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Grand Strand Water Monitoring Buoyed By Long Bay Working Group

Last summer, when several flounder appeared at the water surface off the area of the Carolina coast

known as the Grand Strand local scientists were concerned but not surprised. Thats because similar

events had occurred in the region five years earlier.

Researchers knew that the arrival of flounder and other non-native fish at waters edge meant it was

likely that hypoxia had once again returned to the region. Fortunately, measuring devices had been

installed on Apache Pier in Myrtle Beach. They were able to confirm that there had, in fact, been

dissolved oxygen (DO) in the water of Surfside Beach, a neighboring community. Scientists Dr. Susan

Libes of Coastal Carolina University and Dr. Denise Sanger, the Assistant Director for Research and

Planning at SC Sea Grant, were also able to determine that for a brief period the water was anoxic, or

without oxygen.

But a lot had changed since July of 2004, when scientists were caught off guard by a hypoxic event

discovered by local fishermen. In that instance, as in the event last year, the appearance of flounder,

which normally get plenty of oxygen at the ocean floor, near the top of the surf was an indicator that

oxygen had either been displaced or was in scarce supply.

Fisherman reported to the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources (SCDNR) that they were

reaching their limit of 20 fish per day by noon time. In short order, Sanger, who at the time was working

for Ocean and Coastal Resource Management (OCRM) office in the South Carolina Department of Health

and Environmental Control (SCDHEC) convened a meeting of the stakeholders involved to formulate a

plan of action. The group set up a series of partnerships among agencies, universities and non-profits to

begin to monitor conditions in Long Bay. Thanks largely to the efforts of Sanger and Libes the group was

able to procure much-needed research money for a pair of studies from SC Sea Grant, after being turned

down by NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration).

The primary resource site has been Apache Pier, which is the longest pier on the East Coast. The location

has a series of gauges and sensors that allow for 24/7 monitoring of the water. A website was created

that allows fishermenor anyone else for that matterto check on the water quality on an as needed

basis. But, as Jason Powers, a cooperative research program coordinator with the SCDNR, observes,

Marine work is labor-intensive. Which means its expensive.

The funds for the original study dried up in 2008 and the coalition, now known as the Long Bay Working

Group has been scrambling for funding ever since, receiving help from SC Sea Grant, SCDHEC, SCDNR

and the Apache Pier Campground.

Most of what weve done has been on a shoe string budget or pro bono, says Libes. Researchers have

made great inroads into determining what causes hypoxia in the water but further study is needed.

While hypoxia has been known to occur in other parts of the globe, the oxygen loss near the Grand

Strand is unique. Bacteria from water runoff points throughout the region are emboldened by various

nutrients which is not uncommon, but the combination of prevailing southwesterly winds and the areas

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geography (the beach forms a bowl-like indentation) force the bacteria to be trapped, causing a drop in

the oxygen quantity.

The implications on an area so dependent on tourism are clear, as Sanger points out. One thing we

know for sure is that when hypoxia appears it returns bigger and stronger than before. Low oxygen

impacts your natural resources.

Referring to the ocean floor Sanger adds, There are hard-bottomed communities in the Long Bay, its

not just sand.

Should the Grand strand be altered from its current ecology the economic and environmental impact

could be significant. Beaches with non-native plant and animal life tend not to be very popular, which

makes the work being done by the Long Bay Working Group critical in several respects.