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Huang Z, Shu L, He Z, Yan Q. Community coalescence under variable hydrochemical conditions of the Chesapeake Bay shaped bacterial diversity and functional traits. ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2024; 257:119272. [PMID: 38823613 DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2024.119272] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2024] [Revised: 05/27/2024] [Accepted: 05/28/2024] [Indexed: 06/03/2024]
Abstract
Community coalescence related to bacterial mixing events regulates community characteristics and affects the health of estuary ecosystems. At present, bacterial coalescence and its driving factors are still unclear. The present study used a dataset from the Chesapeake Bay (2017) to address how bacterial community coalescence in response to variable hydrochemistry in estuarine ecosystems. We determined that variable hydrochemistry promoted the deterioration of water quality. Temperature, orthophosphate, dissolved oxygen, chlorophyll a, Secchi disk depth, and dissolved organic phosphorus were the key environmental factors driving community coalescence. Bacteria with high tolerance to environmental change were the primary taxa accumulated in community coalescence, and the significance of deterministic processes to communities was revealed. Community coalescence was significantly correlated with the pathways of metabolism and organismal systems, and promoted the co-occurrence of antibiotic resistance and virulence factor genes. Briefly, community coalescence under variable hydrochemical conditions shaped bacterial diversity and functional traits, to optimise strategies for energy acquisition and lay the foundation for alleviating environmental pressures. However, potential pathogenic bacteria in community coalescence may be harmful to human health and environmental safety. The present study provides a scientific reference for ecological management of estuaries.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhenyu Huang
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Marine Synthetic Ecology Research Center, Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Zhuhai), Guangdong Provincial Observation and Research Station for Marine Ranching in Lingdingyang Bay, China-ASEAN Belt and Road Joint Laboratory on Mariculture Technology, State Key Laboratory for Biocontrol, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510006, China
| | - Longfei Shu
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Marine Synthetic Ecology Research Center, Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Zhuhai), Guangdong Provincial Observation and Research Station for Marine Ranching in Lingdingyang Bay, China-ASEAN Belt and Road Joint Laboratory on Mariculture Technology, State Key Laboratory for Biocontrol, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510006, China
| | - Zhili He
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Marine Synthetic Ecology Research Center, Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Zhuhai), Guangdong Provincial Observation and Research Station for Marine Ranching in Lingdingyang Bay, China-ASEAN Belt and Road Joint Laboratory on Mariculture Technology, State Key Laboratory for Biocontrol, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510006, China
| | - Qingyun Yan
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Marine Synthetic Ecology Research Center, Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Zhuhai), Guangdong Provincial Observation and Research Station for Marine Ranching in Lingdingyang Bay, China-ASEAN Belt and Road Joint Laboratory on Mariculture Technology, State Key Laboratory for Biocontrol, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510006, China.
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2
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Rose KC, Ferrer EM, Carpenter SR, Crowe SA, Donelan SC, Garçon VC, Grégoire M, Jane SF, Leavitt PR, Levin LA, Oschlies A, Breitburg D. Aquatic deoxygenation as a planetary boundary and key regulator of Earth system stability. Nat Ecol Evol 2024; 8:1400-1406. [PMID: 39009849 DOI: 10.1038/s41559-024-02448-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2023] [Accepted: 05/02/2024] [Indexed: 07/17/2024]
Abstract
Planetary boundaries represent thresholds in major Earth system processes that are sensitive to human activity and control global-scale habitability and stability. These processes are interconnected such that movement of one planetary boundary process can alter the likelihood of crossing other boundaries. Here we argue that the observed deoxygenation of the Earth's freshwater and marine ecosystems represents an additional planetary boundary process that is critical to the integrity of Earth's ecological and social systems, and both regulates and responds to ongoing changes in other planetary boundary processes. Research on the rapid and ongoing deoxygenation of Earth's aquatic habitats indicates that relevant, critical oxygen thresholds are being approached at rates comparable to other planetary boundary processes. Concerted global monitoring, research and policy efforts are needed to address the challenges brought on by rapid deoxygenation, and the expansion of the planetary boundaries framework to include deoxygenation as a boundary helps to focus those efforts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kevin C Rose
- Department of Biological Sciences, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY, USA.
