Predicting Eutrophication Through Chlorophyll and Bacteria Levels in New Jersey Coastal Waters
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Grant: Students Partnering with Faculty
Spencer Thompson
CoPIs:
Chelsea Oti, Benjamin Aharoni, Derek Jesus Melenez,
College:
The Dorothy and George Hennings College of Science, Mathematics, and Technology
Major:
Environmental Sciences
Faculty Research Advisor(s):
Shuting Liu
Abstract:
Eutrophication, the process of how increases in aquatic nutrients increase algal growth and decrease dissolved oxygen levels, poses immense risk to local ecosystems, communities, and human health. Eutrophication is typically attributed to anthropogenic factors such as fertilizer or sewage runoff. Many systems that work to prevent eutrophication have to deal with issues that include: health, environmental, economic, and technological aspects. Understanding how eutrophication occurs and its ecosystem impacts will be the first step for providing potential solutions to anthropogenic eutrophication in the future.
In this study, we conducted quantitative research on the coastal water from Keyport Beach, New Jersey to see how eutrophication from urbanized areas affect algae blooms and algae and bacteria interactions. We focused on studying chlorophyll-a and bacteria levels throughout the seasons from April 2023 to Dec 2023 to see if there is a correlation between the two variables that can be used in the development of a predictive model for eutrophication. Our study showed that chlorophyll-a concentrations increased during the spring-summer seasons compared to the fall-winter seasons, corresponding to higher temperature and lower dissolved oxygen level during the spring-summer seasons. Increased algal growth in the spring-summer seasons, as indicated from high chlorophyll-a level, also triggered growth of bacteria in the water. One exception to these observed seasonal changes was in June 2023, the same month when a wildfire occurred, suggesting harmful effects of air pollution on algal growth either through decreased light availability or increased atmospheric deposition and subsequent turbidity increase in the water. By focusing on monitoring chlorophyll levels throughout the season and investigating whether or not bacteria levels are correlated to chlorophyll levels, the study evaluated the potential of using these variables for eutrophication assessment, which will assist scientists protect vulnerable communities from eutrophication and algal blooms in the future.