Services

Aquatic Ecology

For aquatic ecology contact:

• Jeff Park

Representative Projects

• Combined Sewer Overflow Impact Assessment
• Thermal Plume Assessment

Description

Aquatic ecology is the science of understanding the interrelations between organisms and their environment in an aquatic setting. Conducting studies of aquatic ecology is often the first step in evaluating whether aquatic resources have been impaired due to environmental changes. Examples of environmental changes which might lead to the need for an evaluation of aquatic ecology include:

 

• Combined Sewer Overflow (CSO) discharges
• Sediment dredging
• Permitted surface water discharges
• Storm water discharges
• The presence of hazardous substances
• The operation of power plant cooling water intake/discharge structures
  

 

Ecological resources that are typically at greatest risk in aquatic environments include fish and benthic organisms. Studies of aquatic environments can be complex and may involve a number of inter-related biotic and abiotic processes. A well-designed study will elicit cause and effect relationships, and incorporate factors such as time and habitat properties, water physicochemical properties, and sediment type.

 

Assessing the nature and severity of possible impacts and differentiating them from natural variation can be a challenging technical endeavor. We take a rigorous statistical approach to “tease-out” the significance of our data. The application of biostatistics and mathematical biology are central components of OTO’s aquatic studies and they contribute to satisfying the level of technical rigor required by regulatory agencies.