14 - Nutrient Pollution from Tidal Flooding in Tidewater Virginia
Description/Abstract/Artist Statement
As a result of sea level rise, flooding in Tidewater Virginia has increased dramatically. This area has experienced one of the highest rates of relative sea level rise, because the land is also sinking. Consequently, several areas of Norfolk frequently have flooding issues at high tide during the spring tide portions of the monthly tidal cycles. When tidal flooding events transpire, nutrients and other contaminants have the potential to be washed into tidal rivers in the area. Learning the total nutrient load that ends up in floodwater and eventually, the ocean is vital in understanding the consequences of nutrient pollution in estuaries and oceans we are working to restore. Mulholland’s laboratory formerly determined that the total annual nutrient load allocated by the EPA for the Lafayette River could be delivered during a single “sunny day” flooding event. To figure out whether the same nutrient load was delivered each day that there was flooding, or if the load decreased over time when tidal flooding persisted for multiple days, we collected flood water samples from twelve sites that flooded on eight consecutive flood days. At the lab, the team filtered the water before freezing it for nutrient analysis. The hypothesis for this study is that nutrient loads are more elevated during the first days of tidal flooding and then decrease during subsequent flooding events.
Faculty Advisor/Mentor
Margaret Mulholland
Faculty Advisor/Mentor Department
Ocean and Earth Sciences
College Affiliation
College of Sciences
Presentation Type
Poster
Disciplines
Other Environmental Sciences
14 - Nutrient Pollution from Tidal Flooding in Tidewater Virginia
As a result of sea level rise, flooding in Tidewater Virginia has increased dramatically. This area has experienced one of the highest rates of relative sea level rise, because the land is also sinking. Consequently, several areas of Norfolk frequently have flooding issues at high tide during the spring tide portions of the monthly tidal cycles. When tidal flooding events transpire, nutrients and other contaminants have the potential to be washed into tidal rivers in the area. Learning the total nutrient load that ends up in floodwater and eventually, the ocean is vital in understanding the consequences of nutrient pollution in estuaries and oceans we are working to restore. Mulholland’s laboratory formerly determined that the total annual nutrient load allocated by the EPA for the Lafayette River could be delivered during a single “sunny day” flooding event. To figure out whether the same nutrient load was delivered each day that there was flooding, or if the load decreased over time when tidal flooding persisted for multiple days, we collected flood water samples from twelve sites that flooded on eight consecutive flood days. At the lab, the team filtered the water before freezing it for nutrient analysis. The hypothesis for this study is that nutrient loads are more elevated during the first days of tidal flooding and then decrease during subsequent flooding events.