Measurements of groundwater seepage flux onto a coral reef: Spatial and temporal variations
Author:
Open Access
- 1 September 1987
- journal article
- research article
- Published by Wiley in Limnology and Oceanography
- Vol. 32 (5) , 1165-1169
Abstract
Rates of groundwater discharge onto coral reefs at Barbados, West Indies, were measured with seepage meters and miniature piezometers. Seepage flux varied spatially, was correlated with water depth, and was about twice as high during the wet season as during the dry. Groundwater nitrogen concentrations were correlated with salinity but phosphate concentrations were not. Nitrate content of the discharge was much higher than was phosphate content. Measured fluxes were consistent with groundwater discharge estimates from aquifer models, but a large data set would be required to make accurate predictions of areal groundwater discharge and nutrient loading.Keywords
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