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THE DEVELOPMENT OF EMPIRICAL LOAD-ECOLOGICAL RESPONSE MODELS TO DETERMINE NITROGEN LIMITS IN THE COASTAL ENVIRONMENT
Citation:
Latimer, J S., G Cicchetti, D J. Keith, S Rego, AND E H. Dettmann. THE DEVELOPMENT OF EMPIRICAL LOAD-ECOLOGICAL RESPONSE MODELS TO DETERMINE NITROGEN LIMITS IN THE COASTAL ENVIRONMENT. Presented at Council for Regulatory Environmental Modeling REgional Seminar, Stamford, CT, March 25, 2004.
Description:
The U.S. EPA Atlantic Ecology Division (AED) has initiated a multi-year research program to develop empirical nitrogen load-response models. Our research on embayments in southern New England is part of a multi-regional effort to develop cause-effect models for the Gulf of Mexico, Pacific Northwest, and the Great Lakes as part of the National Aquatic Stressors Research Program. Models are under development using water quality indicators of hypoxia, food web attributes, and submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV).
AED is evaluating 44 embayments along the coasts of Connecticut, Rhode Island, and southern Massachusetts. Specifically, sediment profile imagery is used as an indicator of the intensity of hypoxia or anoxia. Food web change is assessed using airplane-mounted, remotely sensed chlorophyll-a as a biomass indicator for phytoplankton. The extent of SAV is determined by using airplane-mounted digital photography. The approach is based on statistical associations. Predictions will apply to the classes of systems used in the model development. By including systems with a wide range of nitrogen loadings and varying embayment characteristics, the applicability of the model increases.
Preliminary data reveal a wide range of responses that appear to relate to nitrogen loads in the embayments. The field techniques and indicators used for the research program can be easily adapted and transferred to coastal environmental managers.