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Characterizing light attenuation within Northwest Florida Estuaries: Implications for RESTORE Act water quality monitoring.

ABSTRACT: Water Quality (WQ) condition is based on ecosystem stressor indicators (e.g. water clarity) which are biogeochemically important and critical when considering the Deepwater Horizon oil spill restoration efforts under the 2012 RESTORE Act. Nearly all of the proposed RESTORE projects list restoring WC as a goal, but 90% neglect water clarity. Here, dynamics of optical constituents impacting clarity are presented from a 2009-2011 study within Pensacola, Choctawhatchee, St. Andrew and St. Joseph estuaries (targeted RESTORE sites) in Northwest Florida. Phytoplankton were the smallest contribution to total absorption (at-wPAR) at 412nm (5-11%), whereas colored dissolved organic matter was the largest (61-79%). Estuarine at-wPAR was significantly related to light attenuation (KdPAR), where individual contributors to clarity and the influence of climatic events were discerned. Provided are conversion equations demonstrating interoperability of clarity indicators between traditional State-measured WQ measures (e.g. secchi disc), optical constituents, and even satellite remote sensing for obtaining baseline assessments.

SUBMITTER: Conmy RN

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7315315 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Characterizing light attenuation within Northwest Florida Estuaries: Implications for RESTORE Act water quality monitoring.

Conmy Robyn N RN Schaeffer Blake A BA Schubauer-Berigan Joseph J Aukamp Jessica J Duffy Allyn A Lehrter John C JC Greene Richard M RM

Marine pollution bulletin 20161119 2

Water Quality (WQ) condition is based on ecosystem stressor indicators (e.g. water clarity) which are biogeochemically important and critical when considering the Deepwater Horizon oil spill restoration efforts under the 2012 RESTORE Act. Nearly all of the proposed RESTORE projects list restoring WC as a goal, but 90% neglect water clarity. Here, dynamics of optical constituents impacting clarity are presented from a 2009-2011 study within Pensacola, Choctawhatchee, St. Andrew and St. Joseph est ...[more]

PMID: 27876374

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Project description:As more success is achieved in restoring lakes and estuaries from the impacts of nutrient pollution, there is increased opportunity to evaluate the scientific, social, and policy factors associated with achieving restoration goals. We examined case studies where deliberate actions to reduce nutrient pollution and restore ecosystems resulted in ecological recovery. Prospective cases were identified from scientific literature and technical documents for lakes and estuaries with: (1) scientific evidence of nutrient pollution; (2) restoration actions taken to mitigate nutrient pollution; and (3) documented ecological improvement. Using these criteria, we identified 9 estuaries and 7 lakes spanning countries, climatic regions, physical types, depths, and watershed areas. Among 16 case studies ultimately included, 8 achieved improvements short of stated restoration goals. Five more were successful initially, but condition subsequently declined. Three of the case studies achieved their goals fully and are currently managing to maintain the restored condition. We examined each case to identify both common attributes of nutrient management, grouped into 'themes', and variations on those attributes, which were coded into categorical variables based on thorough review of documents associated with each case. The themes and variables were organized into a broad conceptual model illustrating how they relate to each other and to nutrient management outcomes. We then explored relationships among the themes and variables using multiple correspondence analysis (MCA). Results of the MCA suggested that the attributes most associated with achieving restoration goals include: (1) leadership by a dedicated watershed management agency; (2) governance through a bottom-up collaborative process; (3) a strategy that set numeric targets based on a specific ecological goal; and (4) actions to reduce nutrient loads from all sources. While our study did not provide a comprehensive road map to successful nutrient management, it suggested attributes that could be emulated in future efforts. The quantitative approach that was applied could be used to provide ongoing analysis as new examples of nutrient management success emerge.

Dataset Information

Characterizing light attenuation within Northwest Florida Estuaries: Implications for RESTORE Act water quality monitoring.

Publications

Characterizing light attenuation within Northwest Florida Estuaries: Implications for RESTORE Act water quality monitoring.

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