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Aquatic Research Consortium

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Project Summary

Many estuaries suffer from chemical contamination and nutrient-overload due to rapidly increasing

• human coastal populations
• urbanization
• industrial effluents
• agricultural runoff

The detrimental effects of nutrient-stimulated hypoxia and contaminants such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) upon aquatic ecosystems have been well-documented.

Therefore, studies clarifying “biomarker” responses of estuarine organisms to both hypoxia and PAHs are important for ecological risk assessment. Such studies give resource managers the information and tools needed for making more accurate and proactive decisions.

Hypoxia (i.e., hypoxic-normoxic transitions such as ischemia reperfusion) and PAHs (i.e., carcinogens) also affect human health.