Building Blocks of Coastal Resilience · Building Blocks of Coastal Resilience PROGRAM ... Plenary...

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Building Blocks of Coastal Resilience

PROGRAM

December 2-3, 2014

Arthur R. Outlaw Mobile Convention Center

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Preface/Acknowledgments

The Bays and Bayous Symposium began in 1979 as Alabama’s Bays, Bayous and Beaches Symposium. It was held again

in 1987, widening the scope of the 1979 event to include the economic importance of coastal waters, educational

programs, and habitat restoration. In 1995, the Symposium expanded its audience to include local industry and

government with topics that included water quality, watershed management, government cooperation and citizen

involvement. Shortly after the 1995 event, Mobile Bay was recognized as an estuary of national significance. In 2006, it

was decided that the meeting would be held biennially, rotating between Alabama and Mississippi.

We are pleased to host the 2014 Symposium at the Mobile Convention Center in Mobile, AL. The two-day event will

include five concurrent sessions over the next two days that include 104 oral and over 70 poster presentations. Key topics

will include water quality: assessing and improving water in a changing coastal landscape; living resources:

understanding the flora and fauna of coastal ecosystems; habitat management: conservation and restoration for

sustainable ecosystems; community resiliency: advancing economic viability and hazard resiliency; and monitoring,

modeling, and communities: towards a better understanding of status and trends of estuarine ecosystem components.

The 2014 Alabama Mississippi Bays and Bayous Symposium would not have been possible without the hard work and

dedication of many individuals, organizations, and local leaders. We greatly appreciate all of the researchers, industry

representatives, community organizations, and others who submitted such high-quality abstracts to the Symposium for

oral and poster presentations. We are confident that the sound science and practical knowledge shared will be valuable to

the many diverse groups working toward a healthier and more sustainable Gulf Coast both now and in the future.

Planning and organization of the 2014 Alabama Mississippi Bays and Bayous Symposium was provided by the

symposium’s Steering and Program Committees. We cannot thank them enough for their dedication of time and effort to

ensure that the event is high quality. Those individuals include:

Becky Allee – NOAA Coastal Services Center

Duane Armstrong – NASA

Alex Beebe – University of South Alabama

Just Cebrian- Dauphin Island Sea Lab

James Franks- GCRL, University of Southern

Mississippi

Judy Haner – The Nature Conservancy

Tom Herder – Mobile Bay NEP

Phillip Hinesley – ADCNR, SLD, Coastal Section

Keala Hughes – Environmental Protection Agency

Latif Kalin – Auburn University

Kara Lankford – The Ocean Conservancy

John Lehrter – Environmental Protection Agency

Kelly Lucas – Mississippi Department of Marine

Resources

Christian Miller – Coastal AL Clean Water Partnership

Niki Pace – MS-AL Sea Grant Legal Program

Will Patterson – Dauphin Island Sea Lab

George Raber – University of Southern Mississippi

Susan Rees – U. S. Army Corps of Engineers

Jay Ritchie – Northern Gulf Institute

Steve Sempier- MS-AL Sea Grant Consortium

Tracie Sempier – MS-AL Sea Grant Consortium

Mike Shelton – Weeks Bay NERR

LaDon Swann – MS-AL Sea Grant Consortium

Roberta Swann – Mobile Bay NEP

Jody Thompson – Auburn University Marine Extension

and Research Center

Angela Underwood – ADCNR, SLD, Coastal Section

John Valentine – Dauphin Island Sea Lab

Brett Webb – University of South Alabama

Special thanks to the following Mobile Bay National Estuary Program, Dauphin Island Sea Lab, and Mississippi Alabama

Sea Grant Consortium staff, who worked steadfastly to make this event a success: Kelley Barfoot, Tiffany England, Rick

Frederick, Tom Herder, Christian Miller, Melissa Mills, Carolyn Wood, Kay Bruening and Melissa Schneider. Finally, we

would like to thank our sponsors. Without these organizations, businesses, and agencies, this year’s symposium would not be

possible.

Enjoy you time in Mobile,

Roberta Swann, Director

Mobile Bay National Estuary Program

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Agenda

Tuesday—December 2, 2014

7:00 – 7:50 a.m. Registration – Concourse Lobby

Breakfast – West Ballroom

7:50 – 9:15 a.m. Welcome, Plenary and Keynote Presentation – West Ballroom

Justin Ehrenwerth, Executive Director, Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Council

“Update on Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Council Activities”

Scott Hardaway, Marine Scientist Supervisor, Virginia Institute of Marine Sciences “Living Shorelines: An Historical Perspective from Chesapeake Bay”

9:15 – 9:25 a.m. Break to Sessions

9:25 – 10:30 a.m. Concurrent Sessions

Water Quality – Room 201D

Living Resources – Room 201C

Habitat Management – Room 201B

Resilient Communities – Room 201A

Monitoring, Modeling, and Communities – Room 202B

10:30 – 10:50 a.m. Break

10:50 – 11:50 a.m. Concurrent Sessions Continue

12:00 – 1:30 p.m. Lunch and Keynote Presentation – West Ballroom

Cynthia Jones, Director, Center for Quantitative Fisheries Ecology at Old Dominion University

“Managing Fisheries in Chesapeake Bay: An Example of the Challenges for Bays and Bayous”

1:30 – 2:50 p.m. Concurrent Sessions Continue

2:50 – 3:10 p.m. Break

3:10 – 4:50 p.m. Concurrent Sessions Continue

5:30 – 7:00 p.m. Poster Presentation and Reception – Poster Area (See Symposium Floor Plan below.)

7:00 – 8:30 p.m. Evening Social and Guest Presentation – West Ballroom

Ari Daniel – Award-winning freelance and NPR science journalist and producer

“An Ecosystem of Stories: Using Narrative to Bridge a Gulf”

Wednesday—December 3, 2014

7:30 – 8:00 a.m. Registration – Concourse Lobby

Breakfast – East Ballroom

8:00 – 9:30 a.m. Welcome and Keynote Presentation – East Ballroom

Holly Bamford, Assistant Secretary for Conservation and Management, U.S. Dept. of Commerce,

NOAA “The Building Blocks of Coastal Resilience”

9:30 – 9:40 a.m. Break to Sessions

9:40 – 10:40 p.m. Concurrent Sessions

Water Quality – Room 201D

Living Resources – Room 201C

Habitat Management – Room 201B

Resilient Communities – Room 201A

Monitoring, Modeling, and Communities – Room 202C

10:40 – 11:00 a.m. Break

11:00 – 12 noon Concurrent Sessions Continue

12:00 – 2:00 p.m. Lunch, Recap, and Keynote Presentation – East Ballroom

Winston Groom, American novelist, non-fiction author, and native Mobilian

2:00 – 4:30 p.m. Monitoring and Indicators Panel and Discussion – Patti Powell, Moderator; and Luiz Barbieri,

