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Aquafluor
Handheld Fluorometer |
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12/2009 - Jeffrey Simmons,
Mount
St. Mary's University, USA
My students and I are investigating
the impacts of wastewater effluent on stream ecosystems.
Much is known about eutrophication of lakes and estuaries,
but much less has been reported about the impacts on streams
themselves. Our goal is to determine the changes in ecosystem
function in streams. We have so far focused on decomposition
and effects on phosphorus cycling. Next we would like to
begin to investigate the impacts on algal biomass (periphyton
and planktonic) and productivity. Nutrient concentrations
are higher downstream of wastewater treatment plants, so
we expect algal biomass and productivity to be higher. But
the question is, how much higher? Will biomass stay the
same due to increased grazing? Will light limitation restrict
the amount of production? |
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Aquafluor
Handheld Fluorometer |
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06/2009 - Nancy Dalman,
North
Georgia College and State University, USA
The focus of my research
recently has been water quality in the native waters of
North Georgia. I currently have two research projects
and a community outreach program that encompass water
quality issues:
1. The first project, one that has been ongoing since
2007, examines the impact of human recreation on fecal
bacteria counts. The premise for this work is that river
sediments harbor high fecal coliform bacteria counts and
that humans entering the river disrupt these bacterial
stores, amplify waterborne bacteria counts and increase
their risk of illness. This spring, we published a paper
with data supporting this hypothesis (see recent publications
below). Work was done in a stretch of mountain river that
receives several hundred people rafting and tubing each
day. Our results showed that water samples collected in
the evening, near the end of the daily human activity
period, contained high levels of sediment within the water
column and showed significantly greater E. coli counts
than water samples collected in the morning prior to humans
entering the water. This trend was only apparent at high
traffic sites. We plan to focus our work this summer on
identifying the host source of bacteria; measurement of
optical brighteners in the water will act as a screening
method in this process. The area surrounding this river
contains several cattle ranches, poultry farms and houses
with septic systems, all of which are possible sources
of contamination. Measurement of optical brighteners will
distinguish human host from other host sources.
2. The second research project will be initiated this
summer in conjunction with biology and physics colleagues.
This large - scale study will encompass three watersheds
to examine landscape influences on water quality. Similar
work has been done in other watersheds; the unique aspect
of our work is the clear gradient of human development
across these three watersheds. Our plan is to conduct
a multi - year study that investigates different land
uses and changes in these uses over time on three physically
similar watersheds. Water quality (including basic chemical
and physical parameters, fecal bacteria counts, Indices
of Biotic Integrity, cyanobacteria measurements) will
provide a cornerstone to the project, but we hope to extend
our collaboration in the future and incorporate measures
of human community health and socioeconomic factors.
3. This past fall several biology colleagues and I began
an annual community - wide watershed monitoring event.
This event, the River Rendezvous, involved college students
and community volunteers in conducting a one - day "snapshot"
of water quality throughout our county's watershed. The
data gathered is currently being used in follow - up bacterial
source tracking at sampling locations with high bacterial
counts. By making this an annual event, we will be able
to collect long - term data that may track changes in
water quality, foster interaction between the university
and local region and give community members stewardship
of our county's rivers.
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Trilogy Laboratory
Fluorometer |
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06/2009 - Alexandra Eaves,
BC Centre
for Aquatic Health Sciences, Canada
The effects of climate change
on the world's largest ecosystem, the marine pelagic realm,
are largely unknown (1). Although warming is occurring
more slowly in the oceans than on land, the response of
marine organisms to climate change appears to be faster
than terrestrial counterparts (2). Furthermore, different
species of marine organisms are responding to climate
change at different rates, resulting in disruption among
various levels in the marine food web (3). For example,
the decline in abundance of key planktonic organisms,
and changes in seasonality have been implicated in exacerbating
the decline of fish stocks (3). Our research program strives
to develop an ecological monitoring program to document
the changes in seasonal variation occurring in the marine
planktonic environment, and apply the information towards
improving fisheries enhancement management practices.
In 2007 the BC Centre for Aquatic Health Sciences (a not-for-profit
research facility) partnered with the Quinsam Hatchery
and At'legay Fisheries Society to develop an environmental
sampling program to assess the relationship between the
timing of spring plankton blooms and the fitness of Coho
salmon being reared for a local stock enhancement initiative.
Plankton is an essential food source for young Coho salmon
and a disconnect may be occurring between when the hatchery-raised
fish are entering the sea versus the optimal period of
food availability. To address this issue, plankton sampling
is conducted twice weekly and temperature, salinity, zooplankton
and phytoplankton in the nearshore environment are analyzed
and recorded. The plankton monitoring component is complemented
by surveys of the abundance and size of captured enhancement
Coho salmon to estimate how much the fish have grown since
being released in relation to available plankton conditions.
