Circulation, suspended sediment and chlorophyll distributions associated with the Atchafalaya river discharge plume, Louisiana

The Vermilion-Atchafalaya Bay complex along the central Louisiana coastline receives about 30% of the Mississippi River`s freshwater, sediments, and nutrients throughout the year. An understanding of circulation, suspended sediment distribution and transport, and the impacts of associated nutrients on biological processes is essential to the development of effective management strategies for this commercially important estuarine system. In this paper, NOAA POES satellite data and in-situ physical, chemical, and biological measurements are used to investigate the impacts of river discharge, wind, and winter storms on physical and biological processes in the region. Strong northwesterly wind episodes, associated with cold-front passages maximize the exchange of freshwater, sediments, and nutrients with the inner shelf where phytoplankton growth is subsequently enhanced. The frequency, intensity, and timing of these flushing events may impact the health of the Louisiana fishery and, perhaps, the distribution of low oxygen waters during the following summer.