Correlation of Black Smoke and Nitrogen Oxides Emissions Through Field Testing of in-Use Diesel Vehicles

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Environmental Monitoring and Assessment Program (EMAP) uses water clarity as a water quality indicator for integrated assessments of coastal waters. After the publication of the first National Coastal Condition Report (USEPA, 2001c), the national water clarity reference value of 10% of ambient surface light at 1~m depth was reevaluated and modified to reflect expected differences in regional reference light conditions. These regional differences range from naturally turbid estuaries like those found in Mississippi and Louisiana to clear water estuaries expected to support extensive beds of submerged aquatic vegetation in, e.g., Florida and Tampa Bays. For the second National Coastal Condition Report, water clarity was assessed based on regional reference values (USEPA, 2004). Different regional water clarity reference values and data collection methods necessitated the development of a water clarity index based on light attenuation coefficients (k). This index incorporates regional reference conditions and is interchangeable with secchi depth and percent light transmission calculated from light meter measurements. Evaluation of the water clarity index shows that k values based on transmissivity at 1~m can be estimated from secchi depth measurements and successfully used as a surrogate for transmissivity calculated from light meter data. An approach for assessing water clarity in Gulf of Mexico estuaries using light meter data and secchi depth is presented.     

Contaminant concentrations in whole-body fish and shellfish from US estuaries

Persistent bioaccumulative and toxic (PBT) pollutants are chemical contaminants that pose risks to ecosystems and human health. For these reasons, available tissue contaminant data from the US EPA Environmental Monitoring and Assessment Program’s National Coastal Assessment were examined to estimate to what areal extent PBTs are found in US estuarine resources. The data document composite, whole-body tissue chemical concentrations for 736 sampling sites across Northeast, Southeast, Gulf of Mexico, and West Coast estuaries. Tissue chemical concentrations were compared to US EPA non-cancer risk guidelines for recreational fishers, because of a lack of ecological guidelines for these chemical concentrations. Samples were analyzed for 23 PAH compounds, 21 PCB congeners, 6 DDT derivatives and metabolites, 14 chlorinated pesticides (other than DDT) and 13 metals, including mercury. Total PCBs were found to exceed recreational fisher guidelines most frequently (31% of samples evaluated), followed by mercury (29%), total PAHs (21%), and DDT and its metabolites, DDD and DDE (11%). Toxaphene, cadmium and dieldrin were found but in fewer than 1% of the samples.     

The ecological condition of Gulf of Mexico resources from Perdido Key to Port St. Joe, Florida: Part II near-shelf coastal resources

In 1999, the United States Environmental Protection Agency Gulf Ecology Division initiated a pilot study to assess the condition of nearshore coastal resources. Near-shelf areas associated with coastal beaches are susceptible to land based activities, but are not consistently monitored. Additionally, few or no marine water quality criteria exist for evaluating these waters. The goal of this pilot study was to assess the ecological condition of Gulf of Mexico near-shelf resources using a probability-based survey design. Data are used to generate a baseline assessment of condition in coastal nearshore areas and provide a comparative tool for evaluating future trends in condition. Water quality, sediment quality and benthic diversity data can provide a baseline assessment for managers to evaluate the potential for future problems such as nutrient over-enrichment, sediment contamination and degraded biological condition. We present results from a probability-based survey demonstration assessing near-shelf resources along the Florida panhandle.     

Estimating the Ecological Condition of the Estuaries of the Gulf of Mexico

Monitoring of estuaries in the Louisianian Province was performed annually from 1991–1994 to assess ecological conditions on a regional scale. We found over the four years of monitoring, 25±6% of Gulf of Mexico estuarine sediments in the Louisianian Province displayed poor biological conditions, as measured by benthic community structure, and 14±7% of the area was characterized by poor water clarity, the presence of marine debris, and elevated levels of fish tissue contaminants. Using statistical associations to discern relationships between ecological condition and exposure or stressor data has shown that much of this degraded' condition co-occurs with sediment contamination.     