Within two years it has not only become apparent that
the release of fish to coincide with plankton blooms significantly
increases their feeding success in the near shore environment;
but the timing of plankton blooms can vary substantially
between years. Our ultimate goal is to develop a streamlined
set of criteria that could be used by hatcheries to help
determine the optimal time to release juvenile salmon
for increased survival.
References: (1) Richardson AJ & Schoeman DS. 2004.
Science 305 1609-1612; (2) Richardson AJ & Poloczanska
ES. 2008. Science 320: 1294-1295; 3. Edwards M & Richardson
AJ. 2004. Nature 430: 881-884.
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Aquafluor
Handheld Fluorometer |
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12/2008 - Marita Davison,
UMSA & BIOTA, Bolivia; Cornell
Lab of Ornithology, USA
Of the six extant species
of flamingo in the world, those restricted to wetlands
of the high Andes of Argentina, Bolivia, Chile and Peru
(Andean flamingo, Phoenicoparrus andinus and James flamingo,
P. jamesi) are the most endangered and least studied.
As dominant grazers on phytoplankton in their habitats,
flamingos play a focal role in aquatic food webs by influencing
primary production, nutrient cycling, and species diversity.
Two of the most important breeding and feeding sites for
Andean and James flamingos across their range, Laguna
Colorada and Lago Uru-Uru/Poopo, are located in southwestern
Bolivia. Although both of these wetland systems are RAMSAR
wetland conservation sites, flamingo populations are declining
in both areas as a result of intense human disturbance
in the form of unregulated ecotourism (Laguna Colorada)
and sewage pollution (Lago Uru-Uru/Poopo). The aim of
this research is to combine experimental and monitoring
approaches to investigate the influence of pollution and
human-induced flamingo loss on biomass of primary producers
and lake biodiversity at Laguna Colorada and Lago Uru-Uru/Poopo.
Scientific data on the ecological role of flamingos within
a context of human disturbance will be directly relevant
for promoting sound conservation strategies for these
endangered birds and the unique ecological systems of
which they are a part.
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Aquafluor
Handheld Fluorometer |
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06/2008 - John Spinicchia-
St.
Mary's County, Maryland Public Schools, Leonardtown,
MD
"We are currently monitoring
one of the sites on Breton Bay, a tidal tributary of the
Chesapeake Bay. Breton Bay is currently listed as impaired
under EPA CWA section 303 (d). Breton Bay serves Leonardtown,
St. Mary's County seat; The St. Mary's County Waste Water
treatment Plant dumps over 1 million gallons of treated
waste per day into a tributary of Breton Bay. We need
to monitor for eutrophication as indicated by chlorophyll
a in vivo concentrations on a monthly basis and submit
the data to the Maryland Department of the Environment/
Department of natural Resources. The long term loaner
instrument we were using was recently taken back by Morgan
State University. We do not have the money in our budget
to buy an instrument; this is a public school.
The instrument will allow
us to monitor Chl a concentrations and to prepare
our yearly report by comparing our data to the other monitoring
stations and to the determined TMDL for Chl a.
We can also look at turbidity and correlate to the amount
of farmland/runoff and application and effectiveness of
agricultural and development BMP's."
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Trilogy Laboratory
Fluorometer |
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06/2008 - Dr. Daniel Conde
- Facultad
de Ciencias, Universidad de la República, Montevideo,
Uruguay
"Our main interest is
focused on ecological conservation of protected coastal
lagoons, through research and monitoring activities. Specifically,
we develop our major activities in the Atlantic coastal
lagoons of Uruguay, belonging to the UNESCO World Biosphere
Reserve "Bañados del Este", the Ramsar
Convention or the recent National System of Protected
Areas. We have focused most of our research efforts on
Laguna de Rocha (see www.lagunaderocha.org
for more information on this system). These brackish systems
exhibit high biodiversity, support more than 400 bird
species and have a high production of commercial fishes,
supporting several fishermen communities.
However, human eutrophication
(due to land use changes) and global change (due to sea
level rise and climate modifications) are increasingly
impacting these ecosystems, with severe consequences for
their local population (e.g. water quality and fisheries
reduction). Coastal regions are special sensitive areas
in the World that need an integrated management due to
multiple interests that coincide spatially.
To achieve our main goal
we have been performing studies at these lagoons for more
than 10 years, combining basic monitoring, lab experiments
and ecological predictive models. Our monitoring program
includes water quality and microalgal production measurements
and allowed us to detect an increment in phophorus in
the water column, probably derived from human activities.