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY, USA.
| | - Erica M Ferrer
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA, USA
- Center for Marine Biodiversity and Conservation, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | | | - Sean A Crowe
- Departments of Microbiology and Immunology and Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Sciences, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Sarah C Donelan
- Department of Biology, University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, North Dartmouth, MA, USA
| | - Véronique C Garçon
- CNRS-Laboratoire d'Etudes en Géophysique et Océanographie Spatiales, Toulouse, France
- CNRS - Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris, Paris, France
| | - Marilaure Grégoire
- MAST-FOCUS, Department of Astrophysics, Geophysics and Oceanography, University of Liège, Liège, Belgium
| | - Stephen F Jane
- Department of Natural Resources and the Environment, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA
- Cornell Atkinson Center for Sustainability, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA
- Department of Biology, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN, USA
| | - Peter R Leavitt
- Institute of Environmental Change and Society, University of Regina, Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada
| | - Lisa A Levin
- Center for Marine Biodiversity and Conservation, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
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3
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Xiao R, Gao G, Yang D, Su Y, Ding Y, Bi R, Yan S, Yin B, Liang S, Lv X. The impact of extreme precipitation on physical and biogeochemical processes regarding with nutrient dynamics in a semi-closed bay. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2024; 906:167599. [PMID: 37806570 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.167599] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/12/2023] [Revised: 09/27/2023] [Accepted: 10/03/2023] [Indexed: 10/10/2023]
Abstract
An extreme precipitation event in August 2012 changed the ecosystem of Jiaozhou Bay (JZB), China. Biochemical variables in the sea, river mouths, and rainwater were monitored simultaneously during the event. The impact of the following excessive riverine input and wet atmospheric deposition on nutrient dynamics were studied before. However, regulatory processes of nutrient dynamics were not quantified and analyzed. Therefore, a coupled physical-biological model (FVCOM-ERSEM) was used to study the physical and biochemical mechanisms of the variation of the dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN), phosphorus (DIP), and silicon (DISi), as well as chlorophyll-a (Chl-a). The results indicate that physical processes increase nutrients, while biological processes reduce them. The exchange with the Yellow Sea, as an important physical process, exports DIN to the Yellow Sea, but imports DIP and DISi to the JZB. Only 20 % of the excessive DIN due to extreme precipitation event was reduced by water exchange with the Yellow Sea. The rest (80 %) was reduced and changed into organic nitrogen through biological processes. This paper also examines the variation of the pelagic and benthic cycles of biochemical processes. In these cycles, phytoplankton take up and use nutrients in the bay, while zooplankton excretion in the pelagic cycle and benthic releases resupply them. Precipitation enriched the surface nutrients, which boosted primary production and organic matter transport to the bottom water.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rushui Xiao
- Frontier Science Center for Deep Ocean Multispheres and Earth System (FDOMES) and Physical Oceanography Laboratory, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, China
| | - Guandong Gao
- CAS Key Laboratory of Ocean Circulation and Waves, Institute of Oceanology Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao 266071, China; Laoshan Laboratory, Qingdao 266071, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100029, China; CAS Engineering Laboratory for Marine Ranching, Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao 266071, China.
| | - Dezhou Yang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Ocean Circulation and Waves, Institute of Oceanology Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao 266071, China; Laoshan Laboratory, Qingdao 266071, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100029, China; CAS Engineering Laboratory for Marine Ranching, Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao 266071, China.
