Hypoxia in Hood Canal

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Hypoxia in Hood Canal
Hood Canal Dissolved Oxygen Program Integrated
Assessment and Modeling Study
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HCDOP Goal

• The goal of the Hood Canal Dissolved Oxygen
  Program (HCDOP) is to
• determine the sources of low dissolved oxygen in
  Hood Canal and the effect on marine life, and
  then
• work with local, state, federal, and tribal
  government policy makers to evaluate potential
  corrective actions that will restore and maintain
  a level of dissolved oxygen that will reduce
  stress on marine life. 
• HCDOP is a partnership of 38 organizations that
  conducts monitoring and analysis and develops
  potential corrective actions to address the low
  dissolved oxygen problem in Hood Canal.

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• Hood Canal Dissolved Oxygen Program

Structure
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HCDOP websites
www.hoodcanal.washington.edu/
www.psat.wa.gov/Programs/hood_canal.htm
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Hood Canal Dissolved Oxygen Programs
Integrated Assessment and Modeling Study

• IAM is a study on the cause for the decline in
  oxygen in Hood Canal and the efficacy of
  potential corrective and mitigative actions.
• 30-member study partnership
• state agencies
• universities
• tribes
• counties
• conservation districts
• NGOs
• citizen volunteers
• Primarily congressionally funded
• Strong leverage from other programs

www.hoodcanal.washington.edu
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Hood Canal Dissolved Oxygen Programs
Integrated Assessment and Modeling Study

• The study will utilize automated technology,
  observing networks, and numerical modeling to
• Quantify marine processes
• Quantify loadings to Hood Canal
• Assess biota-oxygen interactions
• Model key processes to quantify driver(s) and
• Evaluate potential corrective actions

www.hoodcanal.washington.edu
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Marine
Utilize permanent mooring buoys and surveys to
obtain marine water measurements at various
locations in Hood Canal to document oxygen and
other water properties with appropriate temporal
and spatial resolution to allow for assessing
mechanisms of variability. Develop and verify
computer models of marine system using input from
watershed and climate, run scenarios and
corrective action analysis.

• IAM activity
• ORCA profiler
• MMP profiler
• Citizen monitoring hydrographic surveys
• Current meter study
• Modeling
• Leveraged activity
• Ecology-PSAMP Marine Waters Monitoring
• UW PRISM surveys and marine modeling
• PSMEM modeling
• JEMS
• USGS Marine Modeling
• UW Oceans and Human Health
• NANOOS

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Marine Observations Utilize
profiling moorings and nearshore transects
to measure circulation and water quality
Sampling by University of Washington PRISM
2x per year Department of Ecology PSAMP 12x
per year HCDOP Citizen Monitoring (Hood Canal
Salmon Enhancement Group, Skokomish Tribe
volunteers) 52x per y HCDOP UW ORCA MMP
moorings every 2 h
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Hood Canal Dissolved Oxygen Program
Hood Canal Salmon
Enhancement Groups Citizen Monitoring Data
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ORCA data Devol and Ruef (UW)
Part of the NANOOS pilot IOOS grant from NOAA CSC
to build the PNW RCOOS
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ORCA data on the web, updated daily
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Dont yet know how much or which reduction in
nitrogen input may restore the DO levels
many sources and not all may affect algae and
resulting DO levels the same HCDOP-IAM models
will provide this information.
Atmosphere
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Watershed
Groundwater
Surface
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Ocean
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Rivers
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Upward flux to photic zone
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Storage
Benthic
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• Understanding oxygen depletion in Hood Canal
  requires knowledge of not only the levels of
  oxygen and nutrients but also their supply rates
  or "fluxes." Both the physical flow and turbulent
  diffusion affect supply rates hence, it is vital
  to measure both of these.
• Needed to estimate the vertical and lateral
  fluxes of oxygen and nutrients

Alford (UW-APL)
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MMP profiler data Alford (APL-UW)
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Modeling Hood Canal marine waters

• Incorporate observations (marine, weather, and
  watershed) into coupled physical-biological
  models.
• With a modeling approach, evaluate the effects of
  changes in inputs into the Canal, such as
  different ocean conditions, elimination of septic
  inputs, changes in the Skokomish River flow, or
  replacement of riparian cedar trees with alder,
  on the system.
• Evaluate potential corrective actions for the low
  dissolved oxygen condition.

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UW Marine Modeling

• 1 day runs in 30 min
• Suitable for event-scale simulation, analysis of
  detailed dynamics and energetics
• Grid size 70 m x 70 m x 5 m
• 1.4 million cells

Full Grid
Kawase (UW-PRISM)
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Preliminary results show a strong difference in
the surface salinity associated with Northerly
winds versus Southerly winds. High
salinity would be associated with low oxygen
concentrations. This pattern may help explain
when we have fish kills and when we dont.
Higherthan normalsalinity
Lower than normal salinity
Kawase (UW) model output
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Watershed
Establish the source, quantity, and timing of
nutrient inputs and freshwater flow into Hood
Canal including rivers, streams, groundwater,
storm drains, septic systems, lawns, and
agriculture. Develop and verify computer models
of terrestrial system, run scenarios and
corrective action analysis.

• IAM activity
• River and stream sampling
• River and stream flow monitoring
• Land-use
• Groundwater sampling
• Nutrient assessment
• Modeling
• Leveraged activity
• UW PRISM watershed modeling
• HCSEG-UW Geological mapping
• Ecology-PSAMP Freshwater and flow monitoring
• USGS River monitoring

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UW PRISM, USGS, HCSEG, Ecology, Jefferson
Conservation District, Skokomish Tribe, Mason
County Health Department, Kitsap Health District,
EnviroVision, Mason Conservation District
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PRELIMINARY (!) N LOADING IN MODEL, w/OBSERVATIONS
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Biota
Establish how various fish, shellfish, and other
sea life respond to low oxygen concentrations,
for both chronic and episodic exposure. Evaluate
the historic and future marine life balance,
evaluate differences with current marine life and
recommend whether these changes may be partially
responsible for low oxygen.

• IAM activity
• Benthic assessment
• Fish Disease and Hypoxia
• Phytoplankton monitoring
• Bloom and fish kill event response
• Leveraged activity
• HCSEG/WDNR/Ecology Molluscan Study (1896)
• WDNR Eelgrass Assessment
• WDFW Trawl Surveys
• Skokomish Tribe Shellfish Censusing
• UW phytoplankton studies
• UW microbial studies
• PNNL/Battelle Sediment Core

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Bambans
Plankton monitoring
Potlatch
Shows plankton diversity, seasonal
dynamics, spatial patterns Important for
modeling input ecosystem assessment, trophic
relationships
Sisters
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Bloom and fish kill response
Analysis and info posted on web rapidly after an
event occurs
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Ocean vs. River forcing on DO
Offshore upwelling
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Strong upwellinglow oxygen water Bad for DO
Strong upwellinghigh density water Good for DO
Weak upwellinghigh oxygen water Good for DO
Weak upwellinglow density water Bad for DO

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River input
High flowstrong flushing Good for DO High
flowstrong stratification Bad for DO
Low flowweak flushing Bad for DO Low
flowweak stratification Good for DO