Evaluation of sampling strategies to characterize dissolved oxygen conditions in northern Gulf of Mexico estuaries

Dissolved oxygen was continuously monitored in eight sites of northern Gulf of Mexico estuaries in August, 1990. Monte Carlo analyses on subsamples of the data were used to evaluate several commonly used monitoring strategies. Monitoring strategies which involve single point sampling of dissolved oxygen may often misclassify an estuary as having good water quality. In the case of shallow, often well-mixed estuaries that experience diurnal cycles, such monitoring often does not occur at night, during the time of lowest dissolved oxygen concentration. Our objective was to determine the minimum sampling effort required to correctly classify a site in terms of the observed frequency of hypoxia. Tests concluded that the most successful classification strategy used the minimum dissolved oxygen concentration from a continuously sampled 24-hour period.Contribution No. 745, U.S. E.P.A., Environmental Research Lab, Gulf Breeze, FL 32561     

The effects of opening an artificial tidal inlet on hydrography and estuarine macrofauna in Corpus Christi, Texas

Packery Channel is part of a complex of storm washover channels which, before 1912, have opened intermittently, linking the Laguna Madre and Corpus Christi Bay, Texas with the Gulf of Mexico. On 21 July 2005, with the assistance of Hurricane Emily, Packery Channel was prematurely opened to the Gulf of Mexico, months before construction of a dredged channel was scheduled to be completed. A before-versus-after, control-versus-impact (BACI) design was used to assess the effects of reopening Packery Channel on water quality and estuarine macrofauna in Mollie Beattie Coastal Habitat Community (MBCHC), Corpus Christi Bay. Two deep (approximately 1 m below m.s.l.) and two shallow (approximately 0.2 m below m.s.l.) stations were sampled monthly for physical and biological characteristics at both control and impact sites between November 2003 and March 2009. The opening of Packery Channel created a unique situation where salinities decreased after the channel opening by ameliorating hypersalinity in Laguna Madre rather than increasing salinities as would occur in most estuaries worldwide. Salinity also fluctuated in a diurnal pattern after the opening of Packery Channel. Apart from salinity, Packery Channel has caused little hydrographic change in MBCHC since opening in July 2005. There was little effect on the macrofaunal community composition. There was a greater difference in community composition between deep and shallow stations than between either before and after or control and impact sites. There have been no significant changes in abundance, biomass, or N1 diversity caused by the opening of Packery Channel.     

An Assessment of the Ecological Condition of Long Island Sound, 1990–1993

Data from the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Environmental Monitoring and Assessment Program (EMAP) from 1990 to 1993 were used to assess the condition of the Long Island Sound (LIS) estuary. Ambient water, sediment and biota were collected during the summer months from 53 LIS stations using an unbiased sampling design. The design consists of two LIS subunits, LIS proper, and small estuaries (<2.6 km2) at the margins of the Sound. Selected indicators of condition included: benthic species composition, abundance and biomass; fish species composition and gross external pathology; sediment physical and chemical characterization and sediment toxicity; and water clarity and quality. Results of the four-year sampling indicated that 28(±11)% of the areal extent of LIS proper had a benthic index < zero (impacted) and 51(±12)% of the area of small estuaries was impacted. Analysis of the results of other indicators also shows that small estuaries were particularly affected. For example, 42(±10)% of the areal extent of small estuaries exhibited sediment toxicity, and significant chemical contamination was evident in 22% of the area of small estuaries. Low dissolved oxygen (D.O.) concentrations (<5 ppm), however, appeared to affect only the deeper open waters of western LIS. Approximately 48(±12)% of the areal extent of LIS proper documented exposure to at least moderate D.O. stress (<5 ppm). The overall results of this monitoring study indicate that significant anthropogenic impacts have occurred in LIS and that if remediation was to take place, specific localized sediment problems would need attention. Point source and non-point source nutrient inputs to the Sound, which are believed to be the primary causative factor for the observed hypoxic conditions, would also need attention.     

