Consortium for Oil Spill Exposure Pathways in Coastal River-Dominated Ecosystems (CONCORDE)

Dr. William 'Monty' Graham at the University of Southern Mississippi was awarded an RFP-IV grant at $12,190,200 to conduct the RFP-IV project titled, 'Consortium for Oil Spill Exposure Pathways in Coastal River-Dominated Ecosystems (CONCORDE)'. The project consisted of 6 other institutions (Mississippi State University, Naval Research Laboratory at Stennis Space Center, Old Dominion University, Oregon State University, Rutgers University, University of South Alabama); 2 principal investigators(PI) - (William 'Monty' Graham served as PI from Jan 2015 thu Sept 2018 and Jerry Wiggert, formerly a Co-PI, served as PI from Oct 2018 thru June 2020), 17 Co-PIs (Jeffrey 'Jeff' Book, Mustafa 'Kemal' Cambazoglu, Ian Church, Robert (Bob) Cowen, Brian Dzwonkowski , Patrick Fitzpatrick, William 'Monty' Graham, Adam Greer, Frank Hernandez, Eileen Hofmann, Stephan Howden, Gregg Jacobs, James 'Jim' Moum, Oscar Schofield, Alan Shiller, Robert 'Bob' Arnone, Alan Weidemann, Jerry Wiggert); and several research technicians and administration personnel. The consortium also brought in 17 Post-doctoral researchers (Hannah Box, Christian Briseño-Avena, M. Kemal Cambazoglu (moved to co-PI during project), Lucho Chiaverano, Alison Deary, Adam Greer (moved to co-PI during project), Brooke Jones, Sandeep Kuttan, Jessica Luo, Travis Miles, Chudong Pan, Sabrina Parra, Kelly Robinson, Virginie Sanial, Inia Soto Ramos, Sally Warner); 5 PhD-level students (Adam Boyette, Steve Dykstra, Peng Ho , Jessica Luo, Stephan O'Brien); 7 master's-level students (Courtney Bouchard, Amy Moody, Kelia Axler, Laura Hode, Angie Hoover, Lauren Quas, Maxwell Williamson); and 4 undergraduate students (Meghan Angelina, Katie Homa, Angie Hoover, Casey O'Hara). The legacy of this early career scientist group is discussed in more detail below. The consortium also had an active outreach pillar that was led by Dr. Jessie Kastler. Her group's outreach to instructors, fisher community and citizen science groups in the Gulf Coast region is an Madditional lasting impact of CONCORDE. A comprehensive summary of the outreach group's activity is provided. Quantifying toxicant exposure from the Oil and Dispersant System (ODS, the chemically or naturally created microscopic droplets of oil and any associated chemical dispersant) is one of the critical goals of oil spill recovery efforts, both in terms of long- term environmental restoration and mandated damage assessment. Following Deepwater Horizon (DWH), scientific efforts were focused on understanding deep sub-surface modes of ODS transport and chemical change as it related to organism exposure. Ironically, little understanding of sub-surface exposure exists for the more productive nearshore and coastal environments. The University of Southern Mississippi proposes the CONsortium for oil spill exposure pathways in COastal River- Dominated Ecosystems (CONCORDE) to expressly address how complex fine-scale structure and processes in coastal waters dominated by pulsed-river plumes control the exposure, impacts, and ecosystem recovery from offshore spills like the Deepwater Horizon release of 2010. Research Activities and Impacts: CONCORDE will characterize complex circulation and its relevance for toxin exposure movement using a combination of remotely-sensed and field-collected oceanographic data around three major campaigns. The first of these will be an intensive unmanned surface and sub-surface vehicles effort (a.k.a. 'Gilderpalooza') in July 2015. The other efforts will incorporate ship-based plankton imaging and mooring deployment cruises in Fall 2015 and Summer 2016. These data will be assimilated into an operational ocean 3-D circulation model that informs biological sampling, adaptive physical and chemical measurements, and the synthetic model. We will characterize the distribution patterns of planktonic organisms at scales of centimeters to meters using a state-of-the-art plankton imaging system. These data will be superimposed on the 3-D hydrodynamic model to forge an understanding of how plankton are forced by coastal physics in a way that makes them potentially vulnerable to ODS toxin exposure. The integration and synthesis of CONCORDE research will advance the understanding of how coastal marine ecosystems respond to, and recover from, large-magnitude oiling events. The combined use of field and modeling approaches will enable CONCORDE to answer questions relevant to other river-dominated ecosystems outside the Gulf of Mexico. Societal Impacts: Following the DWH oil spill, public trust in science was gravely damaged. Members of the public were frustrated by the lack of clear information needed to respond to the oil spill and predict its results on human and ecosystem health. In a comprehensive Education and Outreach Program, CONCORDE will utilize its scientists and research activities to 1) engage specific public audiences (teachers and culturally diverse fishers) in