The impact of groundwater discharges on mercury partitioning, speciation and bioavailability to mussels in a coastal zone

The Mussel Watch program conducted along the French coasts for the last 20 years indicates that the highest mercury concentrations in the soft tissue of the blue mussel (Mytilus edulis) occur in animals from the eastern part of Seine Bay on the south coast of the English Channel, the “Pays de Caux”. This region is characterized by the presence of intertidal and submarine groundwater discharges, and no particular mercury effluent has been reported in its vicinity. Two groundwater emergence systems in the karstic coastal zone of the Pays de Caux (Etretat and Yport with slow and fast water percolation pathways respectively) were seasonally sampled to study mercury distribution, partitioning and speciation in water. Samples were also collected in the freshwater–seawater mixing zones in order to compare mercury concentrations and speciation between these “subterranean” or “groundwater” estuaries and the adjacent macrotidal Seine estuary, characterized by a high turbidity zone (HTZ). The mercury concentrations in the soft tissue of mussels from the same areas were monitored at the same time.The means of the “dissolved” (< 0.45 μm) mercury concentrations (HgT_D) in the groundwater springs were 0.99 ± 0.15 ng l^− 1 (n = 18) and 0.44 ± 0.17 ng l^− 1 (n = 17) at Etretat and Yport respectively. High HgT_D concentrations were associated with strong runoff over short water pathways during storm periods, while low concentrations were associated with long groundwater pathways. Mean particulate mercury concentrations were 0.22 ± 0.05 ng mg^− 1 (n = 16) and 0.16 ± 0.10 ng mg^− 1 (n = 17) at Etretat and Yport respectively, and decreased with increasing particle concentration probably as a result of dilution by particles from soil erosion. Groundwater mercury speciation was characterized by high reactive-to-total mercury ratios in the dissolved phase (HgR_D/HgT_D: 44–95%), and very low total monomethylmercury concentrations (MMHg < 8 pg l^− 1). The HgT_D distributions in the Yport and Etretat mixing zones were similar (overall mean concentration of 0.73 ± 0.21 ng l^− 1, n = 43), but higher than those measured in the adjacent industrialized Seine estuary (mean: 0.31 ± 0.11 ng l^− 1, n = 67). In the coastal waters along the Pays de Caux dissolved monomethylmercury (MMHg_D) concentrations varied from 9.5 to 13.5 pg l^− 1 (2 to 8% of the HgT_D). Comparable levels were measured in the Seine estuary (range: 12.2– 21.1 pg l⁻¹; 6–12% of the HgT_D). These groundwater karstic estuaries seem to be mostly characterized by the higher HgT_D and HgR_D concentrations than in the adjacent HTZ Seine estuary. While the HTZ of the Seine estuary acts as a dissolved mercury removal system, the low turbid mixing zone of the Pays de Caux receives the dissolved mercury inputs from the groundwater seepage with an apparent Hg transfer from the particulate phase to the “dissolved” phase (< 0.45 μm). In parallel, the soft tissue of mussels collected near the groundwater discharges, at Etretat and Yport, exhibited significantly higher values than those found in the mussel from the mouth of the Seine estuary. We observe that this difference mimics the differences found in the mercury distribution in the water, and argue that the dissolved phase of the groundwater estuaries and coastal particles are significant sources of bioavailable mercury for mussels.     

Dissolved Cd behaviour in some selected french and chinese estuaries. Consequences on Cd supply to the ocean

Few data on dissolved trace metals in rivers and estuaries are presently available. This paper is an attempt to provide additional data on dissolved concentrations obtained in polluted and so-called unpolluted river estuarine systems. Data for two major French rivers (Gironde, Rhône) have been compared with the Chinese Yellow River (Huanghe) and Yangtze River (Changjiang). Dissolved Cd concentrations have been measured by differential pulse anodic stripping voltammetry. Average concentrations range from 15 ng kg⁻¹ to 50 ng kg⁻¹ (0.13–0.45 nmol kg⁻¹) in the French rivers and are below 4 ng kg⁻¹ (0.040 nmol kg⁻¹) in the Chinese rivers.In all the estuaries studied the dissolved Cd concentrations depict a systematic bulge in the mixing zone which is attributed largely to remobilization processes from particulate matter when the chlorinity increases. Other parameters that may also play a significant role for remobilization are discussed. The processes concerned lead us to reassess the net Cd river input to the oceans, and this should be taken into account for a more precise evaluation of the residence time of oceanic Cd.     

