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2002 Progress Report: Collaborative Efforts Between CEER-GOM and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)-Gulf Ecology Division (GED)
EPA Grant Number: R829458C006Subproject: this is subproject number 006 , established and managed by the Center Director under grant R829458
(EPA does not fund or establish subprojects; EPA awards and manages the overall grant for this center).
Center: EAGLES - Consortium for Estuarine Ecoindicator Research for the Gulf of Mexico
Center Director: Brouwer, Marius
Title: Collaborative Efforts Between CEER-GOM and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)-Gulf Ecology Division (GED)
Investigators: Lepo, Joe , Nocker, A. , Proctor, Lita , Snyder, Richard
Institution: University of Southern Mississippi
EPA Project Officer: Levinson, Barbara
Project Period: December 1, 2003 through November 30, 2005
Project Period Covered by this Report: December 1, 2001 through November 30, 2002
RFA: Environmental Indicators in the Estuarine Environment Research Program (2000)
Research Category: Ecological Indicators/Assessment/Restoration
Description:
Objective:The objectives of this research project are to combine the efforts of the Consortium for Estuarine Ecoindicator Research for the Gulf of Mexico (CEER-GOM) and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Gulf Ecology Division (GED) to conduct biofilm, microcosm, and macrobenthic and molecular indicator experiments.
Progress Summary:An introductory meeting was held at the EPA GED laboratory in Gulf Breeze, FL, on October 23, 2001. The CEER investigators provided brief overviews of their proposed research projects and GED scientists discussed their ongoing and planned research programs. Ground rules for collaboration also were discussed at this meeting. A second planning meeting was held at EPA GED on January 23, 2002. An all-hands CEER planning meeting held March 26-27, 2002, in Ocean Springs, MS, was attended by six EPA GED scientists. A conference call for CEER and EPA GED scientists was held on August 30, 2002 to discuss the logistics of the joint study in Pensacola Bay (East Bay, Garcon Point).
Microbial Biofilms-GED Collaboration
Project Investigators (PIs) Lepo, Snyder, Nocker (CEER-University of West Florida [UWF]), and Proctor (CEER-University of Maryland) participate in weekly conference calls to discuss DNA molecular work and project issues in general. UWF sends appropriate biofilm materials to Dr. Proctor's laboratory for use in her DNA molecular work. The group communicates frequently with Richard Devereux (EPA/GED) concerning this process. Dr. Devereux is providing positive control cultures for terminal-restriction fragment length polymorphism work on sulfate-reducing bacteria, methanogens, and other archaea.
Biofilm Sampler Deployments (Experiments). Biofilm materials from samplers deployed in seagrass beds near EPA's GED laboratory have been collected during June and July. This experiment takes advantage of concurrent measurement of sea grass productivity parameters and sediment chemistry by GED scientists within the study site. During July, additional samplers were deployed at equivalent depths over an adjacent sand flat for comparison to the seagrass habitat-generated biofilms.
Microcosm Experiments. These experiments are designed to elucidate threshold responses of developing biofilms under two different nutrient exposure regimes (continuous and pulsed). Biofilm sampler plates would be deployed in flow-through microcosms with natural seawater with no added nutrients, a steady-state elevated level of N and P, and intermittent pulses of elevated N and P. The purpose is to: (1) ensure that we can measure responses in biofilms developed under controlled conditions; (2) allow for the adjustment of physical parameters (plate size, number, etc) and incubation times; and (3) establish thresholds (biomass) for some of the assays (particularly activities such as nitrogen fixation, sulfate reduction, and heterotrophic activity). The flow-through rate is tentatively set for a 50 percent turnover time of 24 hours, or approximately 95 percent turnover within 4 days. Snyder and Lepo, in consultation with EPA GED’s Rick Greene, Mike Lewis, and Peter Chapman, have secured a site for the biofilms microcosm setup and continue to refine experimental design details. GED has set up a wet table outside the GED wet laboratory to hold three aquaria (~60 gal; one for each nutrients regime). Once reviewed by the PIs, the design will be submitted to GED scientists for criticism and comments.