conducting and sharing the results of scientific inquiry; 2) communicate research results to the broader public audience via community meetings and website and public presentations; and 3) assess the level of trust in science among members of the public and the degree of success of this project in improving trust. Five targeted activities will allow CONCORDE to maximize its societal impact. These include Teacher Training/Educational Resource Development; Cultural Connections to Vietnamese, African-American, and Croat and Canary Island (Isleños) Immigrant Communities; Citizen Science; Community Outreach; and Public Dissemination of Science. The impact of CONCORDE in rebuilding trust in the Northern Gulf communities will be rigorously evaluated by trained Education and Outreach Program Specialists. Research Highlights Dr. Wiggert's research (with credit also to Dr. Monty Graham) included 187 outreach products and activities, resulted in 32 peer-reviewed publications and 166 scientific conference presentationss to date and 155 datasets submitted to the GoMRI Information and Data Cooperative (GRIIDC), which are available to the public. Significant outcomes of their research (all related to GoMRI Research Themes 1 and 3) are highlighted below. Plankton Group Summary: A total of 40 TB of ISIIS data and 559 zooplankton samples were collected and processed during CONCORDE, leading to a total 33 datasets submitted to GRIID-C. Analysis of data obtained resulted in 34 presentations at scientific conferences, 6 scientific articles, and the graduation of 4 master students. Research highlights from published research: Organism associations in the plankton. This research studied hundreds of lobster phyllosoma (larvae) using ISIIS images and found that 30% of phyllosoma were attached to at least one gelatinous organism, with a higher probability of association correlated with increased salinity and distance from shore. As phyllosoma get further from shore, gelatinous zooplankton tended to be more abundant, so a gelatinous 'host' may provide a steady food supply in the more oligotrophic waters offshore. This study highlights the complexity of interactions among different zooplankton and larvae, and similar interactions may influence the life histories of other species, hindering our ability to forecast ecosystem level processes until the population level consequences of species interactions are fully understood. Ecology and behaviour of holoplanktonic scyphomedusae and their interactions with larval and juvenile fishes in the northern Gulf of Mexico. This study highlighted the patch characteristics of Pelagia noctiluca (a venomous scyphomedusa) medusae in relation to fine-scale biological and physical variables on the nGOM shelf. We found that sharp changes in salinity were associated with Pelagia aggregations, and these patches were negatively correlated with several zooplankton taxa, indicating that Pelagia can potentially have a top-down impact on zooplankton abundances. In addition, larval and juvenile fishes between 0.6 and 2.0 cm aggregated underneath the bell of some Pelagia medusae during the daytime only, even within hypoxic waters. In-situ observations of novel reproductive strategies in fish. ISIIS sampling captured previously unobserved evidence of larval fish inside of a gelatinous matrix. This is the first field observation of its kind (this matrix would have been destroyed with net- based sampling). This unique life history strategy could effectively reduce mortality of the earliest life stages while they advect through the predation-risky areas of the northern Gulf of Mexico (nGOM) shelf. Functioning of Coastal River-Dominated Ecosystems and Implications for oil spill response. CONCORDE field and modeling efforts in 2015–2016 focused on defining the influence of freshwater input from river plumes in the nGOM. In situ observations, combined with field-deployed and simulated drifters, show considerable variability in the spatial extent of freshwater influence that is related to wind direction and strength. Increased primary production and particle abundance (a proxy for secondary production) was observed during the spring when nGOM shelf waters were becoming stratified. Zooplankton and marine snow displayed intense vertical and horizontal patchiness during all seasons, often aggregating near the halocline. Simulations of a neutrally buoyant tracer released offshore of the Mississippi Bight showed surface advection of low tracer concentrations onto the inner shelf under high river discharge, high stratification, and variable wind conditions compared to almost no advection onto the inner shelf under low discharge, negligible stratification, and generally northeasterly winds. The interconnectedness of environmental variables and biological activity indicate that multiple factors can affect the transport of oil and the resulting ecological impacts. Trophic interactions around a phytoplankton thin layer. This work highlights that similarly-sized mesozooplankton