Estuaries and Wetlands are important coastal resources which are subject to a great deal of environmental stress. Dredging, construction, creation of intertidal wetlands, regulation of fresh water flow, and pollution are just a few of the activities which affect these coastal systems. The need to predict the effects of these perturbations upon ecosystem dynamics, particularly estuarine fisheries, as well as on physical effects, such as sedimentation and salt intrusion, is of paramount importance. Prediction requires the use of models, but no model is likely to be satisfactory unless fundamental physical, chemical, sedimentological, and biological processes are quantitatively understood, and the appropriate time and space scales known. With these considerations in mind, the Environmental Laboratory, U. S. Army Engineer Haterways Experiment Station,* Vicksburg, Mississippi, sponsored a workshop on "Estuarine and Wetland Processes and Water Quality Modeling" held in New Orleans, June 1979. The contents of this volume have been selected from the workshop papers. The resulting book, perhaps more than any other symposium proceed ings on estuaries and wetlands, attempts to review important pro cesses and place them in a modeling context. There is also a distinct applied tinge to a number of the contributions since some of the research studies were motivated by environmental assessments. The difference in title between this volume and the workshop re flects more accurately the contents of the published papers.

This report summarizes the proceedings of a workshop entitled 'Wetland and Estuarine Processes and Water Quality Modeling, ' held on 18-20 June 1979 in New Orleans, Louisiana. The workshop was organized by Science Applications, Inc. (SAI), under the sponsorship of the U.S. Army Engineer Waterways Experiment Station (WES) as part of the Corps of Engineers' Environmental Impact Research Program. In addition, this report includes recommendations for possible future research that emerged as a result of the presentations and discussions held during the workshop and two other studies performed under the contract: a survey of marine wetland and estuarine water quality and ecological problems in Corps of Engineers Field Offices; and a survey and review of published literature in the fields of hydrodynamics, water quality, and ecosystem modeling as applied to estuaries, coastal bays, and salt marshes. (Author).

Estuarine Processes, Volume I: Uses, Stresses, and Adaptation to the Estuary provides information pertinent to estuarine processes and focuses on dynamic interactions at several levels of organization. This book presents the strategies to rehabilitate and protect estuaries. Organized into seven parts encompassing 37 chapters, this volume begins with an overview of the alternative ways of attaining the pervasive goals of pollution abatement and estuarine management. This text then discusses the significance of maintaining estuarine environment quality if fisheries are to continue. Other chapters consider the great value of the estuarine zone, which lies in the multiplicity of uses it serves, but herein also lies its vulnerability. This book discusses as well the identification of the major factors regulating phytoplankton productivity and regulating the level of phytoplankton biomass. The final chapter deals with assessing the potential deleterious effects of certain toxicants to penaeid shrimp. This book is a valuable resource for ecologists, environmentalists, and scientists.

Estuarine Processes, Volume II: Circulation, Sediments, and Transfer of Material in the Estuary provides information pertinent to estuarine processes and focuses on dynamic interactions at several levels of organization. This book describes the effects of physical alterations on estuarial hydraulics, dissolved and particulate material support, and on aquatic biota. Organized into six parts encompassing 27 chapters, this volume begins with an overview of the historic changes in salinity balance in the estuarial zone of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. This text then reviews the effect of enlargement of artificial waterway of the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal, which has resulted in substantial alterations of the physical hydrography, biotic populations and chemical environment of the canal and its approaches. Other chapters consider the elements in a mathematical model for estuarial sediment transport. This book discusses as well sediment transport rates in coastal waters. The final chapter deals with accurate estimates of fish abundance for models of many estuarine processes. This book is a valuable resource for ecologists, environmentalists, and scientists.

The globally important nature of wetland ecosystems has led to their increased protection and restoration as well as their use in engineered systems. Underpinning the beneficial functions of wetlands are a unique suite of physical, chemical, and biological processes that regulate elemental cycling in soils and the water column. This book provides an in-depth coverage of these wetland biogeochemical processes related to the cycling of macroelements including carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, and sulfur, secondary and trace elements, and toxic organic compounds. In this synthesis, the authors combine more than 100 years of experience studying wetlands and biogeochemistry to look inside the black box of elemental transformations in wetland ecosystems. This new edition is updated throughout to include more topics and provide an integrated view of the coupled nature of biogeochemical cycles in wetland systems. The influence of the elemental cycles is discussed at a range of scales in the context of environmental change including climate, sea level rise, and water quality. Frequent examples of key methods and major case studies are also included to help the reader extend the basic theories for application in their own system. Some of the major topics discussed are: Flooded soil and sediment characteristics Aerobic-anaerobic interfaces Redox chemistry in flooded soil and sediment systems Anaerobic microbial metabolism Plant adaptations to reducing conditions Regulators of organic matter decomposition and accretion Major nutrient sources and sinks Greenhouse gas production and emission Elemental flux processes Remediation of contaminated soils and sediments Coupled C-N-P-S processes Consequences of environmental change in wetlands# The book provides the foundation for a basic understanding of key biogeochemical processes and its applications to solve real world problems. It is detailed, but also assists the reader with box inserts, artfully designed diagrams, and summary tables all supported by numerous current references. This book is an excellent resource for senior undergraduates and graduate students studying ecosystem biogeochemistry with a focus in wetlands and aquatic systems.