UM team explores nutrient removal

OXFORD, Miss. – University of Mississippi biology professor Cliff Ochs is working to understand how the Mississippi River’s floodplain lakes and “backwaters” may help remove nutrients that contribute to Gulf of Mexico's “Dead Zone.” Ochs and his research team will evaluate the role that backwater lakes and wetlands in the Mississippi River floodplain play in removal of nutrients and production of algae. They also will create a computer model that helps to determine the controlling factors for these processes. Gulf hypoxia occurs when excess nutrients are carried downstream into the GoM - mainly runoff of fertilizers and wastewater getting into the river and its tributaries.  These nutrients promote the growth of microscopic algae (phytoplankton), which sinks into deeper water and decompose and deplete the water of oxygen. The team's data caught the eye of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. After publishing a paper in River Research and Applications, Ochs was approached by the corps to submit a proposal for funding. The project, “Modeling Relationships Among Lower Mississippi River Backwaters Hydromorphology and Biogeochemical and Ecological Processes,” is in its second year of support. (Source: UM 05/18/22)Biologist Explores Nutrient Removal in Mississippi River Backwaters - Ole Miss News