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Cyanobacterial Microcystin Production and Aerosolization Dynamics in the Chowan River-Albemarle Sound Estuarine Continuum, NC
HALEY E. PLAAS, Nathan S. Hall, Karen Rossignol, Karsten Baumann, Ryan Paerl, Kimberly Popendorf, Malcolm A. Barnard, Jill Paxson, Colleen Karl, Hans W. Paerl, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Abstract Number: 17
Working Group: Health-Related Aerosols
Abstract
The environmental health of the Chowan River-Albemarle Sound (CR-AS) estuarine continuum is threatened by the recent expansion of harmful cyanobacterial blooms (CyanoHABs), specifically the genus Microcystis, which produces a suite of toxins including microcystin, a hepatotoxin. Several studies have associated microcystin ingestion with adverse health outcomes, namely liver disease, but few have examined health risks from the inhalation of microcystin in spray aerosol (SA). As entrained air bubbles burst at the water surface due to wave action, film and jet drops are ejected into the air, aerosolizing toxigenic cyanobacteria and/or extracellular toxins. Spray aerosol formation has been characterized in the ocean (sea spray aerosol/ SSA) and large lake systems (lake spray aerosol/ LSA), but knowledge gaps remain regarding the physicochemical properties of spray aerosol produced in estuarine ecosystems, and more specifically during CyanoHAB episodes in situ. Thus, our field campaign elucidated the potential incorporation of microcystin into spray aerosol on the CR-AS. We collected PM2.5 on filters using a high-volume Tisch sampler and measured real-time PM2.5 mass concentrations with a high-resolution nephelometer. Wave activity and emission of SA was scaled by correlations of highly resolved wind speed and PM2.5 measurements. Filters were respectively analyzed for airborne CyanoHAB species and microcystin concentrations via 16S rRNA and mycA gene amplicon sequencing and LC-MS/MS. Water samples were collected in parallel and analyzed to calculate the SA enrichment factors for CyanoHAB DNA and microcystin. Generalized linear models were used to examine environmental correlates of CyanoHAB incorporation into aerosol. All data were collected in collaboration with the NC Department of Environmental Quality (NCDEQ) and citizen scientists of the Chowan Edenton Environmental Group (CEEG). By exploring the intersection of CyanoHABs, water and air quality, and public health, this work serves to protect public welfare in the CR-AS region.