Solar and tidal modulations of fecal indicator bacteria in coastal waters at Huntington Beach, California.
The coastal waters at many beaches in California and the United States are afflicted with fecal pollution, which poses a health risk for people exposed to the water through recreational activities such as swimming, surfing, and diving. Identifying sources of pollution is complicated by oceanographic transport/mixing processes and the nonconservative behavior of microorganisms exposed to sunlight and hostile marine conditions. This article investigates the variation of fecal indicator bacteria (FIB) concentrations in the surf zone and the adjacent coastal marsh by applying autocorrelation and cross-correlation analyses that illustrate solar and tidal modulations. A steady state bioreactor model was developed to explain solar inactivation in the surf zone, whereas a dynamic model was applied to explain tidally influenced disturbances in the coastal marsh. These models applied to intensive monitoring datasets on FIB and environmental variables have provided insights into the biologic and physical processes controlling coastal water quality, specifically the influence of sunlight and tides on bacterial levels.
Ki
Seo Jin
SJ
Department of Environmental Science and Engineering, Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology, Gwangju, Korea.
Ensari
Semsi
S
Kim
Joon Ha
JH
D000818:Animals; D002140:California; D005243:Feces / Q000382:microbiology*; D019015:Geologic Sediments / Q000382:microbiology*; D006801:Humans; D009792:Oceans and Seas; D011157:Population Dynamics; D018570:Risk Assessment; D013472:Sunlight; D013997:Time Factors; D014871:Water Microbiology; D014872:Water Movements; D014873:Water Pollutants / Q000032:analysis*
D014873:Water Pollutants