Water Properties in Quartermaster Harbor Puget Sound
Presentation Abstract
Over the past six years, researchers at the University of Washington Tacoma (UWT) have studied the hydrographic conditions in Quartermaster Harbor (QMH), a shallow, southward facing bay in central Puget Sound. The initial part of this study was funded by the Russell Family Foundation and then in 2008, EPA Region 10 awarded King County, UWT and Washington State Department of Ecology a West Coast Estuaries Initiative (WEI) grant to conduct a four-year Quartermaster Harbor Nitrogen Management Study. The impetus for studying QMH was twofold, in 2005 a NOAA/ECOHAB study found that the surface sediments in QMH contained the highest concentration of Alexandrium catenella cysts in Puget Sound and QMH has consistently been listed as a water body of concern by the Washington State Department of Ecology for its late summer high temperatures and low oxygen levels. Alexandrium catenella is a dinoflagellate that produces saxitoxin, a powerful neurotoxin, that through shellfish filter feeding can bioaccumulate in bivalves. Ingestion of shellfish containing saxitoxin by humans can result in Paralytic Shellfish Poisoning (PSP) and potentially death. QMH water properties and the phytoplankton community were sampled monthly 2007-2012 to determine why Quartermaster Harbor contained such favorable environmental conditions for Alexandrium catenella, and what parameters affected dissolved oxygen in the bay. Results indicate that oxygen in the inner harbor is a function of both physical and biological forcing conditions. The geographic configuration of the bay impedes flushing and strong stratification in late summer limits vertical mixing. Both of these mechanisms act to limit ventilation and along with biological processes lead to low oxygen levels in late summer in the inner bay. During spring phytoplankton blooms, oxygen levels in the surface water of the inner bay can be extremely high due to photosynthesis. When these organisms die and sink to the bottom, microbial activity decomposes the algae leading to decreased levels of oxygen in the lower water column. Dissolved oxygen, phytoplankton, and nutrient levels are linked in a seasonal pattern which is then intensified by the geographical configuration of the bay to create conditions optimal for high concentrations of Alexandrium catenella and low oxygen levels in the later summer.
Session Title
Session S-06C: Water Quality III
Conference Track
Water Quality
Conference Name
Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference (2014 : Seattle, Wash.)
Document Type
Event
Start Date
1-5-2014 5:00 PM
End Date
1-5-2014 6:30 PM
Location
Room 6C
Genre/Form
conference proceedings; presentations (communicative events)
Contributing Repository
Digital content made available by University Archives, Heritage Resources, Western Libraries, Western Washington University.
Subjects – Topical (LCSH)
Water--Dissolved oxygen--Washington (State)--Quartermaster Harbor; Environmental sampling--Washington (State)--Quartermaster Harbor; Alexandrium catenella--Washington (State)--Quartermaster Harbor
Geographic Coverage
Salish Sea (B.C. and Wash.); Quartermaster Harbor (Wash.)
Rights
This resource is displayed for educational purposes only and may be subject to U.S. and international copyright laws. For more information about rights or obtaining copies of this resource, please contact University Archives, Heritage Resources, Western Libraries, Western Washington University, Bellingham, WA 98225-9103, USA (360-650-7534; heritage.resources@wwu.edu) and refer to the collection name and identifier. Any materials cited must be attributed to the Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference Records, University Archives, Heritage Resources, Western Libraries, Western Washington University.
Type
Text
Language
English
Format
application/pdf
Water Properties in Quartermaster Harbor Puget Sound
Room 6C
Over the past six years, researchers at the University of Washington Tacoma (UWT) have studied the hydrographic conditions in Quartermaster Harbor (QMH), a shallow, southward facing bay in central Puget Sound. The initial part of this study was funded by the Russell Family Foundation and then in 2008, EPA Region 10 awarded King County, UWT and Washington State Department of Ecology a West Coast Estuaries Initiative (WEI) grant to conduct a four-year Quartermaster Harbor Nitrogen Management Study. The impetus for studying QMH was twofold, in 2005 a NOAA/ECOHAB study found that the surface sediments in QMH contained the highest concentration of Alexandrium catenella cysts in Puget Sound and QMH has consistently been listed as a water body of concern by the Washington State Department of Ecology for its late summer high temperatures and low oxygen levels. Alexandrium catenella is a dinoflagellate that produces saxitoxin, a powerful neurotoxin, that through shellfish filter feeding can bioaccumulate in bivalves. Ingestion of shellfish containing saxitoxin by humans can result in Paralytic Shellfish Poisoning (PSP) and potentially death. QMH water properties and the phytoplankton community were sampled monthly 2007-2012 to determine why Quartermaster Harbor contained such favorable environmental conditions for Alexandrium catenella, and what parameters affected dissolved oxygen in the bay. Results indicate that oxygen in the inner harbor is a function of both physical and biological forcing conditions. The geographic configuration of the bay impedes flushing and strong stratification in late summer limits vertical mixing. Both of these mechanisms act to limit ventilation and along with biological processes lead to low oxygen levels in late summer in the inner bay. During spring phytoplankton blooms, oxygen levels in the surface water of the inner bay can be extremely high due to photosynthesis. When these organisms die and sink to the bottom, microbial activity decomposes the algae leading to decreased levels of oxygen in the lower water column. Dissolved oxygen, phytoplankton, and nutrient levels are linked in a seasonal pattern which is then intensified by the geographical configuration of the bay to create conditions optimal for high concentrations of Alexandrium catenella and low oxygen levels in the later summer.