Maria Dillard, John Lehrter, and Mark Woodrey, Panelists

4:30 p.m. Adjourn

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Symposium Floor Plan

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Alabama Mississippi Bays and Bayous Symposium 2014 Tuesday, December 2, 2014

7:00-7:50 Registration and Breakfast

7:50-9:15 Welcome, Plenary, Keynote Speakers: Justin Ehrenwerth – “Update on Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Council Activities”

and Scott Hardaway – “Living Shorelines: An Historical Perspective from Chesapeake Bay”

9:15-9:25 Break to Sessions

Water Quality,

Room 201D

Living Resources

Room 201C

Habitat Management

Room 201B

Resilient Communities

Room 201A

Monitoring/Modeling

Room 202B

9:25-9:30

Session Introduction by

Session Chair, Alex

Beebe, University of South

Alabama


Session Chair, Jim Franks,

Fisheries Center, University

of Southern Mississippi,

Gulf Coast Research

Laboratory, Ocean Springs,

MS


Session Chair, Just

Cebrian, Dauphin Island

Sea Lab


Session Chair, Jody

Thompson, Mississippi-

Alabama Sea Grant

Consortium/Auburn

University Marine

Extension and Research

Center


Program Committee Co-

Chair, Becky Allee,

NOAA Gulf Coast

Services Center, Stennis

Space Center, MS

Moderators Alex Beebe Jim Franks Just Cebrian Jody Thompson Kristin Ransom

9:30-9:50

Environmental drivers of

ecosystem and plankton

metabolism in Pensacola

Bay, Florida, Michael

Murrell, U. S.

Environmental Protection

Agency, Gulf of Mexico

Hypoxia Project

Estimates of growth and

mortality for spotted

seatrout in Alabama

coastal waters, William

Patterson, Dauphin Island

Sea Lab

A primer on coastal

engineering for “Living

Shorelines,” Scott

Douglass, University of

South Alabama

Determining localized risk

perception and impacts of

predicted sea-level rise

(SLR) to enhance

stakeholder mitigation

planning through

visualization tools,

Matthew Bethel, Louisiana

Sea Grant College Program

Activity patterns of Gulf

sturgeon (Acipenser

oxyrinchus desotoi) in the

staging area of the

Pascagoula River during

fall outmigration, Paul

Grammer, University of

Southern Mississippi

9:50-

10:10

Net ecosystem metabolism

trends in the Mobile Bay

Delta, Renee Collini,

Dauphin Island Sea Lab

Do restored oyster reefs

affect seagrass dynamics?

An experimental study in

the northern Gulf of

Mexico, Shailesh Sharma,


10 Years Later – A

retrospective

investigation of design

elements used to develop

successful living

shorelines in Alabama,

Kari Servold, University of

South Alabama

Community adaptation to

sea level rise on Georgia’s

coast, Katherine Moore,

Georgia Conservancy

Fundulus grandis otolith

microchemistry as a

metric of estuarine

discrimination and oil

exposure, T. Reid Nelson,

University of South

Alabama/Dauphin Island

Sea Lab

10:10-

10:30

Sediment denitrification

overcomes sulfides

inhibition under low

salinity environment, Lei

Wang, University of South

Alabama

Linking structural and

process-based attributes

of salt marshes and

mangroves to ecosystem

service provision, Lauren

Hutchison, Harte Research

Institute, Texas A&M

University, Corpus Christi

A discussion of multiple

techniques used in

Alabama for living

shorelines and oyster reef

breakwaters, Judy Haner,

The Nature Conservancy

Making resiliency real

with laws that support it,

Bill Sapp, Southern

Environmental Law Center,

Atlanta, GA

Has black mangrove

expansion affected

northern Gulf of Mexico

salt marsh nursery

function? Whitney

Scheffel, University of

South Alabama/Dauphin

Island Sea Lab

10:30-10:50 Break

10:50-11:10

Predicted climate change

effects on northern Gulf

of Mexico hypoxia, John

Lehrter, U. S.


Agency, Gulf Ecology

Division

Defining fish

communities: factors

affecting the organization

of fish communities in the

Mobile Bay estuary,

Christopher Kemp, Auburn

University School of

Fisheries, Aquaculture and

Aquatic Sciences

Community-based

restoration: a living

shoreline for Mon Louis

Island, Alabama, Bret

Webb, University of South

Alabama

Attributes of resilience

within coastal systems,

Scott Thomas, Stetson

Engineers, Inc.

A simulation model

evaluating the efficiency

of adaptive cluster

sampling, Jesse Marks,

Central Methodist

University

11:10-

11:30

Hypoxia in Mississippi

coastal waters: Insights

from δ18O and trace

element distributions,

Peng Ho, University of


Reproductive ecology of

the Mississippi diamond-

backed terrapin

(Malaclemys terrapin

pileata), Andrew Coleman,

Institute for Marine

Mammal Studies

Alternative Shoreline

Management Manual for

Coastal Mississippi

Property Owners, Melissa

Pringle, Allen Engineering

and Science

Climate resiliency on

Dauphin Island, Catherine

Janasie, Mississippi-

Alabama Sea Grant Legal

Program

Integrated ecosystem

assessment for an

ecosystem-based

approach to management

in the northern Gulf of

Mexico, Steve Ashby,

Mississippi State

University Science and

Technology Center, Stennis

Space Center, MS

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Notes

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Notes

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Water Quality,

Room 201D

Living Resources

Room 201C

Habitat Management

Room 201B


Room 201A

Monitoring/Modeling

Room 202B

11:30-

11:50

Modeling remediation of

aquatic life impacts of

episodic and diel cycling

hypoxia via nutrient

loading rate reductions,

James Hagy, U. S.


