Portfolio VII: Understanding ContaminantsOur ResponseDuring the mid-1980s research efforts were directed to address the environmental effects of low dissolved oxygen levels in the Bay. Under the auspices of the Chesapeake Bay Environmental Effects Committee (CBEEC), a highly successful, regional effort was initiated and led to a much better understanding of oxygen dynamics in the Chesapeake and fine scale responses of multiple components of the ecosystem. This effort was funded from NOAA with monies passing from the NOAA Chesapeake Bay Office to the research community through the Sea Grant Programs. In 1990, on the heels of the new Toxics Reduction Strategy, the EPA Chesapeake Bay Program joined with CBEEC in the development of a Toxics Research Program (TRP). The goal of this effort was to understand transport, fate and effects of contaminants and how they impact the Bay ecosystem.
Initially contributions from both NOAA and EPA provided a substantial investment in the TRP. EPA budget constraints limited their contributions in later years and indeed the TRP lost funding in 1996. Between 1992 and 1999 the TRP funded 34 research projects in the Maryland and Virginia research communities. Responsibility for the management of this effort was coordinated jointly by the Sea Grant programs. This coordination included all aspects of proposal solicitation and peer review, panels and final administration of awards. A summary of the research projects and selected accomplishments is presented in more detail later in this portfolio. In 1997, the Executive Council of the Chesapeake Bay Program designated three Regions of Concern (ROC) in the Bay. These regions (Baltimore Harbor, Elizabeth River, Anacostia River) are heavily impacted by contaminants and are the targets of regional action plans designed to prevent, reduce and/or remediate pollutant impacts. With this context in mind, and recognizing the prospect of budget constraints, CBEEC was confronted with the realization that the program needed to evolve to meet the needs of the management and research community around the Bay. In response, in 1998, CBEEC initiated the development of a 5-year Research Plan. The effort was grounded in a clear articulation of the unique role that the TRP plays in the Bay arena. Specifically, because CBEEC has neither the monitoring obligations nor management commitments of state or federal agencies, it has the capacity to complement and enhance those efforts through active participation of the research community.
CERP will develop quantitative models that relate the effects of sublethal levels of contaminants in sediments to the health, behavior and productivity of estuarine organisms. Experimental studies are an important aspect of this project and will enable the team of investigators (ecologists, toxicologists, chemists and modelers) to address questions that are difficult to answer with field data alone. Accordingly, mesocosms and model organisms ( Leptocheirus plumulosis and Fundulus sp.) will play a central role. Sediments from the three regions of concern (Baltimore Harbor, the Elizabeth River and the Anacostia River will be used in the experimental mesocosms. All exhibit high levels of contaminants and give evidence of impacts on fish and bottom-dwelling organisms in situ. CERP will link the effects of contaminant exposure across several levels of biological organization - from the subcellular to the organism to the population. In this manner, the program will demonstrate how toxicological effects at the organism level lead to broader ecological impacts. The outcome of these experiments will be important in developing models that account for effects of contaminants at the population level. In response to the CBEEC strategic plan and RFP, the CERP team has developed a very innovative structure that includes coordination with an advisory board comprised of representatives of management, federal agencies, non-governmental organizations and other stakeholders. In addition, the program has integrated outreach into the entire effort commencing with the earliest stages of the project. Outreach is being coordinated jointly by staff at the Maryland and Virginia Sea Grant Programs and is intended to provide a very clear demonstration of the research process and its outcomes. CERP will generate data and insights that will strengthen the capability of management agencies to assess contaminant remediation strategies and their impacts on important species in the Chesapeake Bay. The CERP program was initiated in January and the first stage of mesocosm experiments has recently been completed. A strong CERP web presence has been developed and is particularly important at this early stage. |