Response of Nereis diversicolor population (Polychaeta,Nereididae) to the pollution impact – Authie and Seine estuaries (France)

A survey within the French National Programme of Ecotoxicology was carried out in 2002, 2003 and 2004 to study the response of Nereis diversicolor populations (Polychaeta, Nereididae) to the impact of pollution in the Authie estuary (non-contaminated site) and in the Seine estuary (contaminated site). In the period studied, the density varied from 672 ind. m⁻² to 3584 ind. m⁻² in the Authie estuary and from 80 ind. m⁻² to 920 ind. m⁻² in the Seine estuary. Biomass varied from 3.94 g m⁻² (dry weight) in February 2004 to 38.0 g m⁻² in August 2003 in the Authie estuary and from 3.4 g m⁻² in February 2002 to 0.6 g m⁻² in February 2004 in the Seine estuary. Density and biomass of the populations of N. diversicolor were consistently lower in the Seine estuary than in the Authie estuary. Size frequency histograms permit the analysis of the cohorts as well as the elaboration of the growth curves. For the individuals from the Authie estuary, the relation between dry weight (DW) and length L3 (prostomium, peristomium and chaetiger 1) was DW = 4.2205 L3^2.9832. For those from the Seine estuary, the relation between dry weight and L3 was DW = 0.4697e^1.7209L3. The individuals of N. diversicolor should belong to eight cohorts in Authie estuary (two cohorts each year) instead of six cohorts for those from the Seine estuary. These differences can be attributed to the effect of pollution on the population of N. diversicolor.     

Silver in Tokyo Bay estuarine waters and Japanese rivers

Dissolved and particulate concentrations of silver in Tokyo Bay estuarine waters and Japanese rivers were determined in this study. The dissolved silver concentrations in the surface water of Tokyo Bay range from 5.9 to 15.1 pmol kg⁻¹, which is comparable to those in the surface water of the Japan Sea, but two or three times higher than those in the surface water of the open ocean. However, elevated concentrations of dissolved silver are not found in Tokyo Bay compared with those in other highly urbanized estuaries, such as San Francisco Bay (20∼243 pmol kg⁻¹). In the Tokyo Bay estuary, silver typically exhibits non-conservative mixing behavior, which is a common feature in the other estuaries reported previously. Dissolved silver concentrations decrease with salinity from the rivers to the mouth of Tokyo Bay. Silver is efficiently scavenged by suspended particulates, as evidenced by the high conditional distribution coefficients for silver throughout the estuary (log K_d > 5.0 ± 0.6). The silver fluxes into Tokyo Bay via inflowing rivers and atmospheric deposition were estimated as 83 kg y⁻¹ and 15 kg y⁻¹, respectively. A simple budget calculation shows that the silver supplied from rivers and atmosphere must be rapidly scavenged within the Tokyo Bay estuary.     

A comparative study of mercury contamination in the Tagus estuary (Portugal) and major French estuaries (Gironde,Loire, Rhône)

Concentrations of mercury were determined for the waters, suspended matter and sediments of the Tagus and of major French estuaries.The Tagus estuary is one of the most contaminated by mercury derived from the outfalls of a chloralkali plant and from other industrial sources. In deposited sediments the median level, 1·0 μg Hg g^?1, is twenty times higher than the natural background and Hg contents depend on the sediment grain-size, age and the distance from waste-outfalls. Suspended matter is more regularly and highly contaminated (median value: 4·5 μg Hg g^?1). In the French estuaries Hg levels in the suspended material decrease with salinity due to dilution and/or remobilization processes. In June 1982, in the Loire estuary, high values of Hg are observed in the middle estuary and attributed to urban and industrial sources.In the Tagus estuary, the general distribution of total dissolved Hg confirms the contamination: it increases seaward from 10 ng 1^?1 in the river to 80 ng 1^?1 in the estuary outlet. The dissolved Hg is almost totally organic in the river, inorganic in the middle estuary due to inorganic Hg effluents and again organic in the lower estuary. This variation is related to the dissolved organic carbon values. The dissolved Hg levels in the Loire Estuary (5–300 ng 1^?1) are much higher than in the Gironde estuary (3–6 ng 1^?1) and of the same order as those observed in the Tagus estuary.     

