"Assessment and Prioritization of Contaminants of Concern Along Florida" by Ellen Regina E. Skelton

Defense Date

11-25-2024

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Type

Master of Science

Degree Name

Marine Science

First Advisor

Abigail Renegar, Ph.D.

Second Advisor

Carys Mitchelmore

Third Advisor

Bernhard Riegl

Keywords

coral, pollution, Florida's Coral Reef, environmental risk assessment, chemical contaminants, coral toxicology

Abstract

Florida’s Coral Reef (FCR) is the third largest barrier reef in the world and faces significant stress from localized land, water, and air-based sources of pollution. Numerous chemical contaminants have been found in waters surrounding reefs and within corals, including pesticides, hydrocarbons, personal care products, pharmaceuticals, and trace metals. However, for most current and emergent environmental contaminants, little to no consistent information exists regarding environmental concentrations or toxicological effects on corals. Assessment of the levels of contaminants in coral reef environments is needed to conduct risk assessments to guide management, restoration, and recovery strategies, and the coral reef resource management community has recognized the need for improved, readily available comprehensive information.

Geospatial databases for 12 contaminant classes, consisting of over 750,000 data points for water and sediments, and covering over 32,000 sites in the five counties encompassing FCR (Broward, Miami-Dade, Palm Beach, Martin, and Monroe), were compiled from resources including USGS, STEWARDS, NWIS, NWQMC, MusselWatch, NOAA'S National Status and Trends, and peer-reviewed literature. Concurrently, toxicological data for scleractinian corals was compiled from the EPA Ecotox database and peer reviewed literature for the same contaminant classes. These datasets were then compared to establish existing knowledge gaps in both environmental monitoring data and contaminant effects on corals, and to identify any emerging contaminants of concern along FCR. The data, analysis, and evidence-based recommendations support informed conservation management decisions and will be widely disseminated via incorporation into Florida’s Department of Environmental Protection’s (FDEP) coral reef decision support system (CRDSS).

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

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