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Research at Mission-Aransas, TX
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The Mission-Aransas Estuary is located in an arid region of south Texas that is prone to both extended droughts and flooding associated with intense tropical storms. The major rivers flowing into the reserve are two of the few remaining rivers in Texas that are unrestricted by dams. The watershed is dominated by pasture lands and agriculture, and human population densities are relatively low. The reserve supports active commercial and sport fisheries in conjunction with petroleum production and commercial shipping on the Intracoastal Waterway. The reserve is the home to a number of endangered species, including the whooping crane.
The goal of the research program of the Mission-Aransas Reserve is to improve scientific understanding of subtropical estuarine ecosystem structure and function, and to provide resource managers with important scientific information to help guide both their short and long term management goals. Priority research issues within the Mission-Aransas Reserve include:
- Understanding the importance of freshwater inflow to the function and productivity of the estuary;
- Understanding the long term effects of climate-change related processes on the estuary, including global warming, sea level rise, increased frequencies of tropical storms and ocean acidification;
- Understanding the impact of future population increases and urbanization of the watershed and estuary, including studies of the impacts of eutrophication, hypoxia and harmful algal blooms;
- Understanding the impact of invasive species on ecosystem structure and function, including both exotic species introductions and range extensions as the system transitions from a subtropical to more tropical habitat.
Water quality data is continuously monitored at six locations within the reserve, and this information is available to the public in real time on the world-wide web at:
http://lighthouse.tamucc.edu/MissionAransas/HomePage
The reserve also has an active program studying harmful algal blooms, and in conjunction with Texas A&M University and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution hosts the Imaging FloCytobot, which continually monitors the pass between the estuary and the Gulf of Mexico for harmful algal species.
Last Updated on: Monday, December 17, 2012
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