{"id":11317,"date":"2019-09-18T16:20:24","date_gmt":"2019-09-18T20:20:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ncseagrant.ncsu.edu\/coastwatch\/?page_id=11317"},"modified":"2024-08-20T13:30:47","modified_gmt":"2024-08-20T17:30:47","slug":"science-intersects","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ncseagrant.ncsu.edu\/coastwatch\/science-intersects\/","title":{"rendered":"When Science Intersects with Local Expertise"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n\n\n

Five new partnerships are tackling pressing issues, with the help of funding from the North Carolina Community Collaborative Research Grant Program<\/a>. Topics include water quality treatment in wetlands; algal blooms and cyanobacteria; and community resilience in the face of natural disasters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now in its fourth year, the program known as CCRG leverages support from the William R. Kenan Jr. Institute for Engineering, Technology and Science (KIETS)<\/a> at North Carolina State University with funding from North Carolina Sea Grant and North Carolina\u2019s Water Resources Research Institute<\/a> (WRRI).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Each project is required to take a collaborative research approach that couples local knowledge from the community with expertise of academic partners. This combination encourages creative problem-solving related to coastal and water related challenges that N.C. communities face.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe are excited to continue to bring together new sets of researchers and community partners,\u201d says Susan White, executive director for Sea Grant and WRRI.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Raj Narayan, KIETS\u2019 associate director, adds that the new projects reflect innovative and impactful partnerships similar to successful leveraging through the CCRG program in recent years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe projects selected for CCRG support in 2019 continue to connect and bring together experts from higher education institutions, local community stakeholders, businesses, nonprofits and government organizations to work collaboratively for the benefit of North Carolina.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With the addition of WRRI, the CCRG program is now statewide. The new projects and their respective partners include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"New<\/a>
New research is testing two methods to improve constructed wetland efficiency. Photo: Michael Burchell<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Improving Wetland Treatment<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Michael Burchell and Brock Kamrath of North Carolina State University; Fred Summers of North Carolina Rural Water Association; with Kim Greenwood and Bobby Sisk of the Town of Walnut Cove.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The research team working on \u201cDetritus Removal and Enhanced Aeration to Improve Water Quality Treatment and Extend the Useful Life of Constructed Wetlands in North Carolina\u201d seeks to improve constructed wetlands used for wastewater treatment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThere is adequate guidance about how to build them, but almost none about how to restart wetlands after they get older so they can continue to provide efficient treatment of wastewater,\u201d says Michael Burchell, an engineer at NC State.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Over time, levels of plant biomass increase in wetlands. As that biomass begins to break down, the total nitrogen in the water increases. Building off ongoing work from a WRRI grant, and an earlier Sea Grant project, the current study is testing two methods to improve constructed wetland efficiency and limit the causes and effects of increased nitrogen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIf our techniques are successful, not only will the town benefit, but the work also has enormous implications for our ability to educate wastewater treatment operators in North Carolina and outside of our state about how to keep constructed wetlands performing efficiently,\u201d Burchell says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe have cleaned out an entire wetland cell \u2014 and our preliminary water quality measurements indicate that the water coming out of the rehabilitated wetland cell is much cleaner.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Scientists<\/a>
Scientists are exploring whether cyanotoxins accumulate within common fish and blue crab in the Chowan River- and if consumers face any risk of exposure. Photo: Astrid Schmetzer<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Transferring of Toxins<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Astrid Schnetzer of North Carolina State University; Charlton Godwin and Jill Paxson of the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality; Gloria Putnam of North Carolina Sea Grant; with Colleen Karl of Chowan Edenton Environmental Group.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Harmful algal blooms, such as those caused by cyanobacteria and the toxins they produce, in water systems are a growing threat for local communities, government agencies and public utilities. This year, the N.C. Department of Environmental Quality has already issued multiple warnings for the public and pets to avoid blooms in northeast North Carolina, including in the Albemarle Sound and Chowan River.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When present, algal blooms may affect drinking water, tourism and wildlife suitability. Of particular concern is their impact when ingested by humans through seafood.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cCyanotoxins can be passed through the food web and affect humans who consume contaminated fish or crab,\u201d explains Astrid Schnetzer, marine ecologist at NC State University.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis project will allow a thorough examination on whether cyanotoxins are accumulated within common fish and blue crab in the Chowan River and, by that, show if there is a risk of toxin exposure for consumers,\u201d Schnetzer says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The study, called \u201cFood Web Transfer of Cyanobacterial Toxins in the Chowan River and Western Albemarle Sound,\u201d will provide a baseline for potential food web impacts from cyanotoxins. \u201cThe aim is to provide information that can help establish if monitoring of certain animal species is needed, and if so, what type of toxins need to be considered,\u201d Schnetzer adds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Chowan Edenton Environmental Group has been active in community science projects in the region, including regarding the blooms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Colleen<\/a>
Colleen Karl, of the Chowan Edenton Environmental Group, says her community has many questions about the resurgence of blue-green algal blooms. Courtesy of Colleen Karl.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Understanding Algal Blooms<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Nathan Hall of University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; Colleen Karl of Chowan Edenton Environmental Group; the Albemarle- Pamlico National Estuary Program; with the Town of Edenton.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOur community has many questions about the resurgence of blue-green algal blooms in the Chowan River,\u201d says Colleen Karl, of the Chowan Edenton Environmental Group. She is part of a team working on \u201cUsing Citizen Science to Understand Nutrient Limitation of Algal Blooms on the Chowan River: Filling Critical Data Gaps and Promoting Community Engagement\u201d to respond to these concerns. Already this year, state officials have issued warnings to avoid contact with algal blooms in northeast North Carolina.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The new project aims to determine the nutrient status in Edenton Bay of cyanobacteria blooms, which can degrade waters for wildlife, recreation and tourism.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The collaborators also hope to engage and educate the local community about the effects of eutrophication in their own lives. \u201cWe are excited to share this work with our community to spark more enthusiasm for doing science in our backyard,\u201d Karl adds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The team plans to launch a website to coordinate a citizen-science effort. That effort will include examination of a series of microscopic images of cyanobacteria in order to understand the role of nitrogen fixation in promoting cyanobacteria blooms in ecosystems where nitrogen is limited.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The partners for this project and a second group of CCRG collaborators provided a combined outreach event in Edenton in August to share preliminary results with community members and local leaders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Determining Community Networks<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Lisa Campbell and Liz DeMattia of Duke University; Karen Willis Amspacher of Core Sound Waterfowl Museum and Heritage Center; with Rett Newton of the Town of Beaufort.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"After<\/a>
After Florence’s impact, “Connecting for Resilience” explores how communities mobilize by using social networks. Photo: Lance Cheung\/USDA<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Hurricane Florence, which hit North Carolina in September 2018, illustrated the importance of community efforts before, during and after a storm. Preparedness in each of these three phases is critical to long-term community resilience, particularly in small, rural communities like those found in eastern Carteret County.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The \u201cConnecting for Resilience: Understanding Community Networks and Their Role in Disaster Preparedness and Response\u201d project aims to understand how communities mobilize in the face of disaster using social networks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWith a better understanding of the social networks that were most important to various groups within the community \u2014 before, during and after Hurricane Florence \u2014 we can work with communities and elected officials to plan for future events,\u201d says Duke University\u2019s Lisa Campbell.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Researchers, including the community partners, are analyzing diverse organizations that serve varied needs. The goal is to see how they are connected to, and cooperate with, other organizations, individuals and groups.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis collaborative project gives us a chance to mobilize academic research in direct service of the communities of eastern Carteret County,\u201d Campbell says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Assessing the Damage<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Barbara Garrity-Blake of Duke University; Susan West of Hatteras Island; with Sara Mirabilio and Scott Baker of North Carolina Sea Grant.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Researchers<\/a>
Researchers are conducting a much needed inventory of fish houses to see if the level of domestic seafood-packing capacity in N.C. has changed after Florence and Michael. Photo: Barbara Garrity-Blake<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

