Low Dissolved Oxygen in Hood Canal

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Low Dissolved Oxygen in Hood Canal

• Hood Canal
• Dissolved Oxygen Program

Jan Newton, Ph.D. Applied Physics
Laboratory University of Washington
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Tuesday, September 16, 2003 Hood Canal marine
life struggling for oxygen
By LISA STIFFLERSEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER
REPORTER
Yesterday, the state Department of Fish and
Wildlife indefinitely closed commercial and
recreational fishing throughout the canal for all
finfish except salmon and trout, as well as
octopus and squid
3
U.S. Coastal Dead Zones Associated with Human
Activity
National attention in 2003
Pew Oceans Commission, 2003
4
Low oxygen in Hood Canal is not a new observation

• - UW 1950s observations (Collias et al., 1974
  Washington Sea Grant)
• - UW-OSU 1970-80s observations (e.g. Curl and
  Paulson, 1991, Puget Sound Research Conference
  Proceedings Paulson, 1993, Mar. Chem.)
• - PSAMP comparison of Ecology (90s) and UW
  (50s) data (Newton et al., 1995, Puget Sound
  Research Conference Proceedings)
• - Ecologys Washington State Marine Water
  Quality during 1998 through 2000 (Newton et al.,
  2001)
• Similar to our previous assessment (Newton et
  al., 1998a), four observations from the
  monitoring data indicate the possibility that DO
  conditions may be deteriorating in southern Hood
  Canal, that the spatial extent of low DO may be
  increasing northwards, and that eutrophication
  could be one of the processes contributing to
  this change. Impacts of other human activities
  (e.g., freshwater diversions) as well as natural
  cycles must also be fully evaluated.
• Hypoxia more frequent.
• Northward increase in the horizontal extent of
  hypoxia.
• High chlorophyll a concentrations observed when
  nutrient limitation of phytoplankton growth
  expected.
• Nutrient-addition experiments show that primary
  productivity was increased as much as three-fold
  (Newton et al., 1995).

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Index of concern
http//www.ecy.wa.gov/programs/eap/mar_wat/gradien
tofconcern.html
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What controls oxygen ?

• Seawater density stratification
• Seawater flushing/circulation
• Organic production and respiration
• Eutrophication/nutrient loading
• Organic loading

Start with basics.
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temperature
salinity determine density

FRESH
WARM
less dense
SALTY
COLD
more dense
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Density structure can be two different ways
stratified
mixed

WARM FRESH
COLD SALTY

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Organic (primary) production
Lo nutrient Hi oxygen Phytoplankton present
Phytoplankton present
pycnocline
Hi nutrient Lo oxygen No phytoplankton
No phytoplankton
Respiration
CO2 H2O ?? C(H2O) O2
Photosynthesis
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Oxygen structure can be two different ways
stratified
mixed

HIGH OXYGEN
WELL-MIXED OXYGEN
LOW OXYGEN

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So why sub-surface low oxygen ?

• Light nutrients ? algae
• Algae accumulate and eventually settle to seabed
• Organic material decomposition requires oxygen

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Which process dominates ?
O2
P R
Lo nutrient Hi oxygen
Phytoplankton present
Hi nutrient Lo oxygen
No phytoplankton
. R
Respiration
CO2 H2O ?? C(H2O) O2
Photosynthesis
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So why sub-surface low oxygen ?

• Light nutrients ? algae
• Algae accumulate and eventually settle to seabed
• Organic material decomposition requires oxygen
• If water is stable, oxygen consumed at depth
• If water is mixed/flushed, surface oxygen
  replenishes the deep oxygen concentration

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Hood Canal attributes

• Strong stratification distinct layers
  maintained with different character
• (the deep waters with low oxygen dont get mixed
  up)
• High productivity high organic load
• (that will be respired away during
  decomposition)
• Slow circulation long residence time
• (the bulk of the waters are old lots of
  respiration has occurred w/o PS or air contact)

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Hood looks like this
Light (warmer, fresher) canal/river water
Dense (colder, salty) ocean water
Intermediate (warming, freshening) water
Dense (colder, salty) ocean water
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Compare residence times or age of waters
Light (warmer, fresher) canal/river water
NEW
Dense (cold, salty) ocean water
Intermediate (warming, freshening) water
NEW
OLDEST
Dense (cold, salty) ocean water
MEDIUM
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And what about the oxygen ?
O2 rich, Photosynthesis and air contact
HIGH
Low-ish O2 during upwelling higher O2 else
Lowest O2, isolated and old water with
respiration only
LOWEST
Lower O2, respiration, no air contact
LOW
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Sep
Apr
Nov
Jun
Dec
Aug
Sep
Apr
Jun
Oct
In collaboration with UW and PRISM we have
learned oxygen dynamics with finer detail.
Dec
Apr
Oxygen
Jun
Aug
Warner et al., 2001
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Understanding the underlying factors