distribute differently under a strong physical convergence that drove the formation of the layer, and that surface converge and shear were likely responsible for generating the layer. Convergent features are quite common in the western Mississippi Bight, so thin layer generation could be a regular occurrence, important to the biology in this region. Effects of freshwater diversion via the Bonnie Carré Spillway (BCS) on local shelf circulation, planktonic distributions, and potential contaminant transport pathways in the Mississippi Bight. This study revealed that the BCS waters remain within the estuarine lakes and sounds, where winter wind patterns mixed the waters and prevented BCS waters from flowing onto the shelf. These results highlight that the 2016 wintertime BCS opening resulted in muted effects on the sounds and shelf because of its short duration and uncharacteristically early release. Research highlights from ongoing research Seasonal stratification in coastal waters of the central northern Gulf of Mexico (GoM) plays a critical role in the distribution and abundance of mesozooplankton by generating a mosaic of different environments and habitats for different taxa to utilize. Habitat partitioning in the gelatinous zooplankton community during the stratified seasons (summer and spring) is remarkable, and spatial overlap among different taxa is low, suggesting avoidance of competition for resources. These patterns contrast with the ones observed in well-mixed conditions. In addition, diversity (total number of taxa) in the gelatinous zooplankton community during spring and summer (stratified conditions) is higher than that in the fall (well-mixed conditions). These results highlight the critical role the physical structure of the water column can play not only in the distribution of and habitat use of plankton, but also in plankton diversity. This unprecedented dataset can also help in assessing potential exposure rates of plankton to oil and other pollutants. In coastal areas of the central northern GoM where seasonal stratification leads to bottom water hypoxia (Mississippi Bight), the relation between gelatinous zooplankton and hypoxia is taxon-dependent. While some taxa occupy different habitats within normoxic waters, others are found exclusively within hypoxic waters, suggesting adaptation to low-oxygen conditions. These unprecedented findings emphasize the need for high resolution sampling to a better understanding of ecosystem-wide impacts of hypoxia in the nGoM shelf. In-situ imaging systems can also provide uprecedented, detailed information on species interactions. Ongoing research highlights the potential use of in-situ imagery (ISIIS data) in the study of ecological interactions (e.g., parasitism, predation, commensalism, etc) within the plankton. Taxon-specific, high-resolution distribution and abundance of larval fish in the GoM shelf during different seasons. This study provides an unprecedented understanding of the role of oceanographic structure in driving distribution and abundance of fish larvae. Observation Group Summary: The guiding question addressed by the CONCORDE team was: How do the complex fine- scale biological, chemical and physical structure and processes in coastal waters dominated by pulsed-river plumes control the exposure, impacts and ecosystem recovery from offshore spills like the Deepwater Horizon release of 2010? The three objectives of the program to address this question were: 1) Characterize the distribution of planktonic organisms at relevant spatial and temporal scales as forced by the complex nearshore physical environment and generating the setting for sub-surface ODS exposure. 2) Characterize the complex 4-D physical, geochemical, and bio-optical fields influenced by pulsed river discharge to understand potential 3-D pathways of ODS to the coast and mechanisms for enhanced interactions of ODS with plankton and suspended sediment. This will determine fate and toxic exposure, and be used to inform synthetic biophysical-ecotoxicological models. 3) Generate a synthetic model that incorporates fine-scale 4-D biophysical processes within an ecotoxicological framework to guide exposure sampling reflective of DWH, yet will be portable to future spills impacting similar river-dominated coastal ecosystems. The Observations Group, working with the Plankton and Modeling Groups, led a number of studies that addressed these objectives and the guiding question. The direct riverine input into the Mississippi Bight is substantial and on average sums to approximately 44% of the Mississippi River discharge (Dzwonkowski et al., 2018*), which impacts stratification, hypoxia and the distribution of phytoplankton and zooplankton (Greer et al., 2019*) and hence can affect exposure to toxins that are transported on and settle within different density surfaces. Parra et al., 2019* showed that diel migration of zooplankton on the shelf in the Mississippi Bight changes on daily to seasonally timescales in response