing; MCP, idea generation and writing/reviewing; DGC, idea generation and writing/reviewing.

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Correspondence to Vanesa L. Perillo.

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Perillo, V.L., Bohn, V.Y., Menéndez, M.C. et al. Spatial and seasonal dynamics of phosphorous and physicochemical variables in the Negro River Estuary (Argentina): a preliminary approach. Environ Sci Pollut Res 29, 15490–15500 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-021-16890-z

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