Dissolved chromium in the St. Lawrence estuary

A study of dissolved chromium in the St. Lawrence estuary and Gulf of St. Lawrence has been carried out. A chromium concentration of 0·7 μg l^?1 was found in the St. Lawrence River. In the turbidity maximum of the upper estuary, chromium is removed from solution onto fine-grained resuspended sediments and internally produced organic-rich floccules. A simple flux calculation shows that these processes remove ～50% of the total dissolved chromium input of the river. At salinities greater than 5‰ dissolved chromium mixes conservatively.     

The behavior of iron,manganese and silicon in the Peconic River estuary,New York

The behavior of dissolved and particulate iron and manganese and dissolved silicon has been studied as a function of chlorinity in the Peconic River estuary, New York. This study sought to identify important geochemical processes in a relatively pristine estuary facing increasing anthropogenic impact.Dissolved iron behaved in the classical non-conservative manner exhibiting removal of nearly 80% at very low chlorinities, while particulate iron increased by a corresponding amount over the same chlorinity range. Dissolved manganese was enriched by up to 200% over its predicted concentration at low and intermediate chlorinities by desorption from suspended particulates and by a probable benthic flux. Dissolved silicon was enriched by up to 100% at low and intermediate chlorinities also from a probable benthic flux. These fluxes were estimated to be 5 μg cm^?2 day^?1 for dissolved manganese and 70 μg cm^?2 day^?1 for dissolved silicon.The quantity of both particulate iron and manganese increased at high chlorinities due to an influx of suspended inorganic particulates. In the intermediate to high chlorinity region, oxidation of sediment-derived manganese is believed to contribute to the observed increase in particulate manganese.Total iron was essentially conservative throughout most of the estuary, while total manganese was non-conservative presumably due to extensive remobilization of dissolved manganese from the sediments.     

Seamounts and organic matter—Is there an effect? The case of Sedlo and Seine Seamounts: Part 1. Distributions of dissolved and particulate organic matter

The temporal and spatial variability in the water-column distribution of dissolved organic carbon (DOC), and the particulate organic matter, collected both with bottles (POM-b) and in situ pumps (POM-p), was studied around Sedlo and Seine, two seamounts located in subtropical waters of the northeast Atlantic Ocean. Seine and Sedlo presented high POM-b concentrations, compared with reported background concentrations from the Azores-Madeira region, although our results show large regional, temporal and intra-seamount variability around the two seamounts. On the contrary, the POM-p pool, which contributed only 25–56% of the POC-b at surface, represented a fairly constant fraction of the suspended POM. Seine was characterized by higher POC-b concentrations than Sedlo, presumably as result of a combined mechanism of advection from the far field, and retention/accumulation of organic carbon, favoured by the secondary circulation around the seamount. Passive accumulation of POM-b was also evident at the southern flank of Sedlo during one the surveys, coinciding with a change in the local circulation around the seamount caused by the intrusion of a Mediterranean water eddy (Meddy). Average PON concentrations at the two seamounts were comparable in magnitude, and hence the C/N ratios were higher in Seine, adding support to the hypothesis of advection of allochtonous highly refractory organic matter into Seine. The contribution of DOC to the apparent oxygen utilization (AOU) in the upper 1000 m was significantly higher in Seine (25%) than in Sedlo (11%). This points to a proportionally more important role of dissolved material to the overall carbon remineralization rates in the water column of Seine.     

