Seasonal and Spatial Effects of Wastewater Effluent on Oyster Ecology and Sanitation in Mobile Bay, Alabama (2007-2008)
Metadata:
- Identification_Information:
- Citation:
- Citation_Information:
- Originator:
- Dauphin Island Sea Lab's Marine Organism and Ecosystem Response Lab
- Publication_Date:
- Unpublished material
- Title:
- Seasonal and Spatial Effects of Wastewater Effluent on Oyster Ecology and Sanitation in Mobile Bay, Alabama (2007-2008)
- Geospatial_Data_Presentation_Form:
- spreadsheet
- Description:
- Abstract:
- Wastewater treatment plants (WTP) input large amounts of effluent into coastal and estuarine waters. These effluents contain high concentrations of nutrients and microbes. These inputs can affect the ecology and sanitation of flora and fauna in the receiving waters. Increased nutrient concentrations, for example, can increase food (microalgae concentrations) and consequently growth for bivalves such as oysters, but can also render them inedible due to increased pathogen loads. Understanding these inputs and their impacts is critical to conserving and utilizing the natural resources in estuarine waters. This study was an examination of the effects of WTP-derived nutrients and bacterial and viral pathogens on oyster growth and survival and sanitation with increasing distance (dilution) from a major point source, the Clifton C. Williams WTP outfall in Mobile Bay, Alabama. This study additionally tested the efficacy of traditional (bacterial) and new (viral) indicators of wastewater influence on an important commercial shellfishery species. Since oyster growth, survival, and pathogen concentrations may vary with water temperature, we tested these effects seasonally. It was hypothesized that concentrations of nutrients (nitrate, nitrite, ammonia, and TDN) and microbial pathogens decreased with increasing distance from the outfall and nutrient and microbial concentrations impacted oyster ecology and sanitation.
- Purpose:
- By combining microbial analyses, stable isotope analysis (SIA), and traditional methods, a definitive link between WTP effluent, seasonality and ecological and human health implications for a commercially important, sentinel bivalve, the eastern oyster (Crassostrea virginica) was made.
- Time_Period_of_Content:
- Time_Period_Information:
- Range_of_Dates/Times:
- Beginning_Date:
- 20070606
- Ending_Date:
- 20080325
- Currentness_Reference:
- ground condition
- Status:
- Progress:
- Complete
- Maintenance_and_Update_Frequency:
- As needed
- Spatial_Domain:
- Bounding_Coordinates:
- West_Bounding_Coordinate:
- -88.03334
- East_Bounding_Coordinate:
- -88.02973
- North_Bounding_Coordinate:
- 30.65785
- South_Bounding_Coordinate:
- 30.60767
- Keywords:
- Theme:
- Theme_Keyword_Thesaurus:
- None
- Theme_Keyword:
- wastewater
- Theme_Keyword:
- point source pollution
- Theme_Keyword:
- wastewater treatment plants
- Theme_Keyword:
- WTP
- Theme_Keyword:
- oyster
- Theme_Keyword:
- oyster ecology
- Theme_Keyword:
- sanitation
- Theme_Keyword:
- nutrients
- Theme_Keyword:
- pathogens
- Theme_Keyword:
- bivalves
- Theme_Keyword:
- Crassostrea virginica
- Theme_Keyword:
- dilution
- Theme_Keyword:
- bacteria
- Theme_Keyword:
- viral
- Theme_Keyword:
- nitrate
- Theme_Keyword:
- nitrite
- Theme_Keyword:
- ammonia
- Theme_Keyword:
- TDN
- Theme_Keyword:
- temperature
- Theme_Keyword:
- effluent
- Theme_Keyword:
- water quality
- Theme_Keyword:
- stable isotopes
- Theme_Keyword:
- seasons
- Theme_Keyword:
- distance
- Theme_Keyword:
- concentration
- Theme:
- Theme_Keyword_Thesaurus:
- ISO Topic
- Theme_Keyword:
- biota
- Theme_Keyword:
- 002
- Theme_Keyword:
- environment
- Theme_Keyword:
- 007
- Theme_Keyword:
- health
- Theme_Keyword:
- 009
- Theme_Keyword:
- inlandWaters
- Theme_Keyword:
- 012
- Theme_Keyword:
- oceans
- Theme_Keyword:
- 014
- Place:
- Place_Keyword_Thesaurus:
- None
- Place_Keyword:
- Alabama
- Place_Keyword:
- Mobile Bay
- Place_Keyword:
- Clifton C. Williams Waste Treatment Plant
- Place_Keyword:
- MacDuffie Island
- Place_Keyword:
- Mobile Bay Ship Channel
- Access_Constraints:
- Permission to access these data must be given by Dr. Ruth Carmichael of the Dauphin Island Sea Lab's Marine Organism and Ecosystem Response Lab.
