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Contribution of Aerosol Optical Depth (AOD) Fine Particulate Matter (PM2.5) Fused Surfaces to Respiratory-Cardiovascular Chronic Disease Hospitalizations in Baltimore
Citation:
Hall, E. Contribution of Aerosol Optical Depth (AOD) Fine Particulate Matter (PM2.5) Fused Surfaces to Respiratory-Cardiovascular Chronic Disease Hospitalizations in Baltimore. NEHA 2019 Annual Educational Conference (AEC) & Exhibition, New York, NY, July 11 - 16, 2019.
Impact/Purpose:
This is a conference presentation documenting the use of the Proper Functioning Condition (PFC) approach, along with satellite images and historical records, to develop a management strategy for the Middle Dungeness River watershed to restore ecosystem function. The Jamestown S'Klallam Tribe and Clallam County used the Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) approach to monitor fecal coliform bacteria levels at selected TMDL sites to determine effectiveness of the methodology used in this study.
Description:
Effective stream and wetland Best Management Practices (BMPs) restore physical processes associated with ecological functions to their Proper Functioning Condition (PFC, i.e., the highest attainable ecological status of a riparian area without consideration of economic, administrative, or social constraints). Ecological function approaches can link stream monitoring and management to mitigate ecosystem degradation and enhance restoration, while supporting sustainable management of ecosystem services including water quality, water stability (aquifer recharge), fish, and wildlife habitats. This work focuses on the Dungeness River in Washington state, a Tier 1 key watershed, as noted in the 1993 Forest Ecosystem Management Assessment Team (FEMAT) report. Watersheds are viewed as the logical spatial unit for ecosystem management due to their importance in species management, and interdependence of physical processes. Physical and biological disturbances are observed in watersheds, and management constraints and planning options for their restoration can be readily assessed. The Dungeness River and Dungeness Bay, in the Upper Olympic Peninsula, are impaired due to fecal coliform contamination, and has had reduced anadromous (i.e., born in fresh water, lives mostly in the sea, and returns to fresh water to spawn/breed) fish populations since the early 1960’s, due to the loss of spawning habitat. In the 1990s, the Upper Dungeness River was listed as impaired due to sediment, which initiated a US Forest Service change to land management practices to improve the ecological function of the watershed.