• Geology
• Strong Stratification
• High Productivity
• Slow Circulation

Hood Canal
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S. Hood is different than other Puget Sound
locales
Annual mean DO averaged over the bottom half of
the water column
WA Ecology-PSAMP data Newton (APL-UW) analysis
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Add new nutrients from human activity
stormwater, agriculture, fertilized lawns,
sewers, septic tanks, animals, etc.
How do humans affect this??
Respiration
Lo oxygen can get lower !!!
CO2 H2O ?? C(H2O) O2
Photosynthesis
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Add new nutrients from human activity
stormwater, agriculture, fertilized lawns,
sewers, septic tanks, animals, etc.
How do humans affect this??
Respiration
Lo oxygen can get lower !!!
CO2 H2O ?? C(H2O) O2
Photosynthesis
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How do humans affect this??
Add carbon load carcasses, yard wastes, failing
septic tanks, etc.
Respiration
Lo oxygen can get lower !!!
CO2 H2O ?? C(H2O) O2
Photosynthesis
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What controls oxygen ?WHAT SELECTS FOR LOW
OXYGEN?

• Stratification ? STRONG
• Organic production and respiration? HIGH
• Flushing/circulation ? SLOW
• Nutrient or carbon loading ? OCCURING

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What controls oxygen ?WHAT SELECTS FOR LOW
OXYGEN?

• Stratification
• Organic production and respiration
• Flushing/circulation
• Nutrient or carbon loading

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What controls oxygen ?WHAT SELECTS FOR LOW
OXYGEN?

• Stratification ? STRONG
• Organic production and respiration? HIGH
• Flushing/circulation ? SLOW
• Nutrient or carbon loading ? OCCURING

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Hood Canal attributes

• Stratification ? STRONG
• Organic production and respiration? HIGH
• Flushing/circulation ? SLOW
• Nutrient or carbon loading ? OCCURING

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How do we know what we know?

• 3 primary monitoring efforts

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Washington State Department of Ecology Marine
Waters Monitoring Program A component of the
Puget Sound Ambient Monitoring Program

1. Monthly
2. 4 stations
3. Core since 1975
4. Depth profile
5. Conventional WQ variables
6. Data access via web
7. State funded

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University of Washington Puget Sound Regional
Synthesis Model (PRISM) A University Initiative
Fund sponsored program

1. 2x per year
2. 11 stations
3. Since 1998
4. Depth profile
5. Conventional WQ variables
6. Data viewing via web
7. UW funded

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HCDOP Citizen Monitoring 50 volunteers Managed
by HCSEG Direct support from UW
Ecology PSAT USGS A volunteer effort

1. Weekly
2. 4-7 stations
3. Since 8-15-03
4. 3 depths
5. Oxygen
6. Data viewing via web
7. Primarily donated, 50 volunteers

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Ecology-PSAMP Monitoring Data
UW Historic Data (Collias et al., 1974)
South Hood Canal - Sisters Point HCB004
Blackno data WhiteDOgt5 mg/L YellowDOgt5 and gt3
mg/L RedDOlt3 mg/L
North Hood Canal - Bangor HCB006/8
Newton (APL-UW) analysis
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PRISM station transect for inventory
Southern Hood Canal (DB to GB)

Warner PRISM UW Collias data
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Average Dissolved Oxygen Measurements 1950s -
2004
Southern Hood Canal (DB to GB)
Warner (UW) analysis of PRISM UW Collias data
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2003

• Low DO was found higher in water column
• Another very sunny summer
• 50,000 Shiner perch fish kill in June
• Very low DO (anoxia) develops
• Substantial biota death observed by divers
• Another fish closure by WDFW in September
• Very large fish kill in October
• HCDOP forms work with 20 entities to do what is
  possible now and draft study plan for future
• Developed a website
• HCDOP Citizen Monitoring begins

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HCDOP Citizen Monitoring Program
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Example Citizen Monitoring data on the web
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Citizen Monitoring Time-series
Hannafious and Rose (HCSEG) analysis
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Sept. 2nd - Small Fish Kill
Sept. 25h - Biota Stress / No Kill
Hannafious and Rose (HCSEG) analysis
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Sightings of fish kills on Hood Canal, October
8-10, 2003
WDFW observations W. Palsson
Blackeyed gobies were found dead in a mat of
decomposing material.
This live spot prawn is a very unusual occurrence
in shallow waters during the day. Many spot prawn
are observed in shallow water during the low
dissolved oxygen event and many dead prawns were
also observed.
Dead copper rockfish were encountered mostly in
waters between 5 and 40 feet in depth.
An astounding 80 copper rockfish were in this
dense school in water depths of less than 20 feet.
Most wolfeels were out of their dens, which is
uncommon. Many were observed in water depth of
less than 20 feet.

