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GEOLOGIC DIVISION NEW PROJECT PROPOSAL- FY 2001
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Task: 2
Task Leader: Yates, Kimberly K., kyates@usgs.gov
600 4th Street South
St. Petersburg, FL 33701
Phone: 727-803-8747
Fax: 727-803-2031
Title: Demonstration Projects
Task Priority: 2
Programs from which fiscal support is solicited:
Coastal and Marine Geology programs 100
Task summary and objectives:
Preliminary meetings with FWC-FMRI and USF researchers currently investigating the biota, water quality, and circulation in Tampa Bay have identified areas of research for which USGS expertise is immediately needed to develop an understanding of ecosystem processes. These needs are described below in a non-inclusive list that will be modified as tasks in the Tampa Bay Pilot Study are defined and coordinated with other partners through the workshop. These research needs provide critical information for establishing links between biological, geological, and chemical processes that influence the health of the Tampa Bay ecosystem. Funding is requested for small demonstration projects to address immediate client needs. Research efforts and location of investigations within the bay will be coordinated with FWC-FMRI and USGS investigations and will focus on localized areas of their immediate concern. Initiation of these preliminary investigations in FY2001 is necessary to establish the USGS as a participant in a multi-agency, multi-disciplinary Tampa Bay science program that is rapidly moving forward. Results of these projects will be synthesized and presented at the Estuarine Research Federation Conference in November of 2001 to demonstrate USGS capabilities and the advantages of an integrated science approach.
Task objectives include:
- An evaluation of environmental health through geochemical measurements of productivity and carbon cycling in the Bay
- A synoptic characterization of the underlying stratigraphy and seafloor, historical sediment distribution and high-resolution seismic surveys
- Identification of groundwater intrusion zones and determination of the level of phosphate mining-derived radium in bay waters
- Historical evaluation of sediment contamination and experimental studies on contaminant leaching from surficial sediments
- Evaluation of wetlands, mangroves, seagrass, and fish distributions in and around the bay.
Work to be undertaken during the proposal year and a description of the methods and procedures:
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Sediment coring in
Tampa Bay. |
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Results from the demonstration projects described below will be integrated with information from biological investigations by FWC-FMRI and BRD and physical oceanographic investigations by USF to aid in developing links between biological, geological, and chemical processes and a systematic understanding of environmental health in Tampa Bay. FY 2001 Demonstration projects will address client needs # 1-4 above at select locations in Tampa Bay of immediate concern to FWC-FMRI and USF. The preliminary investigations will be performed on a small scale at select locations of immediate concern to FWC-FMRI and USF.
A primary goal of USF's EPA funded work in Tampa Bay is to identify "ecologically integrated indicators" through trophic mass balance assessments (TMBA's) and to assess their potential for use in monitoring the condition of Gulf of Mexico estuaries. A key element of these assessments includes measurements of productivity and nutrient cycling of ecosystem species including benthic communities (client need #1). Productivity and nutrient cycling associated with representative benthic communities that have been characterized by FWC-FMRI will be measured using geochemical and incubation chamber technology (Submersible Habitat for Analyzing Reef Quality - SHARQ) developed at the USGS Center for Coastal Geology.
The primary source of contamination in most Florida estuaries including Tampa Bay is from non-point sources such as terrestrial run-off and groundwater also referred to as "leaky margins". It has been recognized that groundwater intrusion plays a key role in water and contaminant transport to the bay. However, little is known of groundwater transport processes or locations. A synoptic characterization of the underlying stratigraphy and seafloor using a combined sensor array (including a CHIRP sub-bottom profiler, high-resolution sidescan, and a surficial sediment classifier (QTC) will be performed at potential locations of groundwater discharge and at select FWC-FMRI biological monitoring locations. This characterization will provide the geologic framework to identify groundwater intrusion zones, depositional and sediment transport history, and rapid assessments of benthic habitats critical for ecosystem baseline studies (client need # 2). Identification of groundwater intrusion zones and quantification of groundwater flux into Tampa Bay will be performed using radon and radium isotopes as tracers (client need #3). These measurements will be made at potential locations identified through sub-bottom profiling and through previous work by USF researchers. These investigations will be coordinated with USGS researchers currently developing a strategy to examine the impacts of leaky margins on coastal ecosystems and USF investigations on water circulation.
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| Mangroves and seagrasses are the first line of defense in protecting the coastlines from storm erosion. |
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Sediment monitoring for metals, pesticides, and hydrocarbons has been performed in Tampa Bay as part of the National Estuary Program's monitoring program since 1993. Little historical information exists on Tampa Bay sediment quality. An historical evaluation of sediment contamination will be constructed using 40-year old sediment samples collected from a number of locations throughout the Bay. Approximately 40 of these samples from locations that correspond with NEP monitoring sites and from vibracores at select locations will be analyzed for both metals and organic contaminants (client need #5). Comparison of these results to recent NEP monitoring results will aid in reconstruction of sediment contamination history.
Wetlands play an integral role in the health of estuaries as they are the interface between the aquatic and terrestrial components of estuarine systems. Evaluation of Tampa Bay wetlands, mangroves, marshes, seagrasses, and fish distributions in subsequent project years will be a joint effort between GD, BRD, NWRC, and FWC-FMRI, and the State of Florida's Blueways project.
Planned outreach:
- Presentation of demonstration project results at the 2001 ERF Science Conference
- Organizational meetings with collaborators and clients
Geographic area of task:
United States, Gulf Coastal States
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