Human activities, including urbanization, agriculture, and industry, coupled with a changing climate, exert significant pressure on freshwater ecosystem functions, driving alterations in external inputs that subsequently affect internal recycling mechanisms. External inputs and internal recycling mechanisms encompass and influence a wide range of water quality parameters, including biological, chemical, and physical contaminants, all of which have the capacity to substantially affect the health and stability of freshwater systems. Increased anthropogenic inputs coupled with pressure on freshwater resources have led to alterations in freshwater ecosystems such as eutrophication and subsequent harmful cyanobacterial blooms. In addition, climate change models predict increased occurrence of extreme events (flooding, extended droughts), which may further magnify the seasonal and multiannual disruption of ecosystem functions. To protect water resources, it is crucial for managers and decision-makers to set realistic targets for sustainable water quality management. Consequently, there is a pressing need for the development of comprehensive indicators capable of encapsulating the intricate interplay between anthropogenic inputs and the escalating impact of climate-related events.
The nature of input patterns in freshwater ecosystems vary based on factors such as temperature and trophic regimes. Responses to these alterations diverge among different freshwater systems, such as streams, impoundments, and natural lakes. Naturally, methods for monitoring and assessing water quality within these systems will also vary. Bioindicators, gray water footprint (GWF), discrete water column sampling and subsequent laboratory techniques such as colorimetry, stable isotopes and other physico-chemical tests have been used qualitatively and quantitatively to understand the nature of external inputs. Recent advancements in Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), Autonomous Surface Vehicles (ASVs), and Unmanned Underwater Vehicles (UUVs) present promising prospects for large-scale monitoring of freshwater systems that otherwise lack robust spatial and temporal data.
This session aims to invite talks from academic and nonacademic researchers working with techniques like stable isotopes, satellite data, and autonomous systems to quantify the influence of anthropogenic inputs and climate change using water quality indicators in freshwaters.
Lead Organizer: Archana Venkatachari, University South Carolina (avenkatachari@seoe.sc.edu)
Co-organizers:
Quin Shingai, Dartmouth College (quin.k.shingai.gr@dartmouth.edu)
Panditha Gunawardana, Trent University (sasindugunawardana@trentu.ca)
Annie Bourbonnais, University of South Carolina (abourbonnais@seoe.sc.edu)
Kathryn Cottingham, Dartmouth College (Kathryn.L.Cottingham@dartmouth.edu)
Presentations
09:00 AM
MICROPLACTICS UBIQUITY IN A SOUTHERN U.S. DRINKING WATER RESERVOIR AND REMOVAL DURING CONVENTIONAL DRINKING WATER TREATMENT PROCESSES (8117)
Primary Presenter: Matthew Rich, Beaver Water District (matthewwrich@gmail.com)
Beaver Lake, a man-made reservoir in Northwest Arkansas, is the drinking water source for 1-in-5 (580,000) Arkansans. Like other emerging contaminants of concern, microplastics (MP) (<5 mm) are becoming more pervasive in our freshwater systems. While MP research in marine systems appears robust, the study of MP in freshwater reservoirs is relatively new, with methods for their collection and analysis currently under development by various researchers. Our current research on Beaver Lake utilizes a spatial and temporal analysis of MP using a Manta trawl and in-situ pump filtration through a series of stacked sieves. Size classification analysis, in-lake particle concentrations, MP source analysis, as well as an analysis of MP removal efficiency using conventional drinking water treatment will be determined. Selected methods were developed utilizing the limited number of citations available for reservoir MP research, advisors in freshwater MP research, as well as data collected in the process of developing our metrics. Preliminary testing and microscopy of MP in Beaver Lake indicates presence of MP fibers, flakes, and pellets in the riverine and transitional zones up-reservoir of the drinking water treatment plant intake. Future research topics could include analysis of MP in lacustrine, benthic, and shoreline zones of Beaver Lake.
