Alabama Marine Environmental
Sciences Consortium Assessments:
Field and Experimental Rapid
Response Assessments of Ecosystem
Resilience to Hydrocarbon
Pollution and Dispersants in the
northern Gulf of Mexico
UNA ASU UAH UAB JSU UM ASU BSC TC SU UA USA JC AU TU AUM HC TSUD TSU SHC UM UWA
Alabama State University*
Athens State University
Auburn University*
Auburn University at Montgomery
Birmingham Southern College
Huntingdon College
Jacksonville State University*
Judson College
Samford University
Spring Hill College
Talladega College
Troy University
Troy University – Dothan
Tuskegee University*
University of Alabama*
University of Alabama at Birmingham*
University of Alabama at Huntsville*
University of Mobile
University of Montevallo
University of North Alabama
University of South Alabama*
University of West Alabama
*
Schools with graduate programsHome for the
MESC: The
Dauphin Island
Sea Lab
Richard C. Shelby Center for
Ecosystem-Based Fisheries Management
Research conducted
at scales ranging
from the ecosystem
down to the beaker
Experimental Tank
Mesocosm Facility
Research Vessels
R/V Alabama Discovery
R/V E.O. Wilson
Gulf-wide Oil Coverage Led to Dire
Predictions About Health of Marine Food Web
DISL Immediate Responses:
Pre-Rapid Response Funding
•
Characterized baseline health and
condition of:
–
Reef fishes
–
Demersal fishes
–
Oysters
–
Planktonic assemblages
•
invertebrate, vertebrate, and microbial
Northern Gulf Institute-Funded DISL Acute
Characterizations: BACI Designs
•
Task 1: Document the impacts of oil intrusion on economically and ecologically
important fishes in Alabama’s nearshore and coastal waters
•
Task 2: Document the impacts of oil intrusion on keystone sentinels in Mobile Bay
waters
•
Task 3: Document the impacts of oil intrusion on the health of critical nursery
habitats and habitat utilization patterns of the young of economically important
fishes
•
Task 4: Evaluate the impacts of oil, methane and dispersant on pelagic food web
structure and organic matter cycling along the Alabama coast
•
Task 5: Evaluate the extent to which sedimentary biogeochemical cycles and
specifically the nitrogen cycle have been changed by inundation of coastal waters by
oil
•
Task 6: Quantifying the effects of oil on the microbial community structure and
processes in Alabama coastal waters
•
Task 7: Evaluate the potential for along-estuary transport of oil-derived substances
in surface and subsurface waters of the ship channel of the Mobile Bay Estuary
BP-Gulf of Mexico Research
Initiative (GRI): Unsolicited Support
•
Based on the initial efforts of DISL-resident
scientists, on July 26, 2010 BP presented the
Governor of Alabama with a check for
$5,000,000 which he transferred to the MESC
•
The ultimate goal of the GRI was “to improve
society’s ability to mitigate the impacts of
hydrocarbon pollution and other stressors of the
marine environment with emphasis on
Meeting BP Requirements
•
Funds were obligated as quickly as possible on
research consistent with the aims of the GRI
•
Projects were approved by appropriate
experts before project commencement
•
Data will be made fully and openly available
as quickly as possible in accordance with
standard applicable practices
•
Peer review publications are of paramount
importance
MESC requirements
•
The charge: formulate hypothesis-driven science
that evaluates the impacts of hydrocarbon-based
pollution on our coastal resources and the services
they provide
•
Proposed budgets were based on TDC
•
Timelines must be closely adhered to by all PI
’
s
•
Contracts were to be cost reimburseable
•
Quarterly and Final Reports must be submitted on
Selected BP-GRI priorities
•
Physical distribution, dispersion and dilution of
contaminants under the action of ocean currents and
tropical storms
•
Chemical evolution and biological degradation of the
oil/dispersant systems and subsequent interaction with the
marine and coastal ecosystems
•
Environmental effects of the oil/dispersant system on the
sea floor, water column, coastal waters, shallow water
habitats, wetlands, and beach sediments and the science of
ecosystem recovery
•
Technology developments for improved mitigation,
The budget
•
$ 1,000,000 was allocated for each theme
–
A cap on administrative fees was set at 15% TDC
–
Include funds for data management in your work
plans
•
$ 250,000 was set aside for SGER (< 15K/project)
•
~$400,000 was set aside for MESC administrative
fees (8% of the total allocation)
•
Remaining funds have been applied to
unanticipated costs, costs associated with external
evaluations of the work plans, co-chair salaries
and, if possible, amendments to meritorious
study plans that exceed the initial allocations
MESC process
•
Selected meritorious hypotheses and questions that
