Water quality trends in Texas estuaries

Bugica, Kalman; Sterba-Boatwright, Blair; Wetz, Michael S.

doi:10.1016/j.marpolbul.2020.110903

Cited by 56 publications

(44 citation statements)

References 25 publications

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“…Oso Bay has experienced rapid urbanization in recent decades coincident with shifts in water quality and symptoms of eutrophication (Bugica et al, 2020). Macrobenthos community composition corroborates with previous water quality results indicating impairment of the western region of the bay due to the effluent-based nutrient inputs at WP (Wang et al, 2018;Wetz et al, 2016).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 85%

Response of macrobenthic communities to changes in water quality in a subtropical, microtidal estuary (Oso Bay, Texas)

et al. 2020

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The influence of nutrient loading and other anthropogenic stressors is thought to be greater in low inflow, microtidal estuaries, where there is limited water exchange. This 11-month study compared spatial changes in macrofaunal communities adjacent to regions that varied in land cover in Oso Bay, Texas, an estuarine secondary bay with inflow dominated by hypersaline discharge, in addition to discharge from multiple municipal wastewater treatment plants. Macrofauna communities changed in composition with distance away from a wastewater treatment plant in Oso Bay, with the western region of the bay containing different communities than the head and the inlet of the bay. Ostracods were numerically dominant close to the wastewater discharge point. Macrobenthic community composition is most highly correlated with silicate concentrations in the water column. Silicate is negatively correlated with salinity and dissolved oxygen, and positively correlated with nutrients within the bay. Results are relevant for environmental management purposes by demonstrating that point-source discharges can still have ecological effects in hydrologically altered estuaries.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 85%

Response of macrobenthic communities to changes in water quality in a subtropical, microtidal estuary (Oso Bay, Texas)

et al. 2020

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“…Results show that red tides have been increasing in frequency on the Texas coast over the past 60 years, necessitating a better understanding of the environmental factors driving red tide occurrence. A recent assessment of water quality trends on the Texas coast only found clear signatures of eutrophication (high and/or increasing chlorophyll, nutrients) in two estuarine complexes (Baffin Bay-Upper Laguna Madre, Galveston Bay), although some evidence of eutrophication was found in smaller sub-estuaries and isolated regions of the larger estuaries [34]. In the Nueces Estuary, Bugica et al [34] found increasing orthophosphate concentrations at five of nine sites in the system, but both ammonium and nitrate showed a long-term decrease throughout the estuary, and three of nine study sites showed decreasing chlorophyll levels.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 97%

“…A recent assessment of water quality trends on the Texas coast only found clear signatures of eutrophication (high and/or increasing chlorophyll, nutrients) in two estuarine complexes (Baffin Bay-Upper Laguna Madre, Galveston Bay), although some evidence of eutrophication was found in smaller sub-estuaries and isolated regions of the larger estuaries [34]. In the Nueces Estuary, Bugica et al [34] found increasing orthophosphate concentrations at five of nine sites in the system, but both ammonium and nitrate showed a long-term decrease throughout the estuary, and three of nine study sites showed decreasing chlorophyll levels. The lack of evidence for eutrophication argues against the hypothesis that it is a leading cause of increases in the frequency of red tides in the Nueces Estuary.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 97%

“…Additionally, analysis of longterm field data in Florida coastal waters indicated that only 3% of samples that were "positive" for K. brevis had salinity � 24 [14]. Bugica et al [34] recently demonstrated significant increases in salinity in the Nueces Estuary and other Texas Coastal Bend estuaries over the past 20-30 years due to damming and increased human demands on water resources. This trend is likely to continue with projected population growth in Texas coastal counties (Texas State Data Center, http://txsdc.utsa.edu/Data/TPEPP/Projections/Index.aspx) and warmer and drier conditions expected in the western Gulf of Mexico under changing climate pressures [35,36].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The goals of this study were to: 1) extend the temporal record of red tides in a portion of the Texas Coastal Bend using validated newspaper accounts, 2) quantitatively assess trends in red tide frequency in a data poor region (estuarine/nearshore waters of the South Texas coast) and environmental factors associated with red tide occurrence, and 3) use these data to increase understanding of K. brevis red tide dynamics in an estuarine setting. This is important because estuaries of the South-Central Texas coast are undergoing significant environmental change due to rapid population growth and climate change [34]. Furthermore, climate scenarios suggest that the region will become hotter and drier in the future [35,36].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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An assessment of trends in the frequency and duration of Karenia brevis red tide blooms on the South Texas coast (western Gulf of Mexico)

