Linking Limnology to Cyanotoxins in Drinking Water Using Buoy Sensors and Auto-Sampling

在美国，支持有毒蓝藻积累的湖泊数量正在增加。 因此，与湖泊娱乐活动以及鱼类消费有关的人类健康风险越来越大。 与蓝藻毒素产生相关的物理化学因素在与蓝藻生态学相关的时间尺度上是不明确的（即，分钟到小时）。 此外，在美国，湖泊为饮用水处理厂（DWTP）提供水源;急性中毒有很好的记录，但慢性暴露于饮用水中低水平的蓝藻毒素则没有。 湖泊条件（湖沼学变量）与饮用水中的蓝藻毒素存在内在联系，因为这些条件也影响DWTP工艺对蓝藻毒素的去除效率。在本项目中，威斯康星州-密尔沃基大学（UWM）的一个研究小组将使用高-该系统还包括浮标上的分辨率传感器和一个新的自动取样装置，以调查湖沼学变量与湖泊和饮用水中是否存在蓝藻毒素之间的关系。 密歇根湖流域的温尼贝戈湖和从该湖取水的DWTP将作为模型系统。 原位传感器将测量物理环境变量和藻类色素;营养物质，群落组成和蓝藻毒素将在自动采样器收集的保存水样中进行测量。 斑马鱼试验将用于检测未知毒素和总体水毒性。 这种方法应显着推进我们对湖泊蓝藻毒素动力学的理解，在亚日常的时间scales.Broader影响：这个项目将利用其他正在进行的项目，包括在UWM的NSF本科研究和数学计划，以及资源，设施和服务提供的全球湖泊生态观测网络和儿童环境健康科学核心中心在UWM的支持。 后两个组织将向外界传播数据和调查结果，从而使参与人类和生态健康研究的跨学科科学家的广泛网络得以接触。 该项目将为一名女研究生和几名本科生实习生提供培训和支助。本项目所依据的原始提案（R 01 ES 022075 -01）已提交给美国国立环境健康科学研究院（NIH/NIEHS）响应资助机会公告RFA-ES-11-013，“海洋、五大湖和人类健康（R 01）"，这是NSF联合赞助的一个机会。 该项目通过NSF和NIEHS的单独奖励合作资助。

In the United States, the number of lakes supporting accumulations of toxic cyanobacterial is on the rise. Consequently there is increasing human health risk associated with lake recreational activities as well as the consumption of fish. The physicochemical factors associated with cyanotoxin production are ill-defined at time-scales relevant to cyanobacterial ecology (i.e., minutes to hours). Moreover, in the U.S. lakes provide source water for drinking water treatment plants (DWTP); acute poisonings are well documented, but chronic exposure to low levels of cyanotoxins in drinking water is not. Lake conditions (limnological variables) that support cyanotoxin production are intrinsically linked to the occurrence of cyanotoxins in drinking water because these conditions also influence cyanotoxin removal efficiency by DWTP processes.In this project, a research team at the University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee (UWM) will use high-resolution sensors on buoys and a new automated sampling device to investigate relationships between limnological variables and the presence of cyanotoxins in lakes and drinking water. Lake Winnebago in the Lake Michigan watershed and a DWTP drawing water from the lake will serve as the model system. The in situ sensors will measure physical environmental variables and algal pigments; nutrients, community composition, and cyanotoxins will be measured in preserved water samples collected by the automated sampler. A zebra fish assay will be used to detect unknown toxins and overall water toxicity. This approach should significantly advance our understanding of lacustrine cyanotoxin dynamics at sub-daily time scales.Broader Impacts: This project will leverage the support of other ongoing projects, including the NSF Undergraduate Research and Mathematics program at UWM as well as resources, facilities, and services provided by the Global Lake Ecological Observatory Network and the Children's Environmental Health Sciences Core Center at UWM. The latter two organizations will disseminate data and findings to the external community, thereby reaching a wide network of transdisciplinary scientists involved in human and ecological health research. The project will provide training and support for a female graduate student and several undergraduate interns.JOINT FUNDING BY NSF AND NIEHS: The original proposal on which this project is based (R01 ES022075-01) was submitted to the National Institutes of Environmental Health Sciences (NIH/NIEHS) in response to Funding Opportunity Announcement RFA-ES-11-013 , "Oceans, Great Lakes and Human Health (R01)", an opportunity jointly sponsored by NSF. This project is cooperatively funded through separate awards from NSF and NIEHS.