Agency Office of Research

and Development

An examination of inter-

annual variability of Gulf

Menhaden condition,

Robert Leaf, University of


Resilient coastline

protection – living

shorelines and the

MBNEP, Tom Herder,

Mobile Bay National

Estuary Program

The USA Center for

Environmental

Resiliency: Developing

multidisciplinary,

research-based

environmental solutions, Jim Connors, University of

South Alabama

Advancements in coastal

observations of the

northern Gulf and 3D

forecast models of the

coastal bays and

nearshore waters with the

Northern Gulf

Operational Forecast

System by NOAA,

Timothy Osborn, NOAA

Office of Coast Survey

12:00-1:30 Lunch and Keynote Speaker: Cynthia Jones – “Managing Fisheries in Chesapeake Bay:

An Example of the Challenges for Bays & Bayous”

Moderators Alex Beebe Jessica Kastler/

Ash Bullard Tom Herder

Cathy Janasie/George

Raber Kristin Ransom

1:30-1:50

Planning the future with

an eye to the past: Land

use and water quality on

the Mississippi-Alabama

coast, Ruth Carmichael,


Size-scaling trends in

aerobic and anaerobic

respiration of the model

tolerant polychaete,

Capitella teleta, change

under varying combined

levels of dissolved oxygen

and temperature, Kelsey

Burns, University of

Southern Mississippi Gulf

Coast Research Lab

Community structure and

secondary production of

benthic biota associated

with artificial reefs with

differences between

oyster shell and rubble

substrata and between

high and low profile reef

structures in the

Mississippi Sound, Patrick

Gillam, University of


Coast Research Lab

The working waterfront

inventory industry

overview, Filiz Atasoy,

Auburn University

Department of Agricultural

Economics and Rural

Sociology

Diet, growth, and

condition of larval

Spanish mackerel in the

northern Gulf of Mexico:

an assessment of

Deepwater Horizon Oil

Spill impacts, John

Ransom, University of


Coast Research Lab

1:50-2:10

Water quality in Mobile

Bay tributaries:

Conditions, causes, and

corrections, Marlon Cook,

Geological Survey of

Alabama

Parasites can cause

lesions on Gulf of Mexico

fishes, Stephen "Ash"

Bullard, Auburn University

School of Fisheries,

Aquaculture and Aquatic

Sciences

Evaluating the benefits of

intertidal structure in

coastal restoration using

assessments of sediment

dynamics and vegetation,

Joshua Goff, Dauphin

Island Sea Lab

Clean and resilient

marinas, Rhonda Price,

Mississippi Department of

Marine Resources

Temporal and spatial

dynamics of diel-cycling

hypoxia in four northern

Gulf of Mexico estuaries,

Brandon Jarvis, U. S.


Agency Office of Research

and Development

2:10-2:30

Cyanobacterial harmful

algal blooms

(cyanoHABs) in Mobile

Bay: An emerging threat

to ecosystem health,

Allison Robertson,

University of South

Alabama Department of

Marine Science

Predictive spatial

modeling of seasonal

bottlenose dolphin

(Tursiops truncatus)

distributions in the

Mississippi Sound,

Jonathon Pitchford,

Institute for Marine

Mammal Studies

Living shoreline

demonstration project –

Analysis of performance

of oyster reef concepts,

Josh Carter, Hatch Mott

MacDonald

Evaluating the

Community Resilience

Index as a hazard

resilience tool, Jody


Alabama Sea Gran

Consortium/Auburn

University Marine

Extension and research

Center

Short-term monitoring

after restoration of highly

stressed intertidal marsh

in Mobile, AL indicates

ecosystem enhancement,

Ashley McDonald,


2:30-2:50

Assessing the abundance,

distribution and toxicity

of microplastics in Mobile

Bay, AL, Caitlin Wessel,

University of South


Sea Lab

Dynamic habitat use of

young bull sharks

(Carcharhinus leucas) in a

northern Gulf of Mexico

estuary, Marcus Drymon,


Developing a resilience

index for the fisheries and

tourism industries, Colette

Boehm, Gulf Shores and

Orange Beach Tourism

Wind characteristics

around Mobile Bay: Sea

breezes, tropical storms,

and wind energy, Systske

Kimball, University of

South Alabama

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Water Quality,

Room 201D

Living Resources

Room 201C

Habitat Management

Room 201B


Room 201A

Monitoring/Modeling

Room 202B

2:50-3:10 Break

3:10-3:30

The role of headwater

wetlands for water

quality along the

northern Gulf of Mexico,

Christopher Anderson,

Auburn University School

of Forestry and Wildlife

Sciences

Identifying trends in

Gulf of Mexico research

priorities over time and

between groups, Stephen

Sempier, Mississippi-

Alabama Sea Grant

Consortium

Living wave barrier,

David Walter, Walter

Marine

FEMA’s new Alabama

coastal storm surge

model, Jason Wilson,

AMEC

A long-term,

stakeholder-based

strategy for Gulf of

Mexico observing and

monitoring: The GCOOS

Build-out Plan V.2.0,

Stephanie Watson, Gulf of

Mexico Coastal Observing

System

3:30-3:50

Water level prediction in

headwater-slope

wetlands of Coastal

Alabama, Latif Kalin,

Auburn University, School

of Forestry and Wildlife

Sciences

Fitting Mobile-Tensaw

Delta bass into the black

bass puzzle: New

molecular tools and new

insights, Eric Peatman,

Auburn University, School

of Fisheries, Aquaculture,

and Aquatic Sciences,

College of Agriculture

A regional vulnerability

assessment of Gulf of

Mexico habitats and

species to changing

conditions, Amanda

Watson, Northern Gulf

Institute, Mississippi State

University

The Coastal Resilience

Web Mapping Decision

Support Tool, George

Raber, University of


Sustaining Alabama

fishery resources: A risk-

based integrated

environmental,

economic, and social

resource management

decision framework,

Michael Stovall, Ninth

Generation Consulting

3:50-4:10

Water quality as a nexus

between land use/cover

and West Nile Virus,

Navideh Noori, Auburn

University, Center for

Forest Sustainability,

School of Forestry and

Wildlife Sciences

Regulating oyster

aquaculture in the Gulf

of Mexico and beyond,

Melissa Daigle, Louisiana

Sea Grant Law & Policy

Program

Shoalgrass patch

mapping on Horn Island

to assess landscape

structure, Patrick Biber,

University of Southern

Mississippi

Land use and marine

spatial planning and its

role in coastal planning

and management in the

Peninsula of Mobile,

Rebecca Retzlaff, Auburn

University Community

Planning Program

Resilient coasts need

environmental flows: A

Lesson from the Lower

Pascagoula River, Jeff

Ballweber

4:10-4:30

Water resources

research in coastal and

poorly-drained forests of

the Southeastern U.S.,

Jami Nettles, Weyerhauser

Company

Using acoustic and

satellite telemetry to

track movements of

Alabama’s State

Saltwater Fish, Atlantic

Tarpon (Megalops

atlanticus), Andrea

Kroetz, University of


Island Sea Lab

Comparison of floc

growth and stability in

four estuarine clay

simulations, Allen Reed,

Seafloor Sciences Branch,

Naval Research

Laboratory

Assessing exposure to

coastal flood hazards: A

planning tool for Gulf

Coast communities,

Marian Hanisko, NOAA

Office of Ocean and

Coastal Resource

Management and Coastal

Services Center

Lessons for collaborative

governance of coastal

restoration from the

Carnarvon river

diversion in Louisiana,

Jae-Young Ko, Jackson

State University

4:30-4:50

Low impact development

strategies for protecting

headwater wetlands,

Charlene LeBleu, Auburn

University, Graduate

Program in Landscape

Architecture

The exposed surface area

to volume ratio: Is shell

more efficient than

limestone in promoting

oyster recruitment?