                                                                                                                               
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What could cause lower oxygen in Hood Canal ?

• Stronger stratification distinct layers
  maintained with different character
• Less mixing
• Higher productivity high organic load
• More nutrients, light, stable environment
• Slower circulation long residence time
• Less density driven circulation

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Change light availability more sun

Change nutrient availability septics, forest,
dumping




Change organic biomass/prodn better growing
conditions, dumping
Change river input flushing, stratification
Change ocean input O2, density
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What is the role of the ocean?

• There is no offshore oxygen time-series data from
  WA coast
• But do have data from JEMS (Joint Effort to
  Monitor the Strait) in the Strait of Juan de Fuca

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Joint Effort to Monitor the Strait (JEMS)
JEMS line
JEMS Partners WA Dept. Ecology UW PRISM Friday
Harbor Labs Sea-Doc Society King County NOAA
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Flow in Strait of Juan de Fuca
North Canada
South U.S.A.
fresher, warmer water from Puget Sound and
Georgia Basin flowing out
colder, salty water from Pacific Ocean flowing in
Thomson, 1994
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Is it coming from the ocean input of low oxygen?
No evidence found
JEMS data Newton (UW-APL) analysis
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But what about density?
140 m 80 m
Strait Juan de Fuca
Incoming ocean water
Density at
Deep PS basin water
Lower Admiralty Inlet Ecology-PSAMP
Density at 50 m
2000
2004
1998
2002
Newton (UW-APL) analysis
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What is role of the river input? timing of
freshwater input into the lower portion of Hood
Canal
Staircase Station
Potlatch Station
USGS river stations
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Years with higher Skokomish River discharge to
Hood Canal appear to be somewhat correlated with
years with lower deep oxygen concentrations.
Potlatch River Station
USGS data Newton (UW-APL) analysis
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Skokomish River mean monthly flow at Potlatch
station
200
180
160
140
1940's
120
1950's
1960's
100
Monthly mean flow (ft3 s-1)
1970's
1980's
1990's
80
2000's
60
40
See 600 higher flows during summer in 2000's
than 1950-80s
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0
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
Calendar month
USGS data Newton (UW-APL) analysis
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What about eutrophication?
Nutrient addition causes substantially more
primary production
Newton et al., 1995
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Hood has high production
Primary Production (mg C m-2 d-1) gt1000-2000
gt2000-3000 gt3000-4000 gt4000-5000
1500
n8
2186
1983
2340
n30
2360
2900
3225
n19
4625
n19
3000
3412
Newton et al., 2000
2000
n5 x 80
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Nutrient sensitivity
increase in integrated prodn lt5
gt5-15 gt15-25 gt25-35
4
15
9
10
13
28
32
11
15
Newton et al., 2000
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A Look at Factors Contributing to Nutrient Inputs
Stormwater Impacts Hydraulic and
hydrologic modifications Individual landscape
practices Agriculture wastes and practices
Aquatic habitat alterations Commercial
forest practices Changes in aquatic
biodiversity Land-use development standards
Solid waste management Marine and boat
waste Human sewage Point sources
Commercial fishing practices
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What we know

• Hood Canal is exhibiting during 2003-04 the
  lowest oxygen concentrations on record.
• Hood Canal, especially in south, has been showing
  a gradual increase in severity, persistence, and
  extent of low oxygen.
• There are likely both human and natural processes
  involved. Which are most influential needs to be
  quantified.

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Hypotheses on possible causes for the lower
oxygen concentrations in Hood Canal

• Changes in production or input of organic matter,
  due to naturally better growth conditions such as
  increased sunlight or other climate factors
• Changes in production or input of organic matter,
  due to naturally better growth conditions such as
  increased nutrient availability
• Changes in production or input of organic matter,
  due to human-caused loading of nutrients or
  organic material
• Changes in ocean properties, such as seawater
  density that affects flushing of the Canals
  waters, oxygen concentration, or nutrients in the
  incoming ocean water
• Changes in river input or timing from natural
  causes (e.g., drought) or from human actions
  (e.g., diversion) that affect both flushing and
  mixing in the Canal.
• Changes in weather conditions, such as wind
  direction and speed, which affect the flushing
  and/or oxygen concentration distribution.