- Use_Constraints:
- Acknowledgment of the DISL: Marine Organism and Ecosystem Response Lab, Mississippi-Alabama Sea Grant and the National Science Foundation is required in products developed from these data
- Point_of_Contact:
- Contact_Information:
- Contact_Person_Primary:
- Contact_Person:
- Dr. Ruth Carmichael
- Contact_Organization:
- DISL: Marine Organism and Ecosystem Response Lab
- Contact_Position:
- Principal Investigator
- Contact_Address:
- Address_Type:
- mailing and physical
- Address:
- 101 Bienville Blvd.
- City:
- Dauphin Island
- State_or_Province:
- Al
- Postal_Code:
- 36528
- Country:
- USA
- Contact_Voice_Telephone:
- 251-861-2141 ext. 7555 or 7547
- Contact_Electronic_Mail_Address:
- rcarmichael@disl.org
- Contact_Electronic_Mail_Address:
- pbiancani@disl.org
- Hours_of_Service:
- 8-5:00 CST
- Contact_Instructions:
- Please email Dr. Ruth Carmichael or Peter Biancani for further information.
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- Data_Quality_Information:
- Logical_Consistency_Report:
- not applicable
- Completeness_Report:
- This project spans from 20070608 to 20080325 with no major lapses in data collection.
- Lineage:
- Process_Step:
- Process_Description:
- This research takes place at varying distances from the Clifton C. Williams WTP located on McDuffie Island in the northern part of Mobile Bay. Its outflow is near the Mobile Bay Ship Channel (30°39'29"N, 88° 01'59"W). Preliminary research suggests that the ship channel acts as a conduit for waters from the upper bay to the mouth of the bay between Dauphin Island and Fort Morgan. This linear flow is useful from a research perspective. Most of Mobile Bay is dominated by very complex current and wind patterns. For most of the bay it would be very difficult to determine the source of waters affecting a given location. However, by using the ship channel as a transect, we are trying to trace waters from the WTP to experimental oysters located at varying distances from the WTP. Wastewater at the Clifton C. Williams undergoes tertiary treatment before being discharged into Mobile Bay. This means that solids are extracted from the waste using mechanical methods (primary processing) and then the waste is biologically treated using aerobic biological processes (secondary processing). Finally, the flow is chlorinated/dechlorinated to kill bacteria and viruses (tertiary processing). Research at this location will provide a useful baseline of dispersion of nitrogen from a WTP outflow.
- Process_Date:
- Not complete
- Process_Contact:
- Contact_Information:
- Contact_Person_Primary:
- Contact_Person:
- Dr. Ruth Carmichael
- Contact_Organization:
- DISL: Marine Organism and Ecosystem Response Lab
- Contact_Position:
- Principal Investigator
- Contact_Address:
- Address_Type:
- mailing and physical
- Address:
- 101 Bienville Blvd.
- City:
- Dauphin Island
- State_or_Province:
- Al
- Postal_Code:
- 36528
- Country:
- USA
- Contact_Voice_Telephone:
- 251-861-2141 ext. 7555 or 7547
- Contact_Electronic_Mail_Address:
- rcarmichael@disl.org
- Contact_Electronic_Mail_Address:
- pbiancani@disl.org
- Hours_of_Service:
- 8-5:00 CST
- Contact_Instructions:
- Please email Dr. Ruth Carmichael or Peter Biancani for further information.
- Cloud_Cover:
- Unknown
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- Entity_and_Attribute_Information:
- Overview_Description:
- Entity_and_Attribute_Overview:
- Excel tables cataloging data in the following categories: Chlorophyll, Microbial, Isotopes, Metrics and Nutrients.
- Entity_and_Attribute_Detail_Citation:
- The chlorophyll data contains the following attributes: Date, Site, Distance from WTP, REP #, mL of H2O, Liters H2O, µg/L Chl a/DMSOAcetone, mg on filter, Chl a (µg/L), Bottle #, Pseudoreplicate #, Exp, Obs, Mean (pseudoreps) Chl a (µg/L), Std error, Julian day.
