Resolving Shifting Nitrogen Budgets of the Long Island Sound Estuary

The Long Island Sound (LIS) is a semi enclosed urban estuary-of the US east coast. The LIS experiences hypoxia in its western regions annually though the extend varies inter annually in a currently unpredictable manner. As the estuary is nitrogen limited during the hypoxia season it is critical to constrain and understand nitrogen budgets in both total nitrogen and with across nitrogen species. Here we examine over 20 years of LIS nitrogen budgets to determine trends in inter annual budgets and timescales of conversion between nitrogen species pools with emphasis on the western LIS region. The results are compared to organic carbon budgets to approach better predictability of LIS hypoxia.