Integrating Innovative Technologies to Assess Shallow Water Habitats in Chesapeake Bay

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Integrating Innovative Technologies to Assess
Shallow Water Habitats in Chesapeake Bay

• Michael, B.D., Trice, T.M., Heyer, C.J.,
  Stankelis, R.M., Preston, S.D.
• Maryland Department of Natural Resources
• Resource Assessment Service
• ERF October 17, 2005
• Supported by Funds from
• NOAA Coastal Oceans Program (NERR)
• EPA Chesapeake Bay Program
• Maryland Department of Natural Resources

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Presentation Summary

• Considerations for new Shallow Water Monitoring
  technologies
• New Chesapeake Bay water quality criteria
• Evaluation of new technologies
• Continuous monitors
• Water Quality Mapping (DATAFLOW)
• Expanding new technologies to address open and
  deep water habitats

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Considerations For Incorporating New SWM
Technologies in Existing Monitoring Program

• Must help achieve primary monitoring objectives
  (assessing water quality criteria)
• Cost-effective
• Deployable near-term, sustainable long-term
• Must help address areas of shallow water
  
  habitat in Bay and in tributaries
• Measurements must be able to be spatially and
  temporally integrated with other monitoring
  components in data analyses
• Must meet needs of partners

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The New Bay Agreement Requires Restoration Goals
for 5 Designated and 3 Criteria
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Dissolved OxygenCriteria
Minimum Amount of Oxygen (mg/L) Needed to Survive
by Species
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Migratory Spawning Nursery Areas
Striped Bass 5-6
American Shad 5
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Shallow and Open Water Areas
White Perch 5
Yellow Perch 5
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Hard Clams 5
Deep Water
Alewife 3.6
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Bay Anchovy 3
Crabs 3
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Deep Channel
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Spot 2
Worms 1
0
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Water Clarity Criteria
Photo Courtesy of VIMS
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Chlorophyll Criteria
Microcystis Bloom in Potomac River
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Application of Water-Quality Criteria
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Chesapeake Bay Shallow Water Monitoring
Design Consists of 2 Components
Continuous Monitors

• Continuous Monitors
• All criteria
• Shallow-water designated use
• Water Quality Mapping
• All criteria
• Shallow open-water designated use
• Existing Fixed Stations
• All criteria
• All but shallow-water designated use

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Continuous Monitoring Site Selection

• 2 sites per segment (if resources permit)
• Purpose
• Represents upstream and downstream conditions
• Provides temporal resolution for evaluating WQ
  criteria
• Calibration for water quality mapping
• Event based monitoring fish kills, algal
  blooms, hurricane impacts
• Calibration
• Weekly to biweekly calibration with full suite of
  nutrients, light attenuation, chlorophyll and TSS

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Continuous Monitors

• Generally, deployed April October, over a
  3-year period
• A subset of meters are telemetered real-time to
  web site
• Measures water quality parameters every 15 minutes

YSI 6600 EDS Measures Dissolved Oxygen,
Turbidity, Chlorophyll, Water Temperature,Salinit
y, pH
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Water Quality Mapping (DATAFLOW)

• Purpose
• Provides spatial resolution for evaluating new WQ
  criteria
• Targeting SAV restoration activities
• Determining factors in meeting SAV goals
• Assessing habitat for fish and other living
  resources
• Calibration
• A minimum of 5 calibration sites/cruise with full
  suite of nutrients, light attenuation,
  chlorophyll and TSS
• Long-term water quality site is one calibration
  point to foster integration between program

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• Water Quality Mapping Instrumentation
• Monthly cruises, April October, over a 3
• year period
• Measures water quality parameters every
• 4 seconds

YSI 6600 EDS Measures Dissolved Oxygen,
Turbidity, Chlorophyll, Water Temperature,Salinit
y, pH
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Maryland Chesapeake and Coastal Bays Monitoring
Sites
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Corsica River Fish Kill 9/25-29/05Over 50,000
dead fish, multiple species, over a 5 day period
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Corsica River
Cedar Point
Sycamore Point
Water Quality Mapping 9/26/05
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CBP Shallow Water Monitoring Integration with IOOS

• Purpose
• Provide relevant real-time data to coastal
  managers
• Enhance spatial coverage for monitoring results
• Develop partnerships to leverage resources
• Pilot Project
• Implement real-time DO, Chlorophyll, turbidity
  data at CBOS platforms
• Develop consistent reporting formats
• Provide information on regional IOOS web site

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Proposed CBOS Sites Maryland Pilot Project
Summer 2005
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Shallow Water Monitoring for 2006

• Continued expansion in both MD and VA
• Implement comprehensive Potomac assessment
• Backing from scientific community (STAC SWM
  Workshop)
• Incorporate design modifications to better
  address objectives
• Develop new partnerships
• Identify additional resources

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Proposed 2006 Potomac Estuary Water Quality
Criteria Monitoring Program
Minimum of 18 continuous monitoring sites, 4
water quality mapping teams covering entire tidal
tributary over a 3-4 day period, 3 water quality
buoys, 1 in each salinity segment to address open
and deep water habitats
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Developing Partnerships Maryland DNR

• EPA Chesapeake Bay Program
• NOAA National Ocean Service
• NOAA Chesapeake Bay Program
• NOAA National Estuarine Research Reserve (NERR),
  Patuxent and Bush
• Chesapeake Biological Laboratory, Patuxent and
  Upper Potomac
• St. Marys College, Lower Potomac
• Smithsonian Environmental Research Center, Rhode
• Harford County Government, Bush
• Anne Arundel Government, Severn
• National Aquarium in Baltimore, Patapsco