Microbiome changes in Clear Lake Watershed after Hurrican Harvey induced flooding

This project aims to identify changes in microbial populations in the waters the received floodwater from the Clear Lake watershed in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey. Hurricane Harvey deluged the Houston metropolitan area in August of 2017 with over a meter of rain in less than 48 hours. This rainfall set a record for the continental United States and exposed thousands, perhaps millions, of citizens and first responders to potentially contaminated floodwaters. Extreme weather events could also alter the quality of receiving waters. Flooding can result in release of petroleum products and other hazardous materials that could stress aquatic systems. Clear Lake, an estuary between Houston and Galveston that connects with Western Galveston Bay is popular with anglers and boaters. To determine the impact of Hurricane Harvey (HH) on the health of Clear Lake, we collected water samples immediately before and after landfall of Hurricane Harvey, and then weekly into the fall. These samples were analyzed for fecal indicator bacteria (FIB), dissolved inorganic nutrients (DIN) and microbial community structure, as assessed by metagenomic analysis.

本研究旨在明确飓风哈维（Hurricane Harvey）过后，接收克利尔湖流域（Clear Lake watershed）洪水的水域中微生物种群的变化情况。2017年8月，飓风哈维在不足48小时内为休斯顿都会区（Houston metropolitan area）带来了逾1米的降雨，创下美国大陆地区的降雨纪录，同时令数千乃至数百万民众与应急救援人员暴露于潜在受污染的洪水中。极端天气事件同样可能改变受纳水体的水质，洪水可引发石油类产物及其他危险物质的泄漏，进而对水生生态系统造成胁迫。克利尔湖是坐落于休斯顿与加尔维斯顿（Galveston）之间、与西加尔维斯顿湾（Western Galveston Bay）相连的河口湾，深受垂钓者与游船爱好者的青睐。为评估飓风哈维对克利尔湖生态健康的影响，我们分别在飓风登陆前后即刻采集水样，并于后续秋季每周开展采样工作。随后对这些样本开展粪便指示菌（fecal indicator bacteria, FIB）、溶解态无机营养盐（dissolved inorganic nutrients, DIN）检测，并通过宏基因组分析（metagenomic analysis）解析微生物群落结构。