EPSCoR Research Fellows: NSF: Assessing Submarine Groundwater as a Nutrient Contributor and Potential Driver of Hypoxia in the Mississippi Bight

This Research Infrastructure Improvement EPSCoR Research Fellows project will provide a fellowship to an Assistant Professor and training for a Laboratory Technician at the University of Southern Mississippi. This work will be conducted in collaboration with Natasha Dimova at the University of Alabama. Through the fellowship, the principal investigator will investigate how submarine groundwater discharge (SGD) contributes to nutrient transport and drives biogeochemical changes, particularly oxygen deficiency in coastal systems. This research integrates coastal hydrology, environmental geochemistry, and chemical oceanography to assess the ecological impacts of SGD-derived nutrients in the Mississippi Bight. The project will expand understanding of SGD’s influence on aquatic chemistry, contributing to predictive frameworks for nutrient-driven oxygen dynamics and informing strategies to mitigate coastal algae blooms. By establishing new monitoring platforms and analytical workflows, the project will strengthen STEM workforce development, equip students with hands-on experience, and engage stakeholders concerned with coastal ecosystem health. The research will quantify SGD rates, assess nutrient fluxes, and analyze the relationship between SGD and hypoxic conditions using a suite of radioisotopic tracers (including Radon-222 and Radium isotopes). The collaboration with Dr. Dimova will enable access to high-resolution gamma spectrometry and portable radon detection systems, enhancing methodological rigor and training outcomes. Research infrastructure improvements include professional advancement for faculty in coastal biogeochemistry, expanded student training in field sampling and radioisotope analysis, and upgraded instrumentation capabilities at the home institution. These activities integrate with student learning, curriculum innovation in marine geosciences, interdisciplinary research expansion, and strengthened institutional partnerships in coastal environmental studies. This project is supported by the EPSCoR Research Infrastructure Improvement Program: EPSCoR Research Fellows, which supports early- and mid-career investigators in eligible jurisdictions to develop collaborations at the nation’s private, government or academic research institutions. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.