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Hurricane Effects on Water Quality and Benthos in the Cape Fear Watershed: Natural and Anthropogenic Impacts

1999; Wiley; Volume: 9; Issue: 1 Linguagem: Inglês

10.2307/2641190

1939-5582

Michael A. Mallin, Martin H. Posey, G. Christopher Shank, Matthew R. McIver, Scott H. Ensign, Troy D. Alphin,

Soil and Water Nutrient Dynamics

Ecological ApplicationsVolume 9, Issue 1 p. 350-362 Article HURRICANE EFFECTS ON WATER QUALITY AND BENTHOS IN THE CAPE FEAR WATERSHED: NATURAL AND ANTHROPOGENIC IMPACTS Michael A. Mallin, Michael A. Mallin Center for Marine Science Research, University of North Carolina at Wilmington, Wilmington, North Carolina 28403 USASearch for more papers by this authorMartin H. Posey, Martin H. Posey Center for Marine Science Research, University of North Carolina at Wilmington, Wilmington, North Carolina 28403 USASearch for more papers by this authorG. Christopher Shank, G. Christopher Shank Center for Marine Science Research, University of North Carolina at Wilmington, Wilmington, North Carolina 28403 USASearch for more papers by this authorMatthew R. McIver, Matthew R. McIver Center for Marine Science Research, University of North Carolina at Wilmington, Wilmington, North Carolina 28403 USASearch for more papers by this authorScott H. Ensign, Scott H. Ensign Center for Marine Science Research, University of North Carolina at Wilmington, Wilmington, North Carolina 28403 USASearch for more papers by this authorTroy D. Alphin, Troy D. Alphin Center for Marine Science Research, University of North Carolina at Wilmington, Wilmington, North Carolina 28403 USASearch for more papers by this author Michael A. Mallin, Michael A. Mallin Center for Marine Science Research, University of North Carolina at Wilmington, Wilmington, North Carolina 28403 USASearch for more papers by this authorMartin H. Posey, Martin H. Posey Center for Marine Science Research, University of North Carolina at Wilmington, Wilmington, North Carolina 28403 USASearch for more papers by this authorG. Christopher Shank, G. Christopher Shank Center for Marine Science Research, University of North Carolina at Wilmington, Wilmington, North Carolina 28403 USASearch for more papers by this authorMatthew R. McIver, Matthew R. McIver Center for Marine Science Research, University of North Carolina at Wilmington, Wilmington, North Carolina 28403 USASearch for more papers by this authorScott H. Ensign, Scott H. Ensign Center for Marine Science Research, University of North Carolina at Wilmington, Wilmington, North Carolina 28403 USASearch for more papers by this authorTroy D. Alphin, Troy D. Alphin Center for Marine Science Research, University of North Carolina at Wilmington, Wilmington, North Carolina 28403 USASearch for more papers by this author First published: 01 February 1999 https://doi.org/10.1890/1051-0761(1999)009[0350:HEOWQA]2.0.CO;2Citations: 92Read the full textAboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onEmailFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditWechat Abstract In the summer of 1996, southeastern North Carolina, United States, was struck by two hurricanes, with the second (Hurricane Fran) doing considerably more damage than the first (Hurricane Bertha). The Cape Fear watershed, largest in North Carolina, suffered from severe water quality problems for weeks following Fran, including a massive fish kill in the Northeast Cape Fear River. Post-hurricane flooding caused inputs of riparian swamp water to river channels, and sewage treatment plant and pump station power failures caused diversions of millions of liters of raw and partially treated human waste into rivers. Additionally, several swine waste lagoons were breached, overtopped, or inundated, discharging large quantities of concentrated organic waste into the system, particularly into the Northeast Cape Fear River. Dissolved oxygen (DO) decreased to 2 mg/L in the mainstem Cape Fear River, and fell to zero in the Northeast Cape Fear River for >3 wk. Biochemical oxygen demand in the Northeast Cape Fear River was sixfold greater than in the other tributaries, probably as a result of anthropogenically derived inputs. The Cape Fear Estuary also suffered from hypoxia for several weeks. Following Hurricane Fran, ammonium levels in the Northeast Cape Fear River displayed a distinct increase, and total phosphorus reached its highest concentration in 27 yr. The benthic community, which is dominated by opportunistic species typical of oligohaline to mesohaline estuarine areas, showed a mixed response. There was a significant decline in total benthic abundances immediately after Hurricane Fran at an oligohaline station in the Northeast Cape Fear River, with recovery occurring in ∼3 mo. 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