El Niño-Southern Oscillation impacts translated to the watershed scale: Estuarine salinity patterns along the Texas Gulf Coast, 1982 to 2004

Tolan, James M.

doi:10.1016/j.ecss.2006.10.018

Cited by 80 publications

(60 citation statements)

References 36 publications

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“…In south Texas, high temperatures limit oyster growth most of the year (Copeland and Hoese 1966). Freshwater influence is minimal; precipitation patterns are highly variable and influenced by the El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) (Ropelewski and Halpert 1986;Gershunov and Barnett 1998;Tolan 2007). Thus, the salinity structure is driven by episodic freshwater pulses (Orlando et al 1993;Tolan 2007).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Role of Flood Disturbance in Natural Oyster (Crassostrea virginica) Population Maintenance in an Estuary in South Texas, USA

Pollack

Kim

Morgan

et al. 2010

Estuaries and Coasts

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A 2-year period with flood versus drought conditions provided the opportunity to examine the effects of flood disturbance on subtidal eastern oyster Crassostrea virginica biology and population dynamics in a south Texas estuary. Oysters were sampled monthly in 2007 and 2008 to examine the impacts of changing environmental conditions on oyster populations. Oysters were also examined quarterly for the presence of Perkinsus marinus. Filtration rates were calculated as a function of oyster size, temperature, salinity, and total suspended solids. Flood events in 2007 caused temporary reductions in salinity and were associated with reductions in oyster abundance, spat settlement, disease levels (weighted prevalence and percent infection), and filtration rates. Oyster populations had generally recovered within 1 year's time-the oysters were younger and smaller but were just as abundant as pre-flood levels. The rapid return of oysters to pre-flood abundance levels is attributed in part to the ability of oysters in Gulf coast estuaries to spawn multiple times in a single season and in part to their relatively high growth rates. Although flood disturbance may temporarily reduce or destroy oyster populations, the ability of the Mission-Aransas Estuary to retain freshwater pulses within the system and maintain low salinities that are unfavorable for predators and disease can facilitate oyster population recovery. Episodic flood events appear to play a critical role in promoting longterm oyster population maintenance in the Mission-Aransas Estuary. The response of oysters to changing environmental conditions over the short term provides some insights into the potential long-term effects of changing climate.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Role of Flood Disturbance in Natural Oyster (Crassostrea virginica) Population Maintenance in an Estuary in South Texas, USA

Pollack

Kim

Morgan

et al. 2010

Estuaries and Coasts

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“…Some of the most obvious concerns for shellfish populations, which are dependent on estuarine conditions, are alterations to freshwater inflow and sea-level rise impacts to coastal marshes, the nursery grounds of shrimp and crabs (Montagna et al 2007). Tolan (2007) Large-scale hypoxia in the northern Gulf of Mexico off Louisiana and Texas overlaps with the habitat and fishing grounds of brown and white shrimp (Zimmerman and Nance 2001). Adult brown shrimp are more affected than white shrimp due to their predominance further offshore where the hypoxic zone persists in the summer.…”

Section: Environmental Conditionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Shellfish of the Gulf of Mexico

Tunnell

2017

Habitats and Biota of the Gulf of Mexico: Before the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill

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“…Resilience of macrobenthic communities to droughts in these regions can be compromised by anthropogenic activities that reduce freshwater inflow (MacKay et al 2010). Along the Texas coast in the USA there are significant correlations between global climate signals and local salinity patterns (Tolan 2007). Precipitation patterns are highly variable and linked to El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) (Ropelewski & Halpert 1986, Gershunov & Barnett 1998, Tolan 2007, and the salinity structure in estuaries is driven by isolated freshwater pulses (Orlando et al 1993).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Along the Texas coast in the USA there are significant correlations between global climate signals and local salinity patterns (Tolan 2007). Precipitation patterns are highly variable and linked to El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) (Ropelewski & Halpert 1986, Gershunov & Barnett 1998, Tolan 2007, and the salinity structure in estuaries is driven by isolated freshwater pulses (Orlando et al 1993). Over seasonal time scales, freshwater inflows represent the primary control on estuarine salinity gradients (Schmidt & Luther 2002).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Long-term trends in the response of benthic macrofauna to climate variability in the Lavaca-Colorado Estuary, Texas

Pollack¹,

Palmer²,

Montagna³

2011

Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser.

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Long-term trends in the response of benthic macrofauna to hydrological conditions were examined in the Lavaca-Colorado Estuary, Texas. Four stations representing a range of salinities in the Lavaca-Colorado Estuary were sampled quarterly for benthic macrofauna and hydrography from April 1988 to October 2008. The relationship between climate variability and local salinity patterns and benthic populations was investigated using the Oceanic Niño Index (ONI), North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO), and North Pacific Index (NPI). Mean salinity declined during the 20 yr study period. Observed changes in salinity were related to river discharge and the ONI because there were more El Niño events in the first half of the study period relative to the second half. Benthic macrofaunal abundance was significantly correlated with salinity, the ONI and the NAO, indicating that global climate variability and the resulting effects on local salinity patterns are important factors shaping benthic macrofaunal communities. There was no significant linear trend in temperature over time, and negative correlations between individual taxa and temperature were likely due to seasonality. While drivers other than physical hydrological factors can obviously affect benthic macrofaunal communities, strong connections between global climate signals, precipitation, and local salinity patterns provided the most plausible mechanistic connection between climatic variability and benthic macrofaunal response in the estuary. An increasingly unstable climate may lead to potentially strong effects in estuarine ecosystems because stability is known to affect diversity and productivity. The vulnerability of estuarine ecosystems to the effects of climate variability will be exacerbated as human population growth and water resource development continues to increase the demand for and stress on coastal and marine resources.

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El Niño-Southern Oscillation impacts translated to the watershed scale: Estuarine salinity patterns along the Texas Gulf Coast, 1982 to 2004

Cited by 80 publications

References 36 publications

Role of Flood Disturbance in Natural Oyster (Crassostrea virginica) Population Maintenance in an Estuary in South Texas, USA

Role of Flood Disturbance in Natural Oyster (Crassostrea virginica) Population Maintenance in an Estuary in South Texas, USA

Shellfish of the Gulf of Mexico

Long-term trends in the response of benthic macrofauna to climate variability in the Lavaca-Colorado Estuary, Texas

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