Seamester

Thalassia testudinum meadows from 0.5 m and 2.0 m (MLW) depths were studied a t 9 sites in the Florida Keys and western Caribbean.Two meadows, one offshore of a populated island with over 2000 septic tanks, and one offshore of a large bird rookery, were similar in having elevated levels of water column nutrients (DIN and SRP), greater epiphyte levels, low shoot densities, low leaf area indces, and low biomass.Increased blade turnover time was partially responsible for increased epiphyte levels offshore of the populated island, but epiphyte communities developed faster on seagrass blades there than at a paired site offshore of an uninhabited island.Results of aquarium experiments approximated the observed phenomena from the field studies: elevated water column nutrients produced increased epiphyte levels and decreased blade turnover rates.Reduced irradiance moderated the effect of nutrient enrichment on epiphyte levels.Elevated levels of water column nutrients, by stimulating epiphyte growth, reduced rhizome growth rates.This could b e related to the observed lower shoot density of T. testudinum meadows near sources of water column nutrient enrichment.

Single-group interviews were conducted with 49 people to get an idea of what and how the general public thinks about genetic cancer. Understanding what people think and need is crucial for adequate public health communication about genetic issues. Group discussions revealed that people believed that the vulnerability for cancer was largely dependent on their lifestyle, and that they were at risk if cancer ran in their family. Participants found it difficult to distinguish cancer from genetic cancer since in both cases the cause was related to cell problems. People felt that they lacked adequate knowledge of genetic cancer, which was also confirmed by the misconceptions revealed during the discussions. Participants mentioned both advantages (knowing one's risk, performing preventive actions, more openness, less taboo, and more knowledge) and disadvantages (fear arousal, difficult to time, undirected, tenability) of receiving genetic information. Although people felt ambivalent about wanting to receive genetic cancer information, as yet the general tendency seemed to be to postpone opening up to such information until there was a relevant case in the family. Subsequently, preferred information sources were family members and health professionals. According to the participants mass media should provide information on relevant features of genetic cancer to look out for. As yet, people showed little interest in biological genetic information.

Legacy mining facilities pose significant risks to aquatic resources. From March 30th to April 9th, 2021, 814 million liters of phosphate mining wastewater and marine dredge water from the Piney Point facility were released into lower Tampa Bay (Florida, USA). This resulted in an estimated addition of 186 metric tons of total nitrogen, exceeding typical annual external nitrogen load estimates to lower Tampa Bay in a matter of days. An initial phytoplankton bloom (non-harmful diatoms) was first observed in April. Filamentous cyanobacteria blooms (Dapis spp.) peaked in June, followed by a bloom of the red tide organism Karenia brevis. Reported fish kills tracked K. brevis concentrations, prompting cleanup of over 1600 metric tons of dead fish. Seagrasses had minimal changes over the study period. By comparing these results to baseline environmental monitoring data, we demonstrate adverse water quality changes in response to abnormally high and rapidly delivered nitrogen loads.

Abstract The three contiguous National Estuary Programs of southwest Florida, along with partners from six coastal counties, have developed a tidal creek water quality assessment framework to help prioritize natural resource investigations across a large population of tidal creeks between Tampa Bay and Estero Bay, Florida. The assessment framework is based on outcomes of a multidisciplinary study and includes a nutrient based report card that characterizes nutrient conditions relative to regional numeric nutrient criteria developed for contributing freshwater streams, identification of site-specific water quality indicators of tidal creek condition, and an online open science dashboard to display the assessment framework and provide access to all information relevant to its implementation. Application of the assessment framework has provided an actionable list of southwest Florida tidal creeks prioritized for further research and potential management action along with a host of site-specific indicator results that provide insights into drivers of tidal creek condition. The open science dashboard provides a platform for dissemination of this information in a readily accessible and reproducible format and a means to incorporate new data and indicators as they become available. Local resource managers are in need of tools to help prioritize natural resource investigations and management actions that achieve the greatest resource benefit with limited available resources. This assessment framework informs these efforts and builds capacity for future research to identify and refine management tools for these creeks where management resources, data, and sentinel biological response endpoints are limited.

