INFLUENCES OF PRECIPITATION-DRIVEN NITROGEN INPUTS ON PHYTOPLANKTON AND MICROBIAL ASSEMBLAGES IN URBAN ESTUARIES

Urban estuaries, such as those surrounding New York City (NYC), tend to be chronically enriched by anthropogenic nitrogen (N) inputs from wastewater, runoff, atmospheric deposition, and other sources. In the NYC region, much wastewater comes from combined sewer overflow (CSO) systems which directly discharge to adjacent rivers and embayments causing ecosystem impairments such as algal blooms and hypoxia. Despite significant advancements toward quantifying and managing NY/Connecticut (CT) N-loadings, the spatio-temporal dynamics of associated phytoplankton and bacterial communities remain understudied. This is complicated by acute ‘pulse’ inputs from storm-induced CSO events that deliver bacterial, nutrient, and pollutant contamination to rivers such as the Hudson River Estuary (HRE) and Newtown Creek (NC), as well as estuaries such as Long Island Sound (LIS). As climate change is predicted to increase storm frequency and intensity, elucidating linkages between precipitation, N-inputs, and both microbial and biogeochemical responses is critical for enhancing coastal ecosystem resilience. Through manager, stakeholder and collaborator partnerships, we have been conducting multi-year surveys of LIS physical water quality, ecological (bacteria, phytoplankton), and biogeochemical (nutrients) features. We recently expanded measurements to include the HRE and NC, both Superfund sites that are heavily used by surrounding communities for recreation. Here we quantify how episodic rainfall influences the NYC urban microbiome in relation to proximity to CSO outfalls.

Presentation Preference: Oral

Primary Presenter: Dianne Greenfield, City University of New York (secretary@aslo.org)

Authors:

Mariapaola Ambrosone, City University of New York  (mambrosone@gc.cuny.edu)

Nicholas Russell, City University of New York  (Nicholas.Russell08@qmail.cuny.edu)

Georgie Humphries, City University of New York  (Georgia.Humphries42@qmail.cuny.edu)