Zooplankton Populations and Water Chemistry from a Shallow (4.3 m) and Deep (600 m) Pumped Water Discharge, Keahole, Hawaii

Abstract

The recent installation of the shallow (4.3 m) and deep (600 m) coastal water supply pipes and support facilities at the University of Hawaii's National Energy Laboratory of Hawaii (NELH) at Keahole, Hawaii provides a new and unique research opportunity. A one month pilot study, funded by the University of Hawaii Sea Grant program, was initiated to conduct simultaneous deep and shallow water basic biological and chemical research. Zooplankton, water chemistry and related oceanographic parameters were assayed at a well-defined site over specific periods of time and in measurable volumes of water. The results of these measurements provide insight not only into diurnal fluctuations in the zooplankton community, but also into zooplankton patchiness. Simultaneous measurements of water chemistry, including suspended sediments and nutrients, complement the biological studies and provide a first order estimate of the water/biota relationships in the shallow waters and at 600 m off Keahole Point. In addition to contributing to basic zooplankton population biology research, such information is applicable to entrainment and impingement in ocean thermal energy conversion (OTEC) or conventional power plant intake systems and to determining the suitability of the water supply for aquaculture developments.