Long Bay Hypoxia Monitoring Consortium

In October 2011, the coastal municipalities of North Myrtle Beach, Myrtle Beach, Surfside, and Horry County signed a resolution, under the aegis of their Coastal Alliance of mayors, to develop and implement the Long Bay Hypoxia Monitoring Consortium. The goal of this consortium is to support monitoring and studies that further characterize hypoxia and its causes in Long Bay. The baseline data will enable assessments of water quality management efforts. Monitoring stations are to be maintained at three piers, Cherry Grove (NMB), Apache (Horry County), and Second Ave N. Pier (Myrtle Beach). Turbidity and chlorophyll sensors will be deployed at two piers and radon detectors at three piers. All piers will have weather stations. Data will be accessible via a real-time public website. Biological responses to low dissolved oxygen (DO) will be assessed via monitoring of larval recruitment and net plankton. The S.C. Department of Natural Resources (SCDNR) is also conducting creel surveys at the piers. These efforts are being coordinated with a marine education outreach campaign that includes signage at the piers, presentations at pier events, and web-based content.