Rhenium in rivers and estuaries of India: Sources,transport and behaviour

The concentration of dissolved and particulate Re have been measured in the Narmada, Tapi and the Mandovi estuaries in the Arabian Sea and the Hooghly estuary in the Bay of Bengal. Re concentration in water and particulate matter of these estuaries is highly variable. Re in river waters analysed varies from 1 to 41 pmol/kg, the lowest in the Mandovi and the highest in the Mahi river. Re concentrations in the rivers analysed except in the Mandovi river are higher than the average global riverine Re concentration of 2.1 pmol/kg. Based on this study and the available data, the contemporary global annual flux of dissolved riverine Re is estimated to be ~ 350 × 10³ mol with an average concentration of ~ 9.2 pmol/kg, much higher than the earlier estimates. Residence time of Re in the oceans based on this estimate is 175,000 years, ~ 4 times lower compared to earlier estimates. Re behaves conservatively in all the estuaries studied. Re concentrations of seawater in the Bay of Bengal and in the Arabian Sea, estimated from the data of the Hooghly and the Mandovi estuaries respectively are ~ 40 pmol/kg, similar to the open ocean Re values of the Arabian Sea measured in this study and the values reported for in other oceanic regions. However, the dissolved Re in the Gulf of Cambay is 2 to 5 times higher, consistent with the high Re measured in the Mahi estuary and in the coastal waters of the Gulf of Cambay. The source of high Re in the Gulf of Cambay seems to be anthropogenic, measurements of Re in rivers and industrial waste waters draining into the Gulf supply amount to ~ 2300 mol of Re annually. This anthropogenic supply coupled with high residence time of water in the Gulf contribute to its high Re. Re concentration in suspended sediments of the Narmada estuary varies from 1 to 2 pmol/g, and does not show any discernible trend with salinity.The contemporary global riverine Re supply to the oceans estimated in this study is ~ 2–4 times higher compared to its removal in the reducing (anoxic/suboxic) sediments, indicating non-steady state of Re in the ocean. High dissolved riverine Re flux coupled with high Re content in the Gulf of Cambay highlights the need of a detailed study of Re in the various global rivers and in oceans including coastal regions and semi enclosed basins of the world to understand its behaviour in various reservoirs and to constrain the residence time of Re in the ocean.     

Nutrient loading and macrophyte growth in Wilson Inlet,a bar-built southwestern Australian estuary

Wilson Inlet is a ‘bar-built’ estuary, open to the ocean only when a sandbar has been breached after river flow. estimates are presented of phosphorus and nitrogen loadings from rivers, losses to the ocean, and amounts present in estuarine components during a particular year. Following bar opening, a volume of water equivalent to 35% of estuarine volume at the time was lost, providing a major loss of dissolved nutrients from the estuary. While the bar was open (51 days) water was displaced through river flow, but there was little tidal exchange. There was net retention of phosphorus (about 60% of river input) and some loss of nitrogen (less than 15%).Much of the nutrient held in the estuary was in surface sediments, but concentrations have shown little change with time and are similar to other southwestern estuaries. In contrast there have been massive increases in the biomass of Ruppia megacarpa Mason in recent years; this constitutes more than 90% of plant biomass. The nutrient bank in this plant is large compared to the water column, and amounts recycled through plant material greatly exceeded riverine loading in the year of the study. Tissue N concentrations were relatively high and constant, tissue P relatively low and seasonally variable, suggesting P limitation of plant biomass.Estimates of nutrient loading from streams showed relatively higher nutrient inputs from catchments cleared for agriculture. These are in higher rainfall areas, have high drainage densities, large proportions of sandy soils and are subjected to phosphatic fertilizer application.     

Calanoid copepod resting egg abundance and hatching success in the sediment of the Seine estuary (France)

Benthic, viable resting eggs of calanoid copepods were found for the first time in the Seine estuary (France) during July 2008. Vertical distribution of the resting eggs in the sediment was determined up to 10 cm depth. Hatching success of the eggs extracted from different 1-cm thick sediment layers was experimentally tested immediately after extraction and after a long refractory phase (i.e. 11 months) of storage at low temperature (4–5 °C). The hatching success of resting eggs obtained immediately after sediment incubation was lower (0.72%) than the value observed after 11 months (4.50%) with an overall hatching success of 2.37%. The marine, calanoid copepod Temora longicornis was the primary species to hatch from the eggs; however, the estuarine calanoid copepod Eurytemora affinis also hatched from resting eggs. The mean abundance of eggs found in sediment (1.42 × 10⁶ eggs m⁻²) was comparable to that reported for other marine and estuarine calanoid copepods. The Seine estuary sediment had a high variability of egg abundance (between 0.14 and 8.10 × 10⁷ eggs m⁻³) suggesting that the hydrodynamics of this macrotidal estuary are likely responsible for this variability. Significant sediment resuspension occurs in the Seine estuary during flood periods and spring tides leading to resting eggs to contribute along the year to the nauplii recruitment of calanoid copepods. On average, around 400,000 nauplii m⁻³ month⁻¹ of the main calanoid copepods can emerge from the surface layer sediment in the Seine estuary, suggesting that resting eggs could play an important role in the population dynamics of key calanoid copepods in the Seine estuary.     

