Eoodwaters from Hurricane Floyd 

 clearly devastated dozens of eastern North 

 Carolina communities, but what effect will 

 the flooding have on coastal ecosystems? 



Time will tell. But within days of the 

 storm — which came on the heels of 

 Hurricane Dennis — North Carolina Sea 

 Grant researchers were already venturing 

 into the swollen rivers to begin water- 

 quality sampling. 



flooding that caused some rivers to crest 20 

 feet or more above flood stage — was 

 about half the depth of the river where it 

 meets the sound. 



"It is unprecedented in our experience 

 to see that stratification that far down- 

 stream," says Larry Crowder of the Duke 

 University Marine Lab. 



In fact, by early October, the 

 floodwater plume was visible into Core 





mi ; 







Floodwaters inundated communities, 

 leaving residents thankful for rescue. 



Photo courtesy ofthe N.C. National Guard 



"We've caught the leading edge of the 

 floodwater plume, so we are in position to 

 watch the effects develop," says Larry 

 Cahoon of the University of North 

 Carolina at Wilmington. "Our ultimate aim 

 is providing decision-makers the broadest 

 information possible on the total environ- 

 mental impact of this event." 



The first week after the storm, 

 Cahoon and his colleagues documented 

 lowered levels of dissolved oxygen and 

 lower salinity in the Atlantic Ocean near 

 the mouth of the Cape Fear River. They 

 are continuing to sample not only the river, 

 but also the open ocean miles from shore. 



Farther north, early effects included 

 six feet of fresh water the color of 

 chocolate milk at the mouth of the Neuse 

 River, an area that normally has a saline 

 mix. The layer of fresh water — from 



This earthen dam 

 fell victim to raging water. 



Photo courtesy of the News & Observer 



Sound and the Pamlico Sound — 

 both critical habitats for North Carolina 

 fisheries — according to Hans Paerl of 

 the University of North Carolina Institute 

 of Marine Sciences, who is coordinating 

 his sampling with Crowder and Duke 

 scientists. 



"This is not likely to be a one-year 

 event. We expect it to play out over several 

 years," says Paerl. For instance, because of 

 the large amount of fresh water that has 

 moved into the sound, researchers will be 

 watching for freshwater algae, such as 

 blue-green algae, once the spring sun 

 warms the sound. 



The post-Floyd sampling has been a 

 cooperative event, not only among the 

 university scientists in chemistry, biology 

 and fisheries, but also for state agencies 

 and participants in the N.C. Fishery 

 Resource Grant program. 



With funding from the resource grant 

 program, the Cape Fear River Watch has 

 conducted sophisticated monitoring since 

 1996, sharing the samples with Mike 



UNC-Wilmington researchers 

 gather water samples. 



JimBahen 



Mallin of UNC-W. The database shows 

 the typical nutrient, salinity and oxygen 

 levels or baseline, as well as the effects of 

 Hurricanes Fran and Bonnie. 



On sampling runs after Floyd, 

 riverkeeper Bouton Baldridge, UNC-W 

 researchers and Sea Grant fisheries 

 specialist Jim Bahen noted other changes. 



On the Northeast Cape Fear River, 

 small flatfish known as hogchokers had 

 come up to the surface seeking more 

 oxygen, Bahen says. The survival tactic 

 was not foolproof. The fish — normally 

 bottom-dwellers — became easier prey for 

 nearby gulls. 



The oxygen issue is expected to be a 

 factor for some time. As the floodwaters 

 move downriver, they carry large amounts 

 of organic material, including waste from 

 flooded sewage plants and farm lagoons 



Continued 



COASTWATCH 17 



