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Submarine Groundwater Discharge as a nitrogen source to the Ria Formosa studied with seepage meters

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Abstract

Submarine Groundwater Discharge (SGD) has been frequently ignored as a nutrient source to marine ecosystems because it is difficult to identify and quantify. However, recent studies show its ubiquity and ecological importance to the coastal zone, particularly when associated with contaminated continental aquifers. The Ria Formosa is a coastal lagoon located in the south of Portugal and surrounded by an intensely farmed area. Following a 12-month field study using seepage meters, we identified groundwater discharge in the intertidal zone of the lagoon. The seeping fluid was a mixture of two water types: one with low salinity and high nitrate concentration and another similar to local seawater. Based on the integration of monthly seepage rate measurements throughout the year, we estimate the mean discharge of submarine groundwater into the lagoon to be 3.6 m3 day−1 per linear meter of coastline with freshwater contributions (per volume) ranging from 10% to 50%. The results of this study suggest a continental origin for the freshwater component, thus linking the biogeochemical cycles in the lagoon to anthropogenic activities taking place in the neighboring coastal plain. We further identify SGD as an important nutrient source to the Ria Formosa, estimating annual loads of 36.2 mol (0.507 kg) of Nitrogen, 1.1 mol (0.034 kg) of Phosphorus and 18.6 mol (0.522 kg) of Silicon per meter of coastline. Based on these results, we suggest that SGD is a potential contributor to the observed nutrification status of the Ria Formosa lagoon.

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Acknowledgments

The authors gratefully acknowledge Márcio Simão, Sérgio Pólvora and Catarina Moita for their support during the field and laboratory work and the Laboratório de Análises Químicas in the Universidade do Algarve, in which the nutrient analysis were performed. This work was supported by Project O-DOIS (POCTI/CTA/47078/2002), financed by the Portuguese Science and Technology Foundation (FCT). We also thank the editor and an anonymous reviewer, whose contributions aided in improving the manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Marine Chemistry and Geology, Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research (Royal NIOZ), Texel, The Netherlands

    Catarina Leote

  2. School of Natural Sciences, Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland

    J. Severino Ibánhez & Carlos Rocha

Authors
  1. Catarina Leote
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  2. J. Severino Ibánhez
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  3. Carlos Rocha
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Correspondence to Catarina Leote.

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All the authors were previously in Biogeochemistry Research Group, CIMA/IMAR (Centro de Investigacao Marinha e Ambiental/Instituto do Mar), Campus de Gambelas, 8000, Faro.

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Leote, C., Ibánhez, J.S. & Rocha, C. Submarine Groundwater Discharge as a nitrogen source to the Ria Formosa studied with seepage meters. Biogeochemistry 88, 185–194 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10533-008-9204-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10533-008-9204-9

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