Kelsey Kuykendall,


Mississippi Gulf Coast

Research Laboratory

Sediment quality

assessment and

management, Jennifer

Sagan, AMEC

Environment and

Infrastructure, Gainesville,

FL

Storm surge: An

interactive visualization

tool, Tina Miller-Way,


Calibrating a bio-optical

model for submerged

aquatic vegetation

habitat suitability in the

Lower Mobile-Tensaw

Delta and Lower Perdido

Bay systems, Dorothy

Byron, Dauphin Island Sea

Lab

5:30-7:00 Reception and Poster Session (See table below for poster locations)

7:00-8:30 Keynote Speaker: Ari Daniel (Open to the public) -“An Ecosystem of Stories: Using Narrative to Bridge a Gulf”

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Notes

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Notes

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Alabama Mississippi Bays and Bayous Symposium 2014 Wednesday, December 3, 2014

7:30-8:00 Registration and Breakfast

8:00-9:30 Welcome, Plenary, Keynote Speaker: Holly Bamford – “The Building Blocks of Coastal Resilience”

9:30-9:40 Break to Sessions

Water Quality,

Room 201D

Living Resources

Room 201C

Habitat Management

Room 201B


Room 201A

Monitoring/Modeling

Room 202B

Moderator Alex Beebe Jim Franks Just Cebrian Stephen Deal/Marion

Hanisko Becky Allee

9:40-10:00

REACH: Monitoring the

efficacy of agricultural

best management

practices to reduce

nutrient loading to the

Gulf of Mexico, Beth

Baker, Mississippi State

University

Variable Response of

Natural

Mesozooplankton and

Ichthyoplankton

assemblages to the

Deepwater Horizon Oil

Spill, Frank Hernandez,


Mississippi

Assessing the state of

Gulf Coast habitats in

the Gulf Coastal Plains

and Ozarks LCC,

Kristine Evans, Gulf Coast

Plains and Ozarks

Landscape Conservation

Cooperative

Flooding 101, Emily

Sommer, Grassroots, Inc.

Delivering oil spill

science to our coastal

audiences, Larissa

Graham, Mississippi-

Alabama Sea Grant

Consortium

10:00-

10:20

Effects of upstream

disturbances on sediment

yield downstream where

best management

practices are present, Ilkim Cavus, Auburn

University

Marsh elevation

dynamics at the Grand

Bay National Estuarine

Research Reserve: A

three-year sentinel site

retrospective, William

Underwood, Grand Bay

National Estuarine

Research Reserve,


Marine Resources

Connecting the dots in

whole system

conservation planning, Mary Kate Brown, The

Nature Conservancy

Rapid damage

assessment: Post-

hurricane response at the

community level, Hank

Hodde, NOAA Ocean

Service

Communicating oil spill

science: A social network

analysis of the Gulf of

Mexico Resilience

Initiative, Chris Ellis,

NOAA National Ocean

Service

10:20-

10:40

Design and construction

of a Step Pool Storm

Conveyance (SPSC)

system on an unnamed

tributary to Joe’s

Branch, D’Olive Bay

Watershed, Baldwin

County, Alabama, Wade

Burcham, Thompson

Engineering

Evaluating the current

status of red drum

(Sciaenops ocellatus) in

offshore waters of the

north central Gulf of

Mexico: An update on

abundance, age

composition, and

mortality, Crystal

Hightower, Dauphin

Island Sea Lab

Influence of Avicennia

germinans on ecosystem

dynamics at the edge of

their northern limit, Aaron Macy, University of


Island Sea Lab

Planning for disaster

recovery and resilient

communities with faith-

based and secular

nonprofit organizations, Kathleen Garland,

University of Houston

Clear Lake

Using mitigation to

create a resilient

community, Jody Hodge,

Jefferson County

Emergency Management

Agency

10:40-

11:00 Break

11:00-

11:20

Improving water quality

through watershed

planning, design and

innovative outreach

activities, Kelsey Johnson,

Mississippi State

University Gulf Coast

Community Design Studio

How do stressors

associated with stock

enhancement processes

affect stress response and

post-release success of

spotted seatrout? Taylor

Guest, University of


Coast Research

Laboratory

Ichthyoplankton

community composition

and patterns of the Loop

Current, Stephanie

Taylor, University of


Coast Research

Laboratory

The 2013 Community

Rating System:

Developing a program of

public information, Niki

Pace, Mississippi-

Alabama Sea Grant Legal

Program

Updating and improving

a spatial database of

priority estuarine

habitats and calibrating

a biological condition

gradient framework for

the Alabama estuary -

Tim Thibaut, Barry A.

Vittor and Associates

11:20-

11:40

Evolution and fate of a

Mobile Bay discharge

plume, Brian

Dzwonkowski, Dauphin

Island Sea Lab

The ecological impact

and pedal ultrastructure

of Rangia cuneata in

Johnson Bayou, MS, Brandon Drescher,



Biological Sciences

Mississippi Habitat

Stewards, Peggy Stowers,

Mississippi Wildlife

Federation

The CIAP Smart

Conservation: A strategy

for incorporating green

infrastructure into

hurricane recovery and

renewal, Judy Steckler,

The Land Trust for the

Coastal Mississippi Plain

A novel approach for

evaluation of water

quality trends in Gulf

Coast estuaries, Marcus

Beck, Oak Ridge Institute

for Science and Education

Research Participation

Program

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Alabama Mississippi Bays and Bayous Symposium 2014 Wednesday, December 3, 2014

Water Quality,

Room 201D

Living Resources

Room 201C

Habitat Management

Room 201B


Room 201A

Monitoring/Modeling

Room 202B

11:40-

12:00

Swim Guide in Coastal

Alabama, Erin Rockwell,

Mobile Baykeeper

Preliminary results of the

effects of culture practices

on Vibrio spp.

abundances in farmed

oysters, William Walton,

Auburn University School

of Fisheries, Aquaculture,

and Aquatic Sciences

Some effects of global

climate variations on red

snapper and other

important fisheries in the

Gulf of Mexico, Donald

Johnson, University of


A Comprehensive

Watershed Management

Plan for Three Mile

Creek (Mobile, AL), Jerri

Daniels, Dewberry

Application of RTK-GPS

derived digital elevation

models from Grand Bay

National Estuarine

Research Reserve, Lindsay Spurrier, Grand


Research Reserve and


Marine Resources

12:00-2:00 Lunch, Recap, Keynote Speaker – Winston Groom – “Conservation Matters: Growing Up on the Fertile Waters of Coastal Alabama”

2:00-4:30

Monitoring and Indicators Panel Discussion – Patti Powell, Director, Alabama Department of

Conservation and Natural Resources, State Lands Division, Moderator

Mark Woodrey, Ph.D., Research Coordinator, Grand Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve

“Gulf-wide monitoring programs: Can we develop a framework that allows us to understand change over time?”

