Grays Harbor and Chehalis River Improvements to Navigation Environmental Studies. Primary Productivity and Organic Carbon Input to Grays Harbor Estuary, Washington

摘要

The contribution of organic carbon to the Grays Harbor estuary is examined using published information and field studies on marsh plant and benthic algal productivity. This information, in conjunction with a simple mathematical equation, is used to predict the impact of widening and deepening the existing navigation channel on primary production and carbon input to the estuary. Any major impact to carbon input could significantly affect secondary (i.e., herbivore and detrivore) and higher level (e.g., fish) production. Dry weight biomass of live marsh plants peaked in June within low marsh, sedge marsh and freshwater marsh study sites, and in August within the high marsh study site. Twenty three taxa of macroalgae were noted, and these were generally restricted to attachment on hard stable substrata (e.g., logs, roots, boulders). Productivity rates varied among the major algal species. Data from the literature and the field studies were used to compute the total amount of carbon contributed to the estuary by aquatic and terrestrial sources.