Geochemistry Data Sets from Pump Casts

Land-Margin Ecosystem Research in the Columbia River Estuary is an interdisciplinary approach to investigating couplings between hydrological, geochemical and ecological processes within estuarine turbidity maxima. General hydrographic profiles indicate the nature of physical, biological, and particle stratification in the water column. From these data, the principle investigators determined depths to sample during pump casts. In addition, profiles of hydrographic and biophysical parameters may be used to explore potential links between or among these parameters and to verify instrument accuracy. The specific data set description is the following: The quality and quantity of terrestrially-derived organic matter exported to marine ecosystems is determined by the physical transport and chemical transformation processes that occur within estuaries and their associated watershed. Key sites of chemical transformation in the Columbia River estuary occur within regions of temporary sediment storage such as intertidal mudflats and estuarine turbidity maxima (ETM). The dataset we have assembled to advance understanding of biogeochemical processes occurring at the land-sea margin of the Columbia includes detailed time series measurements of major nutrients, dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and various biogeochemical constituents of waters and suspended sediments from the river and its estuary.