Luiz Barbieri, Ph.D., Program Administrator, Marine Fisheries Research Program, Florida Fish and

Wildlife Research Institute “Fishery-independent surveys of living resources along the eastern Gulf of

Mexico:An overview and discussion of recent developments”

John Lehrter, Ph.D., Research Ecologist, EPA Ecology Division, Gulf Breeze, FL

“What should we monitor? Indicators of human disturbance and ecological impact”

Maria Dillard, Environmental Social Scientist, NOAA National Center for

Coastal Ocean Science, Hollings Marine Institute, Charleston, SC

“Using indicators to measure coastal community well-being for the Gulf of Mexico”

Patti Powell, “State of Alabama and RESTORE Council position/thoughts/concerns on monitoring”

Panel Discussion with audience participation

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Poster Session

Poster Locations

1 2 3 4

Developing an individual-

based model for assessment

and management of restored

oyster reefs, Virginia Fleer,



Research Laboratory

Sedimentary records of

recurrent phosphate spills to a

Gulf of Mexico estuary, Jacob

Hall, University of South

Alabama/Dauphin Island Sea

Lab

Restoring wet pine

savannah impacted by a

ditch construction in

Hancock County, MS,

USA, Jim Kelly, Society for

Ecological Restoration,

Southeast Chapter

Denitrification rates are

comparable in a natural

and a restored marsh in

the northern Gulf of

Mexico, Alice

Kleinhuizen, University of


Sea Lab

5 6 7 8

Service learning on Deer

Island, Aaron Lamey,



Research Laboratory

Identifying ecological

protection zones in floodplain

areas used for agricultural

activities, Alexander Maestre,

University of Alabama Civil,

Construction and Engineering

Department

Involving teachers and

students in habitat

restoration, JoAnn Moody,


Suitability of calcein for

mass marking marine

bivalve larvae

(Crassostrea virginica)

under different salinity

and tank conditions, Haley Nicholson,

University of South


Sea Lab

9 10 11 12

Coastal ecology educational

experiences at Mobile

County's Environmental

Studies Center: Supported

by Mississippi-Alabama Sea

Grant Consortium, Anita

Salinas, Mobile County Public

School System Environmental

Studies Center

Oyster reserve establishment

in Mississippi Sound (AL) -

Year 1, P. J. Waters,

Mississippi-Alabama Sea Grant

Consortium

Distribution of stranded

bottlenose dolphins

(Tursiops truncatus) in

Alabama waters from

2004-2013, Noel Wingers,


Categorization of annual

West Indian manatee

movements informs

understanding of species

response to

environmental changes, Allen Aven, Dauphin

Island Sea Lab

13 14 15 16

The mass-specific respiratory

response of multiple

polychaetes to temperature

stress, Alyssa Bennett,



Research Laboratory

Beyond within-host

proliferation and

environmental control:

Development of a theoretical

basis for modeling disease

processes in marine

invertebrates, Gorka Bidegain,


Mississippi Gulf Coast Research

Laboratory

Specific growth rates and

complementary egestion

rates of the model tolerant

polychaete, Capitella teleta,

vary with time under

varying , combined levels

of dissolved oxygen and

temperature, Kelsey Burns



Research Laboratory

Seagrass-associated

mollusk assemblages

along a nutrient gradient

in the Big Bend Region

of Florida, Gulf of

Mexico, Katy Cummings,

Florida Museum of

Natural History,

University of Florida

17 18 19 20

Analysis of manatee periotic

bone microchemistry as a

tool to restrospectively track

manatee migrations in the

northern Gulf of Mexico,

Kayla DaCosta, University of

South Alabama/Dauphin Island

Sea Lab

Density and diet of invasive

red lionfish on north central

Gulf of Mexico natural and

artificial reefs, Kristen Dahl,

University of South


Lab

Facilitating thermal

acclimation: Heat shock

protein 70 mRNA

expression in red blood

cells of the eurythermal

Atlantic stingray, Alexis

Miller, Ocean Springs High

School, Ocean Springs, MS

Sighting demographics

of the West Indian

manatee (Trichechus

manatus) in Alabama

and Mississippi waters, Elizabeth Hieb, Dauphin

Island Sea Lab

16

21 22 23 24

Assessing the impact of exotic

Asian tiger shrimp (Penaeus

monodon) on native shrimps

and other estuarine species in

the Gulf of Mexico, Jennifer

Hill, Dauphin Island Sea Lab

Communicating spill science:

COAST at the Gulf Coast

Research Laboratory

(GCRL), Jessie Kastler,


Mississippi Gulf Coast Research

Laboratory

Impacts of wintering

Redhead Ducks on

seagrassses of the

northern Gulf of Mexico, Maddie Kennedy,

University of South


Sea Lab

Atlantic stingrays: Ideal

model organisms for

elasmobranch

conservation research, Faith Lambert, University

of Southern Mississippi

Gulf Coast Research

Laboratory

25 26 27 28

Variation in soil bacterial

communities along a natural

land gradient in Weeks Bay,

AL, Phillip Lee, University of

Alabama

Distinguishing blacktip shark,

Carcharhinus limbatus,

nursery area in the northern

Gulf of Mexico with vertebral

chemical signatures, Justin

Lewis, University of South


Lab

Balloon mapping at Grand


Research Reserve: A low-

cost aerial imagery

acquisition alternative, Julius McIlwain, Grand Bay

National Estuarine Research

Reserve

Striped bass project

update on the Mississippi

Gulf Coast, Paul Mickle,


Marine Resources

29 30 31 32

First documented predation

of adult Mississippi

diamondback terrapins

(Malaclemys terrapin pileata)

by raccoons (Procyon lotor), Christina Mohrman, NOAA

Environmental Cooperative

Science Center and Grand Bay

National Estuarine Research

Reserve

Exploratory Research of black

yeasts: Cryptic diversity from

coastal habitats in the north-

central Gulf of Mexico, Raphael Orélis-Ribeiro, Auburn

University School of Fisheries,

Aquaculture, and Aquatic

Sciences

Independent advisory

team for marine mammal

assessments, Paula Moreno,



Research Laboratory

Shrimp boat or dolphin

delicatessen? Dolphin

interactions with the

shrimp fishery in

Galveston Bay, Paula

Moreno, University of


Coast Research

Laboratory

33 34 35 36

Economic sectors targeted by

Sea Grant research,

education, and outreach

programs, Benedict Posadas,

Mississippi State University

MarketMaker: Tool to

promote and search for local

food and seafood products and

outdoor tourism services, Benedict Posadas, Mississippi

State University

Crafting a mechanistic

functional indicator:

