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Research about Corpus Christi Bay

Source-linked reports with geographic coverage including Corpus Christi Bay.

7 recordsLinked to original sources
USGS2003

Deposition of zinc and cadmium by marine bacteria in estuarine sediments

Mixed cultures of marine bacteria isolated from the sediments of Corpus Christi Harbor were examined for their ability to assimilate or precipitate radioactive zinc and cadmium from solution. Test data indicate that during summer, when bacterial activity is at a maximum, the bacteria and their metabolic byproducts play a significant role in the removal of zinc and cadmium from seawater and their subsequent deposition in marine sediments.

Texas↗
USGS2000

Impact of storm-water outfalls on sediment quallity in corpus Christi Bay, Texas, USA

To determine the quality of sediments and extent of contaminant impacts, a Sediment Quality Triad (SQT) study was conducted at 36 sites in the Corpus Christi Bay, Texas, USA, system. Fifteen of the 36 sites were located near storm-water outfalls, but 13 other sites (i.e., industrial and domestic outfalls, oil field–produced water discharges, and dredging activity) and eight reference sites were also evaluated. Sediment samples were collected and analyzed for physical–chemical characteristics, contaminant concentrations (metals, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons [PAHs], polychlorinated biphenyls [PCBs], and pesticides), toxicity (amphipod and mysid solid phase and sea urchin pore-water fertilization and embryological development tests), and a benthic index of biotic integrity (BIBI) composed of 10 independent metrics calculated for each site. This large data matrix was reduced using multivariate analysis to create new variables for each component representing overall means and containing most of the variance in the larger data set. The new variables were used to conduct the correlation analysis. Toxicity was significantly correlated with both chemistry and ecological responses, whereas no correlations between the benthic metrics and sediment chemistry were observed. Using the combined information from the SQT, four of the five most degraded sites were storm-water outfall sites. Although estuaries are naturally stressful environments because of salinity and temperature fluctuations, this ecosystem appears to have been compromised by anthropogenic influences similar to what has been observed for other heavily urbanized bay systems along the Texas and Gulf coast.

Texas↗
USGS1986

Trace metal seasonal variations in Texas marine sediments

Trace elements in coastal environments are derived from three major sources: (1) the bordering watershed; (2) the offshore marine environment; and (3) industrial and/or urban effluent. The site of deposition, however, is controlled by physical and chemical processes in the coastal zone. In many cases, these processes are controlled by climate and can vary seasonally. In the harbor at Corpus Christi, Texas, the summer climate creates an oxygen-poor environment in the water column near the sediment-water interface. This causes chalcophilic metals to precipitate from the water, resulting in high concentrations in the sediments near the source. During the winter, turbulence created by strong winds causes the entire water mass to become aerated and oxidizing, and remobilization of some metals results. In addition, this turbulence accelerates circulation which transports the metal-enriched waters from the harbor. On the outer continental shelf of south Texas, the infaunal activity varies seasonally with bottom water temperatures. As this infaunal activity has an effect on the chemical environment within the sediment near the sediment-water interface, the observed trace metal content at the interface also appears to change with the seasons.

Texas↗
USGS1981

Maps showing textural characteristics of benthic sediments in the Corpus Christi Bay estuarine system, south Texas

Corpus Christi Bay is a heavily used estuary on the south Texas coast in the northwest Gulf of Mexico (fig. 1). The Bay is stressed by diverse activities which could substantially affect its ecosystem. Such activities include shipping, resource production (oil, gas, and construction aggregate), commercial and sport fishing, and recreation. Shipping activities alone have had a substantial impact on the bay. For example, the past maintenance of navigation channels has required extensive dredging and spoil disposal within the estuarine system. Numerous subaqueous spoil disposal sites and subaerial spoil banks are present throughout the bay (fig. 1), and the selection of future spoil disposal sites is becoming a critical local problem. As activities in the bay increase, the need for effective environmental management becomes increasingly important, and effective management necessitates a good understanding of the bay's physical characteristics. The objective of this study is to provide detailed information about the textural composition of bottom sediments within the estuarine system, information which could be used in making environmental-management decisions. Visual descriptions of bottom sediments in Corpus Christi Bay and adjacent areas have been presented by McGowen and Morton (1979). Additionally, a study of the textures of sediments on the Inner Continental Shelf adjacent to the bay has been presented by Shideler and Berryhill (1977).

Texas↗
USGS1978

Longitudinal turbidity structures in a bar-built coastal plain estuary, Corpus Christi Bay, Texas

Corpus Christi Bay is a shallow, bar-built variety of estuary that is characteristic of the South Texas Coastal Plain. On the basis of synoptic in situ measurements of light transmissivity and suspended-sediment concentrations at six monitoring stations, a time sequence of six turbidity structures was established along the longitudinal trend of the bay and its tidal inlet over a 16-month observation period. The bay turbidity structures were observed to be highly variable in time and space. Structures ranged from a vertically homogeneous water column, to a well-stratified column exhibiting an increasing turbidity gradient with depth. Wind appeared to be the dominant forcing agent influencing turbidity toward the bayhead sector, where it both generates waves for bottom-sediment resuspension and regulates fluvial sediment influx from the Nueces River. Turbidity toward the baymouth sector appeared to be dominantly regulated by tidal forcing effects from Aransas Pass inlet. Both the discharge characteristics of the Nueces River and the mean density of the bay's water column had no discernible influence on the observed bay turbidity structures.

Texas↗