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

海滩、海湾和其他海岸系统为游泳、钓鱼、划船和旅游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，这些好处可能会丧失。由于废物排放和其他来源，这些环境的养分负荷可能会增加，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迅速生长或“开花”，窒息海草和珊瑚。一些类型的藻类水华会产生对野生动物和人类有害的毒素，这种毒素被称为有害藻类水华或“赤潮”。2021年3月底至4月初，人们对一个水库的稳定性表示担忧，该水库含有佛罗里达州松点市一家废弃化肥厂的废水。这些担忧促使2.15亿加仑的废物被释放到坦帕湾，以防止水库坍塌。废水中含有大量营养物质，这可能会破坏沿海接收水域的平衡，导致藻类大量繁殖，甚至可能出现赤潮。对这一生态系统的破坏尤其令人担忧，因为坦帕湾自1990年代以来一直是海草恢复的成功故事。为了解决这些担忧，研究人员将使用先进的科学工具来具体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度营养负荷的影响，并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进行接触，告知居民营养丰富的废物对其沿海生态系统的具体影响方式，提高科学素养将带来更多好处。国家海岸线的营养物质释放对近岸生态系统构成长期威胁。营养负荷增加的影响包括富营养化、有害的藻类水华和缺氧区的产生。佛罗里达州松树角一家废弃化肥厂的废水来自水库的排放已经引起了全国的关注，因为它威胁到了坦帕湾地区的河口。2.15亿加仑富含氮和磷的污水的排放威胁到了一个被认为是海草恢复成功故事的生态系统。一个主要关切是，这些排放可能引发大型藻类和/或浮游植物水华，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Piney Point漏洞的营养输入，以更好地了解这些威胁。将使用一种新的多稳定同位素方法来实现这一目标：(1)描述Piney Point流出物的特征；(2)跟踪流出物被输送到近岸环境时的去向；(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，从Piney Point排放的水将导致浮游植物和大型藻类的快速反应，导致可能限制光可获得性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，以便在流出处和整个坦帕湾获取样本。这项研究的成功完成解决了老化和失灵的基础设施造成的废物排放这一更广泛的问题，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，促进我们对这些对脆弱的沿海生态系统的影响的了解。这一奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

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.