Using a mass balance

model to examine the

impact of respiration for

the model tolerant species,

Capitella teleta, Chet

Rakocinski, University of


Coast Research Laboratory

Impact of Corexit 9500

on the early life stages of

the eastern oyster,

Crassostrea virginica, Rachel Rodriguez,

University of South

Alabama

37 38 38 40

Local habitat use and fishery

dynamics of an exploited

regional migrant, Atlantic

Spanish mackerel

(Scomberomorus maculatus),

Meagan Schrandt, University

of South Alabama/Dauphin

Island Sea Lab

Oyster restoration in coastal

Alabama, Lynn Stewart, Alma

Bryant High School

Discard mortality and

spatial dynamics of

greater amberjack (Seriola

dumerili), Laura Stone,

University of South

Alabama

The impact of regional

climatic conditions on

the distribution and

abundance of seagrass

assemblages in the

Fenholloway and

Econfina River

esturaries, Apalachee

Bay, FL, Carl Way. Barry

A. Vittor and Associates

41 42 43 44

Science and conservation as a

part of fishing, Ben Weldon,



Research Laboratory

Putative eye abnormalities on

midshipman, Porichthys

plectrodon, in the Gulf of

Mexico off Louisiana, Matthew

Womble, Auburn University

School of Fisheries,

Aquaculture, and Aquatic

Sciences

Moving toward a region-

wide avian monitoring

framework for the

northern Gulf of Mexico, Mark Woodrey, Coastal

Research/Extension Center,

Mississippi State

University/Grand Bay National

Estuarine Research Reserve

Analysis of historic

rainfall and flooding

events in the north-

central Gulf Coast, Alex

Beebe, University of

South Alabama

17

45 46 47 48

Green building case studies, Rebecca Dunn Byrant,

Watershed

The living building challenge,

Rebecca Dunn Bryant,

Watershed

Community Hazard

Recovery: Achieving

financial resiliency, Carol

Franze, Louisiana Sea Grant

College Program/LSU

Agricultural Center

NOAA Sentinel Site

Program: Activities and

recent accomplishments

of the Northern Gulf of

Mexico Sentinel Site

Cooperative, Marion

Hanisko, NOAA Office of

Ocean and Coastal

Resource Management

and Coastal Services

Center

49 50 51 52

Health disparities in the Deep

South: A public health policy

study of the effect of disasters

on Vulnerable communities, Roma Hanks, University of

South Alabama

A regional impact model of

tourism in the Mississippi and

Alabama Gulf Coast Region, Diane Hite, Auburn University

The CIAP Environmental

Stewardship Program in

coastal schools impacted

by Hurricane Katrina, Ruth Posadas, Mississippi

Department of Marine

Resources

Count data and

contingent valuation

analysis of coastal

recreation in the Gulf

Coast of Alabama and

Mississippi, – Derrick

Robinson, Auburn

University, Department of

Agricultural Economics

and Rural Sociology

53 54 55 56

Research tracking and

management information

systems: The GoMRI

Research Information

System, Jarryl Ritchie,

Northern Gulf Institute,

Mississippi State University

Communicating science:

Sharing GoMRI research, Jarryl Ritchie, Northern Gulf

Institute, Mississippi State

University

Building coastal stewards

through recreation and

education tourism, Elizabeth Smith-Incer,

National Park Service

Rivers, Trails &

Conservation Assistance

Program

Just six feet: Rethinking

the City of Mobile's

waterfront

infrastructure to

acknowledge and

improve local ecology in

an age of climate change,

Kenneth Speetjens,

Auburn University

57 58 59 60

Reversing the tide:

Preserving working

waterfronts in Alabama, Jody


Alabama Sea Grant

Consortium/Auburn University

Marine Extension Center

An analysis of tourists'

preference and perceptions for

Gulf Coast seafood - Zhaohua

Zhang, Auburn University

Department of Agricultural

Economics and Rural Sociology

Response of benthic

macroalgae to phosphorus

inputs in Grand Bay

National Estuarine

Research Reserve, Jane

Caffrey, University of West

Florida

Implementing the

SLEUTH urban growth

model to predict

urbanization within the

Big Creek Lake

Watershed, Christopher

Castillo, University of

South Alabama/NASA

DEVELOP Program

61 62 63 64

Is there a relationship

between in-stream total

suspended sediment solids

and turbidity in a marine-

dominated estuary? Kimberly Cressman, Grand


Research Reserve

Uptake of excess phosphate by

estuarine sediments in Bangs

Lake, Kevin Dillon, University

of Southern Mississippi

Department of Coastal Sciences

Investigating potential

domoic acid exposure in

West Indian manatees

stranded in coastal

Alabama, Jessica Frank,

University of South


Sea Lab

Coastal dune lakes of

northwest Florida:

Multivariate analysis of

water quality data to

establish lake

classification and

ecosystem-specific

nutrient criteria, Catharine Gross,

University of West Florida

18

65 66 67 68

Hydrodynamic and sediment

transport modeling of an

Alabama coastal lagoon to

assist with sediment

bypassing and maintenance

of water quality, Bryan Groza,

University of South Alabama

REACH: Research and

Education to Advance

Conservation and Habitat, Jared Harris, Mississippi State

University

Betting on a sustainable

future: Algae systems

demonstrates game-

changing progress in algae

wastewater treatment, Rob

McElroy, Algae Systems

Identifying failing septic

systems in the Eight Mile

Creek Watershed,

Christian Miller, Auburn

University Marine

Extension and Research

Center

69 70 71

Isolation and characterization of triclosan- and carbamazepine-degrading bacteria from coastal Alabama environments, Sinéad M. Ní Chadhain, University of South Alabama

Developing local clean water

programs through educational

training to leverage funding

opportunities and identifying

emerging issues, B. J. Smith,

Dog River Clearwater Revival

Site suitability modeling

for Mobile Bay, AL: A

GIS & remote sensing-

based approach, Saranee

Dutta, Mississippi State

University

19

Distinguished Speakers

Justin R. Ehrenwerth serves as Executive Director of the Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration

Council (Council). Created by the RESTORE Act of 2012 and comprised of the Governors of

the five Gulf Coast States and Secretaries from six federal agencies, the Council is responsible

for restoring and protecting the natural resources, ecosystems, fisheries, marine and wildlife

habitats, beaches, coastal wetlands and economy of the Gulf Coast.

Prior to joining the Council, Ehrenwerth served as Chief of Staff to the Deputy Secretary of

Commerce. As Chief of Staff, he assisted the Deputy Secretary in overseeing issues of

management, policy and strategic planning for the Commerce Department which has an annual

budget of $8 billion and approximately 47,000 employees.

