ABSTRACT
A continuous, multidisciplinary study (field and laboratory) study was carried out in seven river-estuarine and coastal systems in the northeastern Gulf of Mexico from 1970 to the present. Among the central research issues investigated were the analysis of eutrophication processes, the effects of anthropogenous nutrient loading on the initiation and succession of plankton blooms, and food web responses to seasonal and interannual changes of phytoplankton community structure that were associated with the blooms. The use of long-term, interdisciplinary information along with species-specific phytoplankton data and detailed analyses of associated food web organization in a series of estuaries supported a comprehensive analysis of the effects of natural and anthropogenous nutrient loading on Gulf coastal systems.
