The Effects of Nitrogen and Sediment Loadings on Water Quality in the Virginia Western Shore Tributa
- Published:
- March 1, 1998
- Originator:
- Chesapeake Bay Program
The Rappahannock, York and James Rivers each exhibit response in their estuarine receiving waters to inputs at their fall lines. However, these response are not identical in each of the rivers, nor are they identical to Patuxent River in their response. Chlorophyll-a in the tidal fresh portions of both the York and James Rivers exhibited the same decline with increased river flow and TN loading as was observed in the tidal fresh Patuxent River. similarly, NO23 concentrations obsserved in the lower James river at any given TN loading rate atthe fall line. Some of the water quality patterns in these estuaries are very remarkable and merit further investigation. In particular, it would be worthwhile to investigate the extent of the light-limitation of phytoplankton growth rates and the role of flusing processes in regulating water quality in the estuaries.