Uploads from usepagov, tagged ocean

Monitoring Water Quality from the OSV Bold

nobody@flickr.com (usepagov) — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 09:29:25 -0800

usepagov posted a photo:

In this photo, Dan Cooke from EPA's Region 2 dive team is videographing industrial discharge in St. Croix, USVI.

Region 2 more locally serves New Jersey, New York, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands and eight tribal nations: www.epa.gov/region2

Learn more about EPA's work onboard the Ocean Survey Vessel Bold: www.epa.gov/boldkids and www.epa.gov/osvbold

Photo by Charles Lobue, U.S. EPA

Curious Remora! Nassua, Bahamas

nobody@flickr.com (usepagov) — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 07:10:09 -0800

usepagov posted a photo:

This Remora (Remora brachyptera) was photographed in about 30 feet of water at Barracuda Reef off of Nassua, Bahamas.

One member of EPA New England's dive team was in warmer than usual waters for 'proficiency dives.'

In order to maintain a safe dive program, EPA divers are encouraged to dive frequently, as the saying goes, "practice makes perfect."

When you are constantly diving in cold North Atlantic water, it is a treat and an opportunity to improve your skills to dive when traveling somewhere with warm water. Tropical diving is very different than in New England, where most work dives are in less than 40 feet of water.

Many tropical dives are much deeper and thus provide an opportunity for the diver to practice different skills. Plus, it's always wise to bring a camera just in case you see something interesting, or of course, if something interesting sees you!

Photo by Phil Colarusso, U.S. EPA

Up close with an underwater cap, Wykoff Superfund Site, Puget Sound, Washington.

nobody@flickr.com (usepagov) — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 07:09:39 -0800

usepagov posted a photo:

EPA diver Brent Richmond installs 'solid phase microextraction devices' (SPMDs) at the Wyckoff Superfund Site on the east side of Bainbridge Island in Puget Sound.

Those devices will help to determine if the cap is still effective in containing the creosote contamination. Due to the potential for creosote contact, these divers were fully isolated and had to be decontaminated after each dive.

For more information about this cleanup site: yosemite.epa.gov/r10/cleanup.nsf/sites/wyckoff

Or to learn more about EPA's Pacific Northwest dive team visit: www.epa.gov/region10/dive

Photo by Sean Sheldrake, EPA.

Diver Decon, Portland Harbor Superfund Site, Oregon

nobody@flickr.com (usepagov) — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 07:09:37 -0800

usepagov posted a photo:

EPA diver Scott Grossman is decontaminated after taking samples at the Portland Harbor Superfund Site. Thorough rinsing and decon with clean water is an important step after diving in waters polluted with bacterial contamination, as is the Willamette River after rainfall.

For more information about EPA's Pacific Northwest Dive Team, visit: www.epa.gov/region10/dive

For more information about these dives, see:
www.epa.gov/region10/pdf/diveteam/McCormick_and_Baxter_20...

Photo by Bruce Duncan, U.S. EPA.

August 9, 2011 Zooplankton!

nobody@flickr.com (usepagov) — Tue, 09 Aug 2011 19:07:58 -0700

usepagov posted a photo:

Tiny zooplankton caught in the 500 micrometer mesh cod end of the plankton net. Will be identified in the lab using a microscope.

These were collected in a 10 minute tow about 2 feet below the surface.

Photo by Eric Vance, U.S. EPA

Learn more @ www.epa.gov/boldkids

August 9, 2011 Comb jellies and tiny zooplankton!

nobody@flickr.com (usepagov) — Tue, 09 Aug 2011 19:06:51 -0700

usepagov posted a photo:

Photo by Eric Vance, U.S. EPA

Learn more @ www.epa.gov/boldkids

August 9, 2011 Comb jellies (ctenophores) are predators of larval fish

nobody@flickr.com (usepagov) — Tue, 09 Aug 2011 19:06:31 -0700

usepagov posted a photo:

The smaller orange dots are zooplankton, they could be copepods, amphipods, or krill. All are crustaceans that would stay this small their entire life.

The stripes on the jellies are ciliary combs, which they use to swim through the water.