09:15 AM
Understanding Climate Change Impacts on Subarctic Lakes: Insights from Long- Term Monitoring in Katmai and Lake Clark National Parks, Southwest Alaska (8181)
Primary Presenter: Matthew Dunkle, Institute for Arctic Biology, University of Alaska Fairbanks & Dept. Zoology and Physiology, University of Wyoming (matthewrdunkle@gmail.com)
Global climate change is having widespread, and often nuanced, impacts on aquatic ecosystems around the world, necessitating comprehensive understanding through long-term monitoring studies. For example, lakes in Katmai and Lake Clark National Parks in southwestern Alaska are nestled in a landscape with glaciers and active volcanoes and are in watersheds largely devoid of human development. Despite this, climate change is impacting their water quality and, in turn, their capacity to support iconic species, such as brown bears and sockeye salmon. Subarctic lakes in this region are influenced by local conditions, such as watershed characteristics, meltwater contributions from glaciers and snowmelt and regional shifts in air temperature and weather patterns. Here, we present over a decade of monitoring which show substantial variation in critical water quality parameters. We use ordination and regression-based approaches to evaluate the links between watershed characteristics and regional conditions with lake water quality dynamics at both individual lake and park-wide scales. This study highlights the need for intensive local case studies to fully grasp the nuanced impacts of climate change on aquatic ecosystems. This work not only enhances our understanding of subarctic ecosystem dynamics but also serves as a valuable foundation for informing adaptive management strategies. Data such as these provide an important knowledge base for adaptation and management of subarctic ecosystems in this and other regions.
09:30 AM
Disentangling nitrate sources at Lake Wateree, South Carolina, using stable isotopes South Carolina (8147)
Primary Presenter: Archana Venkatachari, University of South Carolina (avenkatachari@seoe.sc.edu)
Harmful cyanobacterial blooms (HCBs) are increasing all over the world and put human, animal, and ecosystem health at risk from exposure to toxins and depleting water quality. Lake Wateree, a hydroelectric reservoir in South Carolina (SC) is used for municipal water supply and recreation and has reoccurring HCBs that are dominated by the toxin producing benthic cyanobacteria Microseira (Lyngbya) wollei. We measured water-column nutrient concentrations, collected every two months at four stations at Lake Wateree from 2015 to 2023, in collaboration with a citizen-led program (WaterWatch on Lake Wateree, run by the Lake Water Watch Association). We observed increasing nitrogen (N) to phosphate (P) ratio (N:P). The nutrients introduced by humans has increased five folds in the last century. Excessive inputs of nutrients from septic systems, agriculture, fertilizers, felling, as well as N2 fixation by cyanobacteria leads to proliferation of HCBs. Yet, the source of essential macronutrients (i.e., N and P) sustaining HCBs are still not well characterized at Lake Wateree, impeding effective HCBs management strategies. Stable isotopes of nitrate, δ15N and δ18O is a powerful tool to identify the source of N. For example, trophic level isotopic enrichment results in organic manure to be more enriched in 15N than synthetic fertilizer and newly fixed N from N2 fixation, the reduction of unreactive atmospheric N2 into bioavailable nitrogen by N2 fixing organisms. We present water-column nitrate isotope data collected every two months and analysed using a MixSIAR model from January to December 2021-2023 at 20 stations at Lake Wateree. Our results indicate a dominant source of nitrate from sewage pollution into Lake Wateree.
09:45 AM
THE PHYSICO-CHEMISTRY AND NUTRIENT DYNAMICS OF IMO RIVER (OBOWO CATCHMENT AREA) IMO STATE, NIGERIA. (7745)
Primary Presenter: Venatius Chiamaka Steve Ubah, Federal University of Technology Owerri, Imo State, Nigeria (ubah.venatius@gmail.com)
The anthropogenic and recreational activities such as Laundry, bathing, swimming, boating, sand mining, cow skin processing, etc , have been implicated as the major contributors to the overall pollution status and biogenic salts fluctuations of the water body,as well as the driving machine of allochtonous inputs to the fragile aquatic ecosystem. The aim of this study is to x-ray the physical and chemical characteristics, together with nutrient dynamics of the Imo River. Water samples were collected from six ecologically distinct stations over a 12 months period. The samples were analyzed using standard laboratory methods as described by Wetzel and Likens.The results obtained were subjected to Two-way ANOVA.Most of the results fall within W.H.O permissible Standards, except for dissolved oxygen and total phosphorus that slightly deviated. The cationic order was: Na>k>Ca>Mg, with PEARSALL 's index of 6.96mg/L.The Water Quality index recorded ranged from 68.5 to 96.3 which ranked the water body at grades C and D in the Water Quality Rating Scale, an indication of a very poor quality status. However, it can serve for other purposes like washing, irrigation and other culinary purposes,but not fit for human consumption Nevertheless, basic treatment like boiling and filtering, chlorination and treatment with alum could be applied to enhance its portability.
