SSEC 2014 Presentation Abstracts
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SSEC 2014 Presentation Abstracts All Oral Presentations, Discussion Panels, and Workshops Grouped by Date, Time, and Session 2014 Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference Abstract Book: Presentations by Date, Time, and Session than between 1900 to 2005, contrary to the pattern expected if human contributions of Wednesday 4/30/2014 nitrogen are significant. Water column data collected in the 1950s and 2000s indicated no 10:30 AM - 12:00 PM consistent trends in dissolved oxygen concentration across Hood Canal over that time. We concluded that human nitrogen loadings are not contributing substantially to low Session: S-01A What affects current Salish Sea water quality? dissolved oxygen in central Hood Canal, including the Hoodsport region where episodic fish kills have occurred. Episodic fish kills occur from a cascade of natural factors, Room: 615/616/617 Date: 4/30/2014 10:30 AM - 12:00 PM including upwelled water from the Pacific Ocean that intrudes into Hood Canal, pushing low-oxygen water at depth to the surface, where southwesterly winds can suddenly Chair: Ben Cope displace the thinning cap of freshwater. We reviewed model-based impact assessments for Lynch Cove in detail. We could not determine conclusively whether human nitrogen # 216 Assessing Propeller Wash Influence on Sediment Stability in loadings cause Lynch Cove dissolved oxygen levels to violate Washington water quality Victoria Harbour standards. While we estimated that humans contribute 0.03 to 0.3 mg/L of oxygen depletion in Lynch Cove, the external peer review concluded that the marine flux Room: 615/616/617 Date: 4/30/2014 10:30 AM - 10:45 AM methodology used by researchers was problematic. The wide range of marine nitrogen flux values led to the high uncertainty in the impact estimates. The project report, Presenter: Mark Larsen, Anchor QEA “Review and Synthesis of Available Information to Estimate Human Impacts to Dissolved Authors: Erin Shankie, PWGSC; Kathy Ketteridge, Anchor QEA; Gary Watson, Transport Oxygen in Hood Canal”, was published in March 2013 and is available at Canada https://fortress.wa.gov/ecy/publications/SummaryPages/1303016.html. Abstract: Sediments within the portion of Victoria Harbour are managed by Transport Canada. These sediments have been the subject of numerous environmental # 162 South Puget Sound dissolved oxygen study: water quality model investigations that have documented the presence of certain contaminants in Harbour calibration and scenarios sediment. The site location within the Harbour extends generally from the Selkirk Trestle north of the Upper Harbour to the Outer Harbour breakwater south of Ogden Point. As Room: 615/616/617 Date: 4/30/2014 11:00 AM - 11:15 AM part of risk assessment activities for the site, a study was conducted to determine potential impacts to the benthic community and long-term sediment recovery within the Presenter: Greg Pelletier, WA Dept of Ecology site due to vessel-induced sediment disturbance and erosion. The results of these Authors: Greg Pelletier, Department of Ecology; Anise Ahmed, WA Department of evaluations were used to develop maps correlating vessel operations, erosion potential of Ecology; Mindy Roberts, WA Department of Ecology; Andrew Kolosseus, bed sediments, and vertical scour depths throughout the site. This information was used Department of Ecology to assist in interpretation of benthic community assessment data and develop a better understanding of the influences on the benthic community in Victoria Harbour. This Abstract: Portions of South and Central Puget Sound are on the Clean Water Act Section presentation will provide a discussion of the how the evaluation was conducted, present 303(d) list of impaired waters because observed dissolved oxygen measurements do not the results, and provide an overview of the implications of study based on study meet the Washington State water quality standards. Human sources of nutrients can objectives. Sediments within the portion of Victoria Harbour are managed by Transport increase algae growth, which can decrease oxygen as the additional organic matter Canada. These sediments have been the subject of numerous environmental decays. Low oxygen can impair fish and other marine life. Computer modeling tools are investigations that have documented the presence of certain contaminants in Harbour needed to isolate the impacts of human contributions. The purpose of this study is to sediment. The site location within the Harbour extends generally from the Selkirk Trestle identify how much human contributions are contributing to low dissolved oxygen (DO) in north of the Upper Harbour to the Outer Harbour breakwater south of Ogden Point. As South Puget Sound. Previous reports summarize data collection, nutrient load estimates part of risk assessment activities for the site, a study was conducted to determine for marine point sources and watershed inflows that include point and nonpoint sources, potential impacts to the benthic community and long-term sediment recovery within the and the circulation model. This report summarizes the calibration and application of the site due to vessel-induced sediment disturbance and erosion. The results of these water quality model to isolate the impacts from groups of sources. The model predicts the evaluations were used to develop maps correlating vessel operations, erosion potential of regional and seasonal patterns of chlorophyll, DO, and nitrogen throughout South and bed sediments, and vertical scour depths throughout the site. This information was used Central Puget Sound. The model predicts that internal (inside the model domain) current to assist in interpretation of benthic community assessment data and develop a better human nutrient loads from marine point sources and watersheds as well as external (north understanding of the influences on the benthic community in Victoria Harbour. This of model domain) current anthropogenic loads are causing DO to decline by as much as presentation will provide a discussion of the how the evaluation was conducted, present 0.4 mg/L in portions of Totten, Eld, Budd, Carr, and Case inlets, and East Passage, which the results, and provide an overview of the implications of study based on study violates the standards. There are not violations across the entire South or Central Puget objectives. Sound. While keeping the external anthropogenic load constant, internal marine point sources exert a greater impact than human sources within watershed inflows. Reducing the internal human nutrient load would decrease the magnitude and extent of DO # 265 Review and Synthesis of Available Information to Estimate Human depletion. Additional scenarios are needed to isolate the effects of individual sources. Impacts to Dissolved Oxygen in Hood Canal Room: 615/616/617 Date: 4/30/2014 10:45 AM - 11:00 AM # 238 Modeling water exchange and transport timescales in a multi- inlet bay system of Puget Sound, Washington Presenter: Ben Cope, US Environmental Protection Agency Authors: Ben Cope, EPA Room: 615/616/617 Date: 4/30/2014 11:15 AM - 11:30 AM Abstract: EPA and the Washington Department of Ecology reviewed available science Presenter: Taiping Wang, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory regarding dissolved oxygen impacts in Hood Canal at the request of the Hood Canal Authors: Taiping Wang, Pacific Northwest National Lab; zhaoqing Yang, Pacific Coordinating Council. This review encompassed all relevant studies of Hood Canal by Northwest National Laboratory; Jill Brandenberger, Pacific Northwest National researchers from the University of Washington, U.S. Geological Survey, Pacific Northwest Laboratory National Laboratory, and Mason County. The Puget Sound Institute organized an independent peer review of our report by outside experts. There is a consensus among Abstract: In this study, an integrated modeling framework consisting of the watershed researchers that: (1) Marine water upwelling delivers most of the nitrogen to the photic model HSPF and the hydrodynamic model FVCOM is used to simulate the watershed zone in Hood Canal, (2) Shoreline onsite sewage systems represent the dominant human hydrology and hydrodynamic circulations in a multi-inlet bay system of Puget Sound, which source of nitrogen, and (3) Relative human impacts are highest in Lynch Cove. At the includes Liberty Bay, Port Orchard Bay, Dyes Inlet, and Sinclair Inlet. These interconnected same time, there are a range of estimates of the scale of human impact on dissolved inlets and bays form a unique subsystem that is connected to the Central Basin of Puget oxygen, particularly around the southern areas of the Great Bend and Lynch Cove. Sound through two narrow passages, namely Agate Passage and Rich Passage. Due to Sediment cores indicate that oxygen levels in central Hood Canal were lower before 1900 residential and industrial development in the watershed, degraded water quality has been Generated: 5/23/2014 12:00 PM Page 1 of 99 2014 Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference Abstract Book: Presentations by Date, Time, and Session observed in the system and manifests as bacteria contamination, low dissolved oxygen at Otter Island. Our results indicate that salt intrusion is much more extensive in the and harmful algal blooms. All these water quality issues require a good understanding of Snohomish Estuary and that oligohaline habitat conditions can extend through the entire the pollutant sources from the watershed and the transport pathways in the receiving estuary complex to approximately 2.0 km upstream of the first primary