Aguiar Devon K, Wiegner Tracy N, Colbert Steven L, Burns John, Abaya Leilani, Beets James, Couch Courtney, Stewart Julia, Panelo Jazmine, Remple Kristina, Nelson Craig
Tropical Conservation Biology and Environmental Science Graduate Program, University of Hawai'i at Hilo, 200 W. Kawili St., Hilo, HI 96720, USA.
Marine Science Department, University of Hawai'i at Hilo, 200 W. Kawili St., Hilo, HI 96720, USA.
Mar Pollut Bull. 2023 Mar;188:114662. doi: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2023.114662. Epub 2023 Feb 3.
Sewage pollution from on-site sewage disposal systems and injection wells is impacting coral reefs worldwide. Our study documented the presence and impact of sewage on South Kohala's coral reefs, on Hawai'i Island, through benthic water quality and macroalgal sampling (fecal indicator bacteria, nutrients, δN macroalgal tissue), NO stable isotope mixing models, water motion measurements, and coral reef surveys. Sewage pollution was moderate on the offshore reef from benthic seeps, and water motion mixed and diluted it across the benthos. These conditions likely contribute to the dominance of turf algae cover, and the severity and prevalence of growth anomalies and algal overgrowth on corals. Use of multiple indicators and studying water motion was necessary to assess sewage pollution and identify environmental drivers associated with impaired coral health conditions. Methods used in this study can be utilized by natural resource managers to identify and reduce anthropogenic stressors to coral reefs.
来自现场污水处理系统和注入井的污水污染正在影响全球的珊瑚礁。我们的研究通过底栖水质和大型藻类采样（粪便指示细菌、营养物质、大型藻类组织中的δN）、氮稳定同位素混合模型、水流测量和珊瑚礁调查，记录了污水在夏威夷岛南科哈拉珊瑚礁中的存在及其影响。来自底栖渗漏的污水污染在近海珊瑚礁中较为适度，水流将其混合并稀释至整个底栖区域。这些条件可能导致丝状藻类覆盖占主导地位，以及珊瑚生长异常和藻类过度生长的严重程度和普遍性。使用多种指标并研究水流对于评估污水污染以及识别与珊瑚健康状况受损相关的环境驱动因素是必要的。本研究中使用的方法可供自然资源管理者用于识别和减少对珊瑚礁的人为压力源。
