Presentation Abstract

Quartermaster Harbor (QMH), in central Puget Sound, has historically been a hotspot for the occurrence of the toxic dinoflagellate Alexandrium spp. and associated summer shellfish bed closures. Alexandrium spp. overwinters as cysts in the sediment and germinates into swimming vegetative cells during the summer when conditions are right. Alexandrium spp. produces neurotoxins which can be concentrated in the tissue of filter-feeding shellfish, which in turn can be fatal to humans if ingested. In 2005, the first Puget Sound wide surface sediment cyst mapping survey found QMH to have the highest concentration of Alexandrium spp. cysts in the sound. A more detailed surface sediment Alexandrium spp. cyst map of QMH was constructed in the winter of 2007/2008 using 24 van veen samples. The highest concentration of cysts was in the inner harbor and central western shore of the outer harbor. Cyst concentration was low near the mouth of the harbor, where tidal currents are highest. Water circulation models of QMH by WADOE found that the QMH inner harbor has a residence time of 1-3 months, which could lead to retention and increased concentration of cysts within the harbor. Puget Sound wide surveys in the winters of 2011, 2012 and 2013 once again found high concentrations of Alexandrium spp. cysts in the surface sediments of QMH, although not as high as previously. The same 24 station detailed survey of QMH cysts and sediments was mapped again in 2017 to see if the distribution pattern of cysts in the bay had changed. The general pattern of relative abundance has remained the same, however the concentration overall has decreased slightly to about half of what it was ten years ago. This may be due to biological bloom dynamics controlling the absolute abundance, while physical forcing conditions determine the relative concentration spatial distribution.

Session Title

Harmful Phytoplankton in the Salish Sea: Part I

Keywords

Alexandrium, Surface sediment cyst maps, Quartermaster Harbor

Conference Track

SSE5: Climate Change: Impacts, Adaptation, and Research

Conference Name

Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference (2018 : Seattle, Wash.)

Document Type

Event

SSEC Identifier

SSE5-355

Start Date

4-4-2018 1:45 PM

End Date

4-4-2018 2:00 PM

Type of Presentation

Oral

Genre/Form

presentations (communicative events)

Contributing Repository

Digital content made available by University Archives, Heritage Resources, Western Libraries, Western Washington University.

Subjects – Topical (LCSH)

Alexandrium--Toxicology--Washington (State)--Quartermaster Harbor; Chrysophycean cysts--Washington (State)--Quartermaster Harbor

Subjects – Names (LCNAF)

Washington (State). Department of Ecology

Geographic Coverage

Quartermaster Harbor (Wash.); Salish Sea (B.C. and 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

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Apr 4th, 1:45 PM Apr 4th, 2:00 PM

Comparison of Alexandrium spp. surface sediment cyst maps from Quartermaster Harbor in 2007 and 2017

Quartermaster Harbor (QMH), in central Puget Sound, has historically been a hotspot for the occurrence of the toxic dinoflagellate Alexandrium spp. and associated summer shellfish bed closures. Alexandrium spp. overwinters as cysts in the sediment and germinates into swimming vegetative cells during the summer when conditions are right. Alexandrium spp. produces neurotoxins which can be concentrated in the tissue of filter-feeding shellfish, which in turn can be fatal to humans if ingested. In 2005, the first Puget Sound wide surface sediment cyst mapping survey found QMH to have the highest concentration of Alexandrium spp. cysts in the sound. A more detailed surface sediment Alexandrium spp. cyst map of QMH was constructed in the winter of 2007/2008 using 24 van veen samples. The highest concentration of cysts was in the inner harbor and central western shore of the outer harbor. Cyst concentration was low near the mouth of the harbor, where tidal currents are highest. Water circulation models of QMH by WADOE found that the QMH inner harbor has a residence time of 1-3 months, which could lead to retention and increased concentration of cysts within the harbor. Puget Sound wide surveys in the winters of 2011, 2012 and 2013 once again found high concentrations of Alexandrium spp. cysts in the surface sediments of QMH, although not as high as previously. The same 24 station detailed survey of QMH cysts and sediments was mapped again in 2017 to see if the distribution pattern of cysts in the bay had changed. The general pattern of relative abundance has remained the same, however the concentration overall has decreased slightly to about half of what it was ten years ago. This may be due to biological bloom dynamics controlling the absolute abundance, while physical forcing conditions determine the relative concentration spatial distribution.