La dispersion des apports de la Gironde sur le plateau continental. Données in situ,satellitales et numériques

Coastal waters are generally a product of mixing between continental and oceanic originated water masses. Near river mouth areas, as in the Gironde estuary, oceanic waters are modified by the influence of freshwater discharge that introduces suspended and dissolved substances, including pollutants. Within PNOC (Programme National d'Oceanographie Côtière) our objective is to determine the extent of the influence of the Gironde estuary on to the Aquitanian continental shelf. Several cruises for collecting hydrological data have been carried out in this area. The data of every cruise were coupled with a NOAA-11 satellite passage. The recorded images have been analysed and were compared with the results given by a 3D mathematical model. The interaction among different dynamical factors (density, wind-driven and tidal circulation) controls the mixing and the transport of low salinity waters.     

An analysis of the trophic network of a macrotidal estuary: the Seine Estuary (Eastern Channel, Normandy, France)

A steady state, mass balance, trophic network has been constructed to illustrate the flow of energy in the Seine Estuary by using Network Analysis and Ecopath methods. This ecosystem shows 15 compartments from primary producers to the top consumers (fish and birds). This study has been compared with other ecosystems of comparable nature located in North America (Narragansett, Chesapeake, Delaware Bays), Europe (Ems Estuary, Dublin Bay and Bay of Somme), and South Africa (Swartkops Estuary) in which analysis of trophic network has been applied with similar methods.The Seine Estuary shows values of some global parameters and indices either close to large North American bays and a South African estuary characterised by the complexity of their trophic network, or values near European bays and estuaries, or else remain typical of the Seine estuary. All of this reflects specific functioning of the Seine Estuary which can be explained by the analysis of the dominant food web. In the upstream sector an important pelagic food web was found correlated with highest primary production, especially planktonic, which is rapidly consumed by an abundant zooplankton and suprabenthos (Mysidacae and Decapoda Crustacea). This reveals the dominant consumer role of this sector. The external fluvial inputs (277.80 gC m⁻² y⁻¹) are transferred to the downstream sector which produces the major export (548.43 gC m⁻² y⁻¹), in parallel with the low consumption and efficiency of dominant benthos component from its bentho-pelagic food web. This reflects the dominant exporter role of this sector.In the Seine Estuary low values of detritivory index D/H (2.52), recycling index FCI (16.1%) and connectance (0.24) were found associated with high values of P/B ratio (38.2%), sum of exports (548.43 gC m⁻² y⁻¹) and the great difference between ratio of ascendency to capacity development A/C and internal ratio A_i/C_i. This shows the lack of a dominant resource as in Delaware Bay, that the state of development is different from a mature ecosystem, and the dependance on external connections similar to the Bay of Somme, another ecosystem of Eastern Channel, France.     

Seasonal Variations in Inorganic Nutrient Budgets of the Bangpakong Estuary, Thailand

Seasonal variations in freshwater, salt, dissolved inorganic phosphorus (DIP) and dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN) in the Bangpakong estuary, Thailand were investigated by employing the database obtained in the National Research Council of Thailand (NRCT)-Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS) cooperative project from 1994 to 1997. The results showed that variation in interaction between coastal sea and river discharge played an important role in controlling the characteristics of the water in the estuary. Residence time of fresh water was short in wet season and dry season, but it was long in the transition period from season to season. DIP and DIN load depended on river discharge, while high peak concentrations were related to loading and the long residence time in the transition period between dry and wet seasons. A strong eutrophic condition could possibly occur when the concentration of DIP and DIN were high during the onset of the wet season from April to July. The annual average of inorganic nutrient budgets indicated that the Bangpakong estuary is the internal source of 38.2 tons/month DIP and the internal sink of 4.9 tons/month DIN. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

胶州湾中溶解态铝的初步研究

本文利用改进的铝-荧光镓(Al-LMG)荧光光度法测定了2001年夏季和秋季胶州湾水样中的痕量溶解态铝,分析了夏、秋季胶州湾内溶解态铝的分布及其影响因素,在此基础上讨论了胶州湾中悬浮颗粒物对溶解态铝的贡献,并进一步探讨了溶解态铝在研究水团运动中的作用。计算了河流输入、大气干、湿沉降向胶州湾中溶解态铝的输送,及湾内外交换对胶州湾内溶解态铝的影响和胶州湾铝的存留时间。     

Organic matter dynamics and budgets in the turbidity maximum zone of the Seine Estuary (France)

Organic matter was studied in the turbidity maximum zone (TMZ) of the Seine Estuary during 8 tidal cycles from April to October in 2001, 2002 and 2003, covering a salinity range from 0 to 27. The hydrological conditions were quite varied (extremely wet in 2001, unusually dry in 2003). A particularly striking feature is the high organic matter content in the suspended solids (SS) of the Seine estuary (4–5%).     