| | - Ying Su
- School of Ocean Science and Technology, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian 116024, China
| | - Yang Ding
- Frontier Science Center for Deep Ocean Multispheres and Earth System (FDOMES) and Physical Oceanography Laboratory, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, China
| | - Rong Bi
- Frontiers Science Center for Deep Ocean Multispheres and Earth System, and Key Laboratory of Marine Chemistry Theory and Technology, Ministry of Education, Ocean University of China, Qingdao 266100, China; Laboratory for Marine Ecology and Environmental Science, Qingdao National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology, Qingdao 266237, China
| | - Shibo Yan
- Frontiers Science Center for Deep Ocean Multispheres and Earth System, and Key Laboratory of Marine Chemistry Theory and Technology, Ministry of Education, Ocean University of China, Qingdao 266100, China; Laboratory for Marine Ecology and Environmental Science, Qingdao National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology, Qingdao 266237, China
| | - Baoshu Yin
- CAS Key Laboratory of Ocean Circulation and Waves, Institute of Oceanology Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao 266071, China; Laoshan Laboratory, Qingdao 266071, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100029, China; CAS Engineering Laboratory for Marine Ranching, Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao 266071, China
| | - Shengkang Liang
- College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Qingdao, Ocean University of China, 266100, China; Key Laboratory of Marine Chemistry Theory and Technology, Ministry of Education, Qingdao 266100, China
| | - Xianqing Lv
- Frontier Science Center for Deep Ocean Multispheres and Earth System (FDOMES) and Physical Oceanography Laboratory, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, China
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4
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Ni W, Li M. What drove the nonlinear hypoxia response to nutrient loading in Chesapeake Bay during the 20th century? THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2023; 861:160650. [PMID: 36470379 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.160650] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/24/2022] [Revised: 10/22/2022] [Accepted: 11/28/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Previous data analysis showed that the large expansion of hypoxia in Chesapeake Bay between 1950s and 1980s was correlated to the increased riverine nutrient loading, but the physical and biogeochemical processes driving this hypoxia response need to be better understood. Using a validated coupled hydrodynamic-biogeochemical model, we conducted a hindcast simulation of dissolved oxygen during the 40-year period (1950-1989) when the nutrient loading doubled. The model reproduced the observed decline in O2 concentration at monitoring stations and the expansion of the hypoxic volume. The peak summer hypoxic volume expanded from ∼5 km3 during 1950-1969 to ∼10 km3 during 1970-1989. To discern how different physical and biochemical processes regulated dissolved O2, we examined O2 budget in a fixed control volume of the bottom water most susceptible to hypoxia. The increased water column respiration was found to be the dominant driver of the hypoxia expansion. Further analysis showed a nonlinear response to the nutrient loading. The accumulative hypoxia volume days per unit of nitrate load showed an abrupt (∼50 %) jump around 1968. The summer mean hypoxic volume increased with the winter-spring nutrient load, but it was 1.3 km3 (about 30 %) higher in 1968-1989 than in 1950-1967 at the same nutrient load. This upward shift in hypoxia was caused by the upward shift in the relationship between the water column respiration and winter-spring nutrient load. Hypoxia suppressed nitrification and denitrification processes in the sediment, amplifying nutrient recycling by 15 % and water column respiration by 12 %. Our modeling analysis demonstrated a feedback mechanism for driving the nonlinear hypoxia response to nutrient loading.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wenfei Ni
- Horn Point Laboratory, University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science, Cambridge, MD 21613, United States; Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Seattle, WA 98109, United States
| | - Ming Li
- Horn Point Laboratory, University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science, Cambridge, MD 21613, United States.
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5
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Lai Y, Jia Z, Xie Z, Li S, Hu J. Water quality changes and shift in mechanisms controlling hypoxia in response to pollutant load reductions: A case study for Shiziyang Bay, Southern China. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2022; 842:156774. [PMID: 35724782 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.156774] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/04/2022] [Revised: 05/11/2022] [Accepted: 06/14/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Shiziyang Bay, located in the upstream of the Pearl River Estuary, has frequently suffered from hypoxia since 2000, which has persisted in recent years despite effective controls on anthropogenic pollutant loads. To explore the underlying causes, changes in dissolved oxygen (DO), nutrients, chemical oxygen demand (COD), and chlorophyll a (Chl a) along the bay in response to altered pollutant inputs were investigated using observations collected in summers of 2015-2019 and historical data during 2000-2008. In addition, DO sources and sinks were calculated based on data from August 2020 and laboratory incubations for water column respiration (WCR) and sediment oxygen uptake, and were compared with their equivalents in August 2008 to elucidate changes in primary processes controlling hypoxia. The results showed that ammonia has decreased significantly with pollutant control, while other parameters responded in different trends, especially for Chl a (with a substantial increase over time). The intensified eutrophication contributed to high COD levels, leading to a strong WCR (as dominant oxygen depletion) close to that in the 2000s and thereby maintaining low-oxygen conditions despite reduced effluent discharges. The shifted primary oxygen-consuming substances from allochthonous inputs to in-situ phytoplankton production were also evidenced by significant correlation between oxygen consumption rate and Chl a in recent data. Simultaneously, the enhanced algal blooms could also modulate oxygen supply, resulting in higher photosynthetic oxygen production and lower air-sea reaeration compared with the past. Furthermore, the impact of major environmental changes on exacerbated eutrophication was explored and it was speculated that notable declined sediment loads would be important by improving light conditions to promote phytoplankton proliferation in the bay. Collectively, substantial control on eutrophication as well as tracking DO source-to-sink processes is of great importance to mitigate hypoxia in Shiziyang bay.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yiping Lai
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510275, China
| | - Zhenzhen Jia
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510275, China
| | - Zhuoting Xie
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510275, China
| | - Shiyu Li
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510275, China; Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Environmental Pollution Control and Remediation Technology, Guangzhou 510275, China
| | - Jiatang Hu
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510275, China; Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Environmental Pollution Control and Remediation Technology, Guangzhou 510275, China; Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Zhuhai), Zhuhai 519000, China.
