FSML: Increasing Capacity for Water Quality Research at the Shannon Point Marine Center

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Marine water quality analyses, which are measurements of the physical, chemical, and biological composition of seawater, are critical to marine science research. For example, these measurements are used to study processes that change the composition of seawater, such as alterations of land-use patterns and climate change, and the effects of changes in water quality on marine plants and animals. They also are used to monitor the performance of research equipment at marine laboratories. At Western Washington University's (WWU's) Shannon Point Marine Center (SPMC), measurements of water quality are used to understand the dynamics of the waters of the Salish Sea, and the biology and ecology of the organisms that live in the local waters. Researchers at the Marine Center also use water quality measurements to monitor the laboratory's seawater system and its ocean acidification facility. In order to measure concentrations of nitrate, nitrite, ammonium, urea, phosphate, silicate, sulfate, dissolved oxygen, and chlorophyll in seawater more efficiently, at lower cost, and more safely, SPMC will purchase new instrumentation for processing seawater samples and conducting water quality measurements. The instrumentation will be used by resident scientists at the Marine Center, by affiliated faculty from WWU's main campus in Bellingham, Washington, and by visiting scientists. It will also support educational activities, including WWU marine science courses held at SPMC, graduate student thesis projects, and research and internships activities pursued at the Marine Center by undergraduate students. Thus, this project will promote understanding of processes affecting Washington State's marine ecosystems and will contribute to the training of the next generation of marine scientists. The equipment to be purchased on the project includes an automated chemistry analyzer for measuring seawater nitrite, nitrate, ammonium, urea, phosphate, silicate, and sulfate; a titration system for measuring dissolved oxygen; and a UV/Vis spectrophotometer for measuring chlorophyll and other pigments. Supporting instrumentation for conducting these analyses including a refrigerated centrifuge for processing samples for pigment analyses, an analytical balance and ultrapure water filtration system for preparing reagents, and a multi-port filtration system for processing water samples will also be purchased. The equipment will be housed in the Shannon Point Marine Center's Marine Chemistry Facility and will be available for use by resident, WWU, and visiting scientists and students. The equipment will restore and expand the capacity of SPMC to conduct measurements of the chemical, physical, and biological properties of seawater; enable new or expanded studies of marine organisms and ecosystems; and allow SPMC to better monitor its ocean acidification and seawater system infrastructure. It will also allow staff at the facility to continue to add to its existing water quality database, which began in 1974 and is one of the longest running water quality databases in the region. For more about Shannon Point Marine Center, visit their website at https://www.wwu.edu/spmc/.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.