Assessment of estuarine water quality at Canaveral National Seashore, 2013

Gregory, M.

In July 2013, the Southeast Coast Network (SECN) conducted an assessment of water quality at Canaveral National Seashore (CANA) as a part of the National Park Service (NPS) Vital Signs Monitoring Program. Monitoring was conducted following methods developed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) National Coastal Assessment Program; this effort included laboratory analysis for chlorophyll a, total and dissolved nitrogen and phosphorous concentrations, and field measurements of water temperature, pH, dissolved oxygen, and salinity. Estimates of water clarity were made using Secchi depth measurements and were adjusted for naturally-occurring water clarity conditions. During the assessment, Mosquito Lagoon was undergoing a brown tide event. Water clarity was rated as poor at 68% of sites. Chlorophyll a levels were rated as poor at 90% of sites in the assessed area with 7% of sites rated as fair. Dissolved nutrient levels were low across the assessed area with dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN) levels good (<0.1 mg/L) at all sites (100%) and dissolved inorganic phosphorus (DIP) levels also good (<0.01) at all sites (100%). Dissolved oxygen levels rated good at 87% of sites assessed and fair at 10% of the sites. A water quality condition summary index was calculated for each site sampled in Mosquito Lagoon National using the categorical assessments of water clarity, chlorophyll a, DIN and DIP concentrations, and dissolved oxygen. This index indicated poor water quality conditions at 68% of the sites sampled with good water quality noted at only two sites.

Assessment of estuarine water quality at Canaveral National Seashore, 2013

Series

Collections