Retrospective analysis of midsummer hypoxic area and volume in the northern Gulf of Mexico, 1985-2011.

ABSTRACT: Robust estimates of hypoxic extent (both area and volume) are important for assessing the impacts of low dissolved oxygen on aquatic ecosystems at large spatial scales. Such estimates are also important for calibrating models linking hypoxia to causal factors, such as nutrient loading and stratification, and for informing management decisions. In this study, we develop a rigorous geostatistical modeling framework to estimate the hypoxic extent in the northern Gulf of Mexico from data collected during midsummer, quasi-synoptic monitoring cruises (1985-2011). Instead of a traditional interpolation-based approach, we use a simulation-based approach that yields more robust extent estimates and quantified uncertainty. The modeling framework also makes use of covariate information (i.e., trend v

SUBMITTER: Obenour DR 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3823027 | biostudies-literature | 2013 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature