Pollution Studies of Drakes Estero, and Abbotts Lagoon Point Reyes National Seashore, California, USA

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Pollution Studies of Drakes Estero, and Abbotts Lagoon Point Reyes National Seashore, California, USA DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY Pollution Studies of Drakes Estero, and Abbotts Lagoon Point Reyes National Seashore, California, USA by Roberto J. Anima1 Open File Report 91-145 This report is preliminary and has not been reviewed for conformity with U.S. Geological Survey editorial standards or with the North American Stratigraphic Code. Any use of trade, product or firm names is for descriptive purposes only and does not imply endorsement by the U.S. Government. 1MS 999, 345 Middlefield Road, Menlo Park, CA 94025 Acknowledgments ............................................VIII Abstract .................................................... 9 Section I Introduction .................................... 11 1. Background.......................................... 13 2. Field Procedures .................................... 14 a. Navigation ...................................... 15 b. Geophysical Profiling ........................... 16 c. Bathymetry ...................................... 19 d. Coring ..........................................23 3. Estuary Uses ........................................ 23 a. Surrounding Farmland ............................ 23 b. Oyster Industry .................................25 c. Recreation ...................................... 25 Section II. Hydrology and Morphology of the Study Area....27 1. General Description................................. 27 a. Drakes Estero................................... 27 b. Abbotts Lagoon .................................. 30 c. Tides and Currents .............................. 31 b. Streams ......................................... 34 e. Salinity ........................................ 34 Section III. Results ......................................35 General Description ........................................35 1. Sediment............................................ 35 a. Drakes Estero ................................... 43 b. Abbotts Lagoon .................................. 50 2. Herbicide Analysis .................................. 53 3. Pesticide Analysis .................................. 54 4. Sedimentation Rates ................................. 62 a . Carbon14 Dating ................................. 67 b. Pb210 Analysis ................................... 69 5. Geophysical Profiles ................................ 78 6. Nutrient Study...................................... 87 Section IV. Conclusions ................................... 90 1. Drakes Estero....................................... 90 2. Abbotts Lagoon ...................................... 95 Section V Recommendations ................................. 96 Recommended Future Work .................................... 97 References Cited ........................................... 100 II Illustrations Figure 1. Map show location of the study area ............ 12 Figure 2. Map showing location of bench marks. ........... 17 Figure 3. Map showing geophysical and bathymetric tracklines in Drakes Estero. .................. 18 Figure 4. Map showing bathymetric tracklines in Abbotts Lagoon ................................20 Figure 5. Preliminary bathymetric map of Drakes Estero. .......................................21 Figure 6. Preliminary bathymetric map of Abbotts Lagoon........................................ 22 Figure 7. Map showing changes in the inlet to Drakes Estero ........................................ 28 Figure 8. Map showing changes at the entrance to Drakes Estero .................................29 Figure 9. Topographic map of the area surrounding Drakes Estero ................................. 36 Figure 10. Topographic map of the area surrounding Abbotts Lagoon ................................ 37 Figure 11. Map of sample locations used for salinity measurements in Drakes Estero ................. 38 Figure 12. Map of sample locations used for salinity measurements in Abbotts Lagoon ................ 40 Figure 13. Map showing location of samples sites used for grain size analysis in Drakes Estero ..... .44 Figure 14. Map of grain size distribution in Abbotts Lagoon ........................................ 4 5 III Figure 15. Paleodrainage channels cut into bedrock in Drakes bay .................................... 7 9 Figure 16. Geophysical trackline map showing location of sections ................................... 80 Figure 17. Geophysical record and interpretation of line A-A 1 ..................................... 81 Figure 18. Geophysical record and interpretation of line B-B'..................................... 82 Figure 19. Geophysical Record and interpretation of line C-C'..................................... 