- Entity_and_Attribute_Detail_Citation:
- The microbial data contains: Type (influent, effluent, receiving, shellfish), Date, Fc/100g, E.coli/100g, Male-specific bacteriopage/100g, Influent, Effluent, Receiving Water, Shellfish, Location, Flow (Million gallons/day), Lat, Lon, Distance (nautical miles), Distance (km), Temp, Salinity, DO, Depth, Distance from outfall, Shellfish tissue fecal coliform count, MSB.
- Entity_and_Attribute_Detail_Citation:
- The isotope data contains: Date, Site, Influent/Effluent, δ15N (‰), Total N (mg/L), δ13C (‰), Total C (mg/L), Filtrate volume (mL), SPM N on filter (μg), SPM C on filter (μg), Tray position, Pseudo-rep, Micro g N, Delta Air (δ15N), Delta PDB (δ13C), C:N, Type (whole tissue/ adductor), Weight1, Weight2, µg N, µg C, Days since deployment, Type of sample (Aggregate/ Individual), Top/Bottom, Distance from outfall, Sample depth (m).
- Entity_and_Attribute_Detail_Citation:
- Metric data contains: Date, Site, Replicate, Replicate 1, Replicate 2, Top/Bottom, Dry weight (g), Dish weight (g), Total dry weight (g), Empty weight (g), Full weight (g), Ashed weight (g), AFDW (g), Shell volume (mL), Shell length (mean), Growth (mean), Distance (km), Age class, Replicate, Depth, Initial shell length (mm), Final length, Growth, Other epibionts.
- Entity_and_Attribute_Detail_Citation:
- The Nutrient data contains: NO3+NO2/TDN µM, NO2/DSi µM, NH4 µM, PO4 µM, Position, Type, Site, Distance, TDN (µM).
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- Distribution_Information:
- Distributor:
- Contact_Information:
- Contact_Person_Primary:
- Contact_Person:
- Dr. Ruth Carmichael
- Contact_Organization:
- DISL: Marine Organism and Ecosystem Response Lab
- Contact_Position:
- Principal Investigator
- Contact_Address:
- Address_Type:
- mailing and physical
- Address:
- 101 Bienville Blvd.
- City:
- Dauphin Island
- State_or_Province:
- Al
- Postal_Code:
- 36528
- Country:
- USA
- Contact_Voice_Telephone:
- 251-861-2141 ext. 7555 or 7547
- Contact_Electronic_Mail_Address:
- rcarmichael@disl.org
- Hours_of_Service:
- 8-5:00 CST
- Contact_Instructions:
- Please email Dr. Ruth Carmichael for further information.
- Distribution_Liability:
- The Dauphin Island Sea Lab's Marine Organism and Ecosystem Response Lab makes no warranty regarding these data, expressed or implied, nor does the fact of distribution constitute such a warranty. The DISL: Marine Organism and Ecosystem Response Lab cannot assume liability for any damages caused by any errors or omissions in these data, nor as a result of the failure of these data to function on a particular system.
- Technical_Prerequisites:
- Data sets were created using Microsoft Excel. A program capable of reading these files is necessary to view these data.
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- Metadata_Reference_Information:
- Metadata_Date:
- 201003
- Metadata_Contact:
- Contact_Information:
- Contact_Organization_Primary:
- Contact_Organization:
- Dauphin Island Sea Lab
- Contact_Person:
- Data Management Specialist
- Contact_Position:
- Data Management Specialist
- Contact_Address:
- Address_Type:
- mailing and physical
- Address:
- 101 Bienville Blvd.
- City:
- Dauphin Island
- State_or_Province:
- Al
- Postal_Code:
- 36528
- Country:
- USA
- Contact_Voice_Telephone:
- 251-861-2141
- Contact_Electronic_Mail_Address:
- metadata@disl.org
- Hours_of_Service:
- 8-5:00 CST
- Contact_Instructions:
- Please email the metadata specialist for further information.
- Metadata_Standard_Name:
- FGDC Biological Data Profile of the Content Standard for Digital Geospatial Metadata
- Metadata_Standard_Version:
- FGDC-STD-001-1998
- Metadata_Time_Convention:
- local time
- Metadata_Access_Constraints:
- none
- Metadata_Use_Constraints:
- none
- Metadata_Security_Information:
- Metadata_Security_Classification_System:
- none
- Metadata_Security_Classification:
- Unclassified
- Metadata_Security_Handling_Description:
- none
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