Neuse River Estuary Modeling and Monitoring Project Stage 1: Hydrography and Circulation, Water Column Nutrients and Productivity, Sedimentary Processess and Benthic-Pelagic Coupling, and Benthic Ecology.

摘要

There is widespread concern that water quality has declined substantially in the Neuse River Estuary during the past 20 years. This concern peaked during the summer and fall of 1995 due to the occurrence of an unusually large number of significant fish kills. In an attempt to reverse this decline, a 30 percent reduction in nitrogen loading to the Neuse was legislated by the State of North Carolina in 1997 and frequent calls remain for even more dramatic nutrient reductions. The Neuse River Estuary Modeling and Monitoring (ModMon) project was initiated in 1997 to bring coordinated modeling and observational capabilities to assist with the management question of how to best improve water quality in the Neuse. The primary objectives of the monitoring have been (1) to build an observational database in the Neuse River Estuary that can support and complement the ongoing water quality/ecosystem modeling in the system and (2) to conduct simple, process-based research that enhances our understanding of the basic behavior of the Neuse River Estuary. In both case these objectives have been focused towards providing guidance for management actions and providing information to allow objective assessments of the effectiveness of management actions in the Neuse.