TY - JOUR
T1 - Phytoplankton bloom status
T2 - Chlorophyll a biomass as an indicator of water quality condition in the southern estuaries of Florida, USA
AU - Boyer, Joseph N.
AU - Kelble, Christopher R.
AU - Ortner, Peter B.
AU - Rudnick, David T.
N1 - Funding Information:
We would like to thank Greg May, the Executive Director of the South Florida Ecosystem Restoration Task Force, and Rock Salt, Co-chair of the Science Coordination Group, for their support in making the publication of the special issue of Ecological Indicators possible. We would also like to thank G. Ronnie Best, US Geological Survey for additional financial support in the publication of this special issue. Finally, we thank Bob Doren for spurring us on to further development of this indicator. Portions of this project were possible due to the funding by the South Florida Water Management District (4600000352) and by the National Science Foundation through the Florida Coastal Everglades Long-Term Ecological Research Program (DBI-0620409). This is contribution #413 of the Southeast Environmental Research Center at Florida International University.
PY - 2009/11
Y1 - 2009/11
N2 - Altered freshwater inflows have affected circulation, salinity, and water quality patterns of Florida Bay, in turn altering the structure and function of this estuary. Changes in water quality and salinity and associated loss of dense turtle grass and other submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV) in Florida Bay have created a condition in the bay where sediments and nutrients have been regularly disturbed, frequently causing large and dense phytoplankton blooms. These algal and cyanobacterial blooms in turn often cause further loss of more recently established SAV, exacerbating the conditions causing the blooms. Chlorophyll a (CHLA) was selected as an indicator of water quality because it is an indicator of phytoplankton biomass, with concentrations reflecting the integrated effect of many of the water quality factors that may be altered by restoration activities. Overall, we assessed the CHLA indicator as being (1) relevant and reflecting the state of the Florida Bay ecosystem, (2) sensitive to ecosystem drivers (stressors, especially nutrient loading), (3) feasible to monitor, and (4) scientifically defensible. Distinct zones within the bay were defined according to statistical and consensual information. Threshold levels of CHLA for each zone were defined using historical data and scientific consensus. A presentation template of condition of the bay using these thresholds is shown as an example of an outreach product.
AB - Altered freshwater inflows have affected circulation, salinity, and water quality patterns of Florida Bay, in turn altering the structure and function of this estuary. Changes in water quality and salinity and associated loss of dense turtle grass and other submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV) in Florida Bay have created a condition in the bay where sediments and nutrients have been regularly disturbed, frequently causing large and dense phytoplankton blooms. These algal and cyanobacterial blooms in turn often cause further loss of more recently established SAV, exacerbating the conditions causing the blooms. Chlorophyll a (CHLA) was selected as an indicator of water quality because it is an indicator of phytoplankton biomass, with concentrations reflecting the integrated effect of many of the water quality factors that may be altered by restoration activities. Overall, we assessed the CHLA indicator as being (1) relevant and reflecting the state of the Florida Bay ecosystem, (2) sensitive to ecosystem drivers (stressors, especially nutrient loading), (3) feasible to monitor, and (4) scientifically defensible. Distinct zones within the bay were defined according to statistical and consensual information. Threshold levels of CHLA for each zone were defined using historical data and scientific consensus. A presentation template of condition of the bay using these thresholds is shown as an example of an outreach product.
KW - Algal bloom
KW - Chlorophyll a
KW - Florida Bay
KW - Phytoplankton
KW - Water quality
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U2 - 10.1016/j.ecolind.2008.11.013
DO - 10.1016/j.ecolind.2008.11.013
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:67649871502
VL - 9
SP - S56-S67
JO - Ecological Indicators
JF - Ecological Indicators
SN - 1470-160X
IS - 6 SUPPL.
ER -