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Information need

• What is responsible for the low oxygen and what
  could fix it ??
• Need QUANTITATIVE modeling that is calibrated and
  verified with ADEQUATE data to run various
  scenarios in order to answer this question

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HCDOP-IAM Strategy

• Optimize monitoring marine fresh water biota
• Evaluate nutrient loading to canal all sources
• Better constrain flushing estimates
• Evaluate climate ocean effects on water
  properties
• Understand biota sensitivities
• Use computer modeling to mimic HC and then run
  what-if scenarios
• Evaluate potential corrective actions

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HCDOP-IAM Study Development

• Late 2002 Briefed Congressman Norm Dicks on
  problem and need for study
• 2003 Developed plans
• Phase 1 do now with current resources
• Phase 2 scientific study plan developed and
  submitted with budget to Dicks
• 2004 Dicks secured 1.4M funds to UW-APL and
  350K to USGS
• Early 2005 Scientific study to commence

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• Hood Canal Dissolved Oxygen Program

Structure
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• Hood Canal Dissolved Oxygen Program

Collaborating Partners
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Hood Canal Dissolved Oxygen Program
Planning Participants
UW Applied Physics Lab UW Oceanography USGS NOAA Fisheries USFWS Navy UWC Keyport HCSEG Skokomish Tribe LHCWIC Port Gamble SKlallam Tribe USACE WA Ecology WDFW WA DNR NWIFC WA DOH PSAT UW-WA SeaGrant Mason County Kitsap County Jefferson County Mason CD Kitsap CD Jefferson CD HCCC Battelle UW-PRISM
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HCDOP-IAM Science Plan

• Program Administration
• Marine Water Monitoring
• Utilize profiling moorings and nearshore
  transects to measure circulation and water
  quality
• Fresh Water Flow Nutrient Loading
• Monitor flow and water quality in rivers,
  streams, groundwater and map associated land use
• Marine Life Studies
• Assess DO effect on biota and biota effect on
  DO
• Modeling and Analysis
• Develop and verify computer models of marine and
  terrestrial system, run scenarios and corrective
  action analysis
• Rapid Response Diver Program
• Respond to fish kills and algal blooms, maintain
  diver observation records

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Program Administration
Task 1
To be co-managed by UW-APL and HCSEG. Provide
resources to support program oversight and
administration, coordination of science
activities among various partner organizations,
and interaction of HCDOP-IAM with other efforts
regarding Hood Canal. text from October
2003 Hood Canal Low Dissolved Oxygen white paper
by Newton and Hager, as presented at HCDOP-IAM
meeting July 28 2004
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Marine Water Monitoring
Utilize profiling moorings and nearshore
transects to measure circulation and water quality
Task 2
Establish permanent mooring buoys to obtain
continuous marine water measurements at 5
locations in Hood Canal, to document oxygen and
other water properties with appropriate temporal
(including nighttime) and spatial resolution to
allow for model operation and for assessing
mechanisms of variability.
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(No Transcript)
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Freshwater Flow and Loading
Monitor flow and water quality in rivers,
streams, groundwater and map associated land use
Task 3
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. Data to be collected by
participating groups using Ecology supported
protocols and analysis (QAPP development) so that
data will support use in potential TMDL
integration.
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Marine Life Studies
Assess DO effect on biota and biota effect on DO
Task 4
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.
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Modeling and Analysis
Develop and verify computer models of marine and
terrestrial system, run scenarios and corrective
action analysis
Task 5
Develop and verify detailed analytical models
that represent the hydrodynamic and bio-chemical
processes of the marine and watershed, including
nutrient inputs in sufficient detail to identify
the processes that define the dissolved oxygen
concentrations throughout Hood Canal. Conduct
studies with the verified model to establish
future levels of dissolved oxygen with various
corrective action concepts, as well as climate
change, and land development changes. Review the
analytical model information and the results of
marine life studies and develop potential
corrective actions. Study the effect of these
actions using the analytical model and verify
efficacy.
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Rapid Response and Diver Program
Respond to fish kills and algal blooms, maintain
diver observation records
Task 7
Expand the diver observation plan and provide
for rapid response to fish kills and other
events.
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Hood Canal Low Oxygen

• Complex issue
• Many contributing factors possible
• Scientific understanding critical
• Focused, collaborative effort
• Though HC most sensitive, other Puget Sound
  inlets/bays have sensitivity
• Understanding Hood Canal essential