@article{chazal_carr_haines_leight_nelson_2024, title={Assessing the utility of shellfish sanitation monitoring data for long-term estuarine water quality analysis}, volume={203}, ISSN={["1879-3363"]}, DOI={10.1016/j.marpolbul.2024.116465}, abstractNote={Regular testing of coastal waters for fecal coliform bacteria by shellfish sanitation programs could provide data to fill large gaps in existing coastal water quality monitoring, but research is needed to understand the opportunities and limitations of using these data for inference of long-term trends. In this study, we analyzed spatiotemporal trends from multidecadal fecal coliform concentration observations collected by a shellfish sanitation program, and assessed the feasibility of using these monitoring data to infer long-term water quality dynamics. We evaluated trends in fecal coliform concentrations for a 20-year period (1999-2021) using data collected from spatially fixed sampling sites (n = 466) in North Carolina (USA). Findings indicated that shellfish sanitation data can be used for long-term water quality inference under relatively stationary management conditions, and that salinity trends can be used to investigate management-driven bias in fecal coliform observations collected in a particular area.}, journal={MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN}, author={Chazal, Natalie and Carr, Megan and Haines, Andrew and Leight, Andrew K. and Nelson, Natalie G.}, year={2024}, month={Jun} }
 @article{carr_gold_harris_anarde_hino_sauers_da silva_gamewell_nelson_2024, title={Fecal Bacteria Contamination of Floodwaters and a Coastal Waterway From Tidally-Driven Stormwater Network Inundation}, volume={8}, ISSN={["2471-1403"]}, url={https://doi.org/10.1029/2024GH001020}, DOI={10.1029/2024GH001020}, abstractNote={Abstract Inundation of coastal stormwater networks by tides is widespread due to sea‐level rise (SLR). The water quality risks posed by tidal water rising up through stormwater infrastructure (pipes and catch basins), out onto roadways, and back out to receiving water bodies is poorly understood but may be substantial given that stormwater networks are a known source of fecal contamination. In this study, we (a) documented temporal variation in concentrations of Enterococcus spp. (ENT), the fecal indicator bacteria standard for marine waters, in a coastal waterway over a 2‐month period and more intensively during two perigean spring tide periods, (b) measured ENT concentrations in roadway floodwaters during tidal floods, and (c) explained variation in ENT concentrations as a function of tidal inundation, antecedent rainfall, and stormwater infrastructure using a pipe network inundation model and robust linear mixed effect models. We find that ENT concentrations in the receiving waterway vary as a function of tidal stage and antecedent rainfall, but also site‐specific characteristics of the stormwater network that drains to the waterway. Tidal variables significantly explain measured ENT variance in the waterway, however, runoff drove higher ENT concentrations in the receiving waterway. Samples of floodwaters on roadways during both perigean spring tide events were limited, but all samples exceeded the threshold for safe public use of recreational waters. These results indicate that inundation of stormwater networks by tides could pose public health hazards in receiving water bodies and on roadways, which will likely be exacerbated in the future due to continued SLR.}, number={4}, journal={GEOHEALTH}, author={Carr, M. M. and Gold, A. C. and Harris, A. and Anarde, K. and Hino, M. and Sauers, N. and Da Silva, G. and Gamewell, C. and Nelson, N. G.}, year={2024}, month={Apr} }
 @article{chazal_carr_leight_saia_nelson_2024, title={Short-term forecasting of fecal coliforms in shellfish growing waters}, volume={200}, ISSN={["1879-3363"]}, DOI={10.1016/j.marpolbul.2024.116053}, abstractNote={This study sought to develop models for predicting near-term (1-3 day) fecal contamination events in coastal shellfish growing waters. Using Random Forest regression, we (1) developed fecal coliform (FC) concentration models for shellfish growing areas using watershed characteristics and antecedent hydrologic and meteorologic observations as predictors, (2) tested the change in model performance associated when forecasted, as opposed to measured, rainfall variables were used as predictors, and (3) evaluated model predictor importance in relation to shellfish sanitation management criteria. Models were trained to 10 years of coastal FC measurements (n = 1285) for 5 major shellfish management areas along the Florida (USA) coast. Model performance varied between the 5 management areas with R2 ranging from 0.36 to 0.72. Antecedent precipitation variables were among the most important predictors in the day-of forecast models in all management areas. When forecasted rainfall was included in the models, wind components became increasingly important.}, journal={MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN}, author={Chazal, Natalie and Carr, Megan and Leight, Andrew K. and Saia, Sheila M. and Nelson, Natalie G.}, year={2024}, month={Mar} }
 @article{nelson_cothran_ramage_carr_skiles_porter_2022, title={Implementing FAIR data management practices in shellfish sanitation}, volume={26}, ISSN={["2352-5134"]}, DOI={10.1016/j.aqrep.2022.101324}, abstractNote={In the United States (U.S.), state agencies in charge of mariculture regulation are mandated under the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) National Shellfish Sanitation Program (NSSP) to monitor fecal indicator bacteria (FIB) concentrations, commonly of fecal coliforms, to determine the safety of coastal waters for supporting harvestable shellfish for human consumption. Many states have monitored bacteriological water quality for decades, creating impressive long-term records with the potential to advance foundational understanding of coastal systems and contribute to other complementary monitoring efforts. However, state shellfish sanitation programs differ in how they collect, manage, and share bacteriological monitoring data, resulting in their data typically being available in disparate state-level repositories with non-standardized database structures. Here, we outline three key recommendations as to how shellfish sanitation programs could implement practices to make their data more Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable (FAIR), in turn creating new opportunities for the full potential of the data to be realized. We also offer sample materials of a standardized database, ShellBase, to provide an example of how diverse shellfish sanitation data may be integrated with a common data structure.}, journal={AQUACULTURE REPORTS}, author={Nelson, Natalie G. and Cothran, Jeremy and Ramage, Dan and Carr, Megan and Skiles, Keith and Porter, Dwayne E.}, year={2022}, month={Oct} }