marine contaminants

14
Southeast Alaska Network Inventory and Monitoring Program Marine Contaminants Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park Sitka National Historical Park D. Schirokauer/NPS NPS Photo/B. Moynahan

Upload: tola

Post on 22-Feb-2016

53 views

Category:

Documents


0 download

DESCRIPTION

Marine Contaminants. Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park Sitka National Historical Park. D. Schirokauer /NPS. NPS Photo/B. Moynahan. Justification. Global and local sources of pollution. NPS Photo. Source: cenvironment.blogspot.com. - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

TRANSCRIPT

Page 1: Marine Contaminants

Southeast Alaska NetworkInventory and Monitoring Program

Marine Contaminants

Glacier Bay National Park and PreserveKlondike Gold Rush National Historical Park

Sitka National Historical Park

D. Schirokauer/NPSNPS Photo/B. Moynahan

Page 2: Marine Contaminants

Justification

Southeast Alaska NetworkInventory and Monitoring Program

Source: cenvironment.blogspot.com

Global and local sources of pollutionNPS Photo

Page 3: Marine Contaminants

Justification

Southeast Alaska NetworkInventory and Monitoring Program

Adapted from http://www.arctic.uoguelph.ca

Colder, polar regions

Temperate regions

Hotter, equatorial regions

Earth

Less volatilecompounds

More volatilecompounds

Page 4: Marine Contaminants

NPS Considerations

Southeast Alaska NetworkInventory and Monitoring Program

Ecosystems susceptible to contaminant threatsC. Sergeant

Source: gulfofmaine.org

Organism integrates contaminants and is reflective of park conditionsResults comparable with existing

benchmarks(from Schirokauer and Moynahan 2010)

Minimally invasive sampling approach

NPS photo/B. Moynahan

Page 5: Marine Contaminants

Sources of marine contamination

Southeast Alaska NetworkInventory and Monitoring Program

Heavy metals mostly a byproduct of fossil fuel and waste burning, mining and ore processing, chemical production, and agriculture

Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) occur naturally in coal, crude oil, and gasoline and other derived products

Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) are human-produced organic substances such as DDT and PCBs

“D.D.T: Powerful insecticide, harmless to humans…”

Page 6: Marine Contaminants

Objectives

Southeast Alaska NetworkInventory and Monitoring Program

• Monitor the current status and long-term trends of marine contaminants through sampling bay mussels in conformance with NOAA Mussel Watch protocols

• Maintain a regularly updated contaminant profile for selected reference sites NPS photo/B.

Moynahan

Page 7: Marine Contaminants

Southeast Alaska NetworkInventory and Monitoring Program May 6, 2009

GLBAKLGO

SITK

Page 8: Marine Contaminants

Logistics and Budget

Southeast Alaska NetworkInventory and Monitoring Program

35 g wet weight per site, per analysis

NPS photo

65 samples collected and analyzed in 2007 and 2009

2009 and 2011: 6 sites re-sampled for temporal variability (2 staff can complete field work 1-2 days GLBA; 1 hr SITK &

KLGO)

NPS photo/B. Moynahan

$196K for 2007-2011 effort (tech assistance, field sampling, lab testing, etc.)

Future field and lab work covered by SEAN (approx. $2K per sample)

Page 9: Marine Contaminants

What we’re learning

Southeast Alaska NetworkInventory and Monitoring Program

SEAN nearshore environments are very cleanMercury• Generally very low• Highest at Crescent Harbor in

Sitka

Total PAH• Generally very low or

undetectable• Bartlett Cove fuel dock

POPs• Below detection at nearly all

sites• Far below safe seafood

thresholds

Page 10: Marine Contaminants

What we’re learning

Southeast Alaska NetworkInventory and Monitoring Program

Valuable baseline conditions: Imagine if Prince William Sound had this information before Exxon-

Valdez

Observed pollution likely local

Some capacity to detect small events

Page 11: Marine Contaminants

What we’re learning

Southeast Alaska NetworkInventory and Monitoring Program

Page 12: Marine Contaminants

Future efforts

Southeast Alaska NetworkInventory and Monitoring Program

Full integration with NOAA Mussel Watch

Biennial sampling at ~7 sites

Exploring potential partnerships

Page 13: Marine Contaminants

Southeast Alaska NetworkInventory and Monitoring Program

Program Delivery

2011 results will be integrated into new assessment by UAS partner David Tallmon

Page 14: Marine Contaminants

Southeast Alaska NetworkInventory and Monitoring Program May 6, 2009

[email protected] 364.1591

NPS photo/B. Moynahan