Presenter: Mary A McGuinness (University of Connecticut)

Description:
Total alkalinity (TA) describes the buffering capability of marine environments and is quantitatively defined as the combined resistive strength of all proton acceptors in the system. TA is also commonly used to evaluate carbon cycling in ocean systems, making it an important parameter for assessing climate change. The Long Island Sound (LIS) is a temperate estuary on the United States east coast that experiences significant seasonal variations in water quality. Little is known about TA in LIS embayments though this is a critical parameter to coastal ecosystem health. Here we present the TA and associated biogeochemical parameters dissolved organic carbon, and dissolved inorganic carbon in 4 LIS tributaries. Each tributary was sampled monthly in 2020-2021 at high tide, low tide, and at the freshwater endmember. Trends and contributions of these tributaries to their local LIS embayments are assessed.