Introduction Cultural eutrophication threatens numerous ecological and economical resources of Florida’s coastal ecosystems, such as beaches, mangroves, and seagrasses. In April 2021, an infrastructure failure at the retired Piney Point phosphorus mining retention reservoir garnered national attention, as 814 million liters of nutrient rich water were released into Tampa Bay, Florida over 10 days. The release of nitrogen and phosphorus-rich water into Tampa Bay – a region that had been known as a restoration success story since the 1990s – has highlighted the potential for unexpected challenges for coastal nutrient management. Methods For a year after the release, we sampled bi-weekly at four sites to monitor changes in nutrients, stable isotopes, and phytoplankton communities, complemented with continuous monitoring by multiparameter sondes. Our data complement the synthesis efforts of regional partners, the Tampa Bay and Sarasota Bay Estuary Programs, to better understand the effects of anthropogenic nutrients on estuarine health. Results Phytoplankton community structure indicated an initial diatom bloom that dissipated by the end of April 2021. In the summer, the bay was dominated by Karenia brevis, with conditions improving into the fall. To determine if there was a unique carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) signature of the discharge water, stable isotope values of carbon (δ13C) and nitrogen (δ15N) were analyzed in suspended particulate material (SPM). The δ15N values of the discharge SPM were −17.88‰ ± 0.76, which is exceptionally low and was unique relative to other nutrient sources in the region. In May and early June of 2021, all sites exhibited a decline in the δ15N values of SPM, suggesting that discharged N was incorporated into SPM after the event. The occurrence of very low δ15N values at the reference site, on the Gulf Coast outside of the Bay, indicates that some of the discharge was transported outside of Tampa Bay. Discussion This work illustrates the need for comprehensive nutrient management strategies to assess and manage the full range of consequences associated with anthropogenic nutrient inputs into coastal ecosystems. Ongoing and anticipated impacts of climate change – such as increasing tropical storm intensity, temperatures, rainfall, and sea level rise – will exacerbate this need.

Native habitats in Florida face dual pressures at the land-sea interface from urban development and sea-level rise. To address these pressures, restoration practitioners require robust tools that identify reasonable goals given historical land use trends, current status of native habitats, and anticipated future impacts from coastal stressors. A restoration framework for native habitats was created for the Tampa Bay watershed that identifies current opportunities and establishes short-term (2030) targets and long-term (2050) goals. The approach was informed through a three-decade habitat change analysis and over 40 years of habitat restoration projects in the region. Although significant gains in subtidal habitats have been observed, expansion of mangroves into salt marshes and loss of native upland habitats to development highlights the need to target these locations for restoration. The long-term loss of potentially restorable lands to both coastal and upland development further underscores the diminishing restoration opportunities in the watershed. The established targets and goals identified habitats to maintain at their present level (e.g., mangroves) and those that require additional progress (e.g., oyster bars) based on past trends and an expected level of effort given the restoration history of the region. The new approach also accounts for the future effects of sea-level rise, climate change, and watershed development by prioritizing native coastal habitats relative to subtidal or upland areas. Maps were created to identify the restoration opportunities where practitioners could focus efforts to achieve the targets and goals, with methods for repeatable analyses also available using an open source workflow.

ADVERTISEMENT RETURN TO ISSUEPREVCorrespondence/Rebut...Correspondence/RebuttalNEXTResponse to Comment on "Particle/Gas Concentrations and Distributions of PAHs in the Atmosphere of Southern Chesapeake Bay"Kurt E. Gustafson and Rebecca M. DickhutView Author Information Sarasota Bay National Estuary Program 53333 N Tamiami Trail, Suite 104 Sarasota, Florida 34234 School of Marine Science The College of William and Mary Gloucester Point, Virginia 23062Cite this: Environ. Sci. Technol. 1997, 31, 12, 3738–3739Publication Date (Web):November 26, 1997Publication History Published online26 November 1997Published inissue 24 December 1997https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/es9720117https://doi.org/10.1021/es9720117article-commentaryACS PublicationsCopyright © 1997 American Chemical Society. This publication is available under these Terms of Use. Request reuse permissions This publication is free to access through this site. Learn MoreArticle Views184Altmetric-Citations4LEARN ABOUT THESE METRICSArticle Views are the COUNTER-compliant sum of full text article downloads since November 2008 (both PDF and HTML) across all institutions and individuals. These metrics are regularly updated to reflect usage leading up to the last few days.Citations are the number of other articles citing this article, calculated by Crossref and updated daily. Find more information about Crossref citation counts.The Altmetric Attention Score is a quantitative measure of the attention that a research article has received online. Clicking on the donut icon will load a page at altmetric.com with additional details about the score and the social media presence for the given article. Find more information on the Altmetric Attention Score and how the score is calculated. Share Add toView InAdd Full Text with ReferenceAdd Description ExportRISCitationCitation and abstractCitation and referencesMore Options Share onFacebookTwitterWechatLinked InRedditEmail PDF (41 KB) Get e-AlertscloseSUBJECTS:Aerosols,Computer simulations,Desorption,Enthalpy,Gases Get e-Alerts

