SALINITY AND DISSOLVED OXYGEN IN THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER GULF OUTLET NAVIGATION CHANNEL AND IN ADJACENT SURFACE WATERS, 2008-2012 Southeast Louisiana Flood Protection Authority-East Coastal Advisory Committee Meeting January 17 2014 CHRISTOPHER SWARZENSKI US Geological Survey Louisiana Water Science Center, Baton Rouge
UNITED STATES GEOLOGICAL SURVEY LOUISIANA WATER SCIENCE CENTER (BATON ROUGE) - collect and disseminate groundwater and surface-water data (quality and quantity) - offices in all 50 states and Puerto Rico - support Federal, State and Local Agencies with data collection needs and sometimes interpretation 1/23/2014
REAL-TIME ACCESS TO DATA ON WWW 1/23/2014
MONITORING WATER QUALITY EFFECTS OF HYDROLOGIC MODIFICATIONS TO MRGO NAVIGATION CHANNEL Co-operator: US ARMY CORPS OF ENGINEERS, NOD (Barb Kleiss, Laura Lee Wilkinson) - two projects, related to construction of rock barrier and Hurricane Surge Risk Reduction complex (Borgne surge barrier, Seabrook gate) - used a combination of data logging sondes measuring temperature and salinity, and transects with depth-averaged profiles of dissolved oxygen, salinity, temperature Two reports: Swarzenski, Mize and Lovelace, 2012, Water-Quality, Bed-Sediment, and Discharge Data for the Mississippi River-Gulf Outlet and Adjacent Waterways, Southeastern Louisiana, August 2008 Through December 2009, USGS open file report 2012-1056 Swarzenski and Mize, 2014 Effect of Hydrologic Modifications on Salinity and Formation of Hypoxia in the Mississippi River Gulf Outlet and Adjacent Waterways, Southeastern Louisiana, 2008-2012, in final review, ready for priniting 1/23/2014
Discharge at IHNC at Seabrook bridge (negative flow into the Lake) 15000 DISCHARGE IN CUBIC FEET PER SECOND 10000 5000 0-5000 -10000-15000 -20000 May 1 May 8 May 15 May 22 COMPUTER INSTANTANEOUS DISCHARGE IN THE INNER HARBOR NAVIGATION CHANNEL AT SEABROOK BRIDGE, MAY 2013
Rock Barrier Borgne Surge Barrier Seabrook Flood Complex
IHNC 10 ft Transect 6 Near GIWW 10 ft Transect 5AV Lake Borgne 7 ft Transect 5BV 6 Inbetween Transect 4 IHNC Near GIWW 10 ft 10 ft 10 ft 5A Lake Borgne 10 ft 5 Transect 3 Violet Canal Explanation Downstream Inbetween 10 ft Synoptic measurement 4 Explanation 10 and 20 ft Continuous Sonde 3 Downstream 10 ft 2 Transect 2 1 Transect 1 Barrier 1/23/2014
35 30 Rock barrier completed Surge barrier completed Period when there was a cofferdam across IHNC Salinity, in parts per thousand 25 20 15 10 5 0 Jan. 1, 2009 Jan. 1, 2010 Jan. 1, 2011 Jan. 1, 2012 Jan. 1, 2013 SAMPLING SITES Industrial Canal at I-10 at New Orleans(site 21) MRGO near mile 59 near Michoud (site 11) MRGO near mile 46 near Yscloskey (site 8) Lake Pontchartrain at Seabrook bridge (site 20) Lake Borgne near MRGO near Violet (site 12) MRGO near mile 35 near Hopedale (site 5)
DEPTH-AVERAGED SALINITY CONTOURS IN THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER GULF OUTLET NAVIGATION CHANNEL, AUGUST 2008
DEPTH-AVERAGED SALINITY CONTOURS IN THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER GULF OUTLET NAVIGATION CHANNEL, AUGUST 2010
Depth in feet Depth in feet Salinity in parts per thousand 10 12 14 16 18 20 22 24 26 28 0-5 -10-15 -20-25 -30-35 -40 August 15, 2008 Water temp 24-28 degrees C -45 0 2 4 6 8 10 Dissolved Oxygen in mg/l Salinity in parts per thousand 10 12 14 16 18 20 22 24 26 28 0-5 -10-15 -20-25 -30-35 -40 June 10, 2009 Water temp 26-31 degrees C -45 0 2 4 6 8 10 Dissolved Oxygen in mg/l Depth in feet Depth in feet Salinity in parts per thousand 10 12 14 16 18 20 22 24 26 28 0-5 -10-15 -20-25 -30-35 -40 March 11, 2009 Water temp 15-20 degrees C -45 0 2 4 6 8 10 Dissolved Oxygen in mg/l Salinity in parts per thousand 10 12 14 16 18 20 22 24 26 28 0-5 -10-15 -20-25 -30-35 -40 Nov 3, 2009 Water temp 20 degrees C -45 0 2 4 6 8 10 Dissolved Oxygen in mg/l GRAPHIC 4 TIME SERIES OF DISSOLVED OXYGEN AND SALINITY PROFILES AT TRANSECT 2 DOWNSTREAM OF AND CLOSEST TO BARRIER (ABOUT 2 MILES BELOW BARRIER) Dissolved oxygen Salinity 1/23/2014
Water depth, in feet Surge barrier Violet Canal Rock barrier 59 54 52 44 37 34 30 27 mile 20 0-10 -20-30 -40 EXTENT OF HYPOXIC CONDITIONS (IN DARK GREEN) IN THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER GULF OUTLET NAVIGATION CHANNEL, OCTOBER 2009
Timing and depth of hypoxic (D.O. < 2 mg/l) conditions in MRGO 2010 T4 T5BV T5AV T6 GIWW west May 28-37 ok 30-36 ok ns June 31-37 29-34 ok ok 35-40 July 30-37 ns ok ok ok August 30-37 ok 32-36 ok 31-40 Sept ns ok ok ok ok Oct ok ok ok ok ns 1/23/2014
Timing and depth (ft) of hypoxic (D.O. < 2 mg/l) conditions in MRGO 2011 T4 T5BV T5AV T6 GIWW west January ok ok ok ok ok March 32-37 30-34 30-36 ok ok May ok ok ok ok ok June 30-37 ns ns ok ns July 28-37 25-34 25-36 35-40 35-40 August 28-37 26-34 24-36 ok ok Sept 28-37 29-34 27-36 ok 33-40 Oct ok 32-34 ok ok ok Dec ok ok ok ok ok 1/23/2014
Timing and depth of hypoxic (D.O. < 2 mg/l) conditions in MRGO 2012 T4 T5BV T5AV T6 GIWW west March ok ok ok ok ns May 30-37 ns ok ns 35-40 June 32-37 ok ok ok ok July 30-37 28-34 30-36 ok ok 1/23/2014
0.4 mg/l, 10/11 4.7 mg/l, 7/12 4.5 mg/l 7/12 1.2 mg/l, 9/10 0.7 mg/l, 6/12 Lowest dissolved oxygen measured at DEQ stations and date; At DEQ 13, hypoxic conditions extended along entire 5 ft channel depth; at DEQ 5 hypoxic conditions occurred more than once 1/23/2014