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April 27, 2009 Charleston, South Carolina

Assessing Ecological Conditions in U.S. Coastal-Ocean Waters: Information support for the South Carolina Ocean Monitoring Workshop. April 27, 2009 Charleston, South Carolina.

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April 27, 2009 Charleston, South Carolina

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  1. Assessing Ecological Conditions in U.S. Coastal-Ocean Waters: Information support for the South Carolina Ocean Monitoring Workshop April 27, 2009 Charleston, South Carolina By Cynthia Cooksey and Jeff HylandCoastal Ecology ProgramProtected Areas and Resources Branch NOAA/NCCOS/CCEHBRCharleston, SC

  2. Regional Assessments of Ecological Condition Throughout Coastal-Ocean Waters of the U.S.

  3. SAB Shelf (~10m -100 m): April 2004 • 50 stations • Generalized Random Tessellation Stratified (GRTS) design • Estimate spatial extent of ecosystem condition with respect to various measured indicators

  4. Sampling Indicators • Habitat Characteristics • Stressors • Biological Condition • Human Health Risks & Aesthetics • Water depth, temperature, salinity, DO, pH, turbidity • Nutrients, Chlorophyll a, TSS • - Sediment grain size & TOC

  5. Sampling Indicators • Habitat Characteristics • Stressors • Biological Condition • Human Health Risks & Aesthetics • Chemical contaminants in sediments (metals, pesticides, PAHs, PCBs) • Hypoxia/anoxia • - Organic enrichment

  6. Sampling Indicators • Habitat Characteristics • Stressors • Biological Condition • Human Health Risks & Aesthetics • Benthic macro-infaunal communities (diversity, abundances, richness) • - Chemical contaminants in fish (metals, pesticides, PAHs, PCBs)

  7. Sampling Indicators • Habitat Characteristics • Stressors • Biological Condition • Human Health Risks & Aesthetics • Comparison of fish contaminant levels to human-health guidelines • - Aesthetic indicators (water clarity, presence of trash, oil slicks in sediment & water, foul sediment odor)

  8. Sampling Sites from Estuarine and Coastal Ocean Habitats of the SAB Estuarine sites: 2000-2004, n = 697 (from EPA’s EMAP/NCA program); Offshore sites: 2004, n = 50 (from NOAA’s SAB-04 survey)

  9. SAB Offshore Waters: Water Quality (DO) (Vertical-line thresholds are based on EPA 2004, Diaz & Rosenberg 1995)

  10. SAB Offshore Waters: Sediment Quality • Sediment contamination expressed as mean ERM-Q (mean of the ratios of individual chemical concentrations in a sample relative to published ERM sediment quality guidelines) (Vertical-line thresholds are based on Hyland et al. 1999)

  11. SAB Offshore Waters: Water Quality (Nutrients) (Vertical-line thresholds are based on EPA 2004)

  12. SAB Offshore Waters: Benthic Biodiversity (Infaunal Species Richness)

  13. Fish Contaminant Levels • Concentrations of metals, pesticides, PAHs, & PCBs were measured in 20 fish (fillets with skin on) from 17 stations. • Levels were compared to USEPA (2000) human-health consumption limits for cancer & non-cancer (chronic systemic) health endpoints associated with consumption of four 8-ounce meals of fish per month for general adult population. Cancer endpoints were based on a 1 in 100,000 risk level.

  14. Fish Contaminant Levels • Measured concentrations of most chemicals were below both cancer & higher non-cancer consumption limits. • However, one red porgy and one sand perch, had mercury levels that exceeded the lower threshold for non-cancer effects ( 0.12 μg/g). • One black seabass contained Total PCBs above consumption limits for human cancer risks, but not non-cancer effects. • One lizardfish contained Total DDTs above consumption limits for human cancer risks, but not non-cancer effects. • Also, all 20 samples contained inorganic arsenic, estimated as 2% of total arsenic, above consumption limits for human cancer risks, though likely derived from natural sources.

  15. The End

  16. Risk-based EPA advisory guidelines for recreational fishers (US EPA, 2004). a. Range of concentrations associated with non-cancer health endpoint risk for consumption of four 8-oz meals per month. b. Range of concentrations associated with cancer health endpoint risk for consumption of four 8-ounce meals per month. c. Inorganic arsenic estimated as 2% of total arsenic (USEPA 2000).

  17. Sampling Indicators • Habitat Characteristics • - Water depth, temperature, salinity, DO, pH • - Nutrients, TSS, chlorophyll a • - Sediment grain size, TOC • Stressors • - Chemical contaminants in sediments (metals, pesticides, PAHs, PCBs) • - Hypoxia/anoxia • - Organic enrichment • Biological Condition • - Benthic macro-infaunal communities (diversity, abundances, richness) • - Chemical contaminants in fish (metals, pesticides, PAHs, PCBs) • Human Health Risks & Aesthetics • - Comparison of fish contaminant levels to human-health guidelines • - Aesthetic indicators (water clarity, presence of trash, oil slicks in sediment & water, foul sediment odor)

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