to various forcing factors, and this would be associated with changing exposures in the presence of toxins in the water column. One of the motivating questions of CONCORDE was why, despite the large freshwater discharge, oil and oil-dispersant mix was transported into the Mississippi Sound and oiled the Mississippi coastal beaches. Cambazoglu et al., 2020* documented a dramatic example of transport from the shelf into the sound, and inhibition of offshore riverine freshwater transport, due to sustained wind forcing from the east-southeast that lead to elevated sea level that persisted until the remnants of a tropical storm flushed the water offshore. Dzwonkowski et al., 2017* examined the effects of the subsequent offshore flushing on the shelf and showed that such an event occurring during the low-flow season with vertical mixed shelf waters, created a low-salinity, higher nutrient layer near the surface where enhanced phytoplankton and zooplankton was found. Although the Mississippi River plume can under be driven to the east (e.g., Walker 2003), Sanial et al., 2020* determined that Mississippi River water discharged from the mouth of the river only provides a small fraction of the freshwater east of the delta - at least when the Bonnet Carré Spillway that diverts Mississippi River floodwaters into Lake Pontchartrain and then into the Mississippi Sound, is not opened. An entirely new result was that a significant amount of freshwater input in the Mississippi Bight is due to submarine groundwater discharge (SGD), which impacts the biogeochemistry of the ecosystem (Ho et al., 2019*). These results indicate that to fully understand the functioning of the marine ecosystem in the western Mississippi Bight it is imperative to know the extent of SGD, and its associated effects on stratification and biogeochemistry. During the CONCORDE period of performance, the Bonnet Carré spillway was opened 5 times: 2016, 2018, twice in 2019 and 2020. Jones and Arnone, 2018*, Parra et al., 2020* examined the effects of some of these openings on the MSS and MSB. The effects of freshwater diversions on local shelf circulation, planktonic distributions, and potential contaminant transport pathways was examined in Parra et al., 2020*, wherein it was shown that the early January 2016 opening resulted in much different effects on the MSS than those that occur later in the year. Sustained harmful algal blooms are uncommon in the western Mississippi Bight and Karenia Brevis blooms, when they occur, are advected from the Florida panhandle. Soto et al., 2017* implicated high river discharge, with associated nutrient loading, in the enhanced persistence and extent of a Karenia Brevis bloom in the Mississipi Sound in 2015 that was advected westward from the Florida panhandle, relative to a similar event in 2007. In this case river input enhanced a toxic phytoplankton bloom in the Mississippi Sound originating offshore, rather than protecting it from contamination. Model Group Summary: The atmospheric forcing fields for the CONCORDE model derive from a meteorological reanalysis carried out by the modeling group. The development of this atmospheric reanalysis product leveraged a number of two-dimensional meteorological, oceanographic and remote sensing data products. A key aspect of these surface forcing conditions consists of having a high-fidelity vector wind field that accurately represents direction, magnitude and diel variability. Assessment of these 2-D wind fields is being carried out with meteorological observations from in place infrastructure throughout the coastal Mississippi region. To address a gap in the available observational assets, CONCORDE installed a weather station on a NAVAID buoy northwest of Ship Island (30.23° N, -88.98° W) on 21 October, just prior to the consortium's fall field campaign. Upon completing the CONCORDE model implementation, our validation effort proceeded to draw from the wealth of observational data gathered by the consortium members. These data include physical drifters, glider and ship-based CTD measurements, and moored time series. Model drifter and dye release experiments were initiated to to identify ODS propagation pathways between the MS Bight and the estuarine waters of MS Sound and Mobile Bay. The focal point for these experiments is the TS Patricia impact period and the spring cruise studies of the Mobile Bay plume, in support of the current analyses of the CONCORDE team. Comparison of synthesis model physical fields under two surface forcing products have been performed. The two forcing products are the 10 km North American Regional Reanalysis (NARR) and the 1 km CMA, where the latter resolves diurnal sea breeze forcing. Analysis of these two solutions to assess impact on estuarine exchange dynamics was initiated. Comparison of the physical and biogeochemical fields for model experiments where lower resolution atmospheric forcing (N. American Regional Reanalysis (NARR)) is applied vs. when CMA forcing is applied, reveal the importance