An active 2018 hurricane season took its toll on coastal North Carolina, causing an estimated $17 billion in damage to the seafood industry, with many of the impacts still unknown. The team collaborating on \u201cIn the Wake of the Storms: Working Waterfronts and Access in Coastal North Carolina\u201d is working to determine the damage to North Carolina\u2019s working waterfront and public access sites.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cGiven the devastation wrought by Hurricanes Florence and Michael, we will consider how an industry already grappling with chronic pressures responds to acute events,\u201d says Barbara Garrity- Blake, a cultural anthropologist at the Duke University Marine Lab.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Already facing long-term challenges \u2014 such as competition from imported seafood, changes in access to resources and a loss of working waterfronts \u2014 coastal communities have added rebuilding their way of life. As part of the damage assessment of these storms, \u201cOur team will build on previous inventories of water-dependent fish houses to see if the level of domestic seafood-packing capacity in the state has changed,\u201d Garrity-Blake says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Preliminary results show that fish house owners and fishermen closely monitor official storm forecasts and also rely on local knowledge and experience to anticipate impacts, explains Susan West of Hatteras Island, who is part of the survey team. \u201cThey also understand how a subtle shift in direction or speed can dramatically alter the impact. \u2018Prepare for the worst, pray for the best\u2019 was something we heard,\u201d West notes, citing written storm preparations lists developed by some businesses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Initial results \u2014 including impacts to the fishing fleets, ecosystem changes, and damage to docks and processing facilities \u2014 are on the agenda for Day at the Docks on Hatteras Island in September.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

from the Autumn 2019 issue of <\/a><\/strong>Coastwatch<\/a>. <\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n