addressed concerns about hydrocarbon pollution on
coastal ecosystems at the workshops
•
Selected co-chairs from the member institutions to
help lead in the development of the four work plans
–
Work plans and budgets were completed by the first of
October 2010
•
Work plans were independently evaluated by a panel
of experts selected by the Harte Institute
•
Results of the independent evaluation were provided
to the PIs and theme co-chairs
•
Funding recommendations were made by the PI in
consultation with co-chairs
Harte Institute Advisory Panel
•
Advisory Panel Composition
–
Eight expert scientists in residence at
institutions of higher learning in gulf states
•
Two panelists/theme
–
Two co-chairs from the Harte Institute with
oil spill experience
Award Details
•
~97% of the award obligated in four
months to:
–
91 Full Grant Investigators
–
18 SGER Investigators
–
11 MESC Member Institutions
Results to Date from Rapid Response
Support: Many Predictions Were Not
Results To Date from Rapid
Response Support
•
DwH Oil and/or dispersants:
–
suppressed rates of virus production
–
suppressed rates of photo degradation of PAH in
shelf waters and sediments
–
suppressed rates of population growth for a
number of salt marsh meiofauna
–
recalcitrant PAH’s found in beach sediments were
toxic to selected meiofaunal organisms
–
triggered shifts in water column and salt marsh
Results To Date from Rapid
Response Support
•
DwH Oil and/or dispersants also triggered:
–
Dramatic increases in water column DOC levels
were coincident with oiling off Alabama.
–
Shifts in DI
13
C values indicating hydrocarbon
uptake by the plankton.
•
While no physiological affects on
Ruppia
were
detected we found evidence of negative affects
on
Spartina
biomass
Results To Date from Rapid Response
Support: Some Covariates
•
Mobile Bay and the Alabama shelf are significant
sources of methane to the atmosphere
–
Methane concentrations (5-30 nM) at shelf sites were
significantly above atmospheric equilibrium values of
~2 nM. Methane probably came from the sediments
rather than DwH.
•
Sampling efforts revealed continued high levels of
shellfish and finfish productivity in the seagrass/marsh
systems in the northern Gulf of Mexico
•
Creation of the fisheries exclusion zone was
correlated with substantial increases the numbers and
biomass of unexploited mid-level consumers
–
Seemingly lower numbers of exploited crustaceans
•
These results show that assessments of indicating
hydrocarbon impacts on the gulf ecosystems will also
require assessments of the government management
actions
Results To Date from Rapid
Response Support: Some
Conceptual diagram of ecosystem organization indicating hierarchical relationships among variables dependent upon oiling and the chemical of mechanical measures to remove oil. Responses will be determined either by direct or proxy measurements or by manipulative experimentation [outlined in *color*]. Physical processes moving oil between organizational components are indicated by red arrows. All processes and responses indicated here exist in the context of regular (e.g., seasonal) and irregular or episodic (e.g., river discharge, tropical storms, hypoxia, etc.)
background variability.
Chronic Effects of Weathered oil/dispersant impacts on ecosystem structure and function
Oysters
Wetlands
‐
Seagrass
Beaches
Juvenile
egress
Larval
ingress
Plankton
‐
Microbial
Loop
Interactions
Microbial
hydrocarbon
degradation/transformation
Nutrient
fluxes/Microbial
and
Phytoplankton
Growth
Limitations
Pelagic/Demersal
fishes
Microbial
hydrocarbon
degradation/transformation
Physical
Transport
Mixing
‐
exchange
Physical
Transport
Live
Bottom
Habitats
Artificial
Reefs
Estuary
‐
Sound
Inner
Shelf
Mid
‐
Shelf
Depth
Disper
sion
Sedimen
ta
tion
Distance
Conclusions
•
These seemingly contradictory data suggest
that ecosystem resistance and resiliency is
determined in large part by the biological
diversity (ranging rom the genotype to the
ecosystem) of impacted areas.
Conclusions
•
Our greatest challenge then will be to tease
apart the effects of anthropogenic disturbances
from those of created by nature
•
There is a need to include analyses of
long-term historical records impacts of government
management actions in this evaluation
–
Only then will we be able to make data-driven
predictions about the impacts of future
uncontrolled releases of hydrocarbons on the
nGom ecosystem
Manuscripts Resulting from BP
-GRI Round 1 Funding
Published or In Press
• Dzwonkowski, B., Park, K., Jiang, L. (In Press, 2011), Subtidal across-shelf surface transport and the factors that influence exchange on the Alabama shelf, Journal of Geophysical Research, 116, doi:10.1029/2011JC007188
• Fodrie. F.J. , Heck, K.L. Jr. (2011) Response of coastal fishes to the Gulf of Mexico disaster. PLoS 6(7): e 21609.
