Monitoring results from select estuaries in the four Atlantic provinces
The purpose of this project was to create an assessment and reporting methodology for estuary health in Atlantic Canada. Project partners were based in the Outer Bay of Fundy, Inner Bay of Fundy, southern shore of Nova Scotia, northwestern Northumberland Strait, eastern Northumberland Strait and wes...
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| Format: | Dataset |
| Language: | English |
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DataStream
2019
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| Online Access: | https://dx.doi.org/10.25976/99fy-8j65 https://datastream.org/dataset/7ce7434a-84b8-4b79-aace-e2887c73aa5c |
| Summary: | The purpose of this project was to create an assessment and reporting methodology for estuary health in Atlantic Canada. Project partners were based in the Outer Bay of Fundy, Inner Bay of Fundy, southern shore of Nova Scotia, northwestern Northumberland Strait, eastern Northumberland Strait and western Newfoundland, addressing estuary health in a uniform manner throughout the Atlantic region. The water quality data collected in the estuaries included nitrates and chlorophyll a. Sediments were analyzed for contaminants including pesticides; and a series of samples were taken and analyzed for fecal coliform bacteria. Secchi depths were measured at all monitoring sites and a depth profile of dissolved oxygen and salinity was completed each season to establish water quality stratification. : To complete the assessment, a GIS polygon of each estuary will be created and then divided into 20 equally sized hexagons. Within each of these hexagons, three locations will be randomly identified. Of those three points, each group will choose one sampling location, for a total of 20 sample sites. A water sample will be collected from each of the 20 sites during the month of August, to be analyzed for eutrophication indicators: chlorophyll a and nitrates. Of the 20 sites, 15 will be chosen for coliform analysis and sampled five times during the year. There will be one coliform sampling event in each of May, July, and October, after 72 hours with no rain. Two sampling events will be rainfall dependent, one will take place after 12.5mm has fallen within 24 hours, and one will take place after 25 mm of rain has fallen in 48 hours. These sampling events will take place within 48 hours of the rainfall completion. During the May, July, and October sampling, a depth profile of dissolved oxygen and salinity will be conducted using a YSI multimeter. At the 5 most coastal of the sampling sites, a sediment sample will be collected in June and analyzed for trace metals, mercury, PAHs, PCBs, OC pesticides, and TOC. CAMP protocols will be used to assess the biodiversity in the estuaries with CAMP sampling taking place twice, once in June and once in September. : |
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