HR: 1340h
AN: H13A-0965    [Abstracts]
TI: FerryMon: An Unattended Ferry-Based Observatory to Assess Human and Climatically- Induced Ecological Change in the Neuse River-Pamlico Sound System, North Carolina, USA
AU: Guajardo, R
EM: rodneyg@unc.edu
AF: UNC-CH Institute of Marine Sciences, 3431 Arendell St., Morehead City, NC 28557, United States
AU: * Paerl, H W
EM: hpaerl@email.unc.edu
AF: UNC-CH Institute of Marine Sciences, 3431 Arendell St., Morehead City, NC 28557, United States
AU: Hall, N
EM: nshall@email.unc.edu
AF: UNC-CH Institute of Marine Sciences, 3431 Arendell St., Morehead City, NC 28557, United States
AU: Whipple, A
EM: whipple@email.unc.edu
AF: UNC-CH Institute of Marine Sciences, 3431 Arendell St., Morehead City, NC 28557, United States
AU: Luettich, R
EM: rick_luettich@unc.edu
AF: UNC-CH Institute of Marine Sciences, 3431 Arendell St., Morehead City, NC 28557, United States
AB: In North Carolina's Neuse River Estuary (NRE)-Pamlico Sound (PS) System, nitrogen (N)-driven eutrophication, water quality and habitat decline have prompted the State and US EPA to mandate watershed-based N load reductions, including a total maximum daily allowable N load (TMDL). Chlorophyll a (chl-a), the indicator of algal biomass, is the measure for the efficacy of N reductions, with "acceptable" values being <40 μg chl- a L^-1. However, algal blooms are patchy in time and space, making exceedances of 40 μ g L^-1 difficult to track. The North Carolina ferry-based water quality monitoring program, FerryMon (www.ferrymon.org) addresses this and other environmental monitoring needs in the NRE-PS. FerryMon uses NC DOT ferries to provide continuous, space-time intensive, accurate measurements of chl-a and other key water quality criteria, using sensors placed in a flow-through system and discrete sampling of nutrients, organics, diagnostic photopigment and molecular indicators of major algal groups in a near real-time manner. Complementing FerryMon are automated vertical profilers (AVPs), which produce chl-a and other water quality indicator depth profiles with very high time and vertical resolution. In-line spectral fluorometers (Algae Online Analyzers (AOAs)) will be installed starting in late 2007, providing rapid early warning detection and quantification of algal blooms. FerryMon permits spatial characterization of trends in water quality conditions over a range of relevant physical, chemical and biological time scales. This enhanced capability is timely, given a protracted period of increased tropical storm and hurricane activity that, in combination with anthropogenic nutrient enrichment, affects water quality in unpredictable, yet significant ways. FerryMon also serves as a data source for calibrating and verifying remotely sensed indicators of water quality (photopigments, turbidity), nutrient-productivity and hydrologic modeling. Data management and communication links allow FerryMon to integrate with complementary watershed, estuarine and coastal observational programs . FerryMon's technology is readily transferable to other estuarine, large lake and coastal ecosystems served by ferries and other "ships of opportunity".
UR: http://www.ferrymon.org
DE: 1640 Remote sensing (1855)
DE: 1800 HYDROLOGY
DE: 1819 Geographic Information Systems (GIS)
DE: 1839 Hydrologic scaling
DE: 1895 Instruments and techniques: monitoring
SC: Hydrology [H]
MN: 2007 Fall Meeting