of resolving the diurnal sea breeze for accurately capturing estuarine – inner shelf exchanges. This has significant implications to the seasonal evolution of planktonic species in the CONCORDE domain. Once the circulation component of the CONCORDE model system was well-established the model group then proceeded to setup initial implementation of the sediment transport component of the model in collaboration w/ Travis Miles (Rutgers co-PI). WaveWatch III forcing field was being applied to realistically represent sediment resuspension dynamics in the shallow water areas of the CONCORDE model domain (i.e., MS Sound). The initial conditions for sediment model were developed utilizing the United States Geological Survey (USGS) usSEABED database. Model runs were conducted with and without the presence of waves to identify the effects of the waves on sediment resuspension along the western corridor during the first week of April 2016. This period (04/01 to 04/05) corresponded to a resuspension event observed by the Scanfish and In Situ Ichtyoplankton Imaging System along the western sampling corridor during the Spring cruise. High-resolution (1-hourly) model output for the three main CONCORDE field campaigns (fall 2015, spring 2016, summer 2016 field campaign periods), as well as the supplemental Bonnet Carré Spillway cruise (January 2016), were generated and shared with the CONCORDE members in early 2017. These highly resolved circulation fields proved to be crucial for providing environmental context for the analysis of the in situ biogeochemical and planktonic observations. The high-resolution model solutions, forced by unfiltered, 24-hr filtered and 36-hr filtered CMA, were analyzed to identify how these different wind forcing conditions influence exchange fluxes through the inlets of Mississippi Sound. These experiments reveal the impact of the diurnal sea-breeze on material exchange through these inlets. We found that elimination of the coastal diurnally reversing coastal sea breeze was a critical element, as the low passed filtered CMA forced model solutions are largely identical to the model solutions obtained when the much coarser NARR wind forcing was applied. Dye release numerical studies of 3-month duration were conducted with the CONCORDE model for the Spring and Summer 2016 field campaign periods. The initial impetus for these experiments was to develop context for the flushing time of bottom waters in support of the analysis of SGD observations obtained by the consortium team. Further analysis by the model group has revealed that elevated flushing times of bottom waters in the model simulations align with hypoxia hotspots revealed in pre- CONCORDE bottom dissolved oxygen observations. Further pursuit of these flushing time results has revealed a contrast between full CMA and low-passed CMA (i.e., removal of diurnal sea breeze forcing) that is providing critical new understanding of how wind forcing affects bottom hypoxia onset and persistence. We are currently examining variance in the near inertial band in the model currents along the inner shelf to flesh out details of the physical controlling mechanisms for these hypoxia hotspots. With the more frequent occurrence of river diversion responses by the US Army Corp to reduce flooding hazard of populated areas along the northern Gulf Coast, the western Mississippi Sound marine ecosystem has been subject to more frequent and longer-term ecological stress scenarios. To position our modeling system as a responsive tool for providing guidance to State and regional resource management entities, we are now aggressively moving our modeling capacity to be near real time short-term forecast capable. This has entailed adopting the High-Resolution Rapid Refresh (HRRR) atmospheric model product produced by NOAA-ESRL as a long-term alternative to our CMA product, which is inherently only applicable as a high quality hindcast implementation. HRRR is based on the WRF (Weather Research and Forecasting) model, which is also built in to the COAWST modeling framework that we employ. To fully understand and document how WRF-based meteorological forcing compares to the CMA forcing we relied on for the CONCORDE project, we are preforming a set of twin experiments in the Spring 2016 time frame for which we have all options available for a wind forcing comparison (i.e., CMA, HRRR and direct forcing of our COAWST based model system). The particular focus is to assess how well the diurnal sea breeze is captured in the WRF-driven simulations. Outreach Group Summary: CONCORDE Outreach addressed the issue of public trust in science. In addition to presentations to general audiences and internet presence, it targeted two specific audiences, members of the commercial fishing and science teaching communities. All outreach activities were based at the USM Marine Education Center in Ocean Springs, MS, and included excursions to Stennis Space Center and the Port of Gulfport. Targeted Outreach to the Multi-Ethnic Commercial