GCRC Paper Summary |
Effects of Changing Freshwater Inflow to Estuaries: A Georgia Perspective
Authors: Merryl Alber and Janice Flory (Dept of Marine Sciences, Univ of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA)
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Overview:
This is a white
paper written by the staff of the Georgia Coastal Research Council to summarize
information regarding the effects of changing freshwater inflow to estuaries.
It is divided into three parts. Part One provides an overview of the scientific
information available regarding the connections between freshwater inflow, estuarine
conditions, and resources. Part Two presents a conceptual model for inflow
management in terms of the types of regulation available and the societal values
that must be considered. In this section we categorize management as inflow-based,
condition-based, or resource-based, and use this structure as the basis to explore
the differing approaches to estuarine inflow management that have been taken
in various parts of the country. In Part Three we apply this perspective
to Georgia. We describe the inflow policy currently in place in Georgia's
rivers and summarize the scientific efforts being undertaken to understand the
impact of changing freshwater flow to Georgia's estuaries.