83 Figure 20. Sea level fluctuation over the last 35,000 years B.P.....................................85 Figure 21. Map of Point Reyes National Seashore showing the sites used for nutrient analysis sampling ...................................... 88 Figure 22. Map showing the location of fossil exposures surrounding Drakes Estero. .................... 99 IV Tables Table 1. Numbers of livestock on Ranches surrounding Drakes Estero and Abbotts Lagoon ............. .26 Table 2. Current Measurements ........................... 32 Table 3. Drainage Basin Area for Drakes Estero......... .33 Table 4. Salinity, and Conductivity, measurements taken in Drakes Estero ........................ 37 Table 5. Salinity, Conductivity Measurements Taken in Abbotts Lagoon ................................ 41 Table 6. Salinity and Conductivity Measurements Abbotts Lagoon April 1989 ..................... 42 Table 7. Table of sediment grade scale equivalents from phi (0) to mm. ........................... 46 Table 8. Drakes Estero grain size analysis. ............. 47 Table 8. (con't) Drakes Estero grain size analysis..... 48 Table 9. Abbotts Lagoon grain size analysis. ............ 51 Table 10. Results of Herbicide Analysis .................. 57 Table lla. Pesticide Analysis ............................. 58 Table lib. Pesticide Analysis ............................. 59 Table lie. Pesticide Analysis ............................. 60 Table lid. Pesticide Analysis ............................. 61 Table 12. Long term deposition rates in estuaries ........ 65 Table 13. Short term deposition rates in estuaries .......66 Table 14. Results of C14 analysis ........................ 70 Table 15. Results of Pb210 analysis ....................... 75 Table 16. Comparison of Pb210 studies in North America.... 76 V Table 17. Deposition Rates in Central California Estuaries based on acoustic survey interpretations, sediment sediment correlation, and bathymetric surveys. ........ .86 VI Appendices Appendix Al Bathymetry records; Drakes Estero .......................... Ill Appendix A2 Bathymetry records; Abbotts Lagoon Appendix B Sediment textural maps of Drakes Estero.................... 134 Appendix C Coring site maps and core logs of cores collected in Drakes Estero ........................................... 143 Appendix D Graphs and plots based on grain size analysis from various sites in Drakes Estero, and Abbotts Lagoon ...........................................................169 Appendix E Plots comparing Pb210 and C14 data.......................... VII Acknowledgments The author wishes to thank the National Park Service for providing the funding and cooperation necessary for completing this study, Dr. Gary Fellers of the National Park Service for his patience and encouragement to put together a pollution studies program, and Dr. Edward Clifton (USGS), for his initial inception of the project, plus his invaluable review of the manuscript. Special thanks go to the individuals who without their help in the field operations this project would have difficult at best: Oscar Lopez, Daniel Silva, Roman Ray, Dave Carlsen, and Chuey Anima. Also those who assisted as another set of eyes, note takers, and diving buddies; Ed Clifton, Dave Andersen, Ed Kempema, Tom Reiss, John Dingier, Beth Laband, and Oscar Lopez. Thanks go to Steve Hagar who conducted water sampling, Dr. C. Nittrouer whose laboratory conducted the Pb210 analysis, the U.S. Geological Survey who ran both the herbicide and pesticide analysis, and the accelerator facility at the University of Arizona which conducted the C14 dating analysis. VIII Pollution Studies of Drakes Estero and Abbotts Lagoon Point Reyes National Seashore, California Abstract Pollution Studies of Drakes Estero and Abbotts Lagoon were initiated as a research project on the sediments of Drakes Estero. The National Park Service (NPS) wanted to further the baseline study to include a compilation of information on possible pollution and sedimentation inputs into Drakes Estero and Abbotts Lagoon. The study called for a compilation of literature of research conducted on lagoons and estuaries of the Pacific Coast of the United States. The study investigated sedimentation patterns and sediment accumulation rates for the two areas, the amounts of herbicides and pesticides in the sediment of the systems, and the concentrations of plant nutrients in creeks entering the the study sites during storm events. The study compiled an annotated bibliography, with over 490 entries, of literature on research conducted in lagoons and estuaries of the West coast of the United States (Anima, 1990). Based on interpretations of geophysical records, Pb210 and Carbon14 dating, the study determined that sediment input into Drakes Estero and Abbotts Lagoon over the last 8,000 years was about 35 cm/100 yrs, and fluctuated from 12 cm/lOOyrs to 30 cm/lOOyrs over the last 120-150 years.
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