When Hurricane Fabian blew through Bermuda in September 2003 with wind gusts of up to 150 miles
per hour, BBSR's environmental quality monitoring station at Prospect was damaged beyond repair. Eleven months later, the laboratory and equipment were replaced and updated, and the monitoring program at
this site is back on track. Atmospheric sampling has been conducted at Prospect since 1989, although the main monitoring work commenced after the
building of the Tynes Bay Waste Treatment Facility in 1994. The major role of BBSR's Prospect laboratory is to monitor airborne emissions from the municipal incinerator at Tynes Bay. The site was selected
after atmospheric dispersion modeling studies conducted by BBSR scientists identified potential impacts at this location to be the worst-case scenario for fallout of toxic gases affecting Bermuda. BBSR's
Environmental Quality Program
team uses the lab at Prospect to collect several sets of data. The first is meteorological information, such as wind speed, wind direction, relative humidity, barometric pressure, and rainfall amount and frequency. Second, they measure the levels of sulfur dioxide and oxides of nitrogen in the air. These toxic gases are the main causes of acid rain. They also monitor the chemistry of aerosol particles and rainwater for the chemicals responsible for acid rain. Finally, the team measures the levels of airborne particles and chemicals that may be hazardous to human health when inhaled.
The data collected from this and other sites in Bermuda provide BBSR scientists with an indication of the air quality on the island. This work also assists them in determining the relative importance of
the sources of contaminants in the air, i.e. local versus distant sources. During Hurricane Fabian, the laboratory trailer at Prospect was blown over and destroyed. Although much of the exterior equipment
was removed prior to the storm, some of the sensitive electronic equipment inside the trailer, such as the gas analyzers and the data logger, were damaged by the high winds and subsequent rain. In addition,
when the trailer blew over, it crushed one of the high-volume air samplers used for measuring airborne particulate material. The loss of the laboratory limited the program's capabilities for nearly a year.
During that time, the team evaluated the equipment to determine the extent of the damage then ordered new equipment that had to be installed and calibrated before it could provide data. This interrupted
their monitoring of toxic gases and aerosol chemistry, however, they started manually sampling for airborne particulate material and rainwater chemistry immediately after the hurricane, so records for these
parameters are more complete. Other activities of BBSR's Environmental Quality Program, funded by the Bermuda Department of Environmental Protection
, include measurements of groundwater and domestic tank water to monitor for potential contaminants that may impact drinking water quality. |
Mangrove seedlings at the replanting locations along Ferry Reach and in Stocks Bay are doing well. Although none of the propagules planted
directly into the sand have germinated, 50 to 80 percent of the propagules in the PVC pipes have germinated and survived. The pipes have withstood the weather and wave action for a full
year so far, protecting the seedlings as they grow. This is a promising start that researchers hope is indicative of the project's future success. 