Macrobenthic Ecoindicators-GED Collaboration
Plans were initiated to conduct a pilot study in Pensacola Bay in September and October of 2002 to groundtruth methods, evaluate the response of proposed indicators along a dissolved oxygen (DO) stress gradient, bring several CEER components together as a team, and demonstrate that Pensacola Bay is a good choice for future case studies. Collaboration ensued via a conference call, which included representatives of the EPA GED, as well as investigators from several of the CEER-GOM components including the biofilm, crustacea hypoxia, macrobenthic indicator, and remote sensing groups.
GED offered field support for benthic sampling upon reviewing the sampling plan/schedule and determining whether resources are available. GED also provided a map and list of site coordinates (latitudes/longitudes) for current study as well as DO data from the most recent survey to use for setting up the transect.
During September 8-10, 2002, a field trip was made to conduct benthic sampling at five stations across a transect in the East Bay within the Pensacola Bay system. John Macauley, of GED, assisted the CEER-GOM benthic sampling effort in the East Bay and GED provided a Monarch boat equipped with a hydraulic winch for benthic sampling.
Another trip to sample the same five East Bay stations will be made in early November 2002, after the DO minimum period has broken. We again will be assisted by John Macauley, and GED again will provide a Monarch boat equipped with a hydraulic winch for benthic sampling.
Molecular Indicators of DO Stress-GED Collaboration
The DO stress group sampled in Pensacola East Bay (Garcon Point) concurrent with the macrobenthic ecoindicator and microbial biofilms groups on September 13. This effort was severely hampered by tropical storm Hanna passing over the sampling area that day.
Remote Sensing-GED Collaboration
Dr. Luohenh Han (CEER-University of Alabama) has been collecting hyperspectral data over the Pensacola Bay in collaboration with the researchers of EPA GED's nutrient team (Skeet Lores). The water sampling at 16 sampling sites took place monthly: March 6, May 15 and 16, June 4 and 5, June 12, and August 27 and 28, 2002. The GED has provided very valuable water sampling data including chlorophyll-a for these dates.
Geographic Information Systems-EPA Collaboration
Pete Bourgeois (EPA/U.S. Geological Survey) has supplied Xiaojun Yang (CEER-UWF) with one scene of Landsat thematic mapper (TM) imagery for 1991.
Future Activities:We will continue to combine the efforts of CEER-GOM and EPA GED to conduct biofilm, microcosm, and macrobenthic and molecular indicator experiments.
Supplemental Keywords:population, dissolved oxygen, DO, community, ecosystem, watersheds, estuary, Gulf of Mexico, nutrients, hypoxia, innovative technology, ecoindicators, biomarkers, water quality, remote sensing, global information system, GIS, integrated assessment, risk assessment, fisheries, conservation, restoration. , Ecosystem Protection/Environmental Exposure & Risk, Geographic Area, Scientific Discipline, RFA, ECOSYSTEMS, Ecosystem/Assessment/Indicators, Gulf of Mexico, Ecology, Aquatic Ecosystems & Estuarine Research, Ecological Monitoring, Aquatic Ecosystem, Ecological Indicators, Aquatic Ecosystems, Environmental Monitoring, environmental indicators, ecoindicator, monitoring, Environmental Monitoring and Assessment Program, estuarine integrity, estuarine ecoindicator, ecological exposure, environmental stress, CEER-GOM, Galveston Bay, estuaries, ecosystem monitoring, Apalachicola Bay
Progress and Final Reports:
Original Abstract
Main Center Abstract and Reports:
R829458 EAGLES - Consortium for Estuarine Ecoindicator Research for the Gulf of Mexico
Subprojects under this Center:
(EPA does not fund or establish subprojects; EPA awards and manages the overall grant for this center).
R829458C001 Remote Sensing of Water Quality
R829458C002 Microbial Biofilms as Indicators of Estuarine Ecosystem Condition
R829458C003 Individual Level Indicators: Molecular Indicators of Dissolved Oxygen Stress in Crustaceans
R829458C004 Data Management and Analysis
R829458C005 Individual Level Indicators: Reproductive Function in Estuarine Fishes
R829458C006 Collaborative Efforts Between CEER-GOM and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)-Gulf Ecology Division (GED)
R829458C007 GIS and Terrestrial Remote Sensing
R829458C008 Macrobenthic Process Indicators of Estuarine Condition for the Northern Gulf of Mexico
R829458C009 Modeling and Integration