The investigator proposes to continue his work in this Phase II proposal to refine Submarine Groundwater Discharge (SGD) flux estimates that will be applied to measured nutrient concentrations in order to derive nutrient flux estimates associated with SGD. Assessment of redox characteristics in the surficial aquifer will provide insight as to origin, mobilization and precipitation of chemical species.
The research objectives will be to (1) collect electrical resistivity and water quality data along the Grand Strand area of the South Carolina inner shelf, (2) process, groundtruth, and reduce resistivity data, (3) identify locations of groundwater seeps on the South Carolina continental shelf, (4) further the understanding of the effects of pore water flow on habitat development and coastline morphology of South Carolina, (5) correlate locations of groundwater seeps with distinct morphological characteristics previously identified in geologic framework studies, and (6) select locations of SGD for possible installation of a well or seepage meters for monitoring geochemical and physical properties of the pore fluids.