Pendergraft, Matthew A.; Grimes, Derek J.; Giddings, Sarah N.; Feddersen, Falk; Beall, Charlotte M.; Lee, Christopher; Santander, Mitchell V.; Prather, Kimberly A. (2021). Data from: Airborne transmission pathway for coastal water pollution. In Center for Aerosol Impacts on Chemistry of the Environment (CAICE). UC San Diego Library Digital Collections. https://doi.org/10.6075/J0V40SSD

Publication abstract: Each year, over one hundred million people become ill and tens of thousands die from exposure to viruses and bacteria from sewage transported to the ocean by rivers, estuaries, stormwater, and other coastal discharges. Water activities and seafood consumption have been emphasized as the major exposure pathways to coastal water pollution. In contrast, relatively little is known about the potential for airborne exposure to pollutants and pathogens from contaminated seawater. The Cross Surfzone/Inner-shelf Dye Exchange (CSIDE) study was a large-scale experiment designed to investigate the transport pathways of water pollution along the coast by releasing dye into the surfzone in Imperial Beach, CA. Additionally, we leveraged this ocean-focused study to investigate potential airborne transmission of coastal water pollution by collecting complementary air samples along the coast and inland. Aerial measurements tracked sea surface dye concentrations along 5+ km of coast at 2 m x 2 m resolution. Dye was detected in the air over land for the first two days during two of the three dye releases, as far as 668 m inland and 720 m downwind of the ocean. These coordinated water/air measurements, comparing dye concentrations in the air and upwind source waters, provide insights into the factors that lead to the water-to-air transfer of pollutants. These findings show that coastal water pollution can reach people through an airborne pathway and this needs to be taken into account when assessing the full impact of coastal ocean pollution on public health. This study sets the stage for further studies to determine the details and importance of airborne exposure to sewage-based pathogens and toxins in order to fully assess the impact of coastal pollution on public health.

• Time period of project: 2015-09-23 to 2021-04-05

• 2021

• Pendergraft, Matthew A.

• Beall, Charlotte M.
• Feddersen, Falk
• Giddings, Sarah N.
• Grimes, Derek J.
• Lee, Christopher
• Pendergraft, Matthew A.
• Prather, Kimberly A.
• Santander, Mitchell V.

• Prather, Kimberly A.

This work was supported by grant # OCE1459389 from the National Science Foundation (NSF) and by the Dankberg Family Foundation. DJG was supported by the NSF GRFP. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.

• Imperial Beach
• Tijuana River

• Aerosols
• Air pollution
• Coastal pollution
• Sea spray aerosol (SSA)
• Surf zone
• Tracer dye
• Water pollution
• Water quality

• data

• English

Derek J. Grimes: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5286-7819

Falk Feddersen: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5488-9074

Kimberly A. Prather: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3048-9890

Matthew A. Pendergraft: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4415-7651

Primary associated publication

• Pendergraft MA, Grimes DJ, Giddings SN, Feddersen F, Beall CM, Lee C, Santander MV, Prather KA. 2021. Airborne transmission pathway for coastal water pollution. PeerJ 9:e11358 https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.11358

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2022-08-25