10:00 AM
Zooplankton responses to environmentally relevant microplastic conditions at low food availability (8301)
Primary Presenter: Mitchell Nagel, Oklahoma State University (minagel@okstate.edu)
The escalating global problem of aquatic pollution from plastic waste, particularly microplastics, demands attention to understand its impact on different trophic levels and how it moves through aquatic food webs. Microplastics, which come from fragmented degraded plastics such as water bottles, can take hundreds of years to decompose. Current literature on the impacts of microplastics on aquatic organisms often lacks real-world relevance because of unrealistic plastic types and concentrations. This study investigates the effects of environmentally relevant microplastic exposure on the life history characteristics and ingestion of Daphnia magna and Daphnia pulex using different plastic shapes, sizes, types, and concentrations at low algal food concentrations. We also followed organisms throughout their entire life cycle to capture potential long-term impacts of microplastic exposure that may be missed in shorter studies. We hypothesized that exposure to relevant microplastic conditions would negatively affect zooplankton. While initial early life stages may not be affected, higher concentrations and denser plastics (Polyvinyl chloride) are expected to cause reduced reproduction, shortened lifespan, reduced growth, and increased plastic ingestion. Conversely, lower concentrations and lighter plastics (Polypropylene, Polystyrene) may not impact life history due to lower particle exposure and ease of filtering the lighter plastics. Despite these predictions, we found that microplastic exposure at environmentally relevant conditions had little impact on D. magna life history regardless of concentration and plastic type. Microplastics can accumulate in Daphnia and may have negative impacts as they move up the food chain.
10:15 AM
Phytoplankton Monitoring and Mapping Using Satellite Data Products For Urban Waters Ecosystems (7986)
Primary Presenter: Carolina Perez, City College of New York CUNY (cperez011@citymail.cuny.edu)
Harmful Algal Blooms (HABs) are an ongoing concern to coastal communities and public health. Not only can the indication of the occurrence of HABs be helpful to the blue economy that relies on the health of marine ecosystems, but HABs also indicate signs of eutrophication, runoff sites, and how weather events impact coastal communities. Through my research, HABs have been monitored within the New York City waterbodies, including Randall’s Island and the Gowanus Canal. This project collaborates with the NOAA National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science (NCCOS)- the National Phytoplankton Monitoring Network (PMN) which began in 2001 and is a community-based network of volunteers monitoring marine phytoplankton in bodies of water throughout the East Coast. The primary study area selected was the Gowanus Canal in Red Hook, Brooklyn in New York City. The EPA deemed the Gowanus Canal a superfund site in 2010 due to its high contamination levels from runoff and combined sewage overflow. Regular water quality analysis tests were conducted to measure the presence of nitrates, ammonium, and phosphate within the sample sites to create a suite of in-situ data on water quality. The outcome of this research is to develop an interactive web-based mapping tool that will combine the in-situ data and NOAA’s satellite-based data products to enable real-time ecosystem observations that can benefit the regional and local communities, city officials, and natural resource managers, to help monitor and support the local urban water bodies and thus contribute to better ecosystem health monitoring.
SS21 - Water Quality Indicators of Climate Change and Anthropogenic Inputs in Freshwaters
Description
Time: 9:00 AM
Date: 7/6/2024
Room: Meeting Room KL