et al. 2020

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Limited data coverage on harmful algal blooms (HABs) in some regions makes assessment of long-term trends difficult, and also impedes understanding of bloom ecology. Here, observations reported in a local newspaper were combined with cell count and environmental data from resource management agencies to assess trends in Karenia brevis "red tide" frequency and duration in the Nueces Estuary (Texas) and adjacent coastal waters, and to determine relationships with environmental factors. Based on these analyses, the Coastal Bend region of the Texas coast has experienced a significant increase in the frequency of red tide blooms since the mid-1990s. Salinity was positively correlated with red tide occurrence in the Nueces Estuary, and a documented long-term increase in salinity of the Nueces Estuary may be a major factor in the long-term increase in bloom frequency. This suggests that freshwater inflow management efforts in Texas should consider impacts on red tide habitat suitability (i.e., salinity regime) in downstream estuaries. Natural climate variability such as the El Niño-Southern Oscillation, which is strongly related to rainfall and salinity in Central and South Texas, was also an influential predictor of red tide presence/absence. Though no significant change in the duration of blooms was detected, there was a negative correlation between duration and temperature. Specifically, summer-like temperatures were not favorable to K. brevis bloom development. The relationships found here between red tide frequency/duration and environmental drivers present a new avenue of research that will aid in refining monitoring and forecasting efforts for red tides on the Texas coast and elsewhere. Findings also highlight the importance of factors (i.e., salinity, temperature) that are likely to be altered in the future due to both population growth in coastal watersheds and anthropogenic climate change.

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The use of conceptual ecological models to identify critical data and uncertainties to support numerical modeling: The northern Gulf of Mexico eastern oyster Crassostrea virginica example

La Peyre,

Sable,

Marshall

et al. 2024

Mar Coast Fish

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ObjectiveIncreasing reliance on numerical simulation models to help inform management and restoration choices benefits from careful consideration of critical early steps in model development. Along the northern coast of the Gulf of Mexico, the eastern oyster Crassostrea virginica fulfills important ecological and economic roles. Using the eastern oyster as an example, we draw on several recent frameworks outlining best practices for model development and application for restoration, conservation, and management.MethodsWe identify priority model questions, outline a conceptual ecological model (CEM) to guide numerical model development, and use this framework to identify uncertainties and research needs.ResultThe CEM uses a nested design, identifying explicit vital rates, processes, attributes, and outcomes for the species (oysters), population, and metapopulation (i.e., network of populations) levels in response to drivers of species, population, and metapopulation changes and changing environmental factors. Most management actions related to oyster restoration and harvest affect population attributes directly, but many coastal management actions and changes (i.e., climate change and coastal and water resource engineering) impact environmental factors that alter vital rates and attributes of oysters, populations, and metapopulations.ConclusionInvestment in studies targeting individual oyster‐ and population‐level multi‐stressor responses (filtration, respiration, growth, and reproduction) and improving hydrodynamic and environmental models targeting drivers that influence metapopulation vital rates and attributes (i.e., connectivity and substrate persistence) would contribute to reducing uncertainties. Development of numerical models covering the entire oyster life cycle and connectivity of populations using hydrodynamic models of current and predicted conditions to provide key abiotic and biotic factors influencing larval movement, recruitment, and on‐reef oyster vital rates would assist in balancing the goals of conservation, restoration, and fisheries management of this foundational estuarine species.

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Water quality trends in Texas estuaries

Cited by 56 publications

References 25 publications

Response of macrobenthic communities to changes in water quality in a subtropical, microtidal estuary (Oso Bay, Texas)

Response of macrobenthic communities to changes in water quality in a subtropical, microtidal estuary (Oso Bay, Texas)

An assessment of trends in the frequency and duration of Karenia brevis red tide blooms on the South Texas coast (western Gulf of Mexico)

The use of conceptual ecological models to identify critical data and uncertainties to support numerical modeling: The northern Gulf of Mexico eastern oyster Crassostrea virginica example

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