Photo by Eric Vance, U.S. EPA

Learn more @ www.epa.gov/boldkids

August 8, 2011 Our micro catch!

nobody@flickr.com (usepagov) — Tue, 09 Aug 2011 19:08:12 -0700

usepagov posted a photo:

Photo by Eric Vance, U.S. EPA

Learn more @ www.epa.gov/boldkids

September 15, 2012 Father and son learn about marine debris at Anacostia River cleanup

nobody@flickr.com (usepagov) — Wed, 07 Nov 2012 14:40:57 -0800

usepagov posted a photo:

A man and his son read the EPA marine debris banners while passing through Anacostia Park in Washington, D.C. during the 2012 International Coastal Cleanup.

During the 2011 ICC Day, nearly 600,000 registered volunteers removed over 9 million pounds of trash from cleanup sites around the world. The top ten items found included cigarettes, caps/lids, plastic beverage bottles, plastic bags, and food wrappers/containers.

For more information about the 2011 ICC, please visit Ocean Conservancy's 2012 Data Release webpage

Photo by Gwen Bausmith, U.S. EPA

September 15, 2012 Trash collected at Anacosta River cleanup

nobody@flickr.com (usepagov) — Wed, 07 Nov 2012 14:41:02 -0800

usepagov posted a photo:

Bags of trash and other items started to pile up as volunteers combed the Anacostia River in Washington, D.C. as part of the 2012 International Coastal Cleanup on September 15, 2012.

On this day in 2011, nearly 600,000 International Coastal Cleanup volunteers cleaned up over 9 MILLION pounds of trash around the world.

More EPA information on this global event

Photo by Gwen Bausmith, U.S. EPA

Myoxocephalus Scorpius, more commonly known as the shorthorn sculpin! Folly Cove, Massachusetts

nobody@flickr.com (usepagov) — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 07:09:56 -0800

usepagov posted a photo:

This guy was photographed in about 20 feet in Folly Cove, Gloucester, Massachusetts also during a survey to monitor for invasive species.

EPA studies the ecological effects of the spread of invasive (non-native) species to our oceans. Due to the large amount of boat traffic in our coastal waters, our near shore cove areas are at particular risk. The New England dive team takes inventory and monitors several locations for native and non-native species to track changes.

Photo by Phil Colarusso, U.S. EPA

Portland Harbor, Oregon sediment sampling

nobody@flickr.com (usepagov) — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 07:09:36 -0800

usepagov posted a photo:

EPA divers deploy off the stern of an EPA vessel to take sediment core samples within the Portland Harbor Superfund Site.

Those bottom samples are analyzed in EPA certified labs to determine whether the area must be dredged, capped, or otherwise cleaned up.

For more information on these dives, see: www.epa.gov/region10/pdf/diveteam/terminal_4_2004.pdf

EPA Region Pacific Northwest Dive Team: www.epa.gov/region10/dive

Photo courtesy of the Port of Portland

Nassua Grouper spotted during a practice dive

nobody@flickr.com (usepagov) — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 07:09:45 -0800

usepagov posted a photo:

This Nassua Grouper (epinephelus striatus) was photographed in 30 feet of water at Barracuda Reef off of Nassua, Bahamas.

Particularly when diving is a part of your work, it's vital to your health and safety to practice regularly at home or when traveling!

Studying the bottom before the Elwha River dam removal

nobody@flickr.com (usepagov) — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 07:09:38 -0800

usepagov posted a photo:

EPA divers worked with the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) to study the bottom habitat (benthic conditions) at the mouth of the Elwha River before dam removal.

The removal of the Elwha River dams will affect marine habitats in the Strait of Juan de Fuca, from the flow and deposition of sediment that will have accumulated behind the dams for nearly 100 years.
That sediment can have a variety of effects on marine plants and animals including burial, inhibition of aquatic reproduction, light reduction, damage to animal gills and filter feeding structures, and alteration of species interactions with their different tolerances and responses to the sediment.
Elwha nearshore communities will continue to be surveyed during and after dam removal. Measuring community responses to short and long term changes in deposited and suspended sediments offers an unprecedented opportunity to gain insight relevant to managing these important marine resources.

For more information on these dives, see: www.epa.gov/region10/pdf/diveteam/elwha_surveys_1994_and_...
www.epa.gov/region10/videos/diveteam/elwha-river-dam-remo...

