Effect of hydrologic management on marsh surface sediment deposition in coastal Louisiana

High rates of coastal land loss in Louisiana have prompted efforts to maintain or restore coastal wetland habitats, and structural management of marsh hydrology is one of a number of approaches that has been adopted. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of hydrologic management measures on marsh-surface sediment deposition in the Mississippi deltaic plain. Four impoundments, ranging in size from 50 ha to 177 ha and similarly sized control sites were included in the study. At each site, marsh-surface sediment traps were collected approximately biweekly for 3.5 yr to measure changes in sediment deposition. There was no significant difference in sediment deposition between any of the impoundment and control sites during the premanagement period. The results show no significant difference in marsh-surface sediment deposition between management year 1992–1993 and management year 1994–1995, but management year 1993–1994 had significantly lower sediment deposition than either the first or the last year of the study. Management year 1992–1993 showed the highest sediment deposition when it was assessed across all basins, areas, and sites, and this high rate of deposition is accounted for by the impact of Hurricane Andrew. For all management years there were significant differences between impoundment and control sites, with control sites showing higher rates of marsh surface sediment deposition than impoundments. No clear pattern was identified concerning the influence of various types of hydrologic management on rates of sediment deposition. This reduction in sediment deposition indicated that the areas under management in this study are receiving insufficient inorganic sediment deposition to keep pace with sea-level rise.     

Decomposition of saltmeadow cordgrass (Spartina patens) in Louisiana coastal marshes

In Louisiana, plant production rates and associated decomposition rates may be important in offsetting high rates of land loss and subsidence in organic marsh soils. Decomposition ofSpartina patens shoot and leaf material was studied by using litter bags in mesohaline marshes in the Barataria and Terrebonne basins of coastal Louisiana.Spartina patens decomposed very slowly with an average decay constant of 0.0007, and approximately 50% of the material remained after 2 years in the field. Material at the Barataria site decomposed faster than did Terrebonne material with trend differences apparent during the first 150 days. This difference might be explained by the higher content of phosphorus in the Barataria material or a flooding period experienced by the Barataria bags during their first 10 days of deployment. Nitrogen and carbon content of the plant material studied did not differ between the two basins. We detected no consistent significant differences in decomposition above, at, or below sediment/water level. BecauseS. patens is the dominant plant in these marshes, and because it is so slow to decompose, we believe thatS. patens shoots are an important addition to vertical accretion and, therefore, marsh elevation.     

Accuracy of OPUS solutions for 1- to 4-h observing sessions

We processed 30 consecutive days of Global Positioning System (GPS) data using the On-line Positioning Users Service (OPUS) provided by the National Geodetic Survey (NGS) to determine how the accuracy of derived three-dimensional positional coordinates depends on the length of the observing session T, for T ranging from 1 h to 4 h. We selected five Continuously Operating Reference Stations (CORS), distributed widely across the USA, and processed the GPS data for each with corresponding data from three of its nearby CORS. Our results support the current OPUS policy that recommends using a minimum of 2 h of static GPS data. In particular, 2 h of data yielded a root mean square error of 0.8, 2.1, and 3.4 cm in the north, east, and up components of the derived positional coordinates, respectively. Results drastically improve for solutions containing 3 h or more of GPS data.     

Egyptian cotton (Gossypium barbadense) flower and boll production as affected by climatic factors and soil moisture status

The information on impact of climatic factors on cotton production is not generally available, or at least not available in the required form. Understanding this impact may help physiologists determine a possible control of the flowering mechanism in the cotton plant. Two field trials were conducted to investigate the relationships between climatic factors, soil moisture status, and flower and boll production of Gossypium barbadense. The climatic factors considered were daily maximum air temperature (°C), minimum air temperature (°C), maximum–minimum temperature (diurnal temperature range) (°C), sunshine duration (h day^?1), maximum relative humidity (%), minimum relative humidity (%), and wind speed (m s^?1). Minimum relative humidity and sunshine duration were the most significant climatic factors affecting flower and boll retention and production. Temperature appeared to be less important in the reproduction growth stage of cotton in Egypt than minimum relative humidity and sunshine duration. The soil moisture status showed low and insignificant correlation to flower and boll production. High minimum relative humidity, short period of sunshine duration, and low temperatures enhanced flower and boll formation.