Mike+L

=﻿Estuarine Destruction= My biology project focused on estuarine ecosystems as well as analyzing in debt the problems that lead to their destruction. toc

Goals
My goal of this project is to introduce the structure and significance of estuaries and describe ways with which they are being destroyed. I will explain what is currently being done to prevent estuarine destruction and methods which can be used to conserve estuaries in the future. This project requires research, which is easily found online and in library textbooks, but to research this project in depth I will travel south to the Coalition for Buzzards Bay, an organization in New Bedford focused entirely on preserving the Buzzards Bay environment, including its estuaries. After this, I will meet and shadow a scientist at the Cape Cod National Seashore in Truro, learning more about the estuaries of Massachusetts and testing the quality of water in particular areas. This schedule will help educate me on what is the current status of Massachusetts estuaries and what is currently being worked on to protect them. I will use graphs and pictures to showcase this information of water quality, tools used by estuarine scientists, and even the beauty of the ecosystem.

Discoveries
Local estuaries in Massachusetts face a major issue of excess nitrogen. Nitrogen in the water of estuaries gives rise to the abundance of phytoplankton and algae, which strive off of an abundance of nutrients. The issue with this abundance of phytoplankton is that they clog the water, lowering transparency levels, and decreasing dissolved oxygen levels. Phytoplankton photosynthesizes, creating competition for primary producers in estuaries, notably eelgrass and saltgrass. These primary producers serve as the “canary in the coalmine.” When an abundance of nitrogen rests in the water, eelgrass will die off due to the phytoplankton and algae outcompeting it. Eelgrass serves as the indicator for scientists when nitrogen levels are too high in an area. Scientists monitor nitrogen levels in estuaries a number of ways. In the photography section of this project, you will see a multiparameter water quality monitor, used to measure dissolved oxygen, turbidity levels, chlorophyll levels, temperature, pH, conductivity, and nitrogen levels. These monitors help scientists observe which areas of the water have a poor quality of water. Naturally, tides are the key to maintaining a high water quality. Estuaries that are more accessible to tides tend to be healthier because the tides wash away estuarine waste. Humans have contributed to rising nitrogen levels due to the Title 5 Septic Systems passed by governments that filter bacteria, however fail to filter nitrogen. Septic Systems empty into estuaries and lead to devastation with flooding nitrogen and nutrients, ultimately leading to eutrophication. “ This was the case for Boston Harbor,” explained wetland specialist Holly Bayley at the Cape Cod National Seashore, “Until Deer Island was created to help filter the waste.” Deer Island was constructed in 1991 where three stages of filtration occurred. Primary filtration dealt with solids, secondary filtered phosphorus, and the tertiary system filtered nitrogen and fertilizer. This development drastically improved water quality at Boston Harbor. Estuaries face more problems than just water quality, however. A species in Cape Cod estuaries, pictured in the photography section, //Sesarma reticulatum(// known casually as the purple marsh crab,) has been degrading marsh grass in estuaries and has played an effective role in creating poorly functioning estuaries. The problem with this native species is that sea levels are rising in the cape at about 2 mm annually, and marsh grass does not. Scientists are working towards manipulating the estuaries bottom so that marsh grass grows above sea level, thus helping the species survive. The purple marsh crab is chewing away at this marsh grass, interfering with human effort to keep the marsh grass stable. After completing this project, I learned several methods and tips to maintain estuaries and other facts that lead to estuarine destruction. Testing water quality, which I experienced firsthand, is something that I learned how to do and was taught what to make of it. I learned what components water quality consisted of, how to test it, and which water was clean in comparison to others. I learned about species in estuarine ecosystems and how some can serve as helpful indicators, while others can be harmful. I found the significance of sewage and septic systems, and how every time someone flushes the toilet or turns on the sink, something, somewhere, is being affected.

Challenges
While carrying out my project, it was inevitable that challenges would occur. The first challenge I faced while doing this project was finding reliable, available scientists to interview and shadow. I was very fortunate to find multiple offices that were willing to educate me and explain their studies. The second challenge I faced was making it to these offices. New Bedford and Truro are far and out of the way areas, but looking back I am very glad I went to both. These offices offered unique and significant information that the other could not offer and making the trip to both truly made my project complete.

Looking Back
Looking back at this project, I was happy with the information I was able to learn about. The project topic was very broad, which allowed me to analyze my available sources and adapt my project to focus on what I knew I could learn about most. Traveling to local estuaries was interesting and informative. I was able to learn how many people in Massachusetts alone are worried about the same topic of estuarine destruction and is even the focus of many organizations in our state. Ways to improve this project would be getting more exposure to the water, taking as many water qualilty tests as possible, and really reaching out to learn from as many people as possible. I think if I were to do this whole project again I would dedicate more time to seeing different people and getting different perspectives from people studying different estuaries. Not all estuaries have the same issues/solutions.

Project Resources
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