Effect of Freshwater Intrusion on Oyster Reefs in the Mississippi Sound from 2019-04-23 to 2019-09-27

In a 2019 field study, the effect of freshwater intrusion on oyster reefs in the Mississippi Sound was observed through sampling. A handheld water meter was used in six locations 23 April, 6 May, 24 May, and 27 September 2019 to measure salinity (ppt), temperature (°C), dissolved oxygen (mg/L), conductivity (µS/cm), and pH. Dredging of five of these reef sites showed numbers of living and dead adult oysters, living and dead spat, clutch shells and whether or not mussels were present. A seafloor platform observed temperature (°C) and salinity (ppt) at The Nature Conservancy (TNC) Bay St. Louis reef site every five minutes from 23 April to 27 September 2019.