Why galveston water brown

For much of the year, an east-to-west water current prevails in this region of the world. This current transports a substantial amount of sediment from rivers like the Mississippi and Atchafalaya to the Texas Coast. A red star has been added to this map to show the location of Galveston. The Mississippi River discharges such a high volume of water that it is the primary source of suspended sediment heading toward Texas, even though the mouth of the Mississippi is more than miles east, and farther from Texas than the Atchafalaya River.

The Sabine River, on the Texas-Louisiana border, discharges less overall sediment than the Mississippi and Atchafalaya, but its position along the Texas border allows a higher percentage of its discharge to impact the Texas Coast.

In March , an atmospheric river of moisture, nicknamed the Maya Express, because of its origins near the Yucatan Peninsula, dumped 19 inches of rain in the Sabine basin, swelling the river to record levels McIntosh and Lander The coffee-brown river shut down I near the Texas-Louisiana border as its flood water and massive amount of sediment flowed toward the Gulf of Mexico. The sediment from this type of flood event generally finds its way to the Upper Texas Coast because of the prevailing east-to-west current.

Sometimes a thin current, just several hundreds yards wide, will flow close to the coast, while water less than one-half mile offshore is not affected much by this current. When this pattern sets up, the water close to the coast may have a darker color or even look like a shade of light brown, while the water just off shore is lighter or even blue.

Arial photos of the coastal waters sometimes depict this sharp color boundary near the coastline. Kermit the Frog once sang a song called, "It's not easy being green. But what explains the science behind green water? Sometimes phytoplankton can cause coastal waters to appear green.

Phytoplankton efficiently turns the surface water green because they mostly occur near the water surface, where they are exposed to sunlight National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration While these microscopic marine algae occur naturally in the environment, nutrient-rich waters, sometimes influenced by man, can enhance phytoplankton blooms, turning the water various shades of green.

Runoff of fertilizers and other agricultural chemicals from the Midwest and Plains states can wash into the Mississippi River and discharge heavy loads of nutrients into the Gulf of Mexico, turning the water shades of green along the Northern Gulf Coast. The watercolor along the Upper Texas Coast is dynamic and temperamental, often changing appearance and characteristics several times per day.

The presence of sediment and organic material in the water can change the color many different shades of grey, brown, black or green. Much of the sediment and organic material in our coastal waters originates or is strongly influenced by the discharge of rivers in the region. Bluewater days are most common when local winds die down, enabling the sediment to fall out of the water column as the water motion calms down. In the late summer or autumn, a south-to-north pulse of water often brings bluer, saltier water "up" the Texas coast from South Texas.

This pulse of water can effectively block fresher water with high sediment loads approaching Texas from Louisiana. Bluewater days are also more common in late summer or autumn because the sediment discharge of regional rivers has generally diminished by then, as the high volume of river runoff from the melting snowpack and spring storms has faded into the past by that point.

However, long-time residents of this region will tell you that blue, green, brown and greywater can show up at any time of the year. Coastal enthusiasts should find encouragement to understand that these processes are natural and have dominated the coastal environment since long before humans inhabited this region.

So when we stand on Galveston Beach or the Bolivar Peninsula on a tranquil summer evening and watch pink and lavender clouds approach the coast over multi-colored water, we must remember that we are participants in a timeless portrait.

So take a little extra time on your next trip to the Upper Texas Coast to see the water in different weather conditions and different amounts of sunlight. You'll be amazed at the varied colors you see. And unlike Julius Stockfleth, you can effortlessly capture these images with a touch of your finger and post them instantly to social media. Anderson, J. Wallace, A. Simms, and A. Rodriguez, Recycling sediments between source and sink during a eustatic cycle: Systems of late Quaternary northwestern Gulf of Mexico Basin.

Earth Science Reviews, , Blake, E. Chapman, P. May 19, Du, J. Park, T. Dellapenna, and J. Clay, Dramatic hydrodynamic and sedimentary responses in Galveston Bay and adjacent inner shelf to Hurricane Harvey. Science of the Total Environment, , Galveston Beachfront Galveston Island is widely known for its 32 miles of beautiful gulf beaches.

You must buy a Pier Walk-On Pass to gain access to the pier. A Pier Pass must be purchased for entrance to the Pleasure Pier for everyone older than three years old. The Pier Pass allows you to enjoy the Pier without riding the rides. The service is free. Each trip covers about 2. The beach in Crystal Beach Texas and on Bolivar Peninsula is one of a kind, and the last of its kind.

Blacktip — similar to spinner but first dorsal fin originates over the pectoral fins and anal fin lacks black tip. If you catch a shark and are unsure of the species identification, release it. Lemon, nurse, and bull sharks have also been spotted, and lately one particular species has made their way into the Gulf.

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