U.S.-Belize Cooperative Research: Muds and Pollution in Belize Rivers

9820607吉布斯这项美洲计划奖将资助特拉华大学罗纳德·吉布斯博士、伯利兹大学卡洛斯·格拉博士和伯利兹贝尔莫潘首席环境和水文官员伊斯梅尔·法伯罗之间为期两年的合作研究项目。该项目将包括来自特拉华大学的两名美国研究生以及伯利兹大学的学生。这项研究将集中在港口沉积物和污染上，它们对伯利兹海岸外壮丽的屏障珊瑚礁构成潜在威胁。这是世界上第二长的河流，也是最原始的河流之一，但由于人类接触的增加，过度捕捞和沿海河流的沉积，它的衰落已经开始。最有害的因素已被确定是自然界中的磷，它导致藻类和浮游生物大量繁殖，使水浑浊，阻止光合作用，导致硬珊瑚死亡。拟议的研究将调查为什么泥浆和与之相关的有毒金属在港口积聚。美国和伯利兹的合作者将测量河流区域的盐度、温度、溶解氧、浑浊度和流速。这些剖面将提供足够的数据来计算一个箱形模型，该模型将表明泥浆和污染物的运输和沉积。一项比较研究将有助于确定进入河流和河口环境的污染量及其可能的污染源。这一项目的成果不仅有利于伯利兹，而且有助于拯救其他同样面临消失的珊瑚礁。

9820607GibbsThis Americas Program award will fund a two year cooperative research project between Dr. Ronald Gibbs, University of Delaware, Dr. Carlos Guerra, University of Belize, and Ismael Fabro, Chief Environmental and Hydrology Officer, Belmopan, Belize. The project will include two US graduate students from the University of Delaware as well as students from the University in Belize. The research will focus on harbor sediments and pollution, that pose a potential threat to the magnificent barrier coral reef off the Belize coast. This is the second longest in the world, and one of the most pristine, but its decline has begun because of increasing human contact, overfishing and sedimentation from coastal rivers. The most deleterious factor has been determined to be phosphorous in nature, which causes algal and planktonic blooms to cloud the water and prevent photosynthesis, causing the mortality of the hard coral.. The proposed study will investigate why the muds and toxic metals associated with them accumulate in the harbor. Measurements of river area salinity, temperature, dissolved oxygen, and both the turbidity and the velocity of the water will be taken by the US and Belizean collaborators. These profiles will provide sufficient data to calculate a box model which will indicate transport and deposition of the muds and pollutants. A comparative study will allow the determination of the amount of pollution entering the river and estuarine environment and their possible source areas. The results of this project will benefit, not only Belize, but also could contribute to saving other coral reefs which are also facing disappearance.