Spatial Extent of Sediment Toxicity in U.S. Estuaries and Marine Bays

Acute, laboratory toxicity tests were performed by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) on 1543 surficial sediment samples collected during 1991 through 1997 throughout 25 estuaries and marine bays. Selected areas were sampled along the Atlantic, Gulf of Mexico, and Pacific coasts. The toxicity of each sample was determined with 10-day amphipod survival tests performed with solid-phase (bulk) sediments. Collectively, the 1543 samples tested through 1997 represented a total area of approximately 7300 km². Toxicity was observed with the amphipod survival tests in samples that represented approximately 6% of the combined area. Using similar tests conducted on samples collected in different, but overlapping, study areas, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimated that approximately 7% of the combined estuarine area sampled was toxic. Generally, toxicity was most severe in northeastern and southwestern estuaries and least prevalent in southeastern and northwestern areas. However, considerable portions of the Pacific coast have not been tested with the same methods. In tests of CYP1A enzyme induction (n=464), samples were toxic that represented about 5% of the combined study areas. Toxicity was much more widespread, however, when the results of two sub-lethal tests were analyzed. Significant results occurred in samples that represented approximately 25% and 39% of the study areas in tests of sea urchin fertilization (n=1309) and microbial bioluminescence (n=1215), respectively.     

An integrated approach to assess broad-scale condition of coastal wetlands—the Gulf of Mexico Coastal Wetlands pilot survey

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) initiated a two-year regional pilot survey in 2007 to develop, test, and validate tools and approaches to assess the condition of northern Gulf of Mexico (GOM) coastal wetlands. Sampling sites were selected from estuarine and palustrine wetland areas with herbaceous, forested, and shrub/scrub habitats delineated by the US Fish and Wildlife Service National Wetlands Inventory Status and Trends (NWI S&T) program and contained within northern GOM coastal watersheds. A multi-level, stepwise, iterative survey approach is being applied to multiple wetland classes at 100 probabilistically-selected coastal wetlands sites. Tier 1 provides information at the landscape scale about habitat inventory, land use, and environmental stressors associated with the watershed in which each wetland site is located. Tier 2, a rapid assessment conducted through a combination of office and field work, is based on best professional judgment and on-site evidence. Tier 3, an intensive site assessment, involves on-site collection of vegetation, water, and sediment samples to establish an integrated understanding of current wetland condition and validate methods and findings from Tiers 1 and 2. The results from this survey, along with other similar regional pilots from the Mid-Atlantic, West Coast, and Great Lakes Regions will contribute to a design and implementation approach for the National Wetlands Condition Assessment to be conducted by EPA’s Office of Water in 2011.     

The importance of considering spatial attributes in evaluating estuarine habitat condition: the South Carolina experience

The South Carolina Estuarine and Coastal Assessment Program (SCECAP) was initiated in 1999 to assess the condition of the state's coastal habitats using multiple measures of water quality, sediment quality, and biological condition. Sampling was subsequently expanded to include components required for the National Coastal Assessment (Coastal 2000) Program. Habitats are classified as either tidal creeks (<#60; 100 meters in width) or larger open water bodies. Approximately 30 sites are sampled within each habitat during the summer months using a probability-based random sampling design. Results obtained from the first two years of sampling documented significant differences in several water quality parameters (DO, salinity, pH, turbidity, fecal coliform bacteria, total nitrogen, TKN, total phosphorus) and biological measures (chlorophyll-a, finfish and crustacean abundance and biomass and a number of benthic species) between the tidal creek and open water habitats. These differences highlight the value of partitioning shallow water habitats separately from the larger open water bodies traditionally sampled in estuarine monitoring programs, especially since tidal creeks serve as critical nursery areas for many species. Based on the differences observed, there is a clear need to identify different physical and biological thresholds for evaluating the condition of each habitat type.     

