Research Topic
Transfers of Carbon and Alkalinity from Terrestrial and Estuarine Sources to the Coastal Ocean
The marine carbonate system is expected to be impacted by increasing atmospheric carbon dioxide and subsequent acidification. These effects are projected to be the most pronounced in the coastal ocean, an area of particular economic and environmental significance. Some species- such as shellfish- may be especially sensitive to acidification and changes to carbonate chemistry. However, our understanding of the changes to carbonate chemistry on short and long time scales in the coastal ocean is still underdeveloped, and the influences of inputs from terrestrial outflows are poorly understood.
Chris hopes to focus his research on the connection between terrestrial inputs and the coastal ocean. In particular, he is interested in the influence of organic carbon inputs on acidity, alkalinity and overall carbonate chemistry. The Gulf of Maine is especially fresh and poorly buffered against acidity, making this region particularly vulnerable to acidification. Gulf of Maine rivers also tend to be quite acidic, and can exert dramatic influence on their estuaries and coastal receiving waters. His research aims to quantify the inputs of inorganic and organic carbon to estuaries, and then track the transformations and further inputs or removals of these materials through estuaries to the coastal ocean.
Selected Presentations and Publications
- Nixon, S.W., Oczkowski, A.J., Pilson, M.E.Q., Fields, L., Oviatt, C.A. and C.W. Hunt. (2014) On the Response of pH to Inorganic Nutrient Enrichment in Well-Mixed Coastal Marine Waters. Estuaries and Coasts doi:10.1007/s12237-014-9805-6.PDF
- Bakker, D. C. E., Pfeil, B., Smith, K., Hankin, S., Olsen, A., Alin, S. R., Cosca, C., Harasawa, S., Kozyr, A., Nojiri, Y., O’Brien, K. M., Schuster, U., Telszewski, M., Tilbrook, B., Wada, C., Akl, J., Barbero, L., Bates, N. R., Boutin, J., Bozec, Y., Cai, W.-J., Castle, R. D., Chavez, F. P., Chen, L., Chierici, M., Currie, K., De Baar, H. J. W., Evans, W., Feely, R. A., Fransson, A., Gao, Z., Hales, B., Hardman-Mountford, N. J., Hoppema, M., Huang, W.-J., Hunt, C. W., Huss, B., Ichikawa, T., Johannessen, T., Jones, E. M., Jones, S., Jutterstrøm, S., Kitidis, V., Körtzinger, A., Landschützer, P., Lauvset, S. K., Lefèvre, N., Manke, A. B., Mathis, J. T., Merlivat, L., Metzl, N., Murata, A., Newberger, T., Omar, A. M., Ono, T., Park, G.-H., Paterson, K., Pierrot, D., Ríos, A. F., Sabine, C. L., Saito, S., Salisbury, J., Sarma, V. V. S. S., Schlitzer, R., Sieger, R., Skjelvan, I., Steinhoff, T., Sullivan, K. F., Sun, H., Sutton, A. J., Suzuki, T., Sweeney, C., Takahashi, T., Tjiputra, J., Tsurushima, N., Van Heuven, S. M. A. C., Vandemark, D., Vlahos, P., Wallace, D. W. R., Wanninkhof, R. and Watson, A. J.(2014) An update to the Surface Ocean CO2 Atlas (SOCAT version 2) Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 6, 69-90.
- Hunt, C.W., J.E. Salisbury and D. Vandemark. (2014) CO2 Input Dynamics and Air–Sea Exchange in a Large New England Estuary. Estuaries and Coasts 37(5): 1078-1091. PDF
- C.W. Hunt, J.E. Salisbury, D. Vandemark. (2011) Contribution of non-carbonate anions to total alkalinity and overestimation of pCO2 in New England and New Brunswick rivers. Biogeosciences, doi:10.5194/bg-8-3069-2011 PDF
- Hunt, C.W., Salisbury, J.E., Vandemark, D. and W. McGillis, 2010, Contrasting Carbon Dioxide Inputs and Exchange in Three Adjacent New England Estuaries. Estuaries and Coasts doi 10.1007/s12237-010-9299-9.
- Hunt, C.W., Vandemark, D., Salisbury, J.E., Shellito, S., Musielewicz, S. Coincident Autonomous pCO2 and pH data and their Application to Carbonate Chemistry Investigation on the Coastal Margin. Ocean Sciences Meeting, Honolulu, Hawaii, 23-28 February, 2014.
- C.W. Hunt, W.M. Wollheim, J. Salisbury, R.J. Stewart, K.W. Hanley and G. Aiken. Modeling the export of DOC from large watersheds and its influence on the optical properties of coastal waters. ASLO 2013 , New Orleans, LA, February 19, Session SS54.
- C. Hunt, D. Vandemark, B. Chapron, N. Reul, D. Wisser, J. Salisbury. Spatiotemporal Patterns in Sea Surface Density in the Tropical Atlantic. ASLO 2011, San Juan, Feb. 13-18, 2011.
Education
- M.S., Chemical Oceanography, University of New Hampshire, May 2003
- B.S., Chemistry, Trinity College, May 2000
Professional Positions
Research Scientist, Ocean Process Analysis Laboratory (Coastal Carbon Group), conducting investigations into the carbonate chemistry of the Gulf of Maine and regional estuary systems, University of New Hampshire, May 2004-present.