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AN ASSESSMENT OF THE ECOLOGICAL CONDITION OF PENSACOLA BAY, FLORIDA
Citation:
Macauley, J M. AND V D. Engle. AN ASSESSMENT OF THE ECOLOGICAL CONDITION OF PENSACOLA BAY, FLORIDA. Presented at Estuarine Research Federation 2001, St. Pete Beach, FL, Nov 4-8,2001.
Description:
Assessment of the Ecological Condition of Pensacola Bay, Florida (Abstract). To be presented at the16th Biennial Conference of the Estuarine Research Foundation, ERF 2001: An Estuarine Odyssey, 4-8 November 2001, St. Pete Beach, FL. 1 p. (ERL,GB R848).
We conducted surveys of dissolved nutrients, carbon, phytoplankton chlorophyll, benthic fauna, and sediment contaminants at 39 stations throughout the Pensacola Bay System quarterly, since 1995. The objective of these surveys was to characterize the ecological condition of Pensacola Bay with respect to water and sediment quality. A probabilistic survey was employed to measure areal extent of condition as well as to test the efficacy of the design at fine spatial and temporal scales. Preliminary data indicates potential sources of nutrients in the bayous in addition to elevated levels of contaminants. Low dissolved oxygen levels can occur in upper Escambia Bay during periods of elevated temperatures and low flow. An extended period of low river flow has caused elevated levels of salinity in previously oligohaline waters that coincided with loss of submerged aquatic vegetation in the upper bay. An index of benthic condition estimates that 31% of the bay has degraded benthic communities. This data will be combined with other federal, state, and local monitoring programs to perform an overall assessment of the condition of the bay.