GAC Chemical continues acidifying Penobscot Bay. August & September 2018 test results.

9/9/18 GAC shore acid sampling Sites  were selected along the beach/clamflat interface below their abandoned sulfuric acid plant and acid tank. Dark red acidic leachate oozes out at the beach/mudflat interface. See results below photo  White line across the upper middle is foam leaking  into the bay from 1/4 mile down the GAC property.

GAC Chemical Abandoned Sulfuric Acid Plant,  shore remediation site and tainted flats.

9/9/18 pH test results show acid still leaching out along the interface. From left to right in the photo,  samples showed pH 6.0 at left end of photo, dropped to 3.5 then to pH 3.2, then rose slightly to 3.7 for the next two samples , finally rising to p 4.2 at the right end of photo

==========================================================

082618 GAC shore acid sampling 

826/18 sample sites. Satellite image taken May 10 2018

Sites  were selected  going diagonally from he beach/clamflat interface below the abandoned  acid plant  and across several of the plumes emanating from the shore

pH test results Sample sites  red dots show acid continues leaching out along the interface and onto the flats in a plume.  Top site 5.6; next 4.4,  next 4.3; lower one  a startling pH 2.8!

Discussion: any pH below five will kill fish or damage their reproductive system. Low pH will also liberate  dissolved aluminum and other metals into the water column, freeing them from the silt particles they are stuck to. In this  low pH environment  aluminum ions tend to adhere to the gills of water breathers. Woe to the young salmon venturing forth from the river, that has the misfortune of imbibing that mixture" Her gills will get glazed, and she will exhibit erratic behavior that attracts predators

Tainted flats below remediation site.

Webinar audio: "Where and Why: Citizen Science in Ocean/Coastal Acidification Monitoring" 3/30/18

On March 30, 2018, Northeast Coastal Acidification Network (NECAN) held a webinar on  "Training for Citizen Scientists" Listen below to audio mp3s of this hour long webinar.   Watch  video of full meeting (youtube)

Because local conditions  affect vulnerability to coastal acidification, NOAA's Ocean Acidification Program and NECAN  are helping citizen scientists in coastal acidification (OCA) monitoring.  Citizen science programs and researchers can take steps now to help protect marine environments from ocean and coastal acidification.

Intro 1 Aaron Strong. Asst Prof of Marine Policy.UM 1 min 47sec

Intro 2 Kelly Canesi  NERACOOS  3min25sec

PRESENTATIONS

Talk1_Aaron_Strong_6min49sec

Talk2_beth_turner_14min

Kelly_Canesi_resources_5min49sec 

QUESTIONS & ANSWERS

Jason_Masters_retired_NOAA PNW_can help

Jack_Gilbert_how is_pH_measured from 20million yrs_ago

Katie_Goldsmith_ Who set up route acid sampling voyage?_1min14sec

Kathleen_Thornton What about organic alkalinity sites? _1min14sec

Ron_huber_Any studies on ocean acid_impacts on_benign marine bacteria? 2min 9sec

Alexandra_Curtis_professionalism_3min4sec.

Pacific_NW-er Doing this in PNW?_3min12sec

Edwin Green_What testing sampling instruments needed?  3min20sec

Final_Q_Carol_White_Any interest in a shellfish dashboard at NERACOOS? 2min2sec

Final_Remarks_1min4sec

Bigelow Lab scientist Nick Record speaking on marine microbes, Penobscot Bay and the Gulf of Maine AUDIO

On Thursday August 18, 2016  Dr. Nick Record of the Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences gave a presentation on the marine microbiology of Penobscot Bay and the Gulf of Maine and the impacts of climate change upon them.

This presentation took place at Waterfall Arts, in conjunction with "Tiny Giants: Marine Microbes Revealed on a Giant Scale" a traveling photographic exhibit on display there.

Full talk - 1hr 19min

Introduction by Martha Piscuskas of Waterfall Arts & Nick Record 2min 45sec

Introduction, overview by Nick Record 19min 40sec 

The Ocean Microbiome 13min 33sec

Ocean Microbiome Q&A  5min 50sec

About the Gulf of Maine & Prehistory 3min 51sec

Gulf of Maine the Europeans arrive to present 5min 20sec

Gulf of Maine present day events 19 min

Ocean Acidification 19min

Smart phone as microbe detector. 2min 42sec

Ecosystem forecasting, to end of talk. 6min 30sec

After talk audience & Nick 2min 20sec

ME Legislature Marine Resources Committee's 2015 written testimony

Looking back to 2015  Maine Legislature's Marine Resources Committee  took testimony at eleven hearings in 2015.  While most testimony was spoken, the following links take you to the written testimony for each of the bills that came before  the Marine Resources Committee on  2/4/15, 2/25/15, 3/4/15, 3/11/15, 3/18/15, 3/25/15, 4/1/15, 4/6/15, 4/27/15, 4/29/15 & 5/20/15, and links to the bills themselves. (Warning: some of these links take up to 15 seconds to open up)

