SGER: Impact of Hurricane Katrina on Lake Pontchartrain Ecosystem: Geochemistry, Microbiology, and Potential Human Health Effects

SGER：卡特里娜飓风对庞恰特雷恩湖生态系统的影响：地球化学、微生物学和潜在的人类健康影响

• 批准号: 0554674
• 负责人: Aixin Hou
• 金额: --
• 依托单位: Louisiana State University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2005
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2005-10-01 至 2007-03-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0554674&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: SGER; Impact; Hurricane; Katrina; Lake

ABSTRACTOCE-0554674This project is one of several coordinated marine environmental studies funded through a Small Grant for Exploratory Research (SGER) for rapid response to a natural disaster: the flooding of New Orleans by Hurricane Katrina. The effort is part of a larger collaborative study with scientists at the NSF-NIEHS Centers for Oceans and Human Health at the University of Hawaii, the University of Miami, and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution.Shortly after Hurricane Katrina made landfall in the Gulf Coast Region, widespread flooding in the New Orleans area resulted in sewage overflows and contamination of floodwaters. Shortly thereafter, these floodwaters were pumped continuously into Lake Pontchartrain without treatment, resulting in the spread of contaminants into the Lake, which ultimately discharges towards the Gulf of Mexico. Working collaboratively, the multi-institutional research team will investigate the extent to which the waters in Lake Pontchartrain and vicinity have been contaminated with chemical contaminants, pathogenic microbes, and harmful algal bloom (HAB) organisms. The study will document the levels and spread of biotic and abiotic contaminants along with HAB organisms, information which will be useful for subsequent modeling efforts.With funds from this SGER award, researchers at the Louisiana State University at Baton Rouge will investigate the impact of the New Orleans dewatering operation on the Lake Pontchartrain ecosystem, with a particular focus on issues related to geochemistry, microbiology, and potential human health effects. LSU scientists will focus on several issues: (1) concentrations of E. coli and Enterococcus bacteria in Lake Pontchartrain, particularly in the vicinity of the 17th Street Canal discharge, (2) concentrations of heavy metals in sediments and fish tissue, with particular attention being given to methyl mercury, (3) the influence of the BOD and nutrients in the discharged floodwaters on the oxygen regime in the lake, (4) potential development of algal blooms, with particular attention being given to species that produce biotoxins, (5) circulation and mixing processes in the lake and their influence on the impact of the discharged floodwaters on the Lake Pontchartrain ecosystemIn addition, LSU will provide logistical support for scientists from collaborating institutions and will collect and initially process samples for them whenever necessary.The primary broader impact of this rapid-response study is that it will provide much needed information in the aftermath of a natural disaster. The microbes released by the sewage can potentially impact a large area including Lake Pontchartrain, and subsequently the Gulf of Mexico. There are significant human populations and fisheries in both these areas that can experience acute and chronic disease from these chemical, microbial, and HAB organism exposures now and in the future. From a basic science and public health perspective, it is important to investigate the mechanisms by which and the extent to which these contaminants have migrated.

这个项目是由探索性研究小额拨款(SGER)资助的几项协调的海洋环境研究之一，目的是对一场自然灾害做出快速反应：卡特里娜飓风导致的新奥尔良洪水。这项工作是与夏威夷大学NSF-NIEHS海洋和人类健康中心、迈阿密大学和伍兹霍尔海洋研究所的科学家们合作进行的一项更大规模研究的一部分。卡特里娜飓风在墨西哥湾沿岸地区登陆后不久，新奥尔良地区大范围的洪水导致污水溢出和洪水污染。此后不久，这些洪水未经处理就连续注入庞恰特雷恩湖，导致污染物扩散到湖中，最终排放到墨西哥湾。多机构研究小组将通力合作，调查庞恰特雷恩湖及其附近水域被化学污染物、致病微生物和有害藻华(HAB)生物污染的程度。这项研究将记录生物和非生物污染物以及HAB生物的水平和扩散，这些信息将对后续的建模工作有用。利用来自SGER奖的资金，位于巴吞鲁日的路易斯安那州立大学的研究人员将调查新奥尔良降水操作对庞恰特雷恩湖生态系统的影响，特别关注与地球化学、微生物学和潜在的人类健康影响相关的问题。路易斯安那州立大学的科学家将重点研究几个问题：(1)庞恰特雷恩湖，特别是第17街运河排泄口附近的大肠杆菌和肠球菌的浓度；(2)沉积物和鱼组织中的重金属浓度，特别是甲基汞；(3)排出的洪水中的BOD和营养物质对湖泊氧气状况的影响；(4)藻类水华的潜在发展，特别是产生生物毒素的物种；(5)湖泊的循环和混合过程及其对排出的洪水对庞恰特雷恩湖生态系统的影响；路易斯安那州立大学将为合作机构的科学家提供后勤支持，并在必要时为他们收集样本并进行初步处理。这项快速反应研究的主要更广泛影响是，它将在自然灾害发生后提供急需的信息。污水释放的微生物可能会影响大片地区，包括庞恰特雷恩湖，随后是墨西哥湾。在这两个地区，现在和将来都有大量人口和渔业可能因接触这些化学、微生物和HAB生物体而经历急性和慢性疾病。从基础科学和公共卫生的角度来看，重要的是调查这些污染物迁移的机制和程度。

项目成果

Spatial variation of cold front wind-driven circulation and quasi-steady state balance in Lake Pontchartrain Estuary

• DOI: 10.1016/j.ecss.2019.04.031
• 发表时间: 2019-08
• 期刊: Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science
• 作者: Wei Huang;Chunyan Li