Research

Research Team

Publications

Courses

Links

Contact

Analytical Capabilities

home

Aquatic Ecology Research Projects

The Lower Cape Fear River Program

   Since 1995 our laboratory has regularly collected data on numerous physical, chemical and biological parameters at 35 locations (see map) throughout the Cape Fear River watershed (Lower Cape Fear River Program). Our data is sent to the North Carolina Division of Water Quality where it is entered into the EPA STORET national water quality database. Comprehensive reports are issued to interested parties annually. Current and recent research projects in this watershed include analysis of animal waste lagoon spills, effects of hurricanes and storms on water quality, factors controlling phytoplankton production in the estuary and tributary rivers, factors contributing to BOD loads in the Cape Fear watershed, and the effect of nutrient loading on the biota and metabolism of blackwater streams. In conjunction with the water quality sampling, benthos is analyzed by the UNCW Benthic Ecology Lab (Benthic Ecology Laboratory).

The Coastal Ocean Research and Monitoring Project

    In January 2000, several researchers from UNCW began a broad scale analysis of the coastal ocean adjacent to southeastern North Carolina, the South Atlantic Bight.  The South Atlantic Bight supports a variety of important resources and uses including hydrocarbons, hard minerals, fisheries, protected species, recreation, navigation and cultural resources.  Two major areas in the South Atlantic Bight are being studied including Onslow Bay and the Cape Fear River Plume.  Research involves water quality (Dr. Michael Mallin and Dr. Larry Cahoon), the benthos (Dr. Martin Posey), ichthyological assemblages (Dr. Tom Lankford), zooplankton and phytoplankton assemblages (Dr. Michael Mallin and Dr. Larry Cahoon), sediment analysis (Dr. Lynn Leonard and Dr. Nancy Grindlay), physical oceanography (Dr. Fred Bingham), water spectral characteristics (Dr. Mike Durako), and dissolved organic matter (Dr. Bill Cooper).  The project has since grown into a multi-university effort.

The City of Wilmington Watersheds Project

    In autumn 1997 we began a project assessing water quality in each of the City of Wilmington’s watersheds. Environmental Reports are published annually. This includes collecting baseline data on pollutants such as nutrients, fecal coliform bacteria, turbidity, and other parameters, analyzing effectiveness of large stormwater detention ponds and constructed wetlands, runoff from golf courses, and effect of loadings on adjacent waterways. Current efforts also include a comprehensive study of nutrients, BOD and algal blooms in Greenfield Lake, and an analysis of the pollutant removal capacity of the new Bethel Road wetland.   This project is funded by and designed in cooperation with the City of Wilmington Engineering Department and its Stormwater Services Program.

Assesing Fecal Bacteria Sources in the Wrightsville Beach Area

    Wrightsville Beach is a popular vacation and holiday destination for boaters, swimmers, surfers, and beach lovers. Periodic elevated fecal bacteria counts in some of the inland channels prompted the Town to contract with our laboratory to determine the sources of these bacteria. We are currently collecting samples for fecal coliform bacteria, Enterococcus, and optical brighteners, and are utilizing PCR based techniques to determine sources of animals (human, canine or ruminant). This study has recently been funded for a second year.

Ecology of the New River Estuary

    Our laboratory has an ongoing research project studying water quality, algal bloom formation, and nutrient limitation in the New River Estuary, North Carolina currently funded by the USMC at Camp Lejeune. We have published results of damage caused by a major swine waste spill to the New River and its estuary, and have also published results of nutrient limitation experiments in the estuary.Research on the New River Estuary has also been the subject of several presentations and posters at national water quality conferences. View Reports/Postings/News.

Water Quality of Caswell Beach

We are currently performing a study analyzing the pollutant load (fecal bacteria and nutrients) entering, within, and exiting a golf course and major residential area of this waterfront town. This work is being funded by the Town of Caswell Beach.

Assessment of Water Resources and Watershed Conditions in Six Inland Southeast National Parks

This study is being performed in collaboration with Dr. JoAnn Burkholder and the Center for Applied Aquatic Ecology of North Carolina State University. We are analyzing present and previous water quality and quantity conditions in the following parks: Moore's Creek in North Carolina, Congaree Park in South Carolina, Horseshoe Bend in Alabama, and Kennesaw Mountain, Ocmulgee, and Chattahoochee Parks in Georgia. This effort is being funded by the National Park Service, Southeast Coast Network.

The Assessment of the Coastal National Parks in the Southeastern U.S.

  The UNC Wilmington Aquatic Ecology Laboratory, in conjunction with Dr. Merryl Alber and associates at the University of Georgia Department of Marine Sciences, was funded by the National Park Service, Water Resources Division, to synthesize what is known about the water resources of National Parks along the Southeast coast.  These water resources are diverse, and include open marine and estuarine waters, marine, oligohaline, and freshwater wetlands, tidal creeks, perennial and temporary pools, and groundwater.  These parks are generally free of point source pollution and agricultural runoff, but nearby marine waters are affected by pollution from major nearby river systems (Cumberland Island, GA), or by local septic system contamination (Cape Hatteras National Seashore).  UNCW has completed reports on Cape Lookout National Seashore and Cape Hatteras National Seashore. These reports have been published by the Park Service and can be downloaded from their website (link to publication).

New Hanover County Tidal Creeks Project

    Between 1993 and 2007 we conducted research on bacterial pollution, algal blooms, effect of tides on water quality parameters, nutrient limitation of phytoplankton productivity, and nutrient loading in five tidal creeks in New Hanover County, with annual reports regularly published. A major accomplishment of this project was publication of a set of management recommendations for environmentally-sound coastal development practices.

Updated 8-8-2008