Date of Award

Spring 2022

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelor of Science (BS)

Department

Marine Science

College

College of Science

First Advisor

Paul T. Gayes

Abstract/Description

Among estuaries, there is a large block of co-dependent and independent variables shaping habitat and environmental conditions within a critical area. Historical data proxies and indexes from seven different stations were assessed to consider temporal and spatial variability of the marine and non-marine transition along the South Carolina Pee Dee River Basin. Historical datasets from the upper reaches of Winyah Bay and lower section of the Pee Dee River basin were compiled along with shorter termed deployments of a new instrument station installed near Georgetown, SC. This area is representative of the marine-non-marine transition in drowned river mouth estuaries. Water quality, observed water level and tides, river discharge, and climate data were utilized to identify how various processes push constituents in or out of the system, influencing and promoting modifications from within. Dissolved oxygen, pH, and two different salinity events were distinguished and assessed more closely for comparison. The assessment of these events in this study amplifies the overall interactive nature of environmental drivers and outcomes, suggesting that a “boundary” in such dynamic systems is not well defined by a single parameter and spatial and temporal variability will be important framing for specific research and environmental questions and resource management considerations of change.

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