Land drainage and estuarine salinity response

An investigation is being conducted to (1) quantify the short-term effects of freshwater agricultural drainage on salinity in a tidal creek and (2) evaluate the off-site effects of water-control structures on flow and water quality in channels that drain cropland in the Albemarle-Pamlico region of North Carolina. A continuous record of velocity is being obtained in three canals. Salinity is being recorded at two locations in the receiving water, and water-surface elevations are being measured in the canals and at two receiving-water sites. These data should provide insight into the mechanisms responsible for salinity fluctuations in the tidal creeks that receive artificial drainage.