Consequently, water quality has been affected and cianobacterial
blooms were registered recently, as it has occurred in
other coastal systems of the region (e.g. Lagoa dos Patos
in southern Brazil). Our work is multidisciplinary and
includes researchers from the Limnology, Oceanology, Zoology
and Geography Sections of the Faculty of Sciences (UdelaR)
and also several graduation and posgraduation students.
Local communities are also involved in basic lagoon functioning
and monitoring of the water quality. Our work also includes
outreach and educational activities with local people
and children."
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Aquafluor
Handheld Fluorometer |
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12/2007 - Laurel Standley
- Silent
Spring Institute, Newton, MA
"The primary barrier
to our goal of systematically screening adequate numbers
of water samples for endocrine disrupting compounds (EDCs)
and pharmaceuticals is expense, with analysis for each
sample costing approximately $1,000. To guide our selection
of water samples, we must often use indirect measures
of potential contamination, including land use designations,
such as residential density, and/or the presence of other
wastewater contaminants, such as nutrients. These approaches
are helpful but limited. The best proxies for EDCs and
pharmaceuticals, beyond incurring the cost of measuring
them directly, are compounds in wastewater that behave
similarly in ground and surface waters. Fluorescent whitening
agents (FWAs), which are added to clothes, detergents,
and paper products to brighten their appearance, fit these
characteristics; thus, we propose to use them as proxies
for EDCs and pharmaceuticals in ground and surface waters.
Use of a fluorometer to screen for the presence of wastewater-associated
FWAs would greatly streamline sample screening and allow
us to more accurately select samples to submit to a laboratory
for the more costly analysis of EDCs and pharmaceuticals.
For example, on a recent sampling trip a colleague used
his fluorometer to pinpoint the location of wastewater
plumes to ponds, greatly facilitating our sampling efforts.
With a donation of your company's fluorometer, we would
have this screening capability available for all our projects."
Update from Donation Recipient
06/05/08
"We are using the Aquafluor Fluorometer to develop
a screening method for evidence of wastewater contamination
in drinking water, ground water, and surface water samples.
We have begun testing tap water samples for the presence
of optical brighteners and comparing them to water that
has been treated using commercially-available carbon filters.
In addition to these experiments, we are also getting
ready to sample ponds that receive wastewater-contaminated
groundwater for the presence of optical brighteners. The
instrument is very easy to use and we appreciate the donation,
which has enabled us to move forward with this project."
- Laurel Standley, Silent
Spring Institute
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| Dr. Laurel
Standley, Senior Scientist, and Megan McAuliffe, Student
Intern, collect samples from a pond on Cape Cod to
test for the presence of wastewater-derived endocrine
disrupting compounds and pharmaceuticals. |
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Trilogy Laboratory
Fluorometer |
6/2007
- Dr.
Brad Taylor - UNELLEZ, Venezuela and Dartmouth College
"I will use a Turner Trilogy for a number of projects
including environmental monitoring, ecological research,
methods development, and for teaching students and "paralimnologist",
or responsible lay persons committed to collecting baseline
water quality data. A large portion of my research is conducted
in Venezuela, South America, in the ecologically diverse
Los Llanos region, that extends from the base of the Andes
to the Orinoco River floodplain. My research is based out
of the nearby university, the Universidad Nacional Experimental
de Los Llanos Ezequiel Zamora (UNELLEZ), located in the
city of Guanare, which is where the instrument would be
located and shared with Venezuela researchers that do not
have access to a fluorometer. My current research projects
focus on the effects of human-induced changes in species
diversity, either species removals or introductions, on
nutrient cycling, particularly nitrogen in Neotropical rivers."
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Aquafluor
Handheld Fluorometer |
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6/2007 - Dr.
Johan van der Molen - University of KwaZulu-Natal,
South Africa
"The St. Lucia lake system is the largest estuarine
system in Africa with a water surface of 300 km2 and a
shoreline of over 400 km. However, the mouth of this estuary
has been closed between July 2002 and March 2007. This
has had a major impact on the entire ecosystem. Although
the estuary is a World Heritage site, very little research
has been undertaken on the lower levels of the food web.
Indeed, the algae of the St. Lucia system have received
little attention from researchers concerning their biomass
and especially their productivity. Phytoplankton productivity
in estuaries plays an essential role in element cycling,
water quality, and food supply to heterotrophs. The aim
of this study is to provide quantitative data of biomass
and productivity for phytoplankton and microphytobenthos
and to analyse the correlation with biotic and abiotic
parameters."
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| From left to right:
Johan van der Molen (Postdoc), Prof Renzo Perissinotto,
Deena Pillay (Postdoc) |
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