{"id":29598,"date":"2025-01-21T15:05:41","date_gmt":"2025-01-21T20:05:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ncseagrant.ncsu.edu\/coastwatch\/?p=29598"},"modified":"2025-01-21T15:22:18","modified_gmt":"2025-01-21T20:22:18","slug":"winter-2025-environmental-sentinels","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ncseagrant.ncsu.edu\/coastwatch\/winter-2025-environmental-sentinels\/","title":{"rendered":"Environmental Sentinels"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOur goal is to provide scientific data in context that can aid decision-making and dispel misinformation.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

University of North Carolina Wilmington\u2019s Stephen Skrabal and Brooks Avery are assessing metals and microplastic contamination in oyster reefs for a new North Carolina Sea Grant research project.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Beyond their economic impacts, oysters are important \u201cecosystem engineers,\u201d says Stephen Skrabal, from UNCW\u2019s Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry<\/a>. A single adult oyster, in fact, can filter up to 50 gallons of water a day, which improves water quality.<\/a> Clustered oysters create reefs that provide habitat and food for other marine organisms and act as natural breakwaters, attenuating wave energy to combat flooding and erosion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To Skrabal, oysters also serve as important \u201cenvironmental sentinels,\u201d reflecting the quality of their ecosystems. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Like other aquatic species, oysters are susceptible to contamination from runoff, pollution, and erosion. In turn, heavy metals and microplastics (\u201csmall plastic pieces less than five millimeters long\u201d<\/a>) can build up in oyster tissues, affecting oyster health and posing potential health hazards for consumers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBut seafood consumption advisories don\u2019t account for potential heavy metal or microplastic contamination,\u201d Skrabal says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

NOAA\u2019s National Mussel Watch Program<\/a> has been monitoring oysters and mussels for elevated levels of microplastics and metals for decades nationwide. However, Skrabal and Avery want to test these bivalves specifically in North Carolina, because the state is a hub for oyster harvesting and reef formation. In addition, increasing urbanization and marine activity in cities like Wilmington also increase the potential risk of contamination for oysters. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/a>
\u201cOysters can be good sources of copper,\u201d Skrabal says, \u201cbut the levels are elevated in marinas because of the anti-fouling paints.\u201d <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Prior research also suggests such contamination warrants a closer look in North Carolina. With regard to microplastics, for instance, a recent study by North Carolina Sea Grant and NC State University<\/a> found that the Neuse River Basin alone \u201cannually delivers an estimated 230 billion particles of plastic to the Pamlico Sound.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Skrabal and Avery are teaming up with Barbara Beckingham, an environmental geoscientist at the College of Charleston, to test for microplastic content in oysters. Beckingham, who has previously conducted research on microplastic concentrations in South Carolina oysters, will work with Skrabal and Avery to compare data between the two states, exploring the types of risks posed to oysters, their environments, and shellfish consumers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Their project also will sample oysters from commercial oyster farms to measure concentrations of metals like copper, zinc, and arsenic. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe presence of something alone doesn\u2019t make it inherently harmful,\u201d Skrabal says. \u201cOur goal is to provide scientific data in context that can aid decision-making and dispel misinformation.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A decade ago, Skrabal and Ralph Mead, an organic geochemist at UNCW, sampled oysters in New Hanover and Brunswick counties. Their research uncovered arsenic levels in these oysters that were among the highest in the country<\/a>, along with higher-than-average levels of copper and zinc, all of which can affect the health of consumers, as well as the oysters\u2019 surrounding environment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Skrabal emphasizes that humans and oysters alike need these trace metals in low concentrations for nutrients, but at high levels, they can present problems. For example, copper is an important mineral that supports regulated biological processes. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOysters can be good sources of copper,\u201d he says, \u201cbut the levels are elevated in marinas because of the anti-fouling paints.\u201d And increased copper levels can negatively affect organisms\u2019 growth, reproduction, and other functions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Skrabal and Avery\u2019s team began sampling oysters from growers in October at about 20 sites in tidal creeks, narrow channels that ocean tides shape. The particular tidal creeks that supply these sites also serve as an interface between urban areas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cInformation is power,\u201d Skrabal says. \u201cIt\u2019s a driving force behind our project.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

More<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s So Special About NC Oysters? Savoring the NC Oyster Trail<\/a>\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cShrinking Habitats: How Have Oyster Reefs Changed Over the Last Six Decades?<\/a>\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

NC Sea Grant\u2019s research funding<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Find numerous oyster recipes from North Carolina Sea Grant\u2019s award-winning Mariner\u2019s Menu<\/em><\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Carrie Clower is a contributing editor for Coastwatch<\/em> and a science communicator for North Carolina Sea Grant. She holds an M.A. in communication studies from The University of Alabama.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

FROM THE WINTER 2025 ISSUE<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u201cOur goal is to provide scientific data in context that can aid decision-making and dispel misinformation.\u201d University of North Carolina Wilmington\u2019s Stephen Skrabal and Brooks Avery are assessing metals and…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":63,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"ncst_custom_author":"Carrie Clower","ncst_show_custom_author":true,"ncst_dynamicHeaderBlockName":"ncst\/default-post-header","ncst_dynamicHeaderData":"{\"showAuthor\":true,\"showDate\":true,\"showFeaturedVideo\":false,\"subtitle\":\"Microplastics and Metals in Oysters<\/strong>\"}","ncst_content_audit_freq":"","ncst_content_audit_date":"","ncst_content_audit_display":false,"ncst_backToTopFlag":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_ncst_magazine_issue":[],"class_list":["post-29598","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"displayCategory":null,"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nEnvironmental Sentinels - 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