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On September 15th and 16th, the laboratory of Dr. Allen Place at the Center of Marine Biotechnology (COMB) collected water samples from discolored waters of Baltimore Harbor (Figure 1) and identified a dense bloom of the dinoflagellate Karlodinium veneficum (formerly K. micrum). Cell concentrations were measured at over 400,000 cells per milliliter, reminiscent of the Black Tide event on St. Leonards Creek of the Patuxent River in 2003 (see HAB News from June 24, 2003:"Black Tide" on St. Leonards Creek, Calvert County). Cell counts of over 200,000 cells per milliliter were detected in the water next to the COMB center in downtown Baltimore. Water samples from this highly nutrient-enriched area of Chesapeake Bay collected near such landmark inner harbor locations as the ESPN Zone contained over 100,000 cells per milliliter of Karlodinium. Typical concentrations of K. venificum detected during the long-term water quality monitoring program in Maryland are under 1,000 cells per milliliter. A positive toxin test with fish bioassay conducted in the COMB laboratories indicated the bloom has active ichthyotoxic (fish-killing) properties. Several dead jellyfish were noted in the area on September 16. Additional discolored bloom waters on the Patapsco River, downstream of the inner harbor and out to the Key Bridge, were reported this week by Baltimore County Department of Environmental Protection and Resource Management. Dr. Allen Places COMB laboratory continues to track the bloom conditions.
Water quality conditions for the summer in Baltimore Harbor show below average bottom dissolved oxygen in June, August and September yet above average water clarity conditions. Relatively little wind and rain this summer may have led to less runoff, less turbulent mixing, and more settling of particles in the water to allow for improved water clarity at this location. Please visit Maryland Department of Natural Resources monitoring website Eyes on the Bay for additional information on water quality in Baltimore Harbor and throughout the tidewater region of the State. |
