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Coastal Hypoxia Research Program (CHRP)

Issue

Hypoxia in aquatic systems refers to waters where the dissolved oxygen concentration is below 2 mg/L. Most organisms avoid, or become physiologically stressed in, waters with oxygen below this concentration. While hypoxia can occur naturally, it is often a symptom of environments stressed by human impacts (e.g. nutrient enrichment). Over half of U.S. estuaries experience natural or human-induced hypoxic conditions at some time each year and evidence suggests that the frequency and duration of hypoxic events have increased over the last few decades. These hypoxic events can have large impacts on the affected ecosystems, often with economic repercussions. Hypoxia is now a persistent problem in the Gulf of Mexico, Chesapeake Bay, Lake Erie, Puget Sound, and many other freshwater and marine centers of recreational and commercial importance.

The importance and national scale of hypoxia and nutrient pollution in U.S. waters is evidenced by the passage of the Harmful Algal Bloom and Hypoxia Research and Control Act (HABHRCA) in 1998 and its recent reauthorization in 2004. The HABHRCA legislation and several national reports, including the U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy Report, describe the need and identify priorities for research related to hypoxia and the related issue of nutrient pollution (i.e. eutrophication). Nutrient pollution is cited as perhaps the most important issue affecting coastal ecosystem health. Through HABHRCA and other legislation, NOAA is mandated and authorized to conduct research on this critical national problem.

Approach

HABHRCA and its recent reauthorization provide guidance for ongoing and future NOAA research efforts related to hypoxia. The NCCOS/CSCOR/COP currently has a long-term research program investigating the causes, consequences and prediction of the large, seasonal hypoxic zone in the northern Gulf of Mexico (NGOMEX). The purpose of the CHRP program is to expand NOAA's research capability to address hypoxia in other regions experiencing hypoxia. The objective of the CSCOR/COP coastal hypoxia research program is to provide research results and modeling tools which will be used by coastal resource managers to assess alternative management strategies for preventing or mitigating the impacts of hypoxia on coastal ecosystems and to make informed decisions regarding this important environmental phenomenon. Determining the causes of hypoxia, developing the capability to predict its occurrence in response to varying levels of anthropogenic stress, and evaluating the subsequent ecological, economic, and social impacts are necessary to assess potential management alternatives.

Focus areas, needs and priorities for the CHRP program were identified from two recent national reports related to nutrient inputs, eutrophication and hypoxia in U.S. coastal waters:

Key areas of research include:

  1. The development of a predictive capability for the spatial and temporal extent of hypoxia given current and potential anthropogenic and natural forcing scenarios and potential management alternatives,
  2. The determination of the current ecological and economic impacts of hypoxia in a region and the development of ecological forecasts and economic valuations of the impacts of changes in a hypoxic region's spatial or temporal extent through the range of possible scenarios, including both improving and worsening conditions, and
  3. The development of models that predict the susceptibility of coastal systems to the formation of hypoxic waters, thereby allowing managers to better focus monitoring and assessment programs and resulting in more efficient and successful protection and restoration efforts.

Accomplishments

In FY2005, the CHRP program held its first request for proposals. Out of that competitive, peer-reviewed process, six multi-year, interdisciplinary grants with anticipated funding of approximately $6.5 million over five-years were awarded to study hypoxia impacts on estuarine ecosystems. Twenty-seven scientists at 15 institutions will investigate hypoxia impacts in a range of systems including Narragansett Bay, Albemarle Estuary, Puget Sound , Delaware Coastal Bays, and Atlantic Coast Estuaries. Research efforts will focus on retrospective analysis, development of predictive models, determination of estuary susceptibility to nutrient loading and assessing the impact of hypoxia on key living resources. Abstracts for individual projects can be found below.

Management and Policy Implications

Future knowledge gained through CSCOR's Coastal Hypoxia Research Program will enable NOAA to develop the predictive tools to better understand how low oxygen and pollution affects our coastal systems — a critical need for the stewardship of our waterways. Through the CHRP program and its partnerships with institutions, NOAA can create the tools needed to better understand how environmental pollution, such as hypoxia, affects aquatic resources.

Current Projects

Related Links

For More Information, Contact:

Libby Jewett
NOAA/NOS/NCCOS/Center for Sponsored Coastal Ocean Research
Phone: 301-713-3338 x 121
E-mail: Libby.Jewett@noaa.gov