Wave energy level and geographic setting correlate with Florida beach water quality

MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN

卷:104

Article

Feng, Zhixuan^1,2,3  Reniers, Ad⁴  Haus, Brian K.^1,2  Solo-Gabriele, Helena M.^2,5  Kelly, Elizabeth A.^2,6 

[1] Univ Miami, Dept Ocean Sci, Rosenstiel Sch Marine & Atmospher Sci, 4600 Rickenbacker Causeway, Miami, FL 33149 USA

[2] Univ Miami, Rosenstiel Sch Marine & Atmospher Sci, NSF NIEHS Oceans & Human Hlth Ctr, 4600 Rickenbacker Causeway, Miami, FL 33149 USA

[3] Woods Hole Oceanog Inst, Dept Biol, MS 33,Redfield 244, Woods Hole, MA 02543 USA

[4] Delft Univ Technol, Dept Hydraul Engn, Environm Fluid Mech Sect, Stevinweg 1, NL-2628 CN Delft, Netherlands

[5] Univ Miami, Coll Engn, Dept Civil Architectural & Environm Engn, 1251 Mem Dr, Coral Gables, FL 33146 USA

[6] Univ Miami, Leonard & Jayne Abess Ctr Ecosyst Sci & Policy, Coral Gables, FL 33146 USA

关键词: Water quality;    Enterococci;    Fecal coliform;    Exceedance;    Wave energy level;    Recreational beaches;   

DOI  :  10.1016/j.marpolbul.2016.02.011

来源: Elsevier

【 摘 要 】

Many recreational beaches suffer from elevated levels of microorganisms, resulting in beach advisories and closures due to lack of compliance with Environmental Protection Agency guidelines. We conducted the first statewide beach water quality assessment by analyzing decadal records of fecal indicator bacteria (enterqcocci and fecal coliform) levels at 262 Florida beaches. The objectives were to depict synoptic patterns of beach water quality exceedance along the entire Florida shoreline and to evaluate their relationships with wave condition and geographic location. Percent exceedances based on enterococci and fecal coliform were negatively correlated with both long-term mean wave energy and beach slope. Also, Gulf of Mexico beaches exceeded the thresholds significantly more than Atlantic Ocean ones, perhaps partially due to the lower wave energy. A possible linkage between wave energy level and water quality is beach sand, a pervasive nonpoint source that tends to harbor more bacteria in the low-wave-energy environment. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

【 授权许可】

Free