Environmental contaminants monitoring protocol for the National Park Service, Southeast Alaska Inventory and Monitoring Network: Version EC-2018.1

Sergeant, Christopher; Bower, Michael; Cyr, Andrew; Johnson, William

Airborne, freshwater, and marine contaminants were designated as priority long-term monitoring programs (vital signs) for the Southeast Alaska Inventory and Monitoring Network (SEAN). Here, we integrate these three vital signs into one environmental contaminants monitoring program in order to increase data collection and reporting efficiency for tightly connected ecosystem components that are exposed to a common suite of pollutants. This document describes the context and justification for contaminants sampling, describes monitoring program methodology, and prescribes staff roles and data management procedures. The standard operating procedures (SOPs) referenced throughout this protocol narrative contain detailed instructions for all aspects of field sampling, lab routines, data collection, storage, analysis, and reporting. In many cases, these SOPs were already developed by existing and widely accepted contaminants monitoring programs. The goal of the environmental contaminants monitoring program is to monitor a suite of priority pollutant or contaminant threats to the parks of Southeast Alaska. This will be accomplished by implementing two primary priorities. First, this protocol will produce a long-term surveillance record of priority airborne, freshwater, and marine pollutants or contaminants in sentinel species at select sites in SEAN parks to enable comparisons with future conditions. Second, the protocol establishes a means to compare pollutant and contaminant concentrations against state, federal, or other relevant criteria for human and ecological health, as a means of evaluating the potential for impairment of NPS resources. Three specific program objectives are: 1) Monitor lichen tissue concentrations for nitrogen, sulfur, and 25 additional elements in conformance with protocols developed for the Tongass National Forest 2) Monitor total mercury in riverine Dolly Varden tissue using existing Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) protocols 3) Monitor a broad suite of metals, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), and persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in bay mussels, in conformance with national protocols developed by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Mussel Watch Program. Starting in 2018, sampling for each objective will occur every five years at 19 sites defined within the protocol (6 airborne, 6 freshwater, and 7 marine). At a minimum, data and report products generated by this program will be publicly available on the SEAN website. These products will inform park staff, managers, and outside parties of the status of contaminants in biological samples collected in Southeast Alaska national parks. If we observe contaminant levels of concern during the course of monitoring, SEAN staff will consult with network parks to determine what extended reporting is necessary (e.g., immediate visitor advisory, report to external agencies, peer-reviewed scientific article, or other communication medium).

Environmental contaminants monitoring protocol for the National Park Service, Southeast Alaska Inventory and Monitoring Network: Version EC-2018.1

Series

Collections