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The
NJDEP's Division of Science, Research and Technology
established the Brown Tide Assessment Project in 1999
and is responsible for overall management of the project.
In addition, the NJDEP develops the goals/objectives
and sampling design of the project and is responsible
for the overall evaluation of data and reporting relating
to the project. As part of the project, the NJDEP provides
funding to several groups to implement the project including:
1) NJ Marine Sciences Consortium and NJ Sea Grant to
conduct water monitoring, with a sub-contract with Rutgers
Center for Remote for Remote Sensing and Spatial Analysis
to conduct spatial analysis; 2) Dr. David Caron (Aquatic
Ecotechnologies) at the University of Southern California
for the enumeration (counting) of the brown tide, 3)
NJDEP's Bureau of Marine Water Monitoring to analyze
water samples for nutrients, 4) The U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency; and 5) the NJDEP's Bureau of Marine
Water Monitoring.
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Brown
Tide Assessment Project Sampling Design and Data Evaluation
(NJDEP/DSRT):
The sampling design and methods were developed
by the NJDEP/DSRT as part of the of the Brown Tide Assessment
Project. The sampling design included the collection of water
samples for four years (2000-03). The sampling design in 2001-2003
included collection of water samples from approximately eleven
existing NJDEP water quality network stations in Barnegat Bay
(BB), Little Egg Harbor (LEH), and an additional station in
Great Egg Inlet during April (1X), May (1X), June (4X), July
(2X), August (1X), September (1X). In 2000, sampling was conducted
at 44 water quality network stations on different days from
April through November. Stations were located on a north-south
and east-west axis in BB/LEH. Water samples were enumerated
for Aureococcus anophagefferens and analyzed for environmental
factors (e.g., salinity, temperature) at the same time. Additional
water samples were also taken at 5 of the stations during the
same sampling periods and analyzed for nutrients by NJDEP's
Bureau of Marine Water Monitoring including: NH3,
NO3+NO2, TOTAL NITROGEN, and DISSOLVED
ORGANIC NITROGEN.
Field
Collection of Water Samples(NJMSC):
Three years of field sampling data (2000, 2001, 2002)
were analyzed as part of the study. These field data were
collected at specific sampling points along the major North-South
axis of the Barnegat Bay/Little Egg Harbor (BB/LEH) estuary
(sampling locations). The data were collected at various intervals
across the spring-summer-fall months, generally monthly during
the spring and fall and weekly to biweekly during the summer.
Water samples by boat (on the same day) and coordinated helicopter
sampling by USEPA (bi-weekly May through September). A 4.5
ml water sample was collected by pipette or other sampling
and placed into a glass test tubes in 2002. In 2000, NJDEP
collected water samples in 500 mL bottles for each station
and stations were monitored on various days. Samples were
preserved after collection with a 0.5 ml of 10% glutaraldehype
made up in natural seawater to give a final fixative concentration
of 1% glutaraldehyde and shipped to Dr. David Caron (USC)
for monoclonal analysis. In addition, the NJMSC/NJSG measured
the following environmental data:
Depth, Turbidity, pH, Salinity, Photosynthetically Active
Radiation, Transmissivity, Chlorophyll a, and Temperature.
Monoclonal
Antibody Method for Enumeration(USC/Aquatic Ecotechnologies):
The
brown tide organism, Aureococcus anophagefferens is
enumerated using a monoclonal antibody analysis that employs
a colormetric enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELIZA) format
using 96-well tissue culture dishes. The process consists
of an enzymatic action that occurs between the antigens and
antibodies in the sample causing a color development. Known
unialgal cultures of A. anophagefferens are used as the standard.
Dilutions of the A. anophagefferens culture are then
treated to ELISA and a standard curve with coloration determined.
Each unknown field sample (natural populations) of A. anophagefferens
is analyzed in triplicate and each sample of the seven-point
standard curve is also performed in triplicate, as well as
reagent blanks, and compared against the standard curves and
colorations of the diluted concentrations of the unialgal
cultures to enumerate algae in the field sample. This technique
was developed by Dr. David Caron and the NJDEP/DSRT provided
funding for the enumeration of samples.
Spatial
Analysis of A.a. cells/ml (CRSSA):
To
visualize the spatial distribution of the brown tide blooms,
it was necessary to map the field sampling locations to their
georeferenced location. Individual sample point locations
for an individual sampling time period were then interpolated
to create 2-dimensional surface maps for the various sampled
parameters. A shoreline boundary file was used as a barrier
in the interpolation process. The point data were interpolated
to create a grid cell map of 100 m cell size using an inverse
distance weighted interpolation routine. The ArcView geographic
information system (GIS) software was used for the mapping
and spatial analysis.
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