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NITRATE VARIABILITY ALONG THE OREGON COAST: ESTUARINE-COASTAL EXCHANGE
Citation:
SIGLEO, A. C., C. W. MORDY, P. STABENO, AND W. E. FRICK. NITRATE VARIABILITY ALONG THE OREGON COAST: ESTUARINE-COASTAL EXCHANGE. ESTUARINE, COASTAL AND SHELF SCIENCE. Elsevier Science Ltd, London, Uk, 64(2-3):211-222, (2005).
Impact/Purpose:
A main objective of this task is to combine empirical and physical mechanisms in a model, known as Visual Beach, that
â— is user-friendly
â— includes point and non-point sources of contamination
â— includes the latest bacterial decay mechanisms
â— incorporates real-time and web-based ambient and atmospheric and aquatic conditions
â— and has a predictive capability of up to three days to help avert potential beach closures.
The suite of predictive capabilities for this software application can enhance the utility of new methodology for analysis of indicator pathogens by identifying times that represent the highest probability of bacterial contamination. Successful use of this model will provide a means to direct timely collection of monitoring samples, strengthening the value of the short turnaround time for sampling. Additionally, in some cases of known point sources of bacteria, such as waste water treatment plant discharges, the model can be applied to help guide operational controls to help prevent resulting beach closures.
Description:
Coastal upwelling along the Eastern Pacific provides a major source of nutrients to nearby bays and estuaries during the summer months. To quantify the coastal ocean nitrogen input to Yaquina Bay, Oregon, nitrate concentrations were measured hourly from a moored sensor during summer upwelling in August 2000 outside the jetties to the estuary.