ABSTRACT Objective We sought to apply the reflex action mortality predictor method and to predict discard mortality of intermolt blue crabs Callinectes sapidus in two regions of Florida to better inform stock assessments and management decisions. We additionally sought to provide an empirical estimate on market-bound mortality, which has not been incorporated into landings data or stock assessments. Methods Intermolt crab condition (measured as reflex impairment), injury score, and environmental salinity were collected in the northeast (NE) and west-central (WC) regions of Florida during the summer and winter from 2019 to 2021. A subset of market-bound crabs provided an empirical estimate of market-bound crab mortality at the time of live-market sale. Results Predictive modeling estimated that discard mortalities were 5.78% in the NE region and 3.76% in the WC region of Florida during the winter months and 2.35% (NE) and 14.4% (WC) during the summer months. Market-bound crab mortality was relatively low in the winter months (0% [NE]; 3.19% [WC]) and increased to 10.11% (NE) and 12.81% (WC) in the summer months. Conclusions The discard mortality estimates derived in this study showed that the highest mortality occurred at higher salinities during summer. The lowest mortalities were observed at lower salinities during summer and at higher salinities during winter. Market-bound mortality was highest in the summer and did not appear to be influenced by salinity. The results of this study underscore the importance of adding seasonal- and habitat-based estimates of discard mortality due to the complexity and diversity of the habitats fished during all seasons. This study provides crucial information on two important types of mortality that can now be considered explicitly when refining mortality estimates in Florida blue crab stock assessments.

Before collapsing, bay scallops (Argopecten irradians) supported commercial fisheries in Florida but, following decades of restoration efforts and management actions, still support a recreational fishery. Settlement was monitored along the west coast of Florida from 1992 through 2018, using collector traps. The primary environmental variables retained in the analyses included temperature, salinity, and red tide concentration (Karenia brevis). The settlement rate generally increased for the first days of trap deployment, then leveled off or declined. Settlement peaked when the average water temperatures were between 21°C and 23°C at four sites: St. Andrew Bay, St. Joseph Bay, West Coast, and Pine Island Sound, indicative of a fall peak in spawning. At the Tampa Bay and Sarasota Bay sites, settlement peaked when temperatures were around 16°C, indicative of winter spawning. At most sites, the highest peak in settlement occurred in association with declines in temperature of 10°C–15°C during the fall, with a smaller, secondary peak occurring with similar increases in temperature during the spring. Warming winter temperatures may already be negatively affecting the ability of the subpopulations to synchronously spawn, with unknown impacts to population dynamics. At all sites, settlement declined rapidly when salinity fell below 30 with little settlement occurring below 27, and approached zero when salinity fell below approximately 20. The occurrence of K. brevis exceeding 10,000 cells/L resulted in reduced settlement. In the core populations of West Coast and Steinhatchee, K. brevis was uncommon, and settlement resumed rapidly when blooms abated. For sites outside the core population, settlement was reduced for 2–4 y after red tides. Recovery of populations in these noncore sites probably relies on exogenous supply of larvae from the core. If blooms of K. brevis that penetrate the core region, as was observed in 2021, become more severe, more frequent, or have longer durations, the entire Florida scallop population could be endangered.

From March 30th to April 9th, 2021, 814 million liters of legacy phosphate mining wastewater and marine dredge water from the Piney Point facility were released into lower Tampa Bay (Florida, USA). This resulted in an estimated addition of 186 metric tons of total nitrogen, exceeding typical annual external nitrogen load estimates to lower Tampa Bay in a matter of days. Elevated levels of phytoplankton (non-harmful diatoms) were first observed in April in the lower Bay. Filamentous cyanobacteria blooms (Dapis spp.) peaked in June, followed by a bloom of the red tide organism Karenia brevis. Reported fish kills tracked K. brevis concentrations, prompting cleanup of over 1600 metric tons of dead fish. Seagrasses had minimal changes over the study period. By comparing these results to baseline environmental monitoring data, we conclude that many of the biological responses observed after the release from Piney Point are abnormal relative to historic conditions.

Environmental Toxicology and ChemistryVolume 17, Issue 4 p. 536-536 Letter to the Editor The authors' reply Kurt E. Gustafson, Kurt E. Gustafson Sarasota Bay National Estuary, Program Sarasota, FL 34234, USASearch for more papers by this authorRebecca M. Dickhut, Rebecca M. Dickhut College of William and Mary, Gloucester Point, VA 23062, USASearch for more papers by this author Kurt E. Gustafson, Kurt E. Gustafson Sarasota Bay National Estuary, Program Sarasota, FL 34234, USASearch for more papers by this authorRebecca M. Dickhut, Rebecca M. Dickhut College of William and Mary, Gloucester Point, VA 23062, USASearch for more papers by this author First published: 02 November 2009 https://doi.org/10.1002/etc.5620170402Read the full textAboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditWechat No abstract is available for this article. Volume17, Issue4April 1998Pages 536-536 RelatedInformation