Previously, Ehrenwerth served as Assistant Counsel to the President in the White House

Counsel’s Office where he was a member of the Oversight and Litigation group representing

the White House in Congressional investigations and advising Federal agencies on oversight matters. In conjunction

with the Department of Justice, he worked with Counsel from across the Executive Office of the President on issues

related to the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill Multidistrict Litigation.

During the first two years of the Obama administration, Ehrenwerth served in the Department of Commerce’s Office

of General Counsel. As Counsel, he assisted with the management of over 325 lawyers in fourteen offices and drafted

numerous legal opinions. Ehrenwerth received the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)

General Counsel's Award for Excellence for work related to the response to the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill.

Ehrenwerth has held leadership positions on a number of national and statewide political campaigns including the

Obama for America and Kerry-Edwards campaigns. He has been active in the non-profit sector having worked at the

University of Pittsburgh Institute of Politics, Northern California Grantmakers, and Pennsylvania League of Young

Voters. He also served as a Marshall-Brennan Constitutional Literacy Teaching Fellow as well as a Coro Fellow in

Public Affairs.

Ehrenwerth is a summa cum laude graduate of Colby College, holds an MA in Philosophy, Politics and Economics

from the University of Oxford and a J.D. from the University of Pennsylvania Law School.

C. Scott Hardaway, Jr. is the Senior Marine Scientist and Head of the Shoreline Studies

Program in the Department of Physical Sciences at the Virginia Institute of Marine Sciences

(VIMS). Mr. Hardaway is a coastal geologist who first began research at VIMS in 1981 to

determine, in part, the hydrodynamic limit (basically fetch exposure) of planted marsh grasses

along numerous eroding shoreline sites in Virginia. Since then, he has teamed with biologists,

geologists, coastal engineers and marine contractors in MD and VA to help design and construct

various types of “Living Shorelines” around the Bay. These include planting the existing

substrate with marsh grass to the use of rock structures like sills to protect more exposed

shorelines for marsh creation to developing design guidelines for breakwater system

installations. By assessing site conditions and landowner desires, the appropriate use of rock,

sand and plants Mr. Hardaway develops “Living shoreline” projects that provide for habitat

creation/enhancement and long term shore protection.

Scott is a member of the Virginia Board of Geology, the North Carolina Board for Licensing of Geologists, and the

American Society of Civil Engineers. He earned Bachelor of Arts and Master of Science degrees in Geology from

East Carolina University.

20


Cynthia M. Jones is the Founding Director of the Center for Quantitative Fisheries Ecology

at Old Dominion University where she is the A. D. and Annye L. Morgan Professor of

Sciences in the College of Sciences and Professor and Eminent Scholar in the Department of

Earth, Ocean & Atmospheric Sciences. Her research has covered fish from the Arctic

through the temperate regions to the Antarctic. Her studies include: demography based on

age evaluation, stock assessment, environmental effects on habitat, otolith chemistry for

assess movement and migration, recreational angler surveys, simulation modeling, and

quantitative statistics.

Dr. Jones has won numerous national research awards and authored two papers selected as

Best Paper by the American Fisheries Society. Her honors include: Phi Beta Kappa; Fellow

American Association for the Advancement of Science; Outstanding Virginia Scientist [Juried Award]; Outstanding

Professor, State Council for Higher Education in Virginia [Juried Award]; and Fulbright Senior Scholar Award,

Australia. She has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Zoology summa cum laude from Boston University, a Master of

Science and a Ph.D. in Oceanography from the University of Rhode Island.

Ari Daniel is an award-winning freelance science journalist based in Boston, Massachusetts.

He has an undergraduate degree in Biology from Boston College, where he graduated summa

cum laude. He earned a Fulbright Fellowship to pursue a Master’s degree at the University of

St. Andrews where he worked on grey seal vocalization, and he later received a Ph.D. from the

Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute for his

dissertation research on Norwegian killer whale. Dr. Daniel’s journalism work has appeared in

a variety of media, including National Public Radio (NPR), Public Radio International, The

New York Times, and Nova. His appearances on NPR programs include contributions to

NPR’s Morning Edition, All Things Considered and Weekend Edition Sunday; Radiolab;

PRI’s The World; Living on Earth and Studio 360; and, APM’s Marketplace. He and his

colleagues have produced numerous podcasts and various other multimedia presentations to

convey science to a curious public. Recently, this has involved work on the northern Gulf of

Mexico coast to convey the science of impacts to our regional ecosystem of the BP/Deepwater

Horizon Oil Spill.

Ari is well-known for being an engaging speaker with a unique ability to convey complex scientific issues to people

from a wide range of educational backgrounds and experiences, and we are honored to have him contribute these

abilities to the 2014 Bays and Bayous symposium.

21


Dr. Holly A. Bamford is the acting Assistant Secretary for Conservation and Management

for the US Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

(NOAA). In this role, Dr. Bamford works closely with Congress, other agency leaders,

partner organizations, and local communities to develop policies and take conservation and

community resiliency actions to ensure coastal and ocean stewardship and services.

Previously, as Assistant Administrator for NOAA’s National Ocean Service (NOS), Dr.

Bamford directed the federal agency that provides coastal and ocean science-based

solutions to address evolving economic, environmental, and social pressures on our oceans

and coasts. Prior to this appointment, she served as Deputy Assistant Administrator for

NOS, where she managed the financial and business operations while strategically improving the agency’s

performance to meet its vast ocean science and service missions. After Hurricane Sandy, Dr. Bamford was named the

Incident Commander for NOAA responsible for all post response actions such as overseeing the agencies response to

oil spill, chemical spills, marine debris impacts, hydrographic surveys to open critical navigation ways and ports, and

high-resolution aerial imagery to map shoreline changes.

Dr. Bamford earned a Ph.D. in the field of organic environmental chemistry, quantifying the physical and chemical

processes that control the transport and fate of organic contaminants. She also spent a year as a guest researcher at the

National Institute of Standards and Technology developing analytical methods to detect trace organic contaminants in

water and air particles. Dr. Bamford has been published in over 20 publications that have been widely referenced in

the field of environmental chemistry and water quality, including papers in Environmental Science &

Technology, Atmospheric Environment, Marine Pollution Bulletin, and Environmental Toxicology & Chemistry.

Dr. Bamford presented at a number of national and international meetings, academic institutions, as well as addressed

the public through national media outlets including NBC News with Lester Holt, CNN, ABC, NewsHour with Jim

Lehrer, Good Morning America, Rolling Stone, People, and the Wall Street Journal.

