ments will also be conducted to 

 monitor the effects of salinity func- 

 tions on growth rates. 

 — Ken Reckhow from Duke Univer- 

 sity's School of Forestry and Environ- 

 mental Studies will combine the 

 research models into an overall model 

 for the project. 



Project manager Dave Adams says 

 the drainage problem is complex, but a 

 start must be made towards a solution. 

 Adams, visiting associate professor 

 with NCSU's Department of Forestry 

 and University Studies, says that the 

 study's "tangible product will be a 

 report evaluating its progress toward a 

 predictive model that could be used for 

 resource decisions." The intangible 

 product, Adams explains, is the start 

 of a program and the training of a 

 group of scientists which can begin to 

 address similar environmental 

 problems in the state. 



Photo by Mike Dunn 



Zoology graduate students sample the Rose Bay estuary 



Testing blue-green algae from bloom to decay 



The Neuse River, one of North 

 Carolina's most valuable river- 

 estuarine systems, is in danger. Like 

 the Chowan and Pamlico rivers, the 

 Neuse is highly valued for its commer- 

 cial and sports fisheries as well as its 

 recreational areas. But, like the 

 Chowan and Pamlico, its value may be 

 threatened by nuisance algal blooms. 



In recent years, an increase in 

 development along the river has 

 brought an increase in nutrients enter- 

 ing the river system. Phosphate, 

 nitrate, ammonium and other 

 nutrients come from such sources as 

 fertilizers, wastewater treatment 

 plants and industries. During July and 

 August, high temperatures and plenty 

 of sunshine combine with the nutrients 

 to produce broad, paint-like scums of 

 blue-green algae. The particular algae 

 found on the Neuse is Microcystis. 

 Side effects of these algal blooms, such 

 as toxicity, odor, fish kills and ap- 

 pearance, seriously threaten use of the 

 river for fishing, boating, drinking 

 water and agricultural and industrial 

 purposes. An additional threat is the 

 possible proliferation of the blue-green 

 algae into the estuarine and marine en- 

 vironment. 



To date, there has been very little 

 research on Microcystis in the es- 

 tuary and no research in North 



Carolina. This year Sea Grant is 

 funding two projects that will examine 

 the bloom potential under varying 

 saline conditions. They will also deter- 

 mine the effect of the bloom in the es- 

 tuarine system. 



Hans Paerl, assistant professor in 

 the University of North Carolina at 

 Chapel Hill's (UNC-CH) Institute of 

 Marine Sciences, believes that salinity 

 may be an important barrier to the 

 proliferation of blue-green algal 

 blooms. "The nuisance blooms detect- 

 ed thus far," he says, "are of 

 freshwater origin. Little is known 

 about their tolerance and hence poten- 

 tial ability to survive and proliferate in 

 the marine environment." 



In his study, Paerl will be combining 

 field work with laboratory experiments 

 on Microcystis. Samples taken during 

 bloom and non-bloom periods will be 

 used to identify specific nutrients and 

 their ratios. Additional samples will be 

 tested for salinity tolerance to deter- 

 mine if this species could spread into 

 saltwater systems and survive. 



In a companion project, Donald 

 Stanley and Robert Christian, 

 associate professors from East 

 Carolina University's (ECU) Depart- 

 ment of Biology, will focus on the 

 direct and indirect effects of the bloom 

 on the estuaries downriver. Their goal 



is to determine if blue-green algal 

 blooms could be serious enough to af- 

 fect estuarine fisheries resources. 



Stanley and Christian will be trying 

 to determine in the first part of their 

 project why the blooms don't 

 penetrate the more saline portions of 

 the estuary. Samples will be collected 

 from stations along the river ranging 

 from freshwater areas to areas with 

 salinities of 15 parts per thousand. 



In the second part of their project, 

 they will be studying the effects of the 

 dying, or senescent, bloom. Stanley 

 says the senescent bloom may be even 

 more damaging than the active bloom. 

 Decay of a bloom may decrease oxygen 

 supplies significantly, may create high 

 densities of harmful bacteria or 

 perhaps even worse, may be convert- 

 ed into other undesirable algal forms, a 

 process called recycling. 



"We are basically going to try to 

 measure the death rate of the algae," 

 Stanley says. "When these algae die 

 and decay, nitrogen and phosphorus 

 are given off. Through chemical tech- 

 niques, we are going to measure how 

 fast the nitrogen and phosphorus are 

 recycled and the rate of conversion of 

 this algal nitrogen back into another 

 algal form." 



Continued on next page 



