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Phytoplankton Dynamics in a Low-Inflow Estuary (Baffin Bay, TX) During Drought and High-Rainfall Conditions Associated with an El Niño Event

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Abstract

Low freshwater inflow estuaries are common worldwide, yet our understanding of phytoplankton dynamics in these systems is limited compared to river-influenced estuaries. Combining 3 years of monthly sampling data with analysis of a lower frequency, multidecadal dataset, we examined nutrient-phytoplankton dynamics in Baffin Bay-Upper Laguna Madre, TX (USA), a low-inflow lagoonal estuary. During a low rainfall, high salinity period (corresponding with non-El Niño conditions), phytoplankton community biovolume was high and consisted of a near monoculture of the harmful “brown tide” organism, Aureoumbra lagunensis. With the onset of El Niño conditions, rainfall increased and salinity decreased. Other phytoplankton groups became more prevalent, namely diatoms and the mixotrophic ciliate, Mesodinium sp., while prevalence of A. lagunensis declined. Although El Niño conditions corresponded with increased inorganic nitrogen concentrations, this did not lead to a near-term (weeks-months) increase in phytoplankton biovolume, indicating that the stimulatory effects of nutrient pulses may have been countered by the decreased residence times associated with increased inflow. Overall, results demonstrate that low freshwater inflows, as well as high residence times and salinities, can lead to increased phytoplankton biomass and decreased phytoplankton diversity, despite relatively low external nutrient loadings. With future expansion of arid/semiarid regions and/or increasing human freshwater demands, Baffin Bay and similar systems may experience lower inflows, more pronounced hypersalinity, and presumably less diverse phytoplankton communities, potentially dominated by harmful taxa as seen here.

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Acknowledgements

We thank the dedicated citizen scientist volunteers who were integral in the Baffin Bay data collections, including the following: Jim Atkins, Frank Baumann, Jerry Bjork, Jan Cannamore, Al Gordon, Michael Henry, Carl Hooker, Thomas Mullenix, Scott Murray, David Rowsey, Ron Ryon, Jim Scoggins, Charles Sellers, Diane Sellers, John Sutton, and Paul Wimberly. We thank the following individuals for assistance with sample processing: Victor Batres, Kalman Bugica, Tiffany Chen, Kelsey Fisher, Anne-Marie Gavlas, Ken Hayes, Elizabeth Obst, Cory Staryk, Jessica Tolan, Sarah Tominack, Lily Walker, and Hongjie Wang. We thank Dr. Joseph D. Felix, Dr. Christopher J. Gobler, Dr. Longzhuang Li, and Dr. Blair Sterba-Boatwright for their constructive suggestions on this manuscript. We also thank two anonymous reviewers for their constructive suggestions on the manuscript.

Funding

This work was supported in part by an Institutional Grant (award no. NA14OAR4170102) to the Texas Sea Grant College Program from the National Sea Grant Office, by grants from the Texas Coastal Management Program approved by the Texas Land Commissioner pursuant to National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (award numbers NA14NOS4190139 and NA17NOS4190139), and with funding from the Celanese Corporation, Kleberg County, Coastal Conservation Association, Saltwater Fisheries Enhancement Association, and Coastal Bend Bays & Estuaries Program.

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  1. Department of Physical, Environmental and Natural Sciences, Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi, 6300 Ocean Dr., Unit 5802, Corpus Christi, TX, 78412, USA

    Emily K. Cira

  2. Harte Research Institute for Gulf of Mexico Studies, Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi, 6300 Ocean Dr, Corpus Christi, TX, 78412, USA

    Emily K. Cira, Terence A. Palmer & Michael S. Wetz

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Cira, E.K., Palmer, T.A. & Wetz, M.S. Phytoplankton Dynamics in a Low-Inflow Estuary (Baffin Bay, TX) During Drought and High-Rainfall Conditions Associated with an El Niño Event. Estuaries and Coasts 44, 1752–1764 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12237-021-00904-7

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