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Team Sweetness (by Andrea)

Relationships between algae blooms and water temperature. Team Sweetness (by Andrea). Research Question. To what extent has algae and plankton populations changed as a result of warmer water?. Diatoms. Prolific producers Most important food source for aquatic animals Pseudo-nitzscia seriata

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Team Sweetness (by Andrea)

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  1. Relationships between algae blooms and water temperature Team Sweetness (by Andrea)

  2. Research Question To what extent has algae and plankton populations changed as a result of warmer water?

  3. Diatoms • Prolific producers • Most important food source for aquatic animals • Pseudo-nitzscia seriata • Widespread • Potential producers of toxin domoic acid • Shellfish accumulate the toxin, then humans can get ASP(amnesiac shellfish poisioning)

  4. Dinoflagellates • Have 2 flagella • Able to move • Animal-like • Photosynthetic • Plant-like • Dinophysis • Blooms can lead to toxic red tides • Acculumate toxin in shellfish, which causes DSP (diarrhetic shellfish poisioning)

  5. Cyanobacteria • Blue green algae • Blooms in fresh water and low salinity • Toxic when ingested by pets and livestock • Most recent bloom: • June 2010

  6. Mahogany Tide • Reddish brown color • Produced by high density of dinoflagellates • Severely reduces amount of oxygen in water (DO) • Most recent bloom: • May 2009 • Prorocentrum • Blooms in mid salinity • Delivered into mid and upper bay from HIGH salinity areas • Potentially toxic • Causes fish kills, invertebrate kills • Leads to loss of habitat due to extremely low DO

  7. Brown Tide • Coffee color • No known human effects • Serious impacts on shellfish, fishes, and bay grasses • Caused by • Low rainfall • Elevated salinities • Elevated nutrients • Not well understood

  8. Red Tide Better described as harmful algae blooms (HAB) Blocks sunlight to plants Consumes oxygen Produces surface scum and odors Interferes with filter feeders Of more than 700 species found in the CB, less than 2% have the ability to produce toxins.

  9. Causes and Predictability of HABs Mostly correlated to : • Warmer temperature • Greater than 15C but optimal is 20-25C • Moderate to higher salinity • Approximately 15ppt Causes of HABs: • Nutrient enrichment • Warm water • Overfish of algae eating fish • Pollution from use of excess fertilizers and nutrients

  10. History of HABs • HABs are a natural phenomenon • Past 3 decades, HABs seem to be getting: • More frequent • More intense • More widespread

  11. Effects of Climate Change on HABs Greenhouse effect will cause warmer water and sea level rise Increases/Changes range of distribution of organisms – pushing north cold water species into headwaters and warm water species into the CB from the ocean Warmer air and water temperatures will • Alter the composition of species that live in the CB • Contribute to worsening dead zones and HABs • Enhance marine diseases • Encourage the expansion of harmful invasive species

  12. Effects of Climate Changeon HABs More precipitation will cause more nutrients and sediments to flow into the bay More extreme weather events will: Lead to more polluted runoff Hurt water quality Make outdoor experiences increasingly unacceptable to people

  13. Players

  14. Players

  15. Survey Results • We sampled the participants in the survey and received 12 results • Rate your familiarity with the following terms: • Plankton are microscopic organisms that live in the bay. Because of their small size, they are _______ important than larger organisms in the bay.

  16. Data Sheet • Sampling Site: Horn Point Pier • Date of Sample: 6/29/2010 • Time of Sample: 2:00 pm • Water Temperature (°C): 28 • Air Temperature (°C): 33 • Salinity: 11 ppt • pH: 7.7 • Dissolved Oxygen (mg/l): 5.6 • Weather: Partly Cloudy • Wind Direction: Variable • Wind Speed (mph): 0-5 • Barometric pressure (mmHg): 29.90 • Tides: Low • Secchi Disk: 96 cm

  17. Our Findings

  18. Conclusions • Optimal temperature for HAB is 20-25C, our water was 28C, perhaps the water is too hot for dangerous plankton • The amount of construction may be adding chemicals to the water around the dock that inhibits growth of plankton • Temperature and plankton collection was done at the surface, finds may be different lower in the water column.

  19. Recommendations

  20. Recommendations

  21. Next Steps • Collect more samples of plankton at different environments • Time of day • Location • Depth of water • Season of the year • Check for chemicals in the water near the construction site vs. other area of the Choptank

  22. Bibliography http://mddnr.chesapeakebay.net/hab/HAB_maps.cfm http://mddnr.chesapeakebay.net/eyesonthebay/index.cfm http://www.dnr.state.md.us/bay/hab/index.html http://www.vdh.state.va.us/epidemiology/DZEE/Waterborne/HABS/ http://www.scitopics.com/Impacts_of_Climate_Change_on_Harmful_Algal_Blooms.html http://www.oceanandair.coas.oregonstate.edu/index.cfm?fuseaction=content.display&pageID=174 http://www.nwf.org/Global-Warming/Effects-on-Wildlife-and-Habitat/Estuaries-and-Coastal-Wetlands/Chesapeake-Bay.aspx http://smithsonianscience.org/2009/11/climate-change-may-drastically-alter-chesapeake-bay-scientists-say/ http://oceanworld.tamu.edu/resources/oceanography-book/harmfulagalblooms.htm http://people.westminstercollege.edu/faculty/tharrison/emigration/diatoms.htm

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