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6
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Frankel LT, Friedrichs MAM, St-Laurent P, Bever AJ, Lipcius RN, Bhatt G, Shenk GW. Nitrogen reductions have decreased hypoxia in the Chesapeake Bay: Evidence from empirical and numerical modeling. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2022; 814:152722. [PMID: 34974013 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.152722] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2021] [Revised: 12/22/2021] [Accepted: 12/23/2021] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Seasonal hypoxia is a characteristic feature of the Chesapeake Bay due to anthropogenic nutrient input from agriculture and urbanization throughout the watershed. Although coordinated management efforts since 1985 have reduced nutrient inputs to the Bay, oxygen concentrations at depth in the summer still frequently fail to meet water quality standards that have been set to protect critical estuarine living resources. To quantify the impact of watershed nitrogen reductions on Bay hypoxia during a recent period including both average discharge and extremely wet years (2016-2019), this study employed both statistical and three-dimensional (3-D) numerical modeling analyses. Numerical model results suggest that if the nitrogen reductions since 1985 had not occurred, annual hypoxic volumes (O2 < 3 mg L-1) would have been ~50-120% greater during the average discharge years of 2016-2017 and ~20-50% greater during the wet years of 2018-2019. The effect was even greater for O2 < 1 mg L-1, where annual volumes would have been ~80-280% greater in 2016-2017 and ~30-100% greater in 2018-2019. These results were supported by statistical analysis of empirical data, though the magnitude of improvement due to nitrogen reductions was greater in the numerical modeling results than in the statistical analysis. This discrepancy is largely accounted for by warming in the Bay that has exacerbated hypoxia and offset roughly 6-34% of the improvement from nitrogen reductions. Although these results may reassure policymakers and stakeholders that their efforts to reduce hypoxia have improved ecosystem health in the Bay, they also indicate that greater reductions are needed to counteract the ever-increasing impacts of climate change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luke T Frankel
- Virginia Institute of Marine Science, William & Mary, 1370 Greate Road, Gloucester Point, VA, USA.
| | - Marjorie A M Friedrichs
- Virginia Institute of Marine Science, William & Mary, 1370 Greate Road, Gloucester Point, VA, USA
| | - Pierre St-Laurent
- Virginia Institute of Marine Science, William & Mary, 1370 Greate Road, Gloucester Point, VA, USA
| | - Aaron J Bever
- Anchor QEA LLC, 1201 3rd Avenue, Suite 2600, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Romuald N Lipcius
- Virginia Institute of Marine Science, William & Mary, 1370 Greate Road, Gloucester Point, VA, USA
| | - Gopal Bhatt
- Chesapeake Bay Program Office, 1750 Forest Drive, Suite 130, Annapolis, MD, USA; Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, 212 Sackett Building, University Park, PA, USA
| | - Gary W Shenk
- Chesapeake Bay Program Office, 1750 Forest Drive, Suite 130, Annapolis, MD, USA; U.S. Geological Survey, Virginia and West Virginia Water Science Center, 1730 East Parham Road, Richmond, VA, USA
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7
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Li M, Chen Y, Zhang F, Song Y, Glibert PM, Stoecker DK. A three-dimensional mixotrophic model of Karlodinium veneficum blooms for a eutrophic estuary. HARMFUL ALGAE 2022; 113:102203. [PMID: 35287934 DOI: 10.1016/j.hal.2022.102203] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/07/2021] [Revised: 01/26/2022] [Accepted: 02/05/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Blooms of dinoflagellate Karlodinium veneficum are widely distributed in estuarine and coastal waters and have been found to cause fish kills worldwide. K. veneficum has a mixed nutritional mode and relies on both photosynthesis and phagotrophy for growth; it is a mixotroph. Here, a model of mixotrophic growth of K. veneficum (MIXO) was developed, calibrated with previously-reported laboratory physiological data, and subsequently embedded in a 3D-coupled hydrodynamic (ROMS)-biogeochemical (RCA) model of eutrophic Chesapeake Bay, USA. The resulting ROMS-RCA-MIXO model was applied in hindcast mode to investigate seasonal and spatial distributions. Simulations showed that K. veneficum blooms occurred during June-August and were confined