Connecting and Projecting the Dynamics of Coastal Bacteria Pollution Problems
Abstract
Pervasive coastal bacteria problems in the Gulf of Maine have elevated the demand for new scientifically-based decision tools to manage the negative impacts of coastal pollution on estuarine habitat, public safety, and shellfishing industries. Management agencies require decision support systems that provide spatial and temporal assessments of water properties and quality to help anticipate and adapt to pollution event risks. The scientific basis for identification and communication of the biophysical processes governing the sources, delivery, and residence time of polluted runoff moving off the landscape and into and through coastal estuaries has been an overarching focus of our research. Our presentation will summarize the sequence of data assembly and analyses that have advanced the knowledge base and capacity to predict coastal and estuarine conditions associated with problematic bacteria concentrations. The research has included development of new coastal spatial datasets and analyses, techniques for first order approximations of estuary responses to rainfall runoff, and hydrodynamic simulations in reference watersheds and estuaries that clarify where and how their connectivity is important to forecasting and managing bacteria pollution problems. Knowledge cogeneration activities with coastal resource management agencies and communities that have been essential research collaborations will be described. We will also highlight the stakeholder engagement necessary to adapt scientific observations into decision tools for shellfish sanitation and harvesting industries in varied coastal settings affected by complicated land-sea connections, human activities, and anticipated climate changes in the region.
- Publication:
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AGU Fall Meeting Abstracts
- Pub Date:
- December 2019
- Bibcode:
- 2019AGUFM.H52B..02R
- Keywords:
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- 1817 Extreme events;
- HYDROLOGY;
- 1830 Groundwater/surface water interaction;
- HYDROLOGY;
- 1890 Wetlands;
- HYDROLOGY;
- 4235 Estuarine processes;
- OCEANOGRAPHY: GENERAL