Feb 4, 2015

LD 98 An Act Amending the Trap Limit for the Swans Island Lobs...
Keliher, Patrick, Dept. of Marine Resources
Langley, Brian, Maine State Legislature ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Feb 25, 2015 LD 178 Resolve,  Resolve, Directing the Department of Marine Resources To  Conduct an Impact Study in the St. George River Estuary Arsenault, James, Independent Maine Marine Worm Harvesters Association Gilbert, Deirdre, Department of Marine Resources Harrington, Daniel, Independent Maine Marine Worm Harvesters Association Harrington, Phil, Woolwich Johnson, Fred, Steuben Kruger, Chuck, Maine State Legislature Renwick, Johnathan, Independent Maine Marine Worm Harvesters Association LD 222 An Act To Reduce Commercial Shellfish License Fees for P... Keliher, Patrick, Department of Marine Resources Tuell, William, Maine State Legislature LD 255 An Act To Preserve the Integrity of Maine's Shellfish In... Arsenault, James, Independent Maine Marine Worm Harvester's Association Coffin, Chad, The Friends of the Clammers Deveraux, Daniel, Brunswick Marine Resources and Harbor Management Gerzofsky, Stan, Maine State Legislature Harrington, Daniel, Woolwich Keliher, Patrick, Department of Marine Resources Renwick, Johnathan, Independent Maine Marine Worm Harvester's Association ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Mar 4, 2015 LD 353 An Act To Authorize a Temporary Medical Transfer of an  Elver Individual Fishing Quota Keliher, Patrick, Department of Marine Resources LD 405 An Act To Support Expanded Capacity for Breeding Wild At... Hubbell, Brian, Maine State Legislature Robbins, Joseph, Downeast Salmon Federation Smith, Dennis, Mount Desert Isle Smith, Dwayne, Downeast Salmon Federation LD 425 An Act To Prohibit False Labeling of Marine Organisms Belle, Sebastian, Maine Aquaculture Association Chapman, Ralph Gilbert, Deirdre, Department of Marine Resources Tardy, Robert, Biotechnology Industry Organization LD 427 An Act To Address and Mitigate the Effects of  Marine Debris Connolly, Tom, Maine Water Environment Association Devin, Michael, Maine State Legislature Gates, Melissa, Surfrider Foundation ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Mar 11, 2015 LD 435 An Act To Extend the Protection of  Municipal Shellfish Conservation Programs Gerzofsky, Stan, Maine State Legislature Gilbert, Deirdre, Department of Marine Resources Green, Chris, Brunswick Harrington, Phil, Woolwich LD 493 An Act To Create the Ocean  Acidification Council Aho, Patricia, DEP Bartovics, Becky Layton, Sierra Club Burt, Anne, Maine Council of Churches Devin, Michael, Maine State Legislature Edwards, Jane, Winslow Gilbert, Deirdre, Department of Marine Resources Gray, Jenn, Maine Audubon Mook, William, Mook Sea Farm Nelson, Richard, Friendship Noyes-Hull, Gretchen, University of Maine Augusta Ramsdell, Cathy, Friends of Casco Bay Rixon, William, Freeport Town Council Smith, Nancy, Growsmart Maine Strause, Aubrey, Maine Water Environment Association Thompson, Sandy, Freeport Wheeler, Roger, Friends of Sebago Lake ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Mar 18, 2015 LD 490 An Act To Extend the Legal Hours for Harvesting Lobsters Cornish, Jon, DMR Kumiega, Walter, Maine State Legislature McCarron, Patrice, Maine Lobstermen's Association Strong, Prentice, Penobscot Bay and River Pilots Association LD 491 An Act To Lower from 70 to 65 the Age at Which a Person ... Dassatt, Sheila, Downeast Lobstermen's Association Gilbert, Deirdre, Department of Marine Resources Gillway, James, Maine State Legislature McCarron, Patrice, Maine Lobstermen's Association LD 492 An Act To Expand Eligibility for Lobster and Crab            Fishing Licenses for Veterans Gilbert, Deirdre, Department of Marine Resources Kumiega, Walter, Maine State Legislature McCarron, Patrice, Maine Lobstermen's Association LD 563 An Act Regarding the Purchase         of Trap Tags in the Lobster Fishery Doucette, Brandon, Kittery Eaton, Julie, Maine Lobster Union Keliher, Patrick, DMR Kumiega, Walter, Maine State Legislature Lazaro, Alan, Vinalhaven McCarron, Patrice, Maine Lobstermen's Association Moulton, Kyle, Penobscot East Resource Center Olsen, Virgina, Maine Lobster Union/Stonington ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Mar 25, 2015 LD 669 An Act To Create a Spat  Collection License Belle, Sebastian, Maine Aquaculture Association de Koning, Fiona, Acadia Aqua Farms Devin, Michael, Maine State Legislature Gilbert, Deirdre, Department of Marine Resources Green, Dr. Mark, Basket Island Oyster Co. Stocks, Peter, Trundy Point, LLC LD 730 An Act To Make Technical Changes to Maine's Marine