Hi all,
I hope everyone is enjoying the start of summer. River flow over the month prior to the 11 May 2023 sampling trip was about twice the seasonal norm. The tip of the salt wedge was near New Bern and the lower estuary is still saltier than normal at a salinity of ~20. Strong salinity based stratification was reinforced by temperature gradients with bottom water temperature 2-4 degrees cooler than the surface. Bottom water dissolved oxygen was 4-6 mg/L along most of the transect but dipped to near hypoxic (<2 mg/L) near the tip of the salt wedge at stations 30 and 50. Chlorophyll was less than 10 ug/L throughout the estuary and only approached 10 ug/L within a broad mid-estuary maximum between stations 60 and 140. High river flows caused elevated turbidity (~10 NTU) in the river water entering the estuary.
Best,
Nathan
