Altamaha watershed water quality Dr. Samantha B. Joye University of Georgia

Dept. of Marine Sciences University of Georgia Athens Georgia 30602-3636 USA

mjoye@uga.edu http://www.marsci.uga.edu/directory/samantha-b-joye Dr. James T. Hollibaugh University of Georgia

Dept. of Marine Sciences University of Georgia Athens Georgia 30602-3636 USA

aquadoc@uga.edu http://www.marsci.uga.edu/directory/james-t-hollibaugh https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8037-160X Georgia Coastal Ecosystems LTER Project

Dept. of Marine Sciences University of Georgia Athens Georgia 30602-3636 USA

gcelter@uga.edu https://gce-lter.marsci.uga.edu/ Dr. Samantha B. Joye University of Georgia

Dept. of Marine Sciences University of Georgia Athens Georgia 30602-3636 USA

mjoye@uga.edu http://www.marsci.uga.edu/directory/samantha-b-joye Principal investigator 2003-01-01 2005-12-31 Dr. James T. Hollibaugh University of Georgia

Dept. of Marine Sciences University of Georgia Athens Georgia 30602-3636 USA

aquadoc@uga.edu http://www.marsci.uga.edu/directory/james-t-hollibaugh https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8037-160X Principal investigator 2003-01-01 2005-12-31 Dr. Nathaniel B. Weston University of Georgia

Dept. of Marine Sciences University of Georgia Athens Georgia 30602-3636 USA

nweston@uga.edu Graduate research assistant 2003-01-01 2005-12-31 2026

N. Weston (Ph.D. student, UGA), S. Joye (UGA) and J.T. Hollibaugh (UGA) performed an analysis of USGS data on nutrient concentrations throughout the Altamaha River watershed to evaluate temporal variations in nutrient concentrations and rates of nutrient and dissolved organic matter estuary. Population growth, mainly in the upper watershed near the cities of Atlanta and Athens, resulted in increased nitrate delivery to the rivers and transport to the coastal zone.

Question 1: What are the long-term patterns of environmental forcing to the coastal zone? (more information)

LTER NSF USGS Altamaha River Georgia GCE nutrients water quality watershed Overall geographic extent of the research project -81.582311 -81.237936 31.401403 31.296034 2003-01-01 2005-12-31

National Science Foundation grant number OCE-9982133

estuary marsh complex Altamaha River - Altamaha River transect used for GCE quarterly hydrographic monitoring surveys. Nominal profiling stations are defined every 2km from -4km to 40km (relative to station 0km at the line of demarcation), based on an estimated Thalweg line running up the main river channel. -81.582311 -81.237936 31.401403 31.296034 Weston, N.B., Hollibaugh, J.T. and Joye, S.B. 2009. Population growth away from the coastal zone: Thirty years of land use change and nutrient export from the Altamaha River, GA. Science of the Total Environment. 407:3347-3356. (DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2008.12.066) http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2008.12.066 NUT-GCEM-1909 - Long-term water quality monitoring in the Altamaha River near Doctortown, Georgia from January 2013 to December 2022. https://gce-lter.marsci.uga.edu/public/app/dataset_details.asp?id=691