Resources Laws. Gilbert, Deirdre, Department of Marine Resources ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Apr 1, 2015 LD 908 An Act To Promote Sustainability  in the Scallop Fishing Industry Alley, Robert, Maine State Legislature Bauer, Rob, Beals Lobster Pier Brawn, Togue, Maine Dayboat Scallops, Inc. Gordius, Brian, Resident Keliher, Patrick, Dept. of Marine Resources Libby, Glen, Port Clyde Martins, Ben, Maine Coast Fishermen's Association Murphy, Michael, Machiasport West, James, Sorento Wotton, Jim, Friendship ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Apr 6, 2015 LD 896 An Act To Improve Lobster Licensing Alley, Robert, Maine State Legislature Brawn, Togue, Maine Dayboat Scallops, Inc. Keliher, Patrick, Dept. of Marine Resources McCarron, Patrice, Maine Lobstermen's Association Morrissette, Seth, Friendship Smith, Richard, Beals Todd, Alex, Resident LD 1016 An Act To Allow Retired Marine Patrol Officers To Obtain... Alley, Rock, Maine Lobstering Union Burns, David, Maine State Legislature Keliher, Patrick, Dept. of Marine Resources McCarron, Patrick, Maine Lobstermen's Association, Inc. Smith, Richard, Beals LD 1027 An Act To Create an Elver Exporter's License Keliher, Patrick, Dept. of Marine Resources LD 1038 An Act To Amend the Emergency Rule-making Authority of t... Gilbert, Deirdre, Department of Marine Resources Langley, Brian, Maine State Legislature Olson, Virginia, International Maine Lobstering Union Local 207 Smith, Richard, Beals ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Apr 27, 2015 LD 800 An Act To Prevent Passage of Alewives through the Grand ... Abbott, Mathew, Conservation Council of New Brunswick Abello, Thomas, The Nature Conservancy Ahearn, Beth, Maine Conservation Voters Akagi, Hugh, Chief Passamaquoddy Peoples in Canada Altvater, Brian, Passamaquoddy Tribe Ames, Edward, Stonington Arcaro, John, Canal Side Cabins Baines, Bob, Alewife Harvesters of Maine Bassett, Edward, Passamaquoddy Tribe Bennett, Nick, Natural Resources Council of Maine Bisulca, Paul, Schoodic River Keepers Brokaw, Ron, Vermont Brown, John, Maine Master Guide Bullard, John, United States Dept. of Commerce, NOAA Burns, David, Maine State Legislature Burt, Anne, Friends Committee on Maine Public Policy Cataldo, Louis, Master Maine Guide Cousens, David, Maine Lobstermen's Assn. Inc. Damon, Dennis, Trenton Dana, Matthew, Maine State Legislature Dieffenbacher-Krall, John, Maine Indian Tribal-State Commission Dorr, Greg, Bangor Maine Guide Driza, Charles, Leen's Lodge Francis, Vera, Passamaquoddy Tribe Gagner, Robert, Grand Lake Stream Gray, Jenn, Maine Audubon Gray, Mark, Grand Lake Stream Guides Assn. Hoar, Alex, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Hudson, Landis, Maine Rivers Jordan, Richard, Machiasport Laplante, Alfred, Maine Sporting Camp Assn. Lewey, Newell, Passamaquoddy Tribe Lord, Macauley, Brunswick Maine Fishing Guide Mabee, James, Grand Lake Stream Guides Assn. Mahoney, Sean, Conservation Law Foundation Molton, Kyle, Penobscot East Resource Center Patterson, Patrick, Wheaton's Lodge Reardon, Jeff, TROUT Unlimited Richards, Frank, Vassalboro, Webber Pond Assn. Ruddock, Frank, Acting Council General of Canada Sochasky, Lee, St. Andrews, New Brunswick, Canada Soctomah, Madonna, Pleasant Point Trinko Lake, Tara, National Marine Fisheries Service, Orono Turner, Beth, Maine State Legislature Wayne, Jonathan, Commission on Governmental Ethics and Election Wheaton, Lance, Sporting Camp Owner, IFW Whitegiver, Matt, Master Maine Guide Whitman, Linda, Long Lake Camps Whitman, Steven, Master Maine Guide Willis, Theodore, University of Southern Maine LD 1262 An Act To Authorize Tribal-state Memoranda in the Eel an... Bissonette Lewey, Jamie, Maine Indian Tribal-State Commission Dana, Matthew, Maine State Legislature Keliher, Patrick, Dept. of Marine Resources Oltarzewski, Diane, Belfast ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Apr 29, 2015 LD 1227 An Act To Provide for Improved Reporting of Marine Resou... Keliher, Patrick, Dept. of Marine Resources Kruger, Chuck, Maine State Legislature LD 1233 An Act To Improve Enforcement of Maine's Marine Resource... Ervin Tucker, Kim, Maine Lobstering Union Keliher, Patrick, Dept. of Marine Resources Knapp, Larry, Boothbay Olsen, Virginia, Maine Lobstering Union -------------------------------------------------------------- May 20, 2015 LD 1416 An Act Regarding Interstate Shellfish Depuration Beavers, Roberta, Maine State Legislature Howell, Lori, Spinney Creek Shellfish, Inc. Howell, Tom, Spinney Creek Shellfish, Inc. Keliher, Patrick, Marine Resource Dept. Markos, James, Maine Shellfish Co,