河口混合区划定及营养盐标准限值构建

河口是河流和海洋生态系统的过渡带,目前中国缺乏河口区划界和水质评价标准,河口区及其附近海域环境质量评价直接使用《海水水质标准》(GB 3097—1997)对标评价的方式,评价结果往往与实际不符,对河口地区开发建设和管理保护不利。笔者系统分析了中国河口区划分及水质评价的现状和存在问题,以北部湾主要入海河口钦州湾为例比较了河口区营养盐背景值与海洋营养盐背景值,两者差异显著,认为使用《海水水质标准》(GB 3097—1997)对河口区进行评价不能很好地反映环境质量。因此依据现行的《地表水环境质量标准》(GB 3838—2002)、《海水水质标准》(GB 3097—1997)和《近岸海域环境功能区管理办法》,提出使用盐度等数据探讨河口混合区划定及建立河口混合区水质营养盐标准限值的方法。在钦州湾的应用案例中,河口混合区的划定和河口区营养盐标准限值确定,都具有科学性和可操作性。使用河口混合区营养盐标准进行评价的结果比直接使用《海水水质标准》(GB 3097—1997)评价能更准确地反映环境质量,可为河口区划界及水质评价提供方法参考。     

CHARACTERIZING DISSOLVED OXYGEN CONDITIONS IN ESTUARINE ENVIRONMENTS

Dissolved oxygen concentration, which is often measured inestuaries to quantify the results of and stresses associatedwith eutrophication, can be highly variable with time of dayand tidal stage. To assess how well dissolved oxygenconditions are characterized by typical monitoring programs,we conducted Monte Carlo sampling from 16 semi-continuous,31-day dissolved oxygen records collected from estuaries alongthe Atlantic and Gulf coasts to mimic three samplingstrategies: (1) systematic point-in-time sampling, (2) randompoint-in-time sampling, and (3) short-term continuous records.These strategies were evaluated for their accuracy inestimating mean oxygen concentration, minimum oxygenconcentration, and percent of time below a threshold value of2 ppm. Mean dissolved oxygen concentration was most accuratelyestimated in both estuarine regions by random point-in-timesampling, but this strategy required more than ten samplingsper month for the estimate to be within 0.5 ppm on 50% of thesimulations. Short-term continuous sampling (24–48 h)correctly identified estuaries in the Gulf of Mexico regionwhere dissolved oxygen concentrations of less than 2 ppm wereexperienced greater than 20% of the time. However, largetidal variations in Atlantic coast estuaries showed thismeasure to be inaccurate in these estuarine environments. Noneof the sampling strategies correctly identified month-longoxygen minima within 0.5 ppm for more than 50% of thesimulations. This inability to characterize correctlydissolved oxygen conditions could add significant uncertaintyto risk assessments, waste load allocation models, and otherwater quality evaluations that are the basis for developingwastewater treatment strategies and requirements. Perhaps moreimportantly, the inaccuracy with which conventional samplingprocedures characterize minimum dissolved oxygen valuessuggests that the extent of hypoxia in estuarine waters inbeing substantially underestimated.     

Relation of fish and shellfish distributions to habitat and water quality in the Mobile Bay estuary, USA

The Mobile Bay estuary in the northern Gulf of Mexico provides a rich habitat for many fish and shellfish, including those identified as economically and ecologically important. The National Estuary Program in Mobile Bay has focused on restoration of degraded estuarine habitat on which these species depend. To support this effort, we used statistical techniques of ordination, cluster analysis, and discriminant analysis to relate distributions of individual fish and shellfish species and species assemblages to two dozen water quality and habitat variables in a geo-referenced database. Species appeared to respond to dominant gradients of low to high salinity and upland to offshore habitat area; many of the 15 communities identified via cluster analysis showed aggregated spatial distributions that could be related to habitat characteristics. Species in the Mobile River Delta were distinct from those in other areas of the estuary. This analysis supports habitat management in the Mobile Bay estuary; however, due to mobility of organisms among sampling locations and the dynamic environmental conditions in estuaries, we conclude that the analyses presented here are most appropriate for an evaluation of the estuary as a whole.     