to the upper and middle Bay, consistent with long-term field observations. Autotrophic growth dominated in spring but heterotrophic growth dominated during the summer. The number of prey ingested by K. veneficum varied from 0.1 to 0.6 day-1 and the food vacuole content reached up to 50% of the core mixotroph biomass. The ingestion rate increased with prey density and also when P:N ratio fell below ∼0.03 (N:P ∼ 33), indicating that K. veneficum only switched to mixotrophic feeding in P-deficient waters when sufficient prey were available; this occurred during the summer months. The digestion rate increased with both the food vacuole content and temperature. The modeling analysis affirms K. veneficum as a phagotrophic 'alga' which is primarily photosynthetic but switches to mixotrophic feeding under nutrient deficient conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ming Li
- University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science, Horn Point Laboratory, PO Box 775, Cambridge, Maryland 21613, U.S.A..
| | - Yuren Chen
- University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science, Horn Point Laboratory, PO Box 775, Cambridge, Maryland 21613, U.S.A
| | - Fan Zhang
- University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science, Horn Point Laboratory, PO Box 775, Cambridge, Maryland 21613, U.S.A
| | - Yang Song
- University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science, Horn Point Laboratory, PO Box 775, Cambridge, Maryland 21613, U.S.A
| | - Patricia M Glibert
- University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science, Horn Point Laboratory, PO Box 775, Cambridge, Maryland 21613, U.S.A
| | - Diane K Stoecker
- University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science, Horn Point Laboratory, PO Box 775, Cambridge, Maryland 21613, U.S.A
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8
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Hood RR, Shenk GW, Dixon RL, Smith SMC, Ball WP, Bash JO, Batiuk R, Boomer K, Brady DC, Cerco C, Claggett P, de Mutsert K, Easton ZM, Elmore AJ, Friedrichs MAM, Harris LA, Ihde TF, Lacher I, Li L, Linker LC, Miller A, Moriarty J, Noe GB, Onyullo G, Rose K, Skalak K, Tian R, Veith TL, Wainger L, Weller D, Zhang YJ. The Chesapeake Bay Program Modeling System: Overview and Recommendations for Future Development. Ecol Modell 2021; 465:1-109635. [PMID: 34675451 PMCID: PMC8525429 DOI: 10.1016/j.ecolmodel.2021.109635] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
The Chesapeake Bay is the largest, most productive, and most biologically diverse estuary in the continental United States providing crucial habitat and natural resources for culturally and economically important species. Pressures from human population growth and associated development and agricultural intensification have led to excessive nutrient and sediment inputs entering the Bay, negatively affecting the health of the Bay ecosystem and the economic services it provides. The Chesapeake Bay Program (CBP) is a unique program formally created in 1983 as a multi-stakeholder partnership to guide and foster restoration of the Chesapeake Bay and its watershed. Since its inception, the CBP Partnership has been developing, updating, and applying a complex linked modeling system of watershed, airshed, and estuary models as a planning tool to inform strategic management decisions and Bay restoration efforts. This paper provides a description of the 2017 CBP Modeling System and the higher trophic level models developed by the NOAA Chesapeake Bay Office, along with specific recommendations that emerged from a 2018 workshop designed to inform future model development. Recommendations highlight the need for simulation of watershed inputs, conditions, processes, and practices at higher resolution to provide improved information to guide local nutrient and sediment management plans. More explicit and extensive modeling of connectivity between watershed landforms and estuary sub-areas, estuarine hydrodynamics, watershed and estuarine water quality, the estuarine-watershed socioecological system, and living resources will be important to broaden and improve characterization of responses to targeted nutrient and sediment load reductions. Finally, the value and importance of maintaining effective collaborations among jurisdictional managers, scientists, modelers, support staff, and stakeholder communities is emphasized. An open collaborative and transparent process has been a key element of successes to date and is vitally important as the CBP Partnership moves forward with modeling system improvements that help stakeholders evolve new knowledge, improve management strategies, and better communicate outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Raleigh R Hood
