Call for Presentations and Posters
ASLO Aquatic Sciences 2013 New Orleans, Special Session:
Groundwater and coastal ecology: Microbial alterations and ecological
consequences of groundwater discharge
Dear Colleagues,
We would like to announce a special session for the ASLO 2013
Aquatic Sciences meeting (http://aslo.org/meetings/neworleans2013/) with the
hope of promoting understanding and collaboration in the study of submarine
groundwater discharge and the biological processes associated with it. Our
invited keynote speaker will be Dr. Bill Burnett of Florida State
University. The meeting will be held in New Orleans from Feb. 17 22, 2013
and the deadline for abstract submission and registration is October 5th,
2012. The synopsis for this session is provided below. Both posters and
presentations are welcome. We look forward to seeing you in New Orleans next
year.
Sincerely,
Justin D. Liefer
University of Alabama / Dauphin Island Sea Lab
[email protected]
Charles Schutte
University of Georgia
[email protected]
Session Abstract
The future of coastal communities will depend on informed use of fresh and
saltwater resources. Groundwater discharge is distinct from other coastal
freshwater inputs due to its diffuse nature and in the quantity and
composition of nutrients it delivers. Although the detection and
quantification of coastal groundwater inputs has advanced considerably,
understanding of its ecological role for microbial communities and coastal
food webs has not. Groundwater-derived inputs of nutrients and organic
matter are mediated by microbial communities in aquifers and sediments and
play an important but under-recognized role in coastal water quality. The
subsequent effect of groundwater inputs on the ecology of benthic and
pelagic microbes such as phytoplankton is also poorly understood, even
though it has been linked to phenomena such as harmful algal blooms (HABs).
This session will address how within-aquifer microbial processes control the
flux of groundwater-derived materials to coastal water bodies as well as the
consequences of this flux for microbial and phytoplankton communities.
Studies that integrate physical and chemical measurements of groundwater
with biological processes are especially encouraged. Groundwater is often
out of sight and out of mind, so studies that bring related issues into the
public sphere or policy discussions are also encouraged.