Determining the Causes of Benthic Condition

A benthic index for northern Gulf of Mexico estuaries has been developed and successfully validated by the Environmental Monitoring and Assessment Program for Estuaries (EMAP-E) in the Louisianian Province. The benthic index is a useful and valid indicator of estuarine condition that is intended to provide environmental managers with a simple tool for assessing the ecological condition of benthic macroinvertebrate communities. Associations between the benthic index and indicators of hypoxia, sediment contamination, and sediment toxicity were investigated to determine the most probable cause(s) of degraded benthic condition. The results showed that, on a local scale, the associations between the benthic index and potential environmental causes differed among estuaries. In Pensacola Bay, FL, for example, there was a significant association between the levels of toxic chemicals (e.g. DDT, silver, and TBT) in the sediment and the benthic index, especially in the bayous which have known sediment contamination problems. In Mobile Bay, however, degraded benthic communities were more closely associated with eutrophication and hypoxia. Nevertheless, a benthic index is a valuable tool for identifying areas that could be already degraded and tracking the status of environmental condition in large geographical regions.     

The areal extent of brown shrimp habitat suitability in Mobile Bay, Alabama, USA: targeting vegetated habitat restoration

The availability of wetlands and shallow water habitats significantly influences Gulf of Mexico (GOM) penaeid shrimp fishery productivity. However, the GOM region has the highest rate of wetland loss in the USA. Protection and management of these vital GOM habitats are critical to sustainable shrimp fisheries. Brown shrimp (Farfantepenaeus aztecus) are a major component of GOM fisheries. We present an approach for estimating the areal extent of suitable habitat for post-larval and juvenile brown shrimp in Mobile Bay, Alabama, using an existing habitat suitability index model for the northern GOM calculated from probabilistic survey of water quality and sediment data, land cover data, and submerged aquatic vegetation coverages. This estuarine scale approach is intended to support targeted protection and restoration of these habitats. These analyses indicate that approximately 60% of the area of Mobile Bay is categorized as suitable to near optimal for post-larval and juvenile shrimp and 38% of the area is marginally to minimally suitable. We identify potential units within Mobile Bay for targeted restoration to improve habitat suitability.     

Snapshot of Vibrio parahaemolyticus densities in open and closed shellfish beds in Coastal South Carolina and Mississippi

Vibrio parahaemolyticus is a Gram negative, halophilic bacterium that is ubiquitous in warm, tropical waters throughout the world. It is a major cause of seafood-associated gastroenteritis and is generally associated with consumption of raw or undercooked seafood, especially oysters. This study presents a snapshot of total V. parahaemolyticus densities in surface waters and shellstock American oysters (Crassostrea virginica) from open and closed shellfish harvesting areas, as well as “more rural areas” on two different US coasts, the Atlantic and the Gulf. Sampling was conducted from 2001 to 2003 at five sites near Charleston/Georgetown, SC and at four locations in the Gulfport/Pascagoula, MS area. V. parahaemolyticus numbers were determined by a direct plating method using an alkaline-phosphatase-labeled DNA probe targeting the species-specific thermolabile hemolysin gene (tlh) that was used for identification of bacterial isolates. The greatest difference between the two coasts was salinity; mean salinity in SC surface waters was 32.9 ppt, whereas the mean salinity in MS waters was 19.2 ppt, indicating more freshwater input into MS shellfish harvesting areas during the study period. The mean V. parahaemolyticus numbers in oysters were almost identical between the two states (567.4 vs. 560.1 CFU/g). Bacterial numbers in the majority of surface water samples from both states were at or below the limit of detection (LOD?=?<10 CFU/mL). The bacterial concentrations determined during this study predict a low public health risk from consumption of oysters in shellfish growing areas on either the Gulf or the Atlantic US coast.     

黄河口的水质、底质污染及其变化

分析了2001年在黄河口附近所取的3处水样和3处泥样中污染物的含量,并与历史数据进行了比较.利用<地表水环境质量标准>(GB3838-2002)和美国国家海洋大气管理局(NOAA)水体泥沙质量标准等分别对水体和底泥中的重金属(砷)和氮磷污染进行了评价.认为黄河口的水污染严重,主要污染物为汞和氮;泥沙污染尚不严重,但污染物的增长率高;水体中较高的氮含量和泥沙中氮含量的迅速增高可能会对渤海湾的富营养化情况产生影响.     