- Horn Point Laboratory, University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science, P.O. Box 775, Cambridge, MD 21613, USA
| | - Gary W Shenk
- USGS Chesapeake Bay Program Office, 410 Severn Avenue, Suite 109, Annapolis, MD, 21403, USA
| | - Rachel L Dixon
- Chesapeake Research Consortium, 645 Contees Wharf Road, Edgewater, MD 21037, USA
| | - Sean M C Smith
- University of Maine, School of Earth and Climate Sciences, Bryand Global Science Center, Orono, ME 04469, USA
| | - William P Ball
- Chesapeake Research Consortium, 645 Contees Wharf Road, Edgewater, MD 21037, USA
| | - Jesse O Bash
- Environmental Protection Agency, Center for Environmental Measurement and Modeling, 109 T.W. Alexander Drive, Durham, NC 27709, USA
| | - Rich Batiuk
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Chesapeake Bay Program Office, 410 Severn Avenue, Suite 109, Annapolis, MD, 21403, USA
| | - Kathy Boomer
- The Nature Conservancy, 114 South Washington Street, Easton, MD 21601, USA
| | - Damian C Brady
- Darling Marine Center, University of Maine, 193 Clarks Cove Rd, Walpole, ME 04573, USA
| | - Carl Cerco
- #U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Waterways Experiment Station, P.O. Box 631, Vicksburg, MS 39180, USA
| | - Peter Claggett
- USGS Chesapeake Bay Program Office, 410 Severn Avenue, Suite 109, Annapolis, MD, 21403, USA
| | - Kim de Mutsert
- University of Southern Mississippi, Gulf Coast Research Laboratory, 703 East Beach Drive, Ocean Springs, MS 39564, USA
| | | | - Andrew J Elmore
- Appalachian Laboratory, University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science, 301 Braddock Rd, Frostburg, MD 21532, USA
| | - Marjorie A M Friedrichs
- Virginia Institute of Marine Science, William & Mary, 1375 Greate Rd, Gloucester Point, VA 23062, USA
| | - Lora A Harris
- Chesapeake Biological Laboratory, University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science, P.O. Box 38, Solomons, MD 20688, USA
| | - Thomas F Ihde
- Patuxent Environmental & Aquatic Research Laboratory, Morgan State University, 10545 Mackall Road, St. Leonard, MD 20685, USA
| | - Iara Lacher
- Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute, 1500 Remount Rd, Front Royal, VA 22630 USA
| | - Li Li
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Penn State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
| | - Lewis C Linker
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Chesapeake Bay Program Office, 410 Severn Avenue, Suite 109, Annapolis, MD, 21403, USA
| | - Andrew Miller
- Department of Geography and Environmental Systems, University of Maryland Baltimore County, 1000 Hilltop Circle, Baltimore, MD 21250, USA
| | - Julia Moriarty
- Institute for Arctic and Alpine Research, Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences, University of Colorado, Boulder CO 80309, USA
| | - Gregory B Noe
- Florence Bascom Geoscience Center, U.S. Geological Survey, 12201 Sunrise Valley Drive, MS926A, Reston, VA 20192, USA
| | - George Onyullo
- District of Columbia Department of Energy and Environment, 1200 First Street NE, Washington DC 20002, USA
| | - Kenneth Rose
- Horn Point Laboratory, University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science, P.O. Box 775, Cambridge, MD 21613, USA
| | - Katie Skalak
- National Research Program, U.S. Geological Survey, 12201Sunrise Valley Drive, Reston, VA 20192, USA
| | - Richard Tian
- USGS Chesapeake Bay Program Office, 410 Severn Avenue, Suite 109, Annapolis, MD, 21403, USA
| | - Tamie L Veith
- U.S. Department of Agriculture Agricultural Research Service, Pasture Systems and Watershed Management Research Unit, Building 3702, Curtin Road, University Park, PA 16802, USA
| | - Lisa Wainger
- Chesapeake Biological Laboratory, University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science, P.O. Box 38, Solomons, MD 20688, USA
| | - Donald Weller
- Smithsonian Environmental Research Center, 647 Contees Wharf Road, Edgewater, MD 21037, USA
| | - Yinglong Joseph Zhang
- Virginia Institute of Marine Science, William & Mary, 1375 Greate Rd, Gloucester Point, VA 23062, USA
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9
