Allison Wyatt

Date of Award

2012

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelors

Department

Natural Sciences

First Advisor

Weber, Diana

Keywords

Watersheds, Bays, Sarasota, Kaneohe

Area of Concentration

Environmental Studies

Abstract

Bays and watersheds are threatened globally by anthropogenic nutrient enrichment, a process that degrades water quality through an influx of nutrients including nitrogen, ammonia, and phosphorous. Two areas of the United States that have experienced periods of degraded water quality that have lead to declines in their bay ecosystems are Kaneohe, Hawaii, and Sarasota, Florida. As their recent histories and land uses are similar, I chose to compare the nutrient content in the watersheds of these two locations as well as show how nutrient levels differed based on their location within the watershed. My results suggest that nutrient levels are generally higher within the watershed than near the mouth of the bay, and that Kaneohe has significantly greater levels of nitrates while Sarasota has significantly greater levels of phosphates. Levels of ammonia were similar between both bays. The disparities in nutrient levels are due to geological and physical differences unique to each location as well as surrounding land uses and characteristics of each testing site. It is critical to continue studying watersheds and examine how changes and processes in the watershed affect its adjacent off-shore ecosystems, especially as coastal development and populations continue to grow and threaten the health of bays and watersheds.

Rights

This bibliographic record is available under the Creative Commons CC0 public domain dedication. The New College of Florida, as creator of this bibliographic record, has waived all rights to it worldwide under copyright law, including all related and neighboring rights, to the extent allowed by law.

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