Winston Groom took the publishing world by storm when his 1986 novel Forrest Gump flew to

the top of the New York Times bestseller list and stayed there for 21 weeks. It has sold over 2.5

million copies in the United States alone, and millions more worldwide, on the heels of its

blockbuster movie adaptation starring Tom Hanks. The book has also been reprinted in at least

eighteen languages.

Born in 1943, Groom grew up in Mobile, Alabama, where he attended University Military

School prep. In 1965 he graduated from the University of Alabama with an AB in English and

was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Army. He served in Vietnam, mostly with the

1st Brigade of the Fourth Infantry Division from July 1966 to September 1967 when he was

honorably discharged with the rank of Captain. He then spent the next eight years working as a

reporter and columnist for the Washington Star before becoming a full-time author. He holds several honorary Ph.D.

degrees as a “Doctor of Humane Letters.”

Groom is the author of sixteen books. In addition to Forrest Gump and Gump & Co., his novels include Better Times

Than These, Gone the Sun, Only and the award-winning As Summers Die, which was made into a movie starring Bette

Davis. He is also the author of Conversations with the Enemy, a non-fiction account of the experience of an American

prisoner of war in Vietnam, a brilliantly rendered Pulitzer Prize finalist. His novel Such a Pretty, Pretty Girl was

published by Random House in the spring of 1999.

http://oceanservice.noaa.gov/about/bamford-large.jpg

22

Glossary of Terms

Anthropogenic - Refers to anything caused or produced by humans or human activities.

Bathymetric - Pertaining to measurement of the depths or bottoms of oceans, seas, or other large bodies of water.

Biomagnification -Substances occurring in low concentrations in the smaller organisms near “the base” of the food

chain are concentrated in the tissues of the organisms that consume them. As substances, like toxins, are tracked

through higher levels of the food chain, they are biomagnified, and their concentrations increase. The highest

concentrations would be expected in animals at the top of a food chain or pyramid.

Chlorophyll-a - This green pigment is found in plants and plays an important role in photosynthesis, or the production

of chemical energy by plants from light energy from the sun. The concentration of chlorophyll-a increases in the water

column when nutrient enrichment causes explosive growth, or blooms, of algae.

Concentration - The concentration of a substance is the amount that is dissolved in another substance, like water or

tissue. Since the density of water is exactly one thousand grams (a measure of mass) per liter (a measure of volume),

concentrations of substances in water can be measured conveniently in mass per unit volume, mass per unit mass, or

parts of solute per parts of solvent interchangeably. The concentration of salt in seawater is about 35 grams per liter,

grams per kilogram, or parts per thousand. The concentration of mercury found in the tissues of oysters in Mobile Bay

is measured in milligrams per liter or parts per million.

Dissolved Inorganic Nitrogen (DIN) - DIN is a measure of the concentration of nitrogen in the water available to

aquatic plants in different nutrient compounds like nitrates, nitrites, or ammonia. Typically, DIN is measured in

milligrams per liter or parts per million.

Dissolved Inorganic Phosphorus (DIP) - DIP is a measure of the concentration of phosphorus in the water available

to aquatic plants in different nutrient compounds like phosphate. Typically, DIP is measured in milligrams per liter (or

parts per million).

Dissolved Oxygen (DO) - The measure of the concentration of oxygen in the water is a very important measure of

water quality, since most aquatic organisms, like fish or shellfish, require oxygen to survive. DO is the concentration

of oxygen (O2) dissolved in the water measured in milligrams per liter (or part per million).

Endemic – This describes a species exclusively native to one particular place.

Estuary – A place where the river meets the sea, defined formally as “a partially enclosed, coastal body of water,

having an open connection with the ocean, where freshwater from inland is mixed with saltwater from the sea.”

Estuaries are among the richest ecosystems on earth both in terms of production and biodiversity.

Eutrophication – This is a condition of excess nutrient enrichment in waters that stimulates abnormally high algae

growth that depletes dissolved oxygen concentrations in water.

Hydrocarbons – Also called “organic molecules or compounds,” hydrocarbons are often large molecules made of

skeletons (or chains) of carbon atoms bonded to hydrogen atoms and some atoms of other elements. They include

many fuels, solvents, and pesticides.

Hydrologic – Pertaining to the occurrence, circulation, distribution, and properties of the waters of the earth and its

atmosphere.

Hydrologic Unit Code (HUC) – A HUC is a series of numbers used to define different watersheds or drainage basins.

A two-digit code defines one of 21 regions, the largest geographical area defined. To describe watersheds of smaller

area, more digits are added. A 12-digit HUC defines or catalogs the smallest watersheds classified.

Impervious – A quality used to describe surfaces that prevent penetration, absorption, or infiltration of water into the

soil subsurface, (e.g., streets, sidewalks, parking lots, roofs).

Indigenous—This describes a species native to a particular place or ecosystem.

Infiltration - The seepage or absorption of rain water into the soil or ground.

23

Non-Point Source Pollution - Pollution picked up and carried by stormwater runoff from diffuse or scattered sources

into the receiving waters of a watershed.

Nutrients - Chemical compounds needed by plants for growth and used found in fertilizer, (i. e., nitrates and

phosphates). Nutrients are generally present and available in coastal waters, so nutrients carried into waters by runoff

generally cause over-enrichment and problems related to eutrophication.

Pathogens - Any disease-causing, generally-single-celled microorganism, such as bacteria, viruses, or protists

(including fecal coliform and enterococcus bacteria), that enter receiving waters from sewage overflows; faulty septic

systems; or waste from animal feeding operations, pets, or wildlife.

pH – A measure of the “acidity or alkalinity” of water. A pH of 7 indicates neutrality (equal concentrations of H+

and OH- ions). As pH values decrease, they indicate increasing acidity (and concentration of H

+ ions). As pH values

increase, they indicate increasing alkalinity (and concentration of OH- ions). As pH values vary from neutral, aquatic

organisms can become stressed. Higher salinity waters tend to “buffer” pH between values of 7 and 8.

Salinity – The concentration of salt occurring in waters described in unit parts per thousand (ppt or grams/liter). The

salinity of freshwater is 0 ppt. The salinity of seawater is about 35 ppt. Estuarine waters range between these two

values, with higher values near the ocean and lower values upstream towards rivers and tributaries. Salinity levels are

important to aquatic organisms, as many are adapted to certain conditions, whether salt, brackish, or fresh water, and

become stressed when salinities change.

Species Richness/Diversity (Biodiversity) – A value strongly correlated to the health of an ecosystem, it describes the

number of different species of organisms that occur in a given area at a particular time.

Turbidity – Cloudiness or muddiness; a decrease in water clarity caused by suspended particles or waterborne

sediments. Events like storms that stir up or sediments or increase runoff increase the turbidity of water. Dense algae

blooms also cause increased turbidity. Growth and survival of submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV) depends upon

relatively low turbidity/clear water.

24

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