Integrating sentinel watershed-systems into the monitoring and assessment of Minnesota’s (USA) waters quality

Section 303(d) of the Clean Water Act requires States and Tribes to list waters not meeting water quality standards. A total maximum daily load must be prepared for waters identified as impaired with respect to water quality standards. Historically, the management of pollution in Minnesota has been focused on point-source regulation. Regulatory effort in Minnesota has improved water quality over the last three decades. Non-point source pollution has become the largest driver of conventional 303(d) listings in the 21st century. Conventional pollutants, i.e., organic, sediment and nutrient imbalances can be identified with poor land use management practices. However, the cause and effect relationship can be elusive because of natural watershed-system influences that vary with scale. Elucidation is complex because the current water quality standards in Minnesota were designed to work best with water quality permits to control point sources of pollution. This paper presents a sentinel watershed-systems approach (SWSA) to the monitoring and assessment of Minnesota waterbodies. SWSA integrates physical, chemical, and biological data over space and time using advanced technologies at selected small watersheds across Minnesota to potentially improve understanding of natural and anthropogenic watershed processes and the management of point and non-point sources of pollution. Long-term, state-of-the-art monitoring and assessment is needed to advance and improve water quality standards. Advanced water quality or ecologically-based standards that integrate physical, chemical, and biological numeric criteria offer the potential to better understand, manage, protect, and restore Minnesota’s waterbodies.     

The Ecological Condition of Gulf of Mexico Resources from Perdido Key to Port St. Joe, Florida, USA: Part I. Coastal Beach Resources

Using the approach established by EPA's Environmental Monitoring and Assessment Program (EMAP), a shoreline monitoring survey was conducted in August and September 1999, encompassing the Florida Panhandle from Perdido Key, Florida to Port St. Joe, Florida. The objective of this survey was to demonstrate the use of a probabilistic survey for monitoring and estimating the condition of swimmable beach areas. Thirty stations were sampled using a probabilistic sampling design. Hydrographic data were collected in addition to samples for water chemistry. Bacterial indicators, enterococci and fecal coliforms, were enumerated from the water according to the EPA Beaches Environmental Assessment Closure and Health (BEACH) Program and Florida state guidelines. Additional criteria for site condition included the presence or absence of primary and secondary dunes, anthropogenic debris and vegetation. Based on EMAP evaluation guidelines and Florida state criteria, a baseline assessment of the condition of the Gulf of Mexico beach resources surveyed is presented.     

Texas National Coastal Assessment (2000–2004): challenges, solutions, lessons learned and future directions

The Texas National Coastal Assessment (NCA) program began with the immediate challenge of integrating the NCA effort with Texas Parks and Wildlife Department’s (TPWD) Coastal Fisheries Division and its existing probabilistic Fishery Independent Monitoring Program. Close coordination and detailed planning along with a novel two boat sampling operation helped to make this alliance work. Partnerships with National Estuary Programs and the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) greatly improved coverage of the Texas coast over the initial fifty station design. Airboats, biobags, and polyvinyl chloride (PVC) corers were instrumental in overcoming numerous technical challenges. NCA data provide a more complete assessment of water and sediment quality than the traditional 305(b) report, with better spatial coverage and a measure of validity. There were differing patterns of PCBs, PAHs, DDTs and chlorinated pesticides, and metals such as mercury (Hg), arsenic (As), lead (Pb) and zinc (Zn) along the Texas coast. A confederation of Texas state agencies is considering ways to take advantage of probabilistic sampling designs to monitor the Texas coast. The TCEQ and TPWD are working on a joint project to redesign sediment and water quality monitoring that may serve as a springboard to a continuous monitoring program and opportunities for further improvement of ecosystem health assessment of the Texas coast.