Collaborative Research: The role of sunlight in controlling fecal indicator bacteria and human virus concentrations in recreational waters

该奖项是根据2009年美国复苏和再投资法案（公法111-5）资助的。目前对娱乐水域微生物污染的评估包括粪便指示菌（FIB）作为人类病原体的代用物。FIB浓度表现出日变化，因此采集样本的时间会显著影响测量的浓度，这可能会导致符合或不符合水质标准的差异。此外，尚不清楚实际病原体的浓度以及由此带来的健康风险是否也会出现这种波动。因此，获取控制FIB和人类病原体这些日波动过程的信息至关重要。阳光被认为是FIB日波动的主要原因。该项目的目标是开发预测工具，以评估在自然水域普遍存在的一系列环境条件下，粪便指示生物和人类病毒的阳光介导失活。具体的研究目标涉及一个多学科团队在野外、实验室和通过建模研究阳光介导的失活的协调努力。实地工作将在加利福尼亚的一个海洋海滩和苏必利尔湖的一个淡水海滩进行。这些地点的盐度和敏化剂分子浓度不同，将与我们已经完成实地工作的第三个地点的数据进行比较。现场实验将用于发展环境条件与FIB和人类病毒灭活率之间的经验关系。实验室实验将用于发展对控制失活过程的机制理解，并了解观察到的生物体和野外地点之间差异的性质。现场和实验室数据将结合起来，开发一个模型，预测任何水的失活率，给定容易获得的环境。我们会出版经同行评审的研究论文、参加有关泳滩水质的会议，以及与决策者和泳滩管理人员直接互动，以广泛传播这项研究的结果。从这项关于自然水体的研究中收集到的信息也将扩展到了解其他工程和自然系统中由阳光介导的生物体失活，例如饮用水和废物稳定池的太阳能消毒。这项工作将促进教学、培训和学习，因为pi将让学生参与研究的各个方面，并将获得的结果融入课堂教学。毕业。

This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5). 0853988, 0853568, 0853409 Boehm, Nelson, McNeill Current assessment of microbial pollution in recreational waters involves measurement of fecal indicator bacteria (FIB) as proxies for human pathogens. FIB concentrations display diurnal variability such that the time the sample is collected dramatically impacts the measured concentration, which could make the difference between compliance and noncompliance with water quality standards. Also, it is not known whether the concentrations of actual pathogens, and thus associated health risk, also experience such fluctuations. Thus, it is critical to obtain information on the processes that control these diurnal fluctuations for FIB and human pathogens. Sunlight is believed to be the major cause of the diurnal fluctuation in FIB. The goal of this project is to develop predictive tools for assessing the sunlight-mediated inactivation of fecal indicator organisms and human viruses under a range of environmental conditions prevalent in natural waters. The specific research objectives involve a coordinated effort by a multidisciplinary team to study sunlight-mediated inactivation in the field, the laboratory, and via modeling. Field work will be conducted at one ocean beach in California and a freshwater beach on Lake Superior. These sites, which differ in salinity as well as the concentration of sensitizer molecules, will be compared with data from a third site for which we already have completed the field work. Field experiments will be used to develop empirical relationships between environmental conditions and inactivation rates of FIB and human viruses. Laboratory experiments will be used to develop a mechanistic understanding of the processes that control inactivation, and to understand the nature of observed differences between organisms and field sites. Field and laboratory data will be combined to develop a model that predicts inactivation rates for any water given easily obtainable environmental. Broad dissemination of the results of this study will be accomplished through publication of peer-reviewed research papers, participation in a conference focused on beach water quality, and direct interaction with policy makers and beach managers. Information gleaned from this study on natural waters will also be extendable to understanding sunlight-mediated inactivation of organisms in other engineered and natural systems, such as solar disinfection of drinking water and waste stabilization ponds. This work will promote teaching, training and learning, as the PIs will involve students in all aspects of the research and will integrate the results obtained into their classroom instruction. Graduate.