Core 3 Research Program - Mississippi State University

Principal Investigators: Adam Skarke

Team Members: Jessica Wolf

Award Amount: $625,000

Project Description

Goal:

Integrate field sampling, remote sensing observations, and numerical modeling of water quality and hydrodynamic conditions in the western Mississippi Sound to constrain the spatiotemporal variability of water quality parameters with emphasis on freshwater inflow and oyster habitat suitability.

Why it is Important:

Observations of water quality and the ability to predictively model its variability are critical to effective management and restoration of marine resources, including oyster reefs, in the Mississippi Sound. 

Objectives:

• Measure a suite of water quality parameters in the western Mississippi sound proximal to oyster reefs with sufficient frequency to capture seasonal to interannual variability.

• Develop satellite remote sensing algorithms for the prediction of water quality parameters in the study area.

• Measure in situ hydrodynamic conditions in the study area proximal to oyster reefs.

• Integrate collected data to estimate flux of water quality parameters into and out of the study area.

• Constrain spatiotemporal variability of water quality parameters across study area.

• Generate a predictive hydrodynamic and water quality numerical model of the study area.

Expected Outcomes and Management Impacts:

• A robust long-term dataset of water quality parameters and hydrodynamic conditions recorded in the study area.

• Satellite remote sensing algorithms for the prediction of water quality parameters in the study area.

• A website with interactive dashboard and map interface that allows users to query, display and download collected and historical water quality data for the study area.

• Development of a hydrodynamic model with the capacity to predict the spatiotemporal variability of salinity and nutrient concentrations in the study area.

• An improved understating of, and capacity to predict, the variability of water quality parameters in the western Mississippi Sound. 

Project Outputs