SGER: Collaborative Research: Contribution of the 2008 Midwestern Flood to Gulf Hypoxia

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CBET-0843220RabalaisThis SGER award is for urgent research in response to a record Midwestern flood that is contributing large fluxes of nutrients to the Gulf of Mexico, exacerbating hypoxia. The investigators will perform mass balances on nutrient fluxes along the crest of the flood by synthesizing their own monitoring data and that of other researchers. They have identified and listed key science questions that remain regarding the development and mitigation of Gulf Hypoxia, and have formulated a governing hypothesis that record flooding has caused peak nutrient loadings which will, in turn, cause the largest Gulf Hypoxia ever. Their research will test this hypothesis. Gulf of Mexico hypoxia is prototypical of widespread coastal eutrophication caused by excessive nitrogen and phosphorus export from landscapes and river basins in many regions of the U.S. The research will have wide applicability across the U.S. in helping to understand the role of flood events on nutrient drivers and possibly to suggest more effective policies and management strategies during peak flood events.