Dissolved organic carbon in the freshwater tidal reaches of the Schelde estuary

To unravel the factors that regulate DOC dynamics in the freshwater tidal reaches of the Schelde estuary, DOC concentration and biodegradability were monitored in the upper Schelde estuary and its major tributaries. Although the Schelde estuary possesses a densely populated and industrialized catchment, our data suggest that the bulk of DOC in the freshwater tidal reaches is not derived from waste water. This was concluded from the low biodegradability of DOC (on average 9%), DOC concentrations that are close to the mean for European rivers (4.61 mg l⁻¹) and the absence of an inverse relationship between DOC and discharge. Most DOC originating from waste water being discharged in tributaries of the estuary appears to be remineralised before these tributaries reach the main estuary. Although dense phytoplankton blooms were observed in the upper estuary during summer (up to 700 μg chl a l⁻¹), these blooms did not appear to produce large quantities of DOC in the freshwater tidal reaches as DOC concentrations were low when phytoplankton biomass was high. The fact that DOC concentrations were high in winter and decreased in summer suggests a predominantly terrestrial source of DOC in the freshwater tidal reaches of the Schelde estuary.     

小清河口春季亚硝酸盐偏高问题探讨

2008年春季对莱州湾小清河口的走航调查发现,调查区域大部分水体的DOC,CODMn,NH4+-N,PO43--P高于4类海水的限定值,处于严重污染状态。水体CHla的浓度范围在1.02~37.92μg/L之间,但DO饱和度却在23%~96%之间,盐度小于15水体的DO饱和度低于50%,水体缺氧严重。河口存在NO2--N含量偏高现象。由河口向外,NO2--N浓度逐渐增加,至盐度24.4的水体达到0.27 mg/L的高值,NO2--N增加主要是NH4+-N的硝化反应产生的。NH4+-N生成NO2--N主要受DO和NH4+-N比例与浓度的影响,DO饱和度在30%~70%,NH4+-N大于3.33 mg/L的水体中NO2--N生成速率最快。     

黄海北部降水中氟的浓度变化

1988～1992年连续采集了黄海西北部的大气降水,分析样品中的氟而得到的80多个数据显示出大气降水中氟的平均浓度低于中国北方主要河流的氟平均浓度。在冬季,氟的浓度较其他季节高,这可能和降雨量减少以及人为因素等密切相关。目前还难以估算出人为因素对氟在降水中化学行为的影响程度,但数据显示出人口密集地区降水中氟的浓度明显高于人口稀疏的自然地带。     

Evaluating groundwater discharge to tidal rivers based on a Rn-222 time-series approach

The natural flux of groundwater into coastal water bodies has recently been shown to contribute significant quantities of nutrients and trace metals to the coastal ocean. Groundwater discharge and hyporheic exchange to estuaries and rivers, however, is frequently overlooked though it often carries a distinctly different chemical signature than surface waters. Most studies that attempt to quantify this input to rivers use multiple geochemical tracers. However, these studies are often limited in their spatial and temporal extents because of the labor-intensive nature of integrating multiple measurement techniques. We describe here a method of using a single tracer, ²²²Rn, to rapidly characterize groundwater discharge into tidally-influenced rivers and streams. In less than one week of fieldwork, we determined that of six streams that empty into the Indian River Lagoon (IRL), Florida, three (Eau Gallie River, Turkey Creek, and Main Canal) did not receive substantial groundwater inputs, one canal (C-25 Canal) was dominated by groundwater exchange, and the remaining two (Sebastian River system and Crane Creek) fell somewhere in between. For more detailed discharge assessments, we focused on the Sebastian River system, a stratified tidal river estuary, during a relatively dry period (June) and a wet period (July) in 2008. Using time-series ²²²Rn and current velocity measurements we found that groundwater discharge into all three branches of the Sebastian River increased by 1–2 orders of magnitude during the wetter period. The estimated groundwater flow rates were higher than those reported into the adjacent IRL, suggesting that discharge into these rivers can be more important than direct discharge into the IRL. The techniques employed here should work equally well in other river/stream systems that experience significant groundwater discharge. Such assessments would allow area managers to quickly assess the distribution and magnitude of groundwater discharge nature into rivers over large spatial ranges.