Do rivermouths alter nutrient and seston delivery to the nearshore - data

Tributary inputs to lakes and seas are measured at riverine gages, upstream of lentic influence. Between these riverine gages and the nearshore zones of large waterbodies lie rivermouths, which may retain, transform and contribute materials to the nearshore zone. During the summer of 2011, twenty-three tributary systems of the Laurentian Great Lakes were sampled from river to nearshore for dissolved and particulate carbon (C), nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) concentrations, as well as bulk seston and chlorohyll a concentrations. Rivermouths had higher concentrations of C and P than nearshore areas and more chlorophyll a than upstream river waters. Compared to a conservative mixing model, rivermouths as a class appeared to be summer-time [...]