Photo by Rob Pedersen, U.S. EPA

American Lobster, Gloucester, Massachusetts

nobody@flickr.com (usepagov) — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 07:09:50 -0800

usepagov posted a photo:

This American Lobster (homarus americanus) was photographed in 15 feet of water in Plum Cove, Gloucester, Massachusetts during an eelgrass monitoring survey.

Too much nitrogen in our coastal waters is a major environmental challenge that EPA is currently studying. Nitrogen comes from both manmade and natural sources and too much or overenrichment in the marine environment can be harmful for marine life.

New England's dive team does a lot of work with eelgrass (zostera marina), because it is an excellent indicator of water quality. Just like fertilizers that help plants grow on land, nitrogen in the water can cause excessive plant growth, or eutrophication.

Due to its high sensitivity to changes in water clarity and nitrogen concentrations, eelgrass is an excellent indicator of environmental conditions.

By tracking changes in the eelgrass, we gain better knowledge about the needed changes in water quality.

"While out collecting this type of data, we always bring our underwater camera for possible photo opportunities such as this shy lobster." ~Phil Colarusso, U.S. EPA

Diving from the Ocean Survey Vessel Bold

nobody@flickr.com (usepagov) — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 07:09:35 -0800

usepagov posted a photo:

The OSV Bold is EPA's only ocean going research vessel. Around the country EPA scientists use the ship in a variety of ways to study the health of our coastal environment. During the OSV Bold's trip to the West Coast in 2008, EPA divers were able to help survey an ocean disposal site at the mouth of the Columbia River.

Using an underwater video camera, the bottom habitat was documented to determine whether the site was suitable for dredge spoil disposal, or if alternate sites might be recommended.

Photo by Holly Arrigoni, U.S. EPA.

Learn more about EPA's work from the Bold: www.epa.gov/boldkids and at www.epa.gov/osvbold

For more details about this dive, see: www.epa.gov/region10/pdf/diveteam/bold_2008.pdf

yosemite.epa.gov/r10/OEA.NSF/Investigations/Dive+Sediment...

For more information about the EPA Pacific Northwest Dive Team, visit: www.epa.gov/region10/dive

EPA Diver Maps Superfund Cap

nobody@flickr.com (usepagov) — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 07:09:35 -0800

usepagov posted a photo:

EPA Diver Rob Rau uses a towed GPS float to take geolocated pictures and map features on the ASARCO Superfund Site sediment cap.

That information can help determine areas that might require cap maintenance.

Photo by Bruce Duncan, U.S. EPA.

For more information about the EPA Pacific Northwest Dive Team, visit: www.epa.gov/region10/dive

Studying Coral Health in St. Thomas, USVI

nobody@flickr.com (usepagov) — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 13:42:48 -0800

usepagov posted a photo:

Coral reefs are among the world's richest ecosystems, second only to tropical rain forests in plant and animal diversity.

They are also extremely sensitive environments that have special temperature, salinity, light, oxygen, and nutrient needs. If environmental conditions shift or worsen from pollution or other disruption, the health of a coral reef ecosystem can suffer. EPA divers Becky Hemmer and Mel Parsons record observations on coral condition.

Learn more @ www.epa.gov/bioindicators/coral/index.html

These divers are from Region 2, where EPA more locally serves New Jersey, New York, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands and eight tribal nations. www.epa.gov/region2

Photo by Charles Lobue, U.S. EPA

Measuring Reef Structure in Puerto Rico

nobody@flickr.com (usepagov) — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 13:42:49 -0800

usepagov posted a photo:

Peggy Harris of EPA's Office of Research and Development dive team helps to survey coral reef conditions off the southern coast of Puerto Rico.

EPA studies coral reefs because they are great indicators of water quality and the overall health of coastal watersheds.

Learn more @ www.epa.gov/bioindicators/coral/index.html

EPA Region 2 more locally serves New Jersey, New York, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands and eight tribal nations. www.epa.gov/region2

Photo by Charles Lobue, U.S. EPA

August 9, 2011 Inside the Bold's engine room

nobody@flickr.com (usepagov) — Tue, 09 Aug 2011 19:09:02 -0700

usepagov posted a photo:

Photo by Eric Vance, U.S. EPA

Learn more about the type of ship the OSV Bold is @ www.epa.gov/boldkids/history.html