• Graham, W. M., R.H. Condon, R.H. Carmichael, I. D’Ambra, H.K. Patterson, L.J. Linn, F.J. Hernandez, Jr. (2010) Oil carbon entered the coastal planktonic food web during the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. Environmental Research Letters. 5: 045301 (6pp)
• Coleman, A. (2011). The Biology and Conservation of the Diamondback Terrapin in Alabama. Ph.D. Dissertation, University of Alabama at Birmingham, August, 2011.
• Hayworth, J. S., Clement, T. P., 2011. BP's Operation Deep Clean: Could dilution be the solution to beach pollution? Environ. Sci. Technol.
http://pubs.acs.org/doi/pdf/10.1021/es201242k.
• Hayworth, J. S., Clement, T. P., Valentine, J. F., 2011. Deepwater Horizon oil spill impacts on Alabama beaches. Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci. Discuss., 8, 1-27.
Manuscripts Resulting from
BP-GRI Round 1 Funding
Submitted
• Clement, T. P., Hayworth, J. S., V. Mulabagal, Francis, G. J., Fang, Y. Is Submerged Deepwater Horizon Oil Degrading Offshore? Comparison of the Chemical Signatures of Tar Mat Samples Deposited by Tropical Storm Lee in September 2011 with Oil Mousse Samples Collected in June 2010. Water Resources Research
• Coleman, A.T., T. Wibbels, K. Marion. Development of recovery programs for the
diamondback terrapin: Evaluation of threats and conservation. Chelonian Conservation and Biology.
• Coleman, A.T., T. Wibbels, K. Marion, D. Nelson, J. Dindo. Effect of bycatch reduction
devices (BRDs) on the capture of diamondback terrapins (Malaclemys terrapin) in crab pots in an Alabama salt marsh. Alabama Academy of Science.
• Coleman, A.T., T. Wibbels, K. Marion, D. Nelson, J. Dindo. Orientation behavior of hatchling diamondback terrapins on a nesting beach. Manuscript submitted to Herpetologica.
• Dzwonkowski, B., and Park, K. Subtidal circulation on the Alabama shelf during the Deep Water Horizon oil spill, Journal of Geophysical Research.
• Kewei Y. Anaerobic biodegradation of benzene in salt marsh sediment of the Louisiana Gulf coast. Ecological Engineering.
• Park, K., Dzwonkowski B., Webb BM, Chen J. A modeling study of water and salt exchange for a micro-tidal, stratified northern Gulf of Mexico estuary. Journal of Marine Systems.
Manuscripts Resulting from BP-GRI
Round 1 Funding
In Preparation
• Aven, A., R. Carmichael, and others. Evidence for seasonal migration and site fidelity by West Indian manatees (Trichechus manatus) between the northern Gulf of Mexico and western Florida coasts.
• Aven, A. and R. Carmichael. Detection of belted manatees using passive acoustic monitors.
• Condon, R.H., W.M. Graham, R. Kiene, S.L. McCallister, and J. Brandes, Priming effect: Oil stimulates microbial metabolism of refractory organic matter and planktonic food web processes.
• Condon, R.H. and W.M. Graham. Hydrocarbons as a subsidy energy source for increased food web production.
• Horel, Agota, Behzad Mortazavi, and Patricia Sobecky. Characterization of Hydrocarbon Degraders from Coastal Alabama Marsh Sediments.
• Martin, CW, JF Valentine, JD Dindo, SK Scyphers, and TC Kauffman. Polyaromatic hydrocarbon accumulation in coastal Alabama waterfowl after the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill.
• Martin, CW, JF Valentine, JD Dindo, LM Steele, SK Scyphers, and TC Kauffman. In Prep. Food web of coastal Alabama waterfowl as evidenced by stable isotopes.
• Mortazavi, Behzad, Alice Ortmann, Lei Wang, Rebecca Bernard. Nitrification and Denitrification Potential Along a Vegetation Gradient in a Saltmarsh Ecosystem.
• Shelton, N.L., R.H. Condon, W.M. Graham, L.J. Linn and S. Cecil. Source-sink dynamics of oil-derived chromophoric dissolved organic matter in coastal Gulf of Mexico waters.
