RAPID: Tracking the impact of engineered system failures on nearshore nutrient loads and harmful algal blooms using multiple stable isotopes

RAPID：使用多种稳定同位素跟踪工程系统故障对近岸营养物负荷和有害藻华的影响

• 批准号: 2130675
• 负责人: Elise Morrison
• 金额: $ 17.11万
• 依托单位: University of Florida
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2021
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2021-05-01 至 2024-04-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2130675&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: RAPID; Tracking; impact; engineered; system

Beaches, bays, and other coastal systems provide valuable recreation opportunities for swimming, fishing, boating and tourism. Fish, shellfish, dolphins, and other animals depend on the seagrasses, coral, algae, and other organisms in these balanced ecosystems to survive. When seagrasses are unhealthy, the rest of the system can suffer, and these benefits can be lost. Nutrient loading to these environments can increase due to waste discharge and other sources, causing an imbalance in the fragile ecosystem. Sometimes the extra nutrients can cause microscopic phytoplankton to grow rapidly or “bloom” and smother seagrasses and corals. Some types of algal blooms can produce toxins that harmful to wildlife and people that are known as harmful algal blooms or “HABs”. In late March to early April 2021, concerns were raised about the stability of a reservoir containing wastewater from a defunct fertilizer plant in Piney Point, Florida. These concerns prompted the release of 215 million gallons of waste into Tampa Bay to prevent the reservoir from collapsing. The wastewater contains large concentrations of nutrients that may upset the balance in the coastal receiving waters, causing algal blooms and possibly HABs. Damage to this ecosystem is especially concerning because Tampa Bay has been a seagrass restoration success story since the 1990s. To address these concerns, research will use advanced scientific tools to specifically track the transport of nutrients from the wastewater to determine their impact on local seagrasses. Successful completion of this research will benefit society by helping water management professionals determine how to mitigate the impacts of excess nutrient loading and better protect these valuable ecosystems. Additional benefits will result from increased scientific literacy through outreach with local estuary monitoring groups to inform residents about the specific ways that nutrient-rich wastes impact their coastal ecosystems.The release of nutrients along the Nation’s coastlines represents a chronic threat to nearshore ecosystems. Impacts from increased nutrient loading range from eutrophication, harmful algal blooms, and the production of hypoxic zones. Discharges from a reservoir containing wastewater from a defunct fertilizer plant at Piney Point, Florida has garnered national attention as it threatens estuaries in the Tampa Bay region. The release of 215 million gallons of nitrogen and phosphorus-rich effluent threatens an ecosystem that has been considered a seagrass restoration success story. A major concern is that these discharges may trigger macroalgae and/or phytoplankton blooms, thereby threatening the ecologically and economically valuable seagrass communities in the region. The goal of this research is to trace the nutrient inputs from the Piney Point breach to better understand these threats. This objective will be achieved using a novel multi-stable isotope approach to: (1) Characterize the signature of Piney Point effluent; (2) Track the fate of the effluent as it is transported to the nearshore environment; and (3) Evaluate changes in primary producers (phytoplankton communities, macroalgae, and seagrasses) within the region. The research hypothesis is that discharge from Piney Point will result in a rapid response from phytoplankton and macroalgae, resulting in conditions that may restrict light availability and negatively impact local seagrass communities. The ephemeral nature of this event necessitates quick deployment to obtain samples at the outflow and throughout Tampa Bay. Successful completion of this research addresses the wider problem of waste discharge from aging and failing infrastructure, a persistent issue throughout the Nation’s coastlines. The results of this research will further benefit society by advancing our understanding of these impacts on fragile coastal ecosystems.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.

海滩、海湾和其他海岸系统为游泳、钓鱼、划船和旅游业提供了宝贵的娱乐机会。鱼类、贝类、海豚和其他动物依靠海草、珊瑚、藻类和其他生物在这些平衡的生态系统中生存。当海草不健康时，系统的其他部分可能会受到影响，这些好处可能会失去。由于废物排放和其他来源，这些环境的营养负荷可能增加，导致脆弱的生态系统失衡。有时，额外的营养物质会导致微小的浮游植物快速生长或“开花”，并使海草和珊瑚窒息。某些类型的藻华会产生对野生动物和人类有害的毒素，称为有害藻华或“有害藻华”。2021年3月底至4月初，人们对佛罗里达皮尼角一家废弃化肥厂废水蓄水池的稳定性表示担忧。这些担忧促使向坦帕湾释放了2. 15亿加仑的废物，以防止水库坍塌。废水中含有大量营养物质，可能会破坏沿海接收沃茨的平衡，导致藻类大量繁殖，并可能产生有害生物。对这一生态系统的破坏尤其令人担忧，因为自20世纪90年代以来，坦帕湾一直是海草恢复的成功故事。为了解决这些问题，研究将使用先进的科学工具来专门跟踪废水中营养物质的运输，以确定它们对当地海草的影响。这项研究的成功完成将有助于水管理专业人员确定如何减轻过量营养负荷的影响，更好地保护这些宝贵的生态系统，从而造福社会。通过与当地河口监测小组的外联活动提高科学素养将带来额外的好处，使居民了解富含营养的废物影响其沿海生态系统的具体方式。国家沿着线的营养物质释放对近岸生态系统构成了长期威胁。营养负荷增加的影响包括富营养化、有害藻华和缺氧区的形成。佛罗里达皮尼角一家废弃化肥厂的废水从水库中排放出来，威胁到坦帕湾地区的河口，引起了全国的关注。2.15亿加仑富含氮和磷的污水的排放威胁着一个被认为是海草恢复成功故事的生态系统。一个主要的关切是，这些排放可能引发大型藻类和/或浮游植物大量繁殖，从而威胁到该区域具有生态和经济价值的海草群落。这项研究的目标是追踪皮尼角缺口的营养输入，以更好地了解这些威胁。这一目标将使用一种新的多稳定同位素方法来实现：（1）表征皮尼角污水的特征;（2）跟踪污水被输送到近岸环境的命运;（3）评估该区域内初级生产者（浮游植物群落、大型藻类和海草）的变化。研究假设是，皮尼角的排放将导致浮游植物和大型藻类的快速反应，导致可能限制光照供应并对当地海草群落产生负面影响的条件。这一事件的短暂性质需要快速部署，以获得在流出和整个坦帕湾的样本。这项研究的成功完成解决了老化和失败的基础设施的废物排放的更广泛的问题，这是整个国家海岸线的一个长期问题。这项研究的结果将进一步造福社会，提高我们对脆弱的沿海生态系统的影响的理解。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

项目成果

Initial estuarine response to inorganic nutrient inputs from a legacy mining facility adjacent to Tampa Bay, Florida

河口对佛罗里达州坦帕湾附近遗留采矿设施无机养分输入的初步反应

• DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2022.113598
• 发表时间: 2022
• 期刊: Marine Pollution Bulletin
• 影响因子: 5.8
• 作者: Beck, Marcus W.;Altieri, Andrew;Angelini, Christine;Burke, Maya C.;Chen, Jing;Chin, Diana W.;Gardiner, Jayne;Hu, Chuanmin;Hubbard, Katherine A.;Liu, Yonggang
• 通讯作者: Liu, Yonggang