Fishing Community Two community recruitment meetings were held March 2016 in Chalmette, LA and Biloxi, MS in association with the Mississippi Coalition of Vietnamese American Fisher Folks and Families (MSCVAFF), Mississippi State University Extension, and the Louisiana Shrimpers Association of South Louisiana. About half were non-English speaking Vietnamese immigrants. Between March 2016 and April 2017 four training sessions were conducted in English with Vietnamese interpretation. They included explanation of CTD data and its use in CONCORDE, and instruction in use of the YSI CastAway and YSI ProDSS II instruments used by citizen scientists. About 50 fisher folks representing Mississippi and Louisiana fishing communities attended at least one training session. In addition to formal training sessions, educators visited individual fishers dockside to transfer the CTD, provide additional training and collect data sheets. Between October 2016 and October 2017 ten fisher folks collected 63 usable CTD casts (167 casts total) during commercial fishing trips. Many others used water quality kits to collect data for demonstration purposes. A CONCORDE early career scientist showed citizen scientists how their data were used to check performance of project research models. Data that met quality control standards were submitted to GRIIDC as a citizen science dataset. CONCORDE's work with the commercial fisher folks transitioned into Building Bridges to Fishing Communities, a NAS Capacity Building Grant to the MSCVAFF and USM. This project engaged fisher folks in an oyster reef monitoring project. CONCORDE scientist participation in the first Building Bridges community meeting provided continuity from one project to the next. A social scientist conducted evaluation of fishing community outreach through interviews and focus groups with participants. She completed 25 interviews with 18 fishermen, with Vietnamese interpretation as needed. Large improvements in participant trust in science resulted from relationships that developed among fishers and scientists, and transparency in data collection and interpretation. Continued interaction between researchers and fishermen could build trust. Targeted Outreach to Science Teachers A total of 55 teachers were engaged in professional development including four workshops designed around disseminating oil spill research and the nature of science. Dozens of CONCORDE researchers developed and completed laboratory, field or classroom interactions. The AUV Jubilee Teacher Workshop was planned in conjunction with the 2015 collaborative data collection event coordinated by CONCORDE. Ten science teachers from five states were selected to participate July 13th-17th, 2015. Interactions centered on Ocean Weather Lab daily briefings of the Gulf of Mexico glider sampling experience, but also included lectures, equipment demonstrations, laboratory simulations and a full day research cruise aboard the R/V Point Sur. Three additional workshops were held in 2016 and 2020 in collaboration with Mississippi-Alabama Sea grant Consortium to refine and share curriculum developed by teachers in Year 1's AUV Jubilee workshop. Outreach extended beyond these workshops to include four hour-long presentations made to ~200 educators at meetings and two collaborative presentations with other GoMRI outreach coordinators. Two of the lessons developed through workshops are still being used beyond the classroom of individual teachers who made them. Soto et al 2018 (see publications) was published in an educator practitioner journal. Another is frequently updated and foundational in teacher programs on the nature of science at the USM Marine Education Center. Finally, GoMRI sponsored a dedicated issue of Current, the Journal of the National Marine Educators that is available through the NMEA and on the GoMRI Synthesis webpage. General Outreach Outreach to the public centered on development of the project website con-corde.org. A primary feature of this site is the blog kept during each of the research cruise. Blogs were posted by project educators and early career scientists. Also, CONCORDE produced and facilitated the fifth anniversary seminar series, 'Deepwater Horizon: A Scientist's Perspective,' in collaboration with the University of Southern Mississippi Gulf Coast Research Laboratory. Project staff delivered four of six presentations in the four-seminar series, which reached approximately 200 adults. Throughout the project researchers and educators presented their work, technology and research vessel, and lessons to audiences in person and via news media. Specific events included World Ocean Day, the National Ocean Sciences Bowl and NOSB Regional Hurricane Bowl. Education staff made five presentation to scientists and two to research librarians to share results and strategies for building public trust. In addition, CONCORDE outreach staff co-chaired a session at the 2017 GoMOSES meeting centered on informing decision making and engaging stakeholders.