SGER: Effect of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita on Sediment Metabolism and Biogeochemical Functioning of Marshes in Coastal Louisiana and Texas

卡特里娜飓风和丽塔飓风对路易斯安那州和德克萨斯州沿海湿地沉积物代谢和生物地球化学功能的影响萨antha Joye，乔治亚大学雅典分校GAKaren McKee，美国地质调查局国家湿地研究中心Lafayette法律我们将对路易斯安那州和德克萨斯州最近（2005年）主要飓风影响的沿海沼泽沉积物代谢进行研究。总体目标是记录与飓风有关的风暴沉积和植物死亡对沿海沼泽沉积物中微生物过程的影响。飓风是自然的，但潜在的灾难性干扰会影响沿海湿地。飓风对生态系统过程的影响包括驱动生物群落组成、能量流、地貌、当地和/或区域水文以及养分循环的变化。2005年8月29日登陆美国墨西哥湾沿岸的四级飓风“卡特里娜”和2005年9月24日登陆美国墨西哥湾沿岸的三级飓风“丽塔”造成的洪水造成的灾难性影响，使全国的注意力集中在湿地在缓冲沿海地区免受大风暴和海平面上升的长期影响方面的作用上。虽然人们对飓风的负面影响给予了很大的注意，但这些周期性的扰动在向与河流沉积物源隔绝的日益恶化的沼泽提供沉积物方面可能是重要的。目前，我们还不了解沿海沼泽对急性干扰和/或沉积物突然输入的生物地球化学反应。卡特里娜飓风和丽塔飓风经过路易斯安那州和德克萨斯州沿海地区，为研究重大扰动事件如何影响沼泽沉积物代谢提供了机会。

Effects of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita on Sediment Metabolism and Biogeochemical Functioning of Marshes in Coastal Louisiana and TexasSamantha Joye, University of Georgia, Athens GAKaren McKee, USGS National Wetlands Research Center, Lafayette LAWe will conduct a study of sediment metabolism in coastal marshes impacted in by recent (2005) major hurricanes in Louisiana and Texas. The overall objectives are to document the impact of hurricane-related storm deposition and plant mortality on microbial processes in coastal marsh sediments. Hurricanes are natural, but potentially catastrophic disturbances that affect coastal wetlands. The effects of hurricanes on ecosystem processes include driving changes in biological community composition, energy flows, geomorphology, local and/or regional hydrology, and nutrient cycling. The catastrophic impact of Hurricane Katrina, a Category 4 hurricane that made landfall on the U.S. Gulf Coast on August 29, 2005, and the flooding caused by Hurricane Rita, a Category 3 storm that made landfall on the U.S. Gulf Coast on September 24, 2005, have focused national attention on the role of wetlands in buffering coastal areas from major storms and long-term effects of sea-level rise. Although much attention is being paid to negative impacts of hurricanes, these periodic disturbances may be important in supplying sediment to deteriorating marshes cut off from river sediment sources. Currently, we do not understand the biogeochemical response of coastal marshes to acute disturbance and/or sudden inputs of sediment. The passage of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita over coastal Louisiana and Texas provides an opportunity to study how a major disturbance event affects marsh sediment metabolism.