Nutrient and microbial dynamics in the Anacostia River, DC
Location
Gallaudet University - Multipurpose Room
Start Date
4-3-2024 4:30 PM
End Date
4-3-2024 5:00 PM
Description
The Anacostia River located in Washington, D.C is one of the most polluted rivers in the United States. To address environmental concerns, DC Water build a storage tunnel beneath the Anacostia River that opened in March 2018 to divert sewage and stormwater from entering the river. To evaluate the effectiveness of the tunnel and examine relationships between flow conditions, nutrient dynamics and microbial communities, samples for nitrogen concentrations were collected over the course of five years (2013-2017) prior and two years post (2018-2019) tunnel implementation. Previous work has shown that flow has an impact on nitrate (NO3- ) and ammonium (NH4+) concentrations and NH4+:NO3- ratios as well as presence of various phytoplankton taxa. We predicted that after tunnel implementation, nitrogen concentrations would decrease and alter NH4+:NO3- ratios and would result in different microbial communities. This study will aid the evaluation of the effectiveness of tunnel implementation by seeing whether there is any improvement in water quality as indicated by nitrogen levels and biodiversity of the bacterial and phytoplankton community.
Recommended Citation
Solomon, Caroline, "Nutrient and microbial dynamics in the Anacostia River, DC" (2024). Global Year of STEM Sign Language Summit. 23.
https://ida.gallaudet.edu/global_STEM_signlanguage/STEM_signlanguagesummit/day_3/23
Nutrient and microbial dynamics in the Anacostia River, DC
Gallaudet University - Multipurpose Room
The Anacostia River located in Washington, D.C is one of the most polluted rivers in the United States. To address environmental concerns, DC Water build a storage tunnel beneath the Anacostia River that opened in March 2018 to divert sewage and stormwater from entering the river. To evaluate the effectiveness of the tunnel and examine relationships between flow conditions, nutrient dynamics and microbial communities, samples for nitrogen concentrations were collected over the course of five years (2013-2017) prior and two years post (2018-2019) tunnel implementation. Previous work has shown that flow has an impact on nitrate (NO3- ) and ammonium (NH4+) concentrations and NH4+:NO3- ratios as well as presence of various phytoplankton taxa. We predicted that after tunnel implementation, nitrogen concentrations would decrease and alter NH4+:NO3- ratios and would result in different microbial communities. This study will aid the evaluation of the effectiveness of tunnel implementation by seeing whether there is any improvement in water quality as indicated by nitrogen levels and biodiversity of the bacterial and phytoplankton community.
