Localized beach contamination in American Samoa: results from two years of weekly monitoring
DiDonato GT and Paselio E. 2006. Localized beach contamination in American Samoa: results from two years of weekly monitoring. Marine Pollution Bulletin. 52(4):466-468
Pago Pago Harbor has a high concentration of people and local commerce, and the beaches in that region are used frequently by both residents and visitors. During 2002, 14 beaches were included as part of regular weekly monitoring. During monitoring, it was observed that the number of contaminated sites was higher when samples were collected during or just after periods of heavy rainfall. Results of water samplings taken from nearshore waters (14 sites in 2002 and 16 sites in 2003) indicate persistent contamination problems in American Samoa. In conclusion, these data strongly suggest that Tutuila’s nearshore waters face persistent contamination problems, and these data can serve as a baseline as efforts are turned now, where possible, towards addressing these problems.
- Type
- Journal Article
- Authors
- DiDonato, Guy; Paselio, Elena
- Units
- NPSA , PACN
- Keywords
- American Samoa, beach contamination, Coastal-Marine Systems, Water Quality