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Zhang F, Li M, Glibert PM, Ahn SHS. A three-dimensional mechanistic model of Prorocentrum minimum blooms in eutrophic Chesapeake Bay. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2021; 769:144528. [PMID: 33736259 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.144528] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2020] [Revised: 12/11/2020] [Accepted: 12/11/2020] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Planktonic Prorocentrum, common harmful dinoflagellate, are increasing in frequency, duration, and magnitude globally, as exemplified by the number of blooms of P. minimum in Chesapeake Bay that have nearly doubled over the past 3 decades. Although the dynamics of transport and seasonal occurrence of this species have been previously described, it has been challenging to predict the timing and location of P. minimum blooms in Chesapeake Bay. We developed a new three-dimensional mechanistic model of this species that integrates physics, nutrient cycling and plankton physiology and embedded it within a coupled hydrodynamic-biogeochemical model originally developed for simulating water quality in eutrophic estuarine and coastal waters. Hindcast simulations reproduced the observed time series and spatial distribution of cell density, in particular capturing well its peak in May in the mid-to-upper part of the estuary. Timing and duration of the blooms were mostly determined by the temperature-dependent growth function, while mortality due to grazing and respiration played a minor role. The model also reproduced the pattern of overwintering populations, which are located in bottom waters of the lower Bay, and are transported upstream in spring by estuarine flow. Blooms develop in the mid-upper parts of the estuary when these transported cells encounter high nutrient concentrations from the Susquehanna River and favorable light conditions. Diagnostic analysis and model-sensitivity experiments of nutrient conditions showed that high nitrogen:phosphorus conditions favor bloom development. The model also captured the observed interannual variations in the magnitude and spatial distribution of P. minimum blooms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fan Zhang
- University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science, Horn Point Laboratory, PO Box 775, Cambridge, MD 21613, USA
| | - Ming Li
- University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science, Horn Point Laboratory, PO Box 775, Cambridge, MD 21613, USA.
| | - Patricia M Glibert
- University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science, Horn Point Laboratory, PO Box 775, Cambridge, MD 21613, USA
| | - So Hyun Sophia Ahn
- University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science, Horn Point Laboratory, PO Box 775, Cambridge, MD 21613, USA
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Whitney MM, Vlahos P. Reducing Hypoxia in an Urban Estuary Despite Climate Warming. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2021; 55:941-951. [PMID: 33400860 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.0c03964] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Seasonal hypoxia is a serious threat to coastal ecosystems. This study on hypoxia in Long Island Sound (LIS), a large urbanized estuary, focuses on responses to managed nitrogen load reductions and climate change. At the analyzed station in western LIS, warming in bottom waters (0.8 °C per decade) favors hypoxia. Total nitrogen concentrations have decreased (0.06 mg L-1 per decade) with load reductions, but no linear temporal trend in chlorophyll is discernible. Bottom dissolved oxygen has increased (0.48 mg L-1 per decade), despite warming-induced solubility decreases (0.13 mg L-1 per decade). Decreasing trends in hypoxic area and volume (100 km2 and 1 km3 per decade) reflect improved conditions and are coincident with reducing loads. Regressions link hypoxic extent to nitrogen loads, chlorophyll, salinity, and winds. Though mitigation has reduced hypoxia, these improvements will not be sustained in the warming climate without continued intervention. The warming-induced oxygen solubility decrease forecasted for 2099 (0.4 mg L-1) would erode 35% of the observed oxygen gains. Implementing a nitrogen load reduction of 1.2 × 106 kg year-1 before the century's end would offset the oxygen solubility decline. This overall approach is applicable to areas experiencing warming and continued development that complicate efforts to reign in hypoxia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael M Whitney
- Department of Marine Sciences, University of Connecticut, 1080 Shennecossett Road, Groton, Connecticut 06340, United States
| | - Penny Vlahos
- Department of Marine Sciences, University of Connecticut, 1080 Shennecossett Road, Groton, Connecticut 06340, United States
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