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Years

2022-Present

Location

Antioch, CA, USA

Funding Sources

Bay Delta Stewardship Council

To assess the public health risks posed by the inhalation of airborne cyanobacterial compounds, we are analyzing and comparing microcystin and anatoxin-a concentrations in PM10 and PM2.5 sampled at Discovery Bay and Stockton, two sites along the San Joaquin River - San Francisco Bay Delta. 

Addressing Cyanobacterial HABs as a Threat to Water and Air Quality in the San Francisco Bay Delta, CA

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This project is ongoing and results are preliminary.  

Research Objectives

Our Team

  1. Investigate and quantify in situ production of primary spray aerosol in the Bay Delta airshed during cyanobacterial HABs. 

    1. Quantify size-resolved concentrations of microcystin and anatoxin-a in PM10 and PM2.5 samples.

    2. Determine CHAB cell abundance and genotypes (DNA) in aerosol samples.

    3. Model the environmental drivers which influence CHAB occurrence and toxicity in PM10 and PM2.5. aerosols. 

  2. Assess the linkage of nutrient enrichment, phytoplankton community composition, toxin production, and aerosol formation in the Bay Delta. 

    1. Examine the impact of nutrient enrichment on CHAB aerosol mass concentration.

    2. Examine the impact of nutrient enrichment on CHAB growth dynamics and phytoplankton community structure in situ. 

    3. ​Evaluate the impact of nutrient additions on toxin production in situ.

This project, led by PhD student Haley Plaas and Hans Paerl, engages collaborators across 9 different research institutions, including UNC-Chapel Hill, UMiami, NC State, UC-Santa Cruz, the US Geological Survey, Restore the Delta, the California State Waterboard, the San Joaquin Air Pollution Control District, and Heart of the Valley Pediatric Cardiology. 

 

See the official listing for the proposal solicitation with other funded projects here: https://deltacouncil.ca.gov/delta-science-program/delta-science-proposal-solicitations. ​

Field Work Timeline

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