Integrated Observations of Coastal Water Quality

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Integrated Observations of Coastal Water Quality

• Robert F. Chen
• G. Bernard Gardner
• Environmental, Earth and Ocean Sciences (EEOS)
• UMassBoston

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What is Water Quality?

• Is this water clean or dirty?
• Threats to humans?
• Bacterial pathogens, viruses
• Threats to ecosystem?
• Nutrients
• Metals
• Sediments
• Persistent Organic Pollutants (PAH, PCB)
• Biologically active compounds (Env. Endocrine
  Disruptors, antibiotics, pharmaceuticals)
• Need indicators

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GCMS Trace of DI Sewage Influent
Caffeine
DEET
4-Nonyl-Phenol
Bis-2-Ethylhexyl Phthalate
Bisphenol A
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United Nations Educational, Scientific and
Cultural Organization (2003)
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Possible Indicators

• Rapid Colilert
• DNA microarrays
• Pyrene
• Caffeine
• Others?
• Sensors to give measurements on appropriate
  temporal and spatial scales (similar to CTDs)

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Bacterial Indicators
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Boston Harbor--Nonylphenol
Estimated estrogen concentrations in fM EEQ
42.45
15
37
37
15
227
42.40
66
66
Outfall
368
29
368
29
29
42.35
Latitude
199
4100
301
199
44
44
47
126
174
42.30
105
105
42.25
42.20
-71.1
-71.0
-70.9
-70.8
Longitude
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PYRENE
EPA Priority Pollutant 10 - 200 ng l-1 in
estuarine waters 5-15 of total PAH in water
column 128 nsec fluorescence lifetime in water
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Laser-Induced Fluorescence System (Pyrene)
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Pyrene (ng/l)
June, 2004

• gt1300 pyrene measurements in 5 days
• Maximum downstream of Manhattan

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Coastal Waters are COMPLEX

• Each Estuary/Coastal area is unique
• Tides (hourly monitoring)
• Topography (10s of meters)
• River flow variations (rain events)
• Spills (immediate response)
• Multiple sources (local understanding)

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Kill van Kull, New YorkFort Richmond Sewage
Outfall
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The Kills, June 26, 2005
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Urban Oceanography

• Anthropogenic effects are high in areas of
  limited access
• Shallow
• Tides
• Low bridges
• Point sources
• Complex mixing

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Logistics
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Neponset River Station
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Modeling Needs

• High resolution temporal coverage
• High resolution spatial coverage
• Simple understanding/definition of water quality
  impacts
• Physical model integrating water flow and water
  circulation
• Land-based (anthropogenic) forcing (GIS)

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Ocean Observation Infrastructure
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The Integrated Coastal Observation System (ICOS)

• ECOShuttle
• Entire Hudson Estuary investigation about 24
  hours-4 deployments
• June, 2003
• May, June, Sept., 2004
• Pumping System
• Adaptive or Continuous Sampling
• TOC/TN
• Nutrients

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ECOShuttle

• SeaBird CTD
• SeaPoint Chl, OBS
• SeaTech CDOM
• Chelsea UV Aquatracka
• Altimeter
• Optical Plankton Counter (Brooke)
• Video Plankton Recorder (SeaScan)
• Submersible Pump

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Mapping

• High Resolution
• 1 m vertical, lt1 km horizontal
• Up to 6 Hz data rates
• Synoptic
• 8 knots speed
• Mini-Shuttle capable of surface mapping

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Uncontaminated Seawater Pumping System

• All teflon and stainless steel
• 8 l/min flow rate, samples after 3 min delay

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Deployment in Hudson River
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Hudson River EstuaryJune, 2004
Raritan
Hudson
Schmutz?
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Nutrients
East River
Newark Bay
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MiniShuttle

• CTD, CDOM, Chl, DO
• All sensors within 4 cm vertically

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Involve Stakeholders/Locals In All Aspects of
Observation and Modeling

• End-users/decision makers/public need to
  participate in planning so that they can use
  products
• Examples
• San Francisco Bay
• Neponset River
• Hudson River
• Boston Science Partnership

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Neponset River Flow
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Ocean Education

• Ocean Literacy
• Ocean makes the planet habitable
• Ocean has unique environments
• Ocean and land are linked
• Ocean and man are linked
• Keep data and model products simple
• Partner with existing infrastructure to maximize
  impacts

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Summary

• Coastal Areas are COMPLEX
• Indicators are needed to make water quality
  SIMPLE
• Model products need to be SIMPLE
• End-users need to be involved upfrontthey are
  the resident EXPERTS
• Educate EVERYONE

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Next Steps

• Biological and chemical sensor development
• Moorings
• Regular and targeted surveys
• Access to data in usable forms
• Integration of Bio/Chem data into models
• Integration of Research and Education

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Hudson River Estuary
Hackensack
Manhattan
Newark Bay
Staten Island
Raritan
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ICOS Van
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Integrated System

• Physical (T, S, Meteorology, LISST, dye)
• Chemical (DO, CDOM, AC-9)
• Biological (Chlorophyll, OPC, VPR)

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September, 2004
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Acknowledgements

• Steven Rudnick, Francesco Peri, Liannea Litz,
  Zhen Wang, Huang Wei
• LaTTE
• National Science Foundation
• Office of Naval Research

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Educational Opportunities
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Educational Outreach

• Aquaria and Museums
• Watershed Integrated Sciences Partnership (WISP)
• New England Center for Ocean Science Education
  Excellence (NE-COSEE)
• Work with Teachers
• Classroom Activities

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Gullivers Creek
Granite Ave. Bridge
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Seawater with 500 ng/l pyrene
7
0.5
0.45
6
0.4
5
0.35
0.3
4
Relative Fluorescence
0 nsec
0.25
3
0.2
0.15
2
32 nsec
0.1
1
0.05
0
0
340
390
440
490
540
Wavelength- nm
Fig. 2. Boston Harbor Surface Water spiked with
pyrene. Note that the 32
nsec delayed signal is an order of magnitude less
intense than the non-delayed signal.
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Schmutz