Detection of potential harmful algal bloom-causing microalgae from freshwater prawn farms in Central Luzon,Philippines, for bloom monitoring and prediction

Prawn aquaculture industry is one of the developing economic activities in the Philippines. Generally, a wide range of microalgae typically grow and proliferate in many aquaculture ponds. However, certain species of microalgae have the ability to form harmful algal blooms (HABs) which often bring damaging consequences to the aquaculture industry, food safety, and the environment. The study aims to identify and characterize the composition of microalgae (particularly Cyanophyta) that are capable of forming HABs in selected freshwater prawn culture ponds in Central Luzon, Philippines, using morphological, ultrastructural, and molecular characterizations. From water samples collected in ten selected ponds across Central Luzon (Bulacan, Nueva Ecija, Pampanga, Tarlac, and Zambales), potential HAB formers such as Oscillatoria agardhii, O. princeps, Microcystis aeruginosa, and M. wesenbergii were observed to have occurred mostly, while Anabaena circinalis was only observed in one site. Both morphological and ultrastructural methods brought upon some challenges and limitations while molecular methods using 16S rRNA gene and phylogenetic analysis which were optimized in this study offered better and more efficient ways of identification and were helpful in resolving genus-level and species-level relationships. The influence of physicochemical properties of pond water, especially nutrient levels (nitrate, nitrite, and orthophosphate) on the occurrence of these cyanobacteria was also analyzed. As a pioneering study on freshwater HABs in aquaculture ponds in the country, results of the study can provide information to improve the knowledge in bloom occurrence and prediction, and to develop freshwater HAB prevention and control methods.     

Levels of 137Cs in muddy sediments on the seabed in the Bay of Cadiz (Spain). Part II. Model of vertical migration of (137)Cs

This second part of the study reports the development of a model to describe the vertical migration of the artificial radioisotope (137)Cs in the sediment column on the seabed of the Bay of Cadiz. The application of the model provides an overall picture of the process of sedimentation in the Inner Bay of Cadiz. The spatial distribution of the rate of sedimentation enables us to study the sources of sediments and the means by which the sediments have been transported. A method has been derived from the rate of sedimentation to perform the dating of the layers of sediment. The model describes the behaviour of (137)Cs in the area under study, taking into account the time of residence in the zones that are the source of accumulation, the origin of the sedimentary material, together with the diffusion of the radionuclide in the sediment of the seabed.     

Using radiotracer techniques for coastal hydrodynamic model evaluation

A three-dimensional (3D) water circulation and contaminant transport model of Manila Bay has been developed with the aim of better understanding the formation and movement of harmful algal blooms. Radiotracer techniques were used to evaluate the model by recording the dispersion of a tracer at depths of 2 and 15 m near the injection point. The selected tracer was 99mTc eluted from a molybdenum/technetium medical generator. The rationale for the choice of the tracer and the location of the injection is discussed. At 2 m the transport was dominated by the prevailing winds, and at 15 m by tidally induced currents. The development of the hydrodynamic model and its experimental evaluation were iterative processes. The experimental study confirmed the need for full 3D modelling of Manila Bay; quantified the impact of the prevailing wind field on contaminant dispersion near the injection point; and allowed the calculation of transverse dispersivity to guide the selection of parameter values used in the overall model.     

Sedimentation rates and erosion processes in the lagoon of Venice

Since the early 1990s in the lagoon of Venice, especially in the central basin, the surface sediment underwent high re-suspension and sedimentation changes and water turbidity increased both because of the disappearance of the macroalgal coverage and the harvesting of the Manila clam Tapes philippinarum Adams and Reeve, which had rapidly colonised the bottom free of macrophytes. Clams are harvested with hydraulic and mechanical dredges which remove and re-suspend surface sediments causing the transport and loss of the finest materials. Sediment transport and re-deposition in the lagoon have been monitored with sediment traps placed onto the bottoms near the Malamocco mouth (st. A), the Lido watershed (st. B) and the mainland (sts. C and D). From 1989-1993 to 1998-1999 sedimentation rates increased significantly at st. A (from 41 to 228 kg DW m(-2) year(-1)), st. B (from 65 to 760 kg DW m(-2) year(-1)) and st. C (from 140 to 721 kg DW m(-2) year(-1)), while at st. D sedimentation rates increased only by ca. 20%. In parallel sediment grain-size changed with a loss of the finest fraction especially near the mainland. The erosion or sedimentation status, acquired by utilizing sedimentation devices placed onto the bottoms, showed that sts. B, C, D were affected by sediment losses, while st. A, populated by seagrasses and characterised by seasonal variations which depend on the shoot development, did not show any significant bathymetric change on an annual basis. The highest sediment erosion was recorded at st. D (ca. 3.6 cm year(-1)) whereas a loss of ca. 1.5 and 0.5 cm year(-1) was found at sts. C and B, respectively, which accounted for a mean loss in the central lagoon of ca. 1.2 million tonnes year(-1). Those data agree with the previous indirect estimation of sediment loss which was based on the number of fishing boats operating in the lagoon on an annual basis.     

底泥悬浮对营养盐释放和水华生长影响的模拟

通过室内模拟实验研究了扰动引起的太湖底泥悬浮对水体氮磷营养盐和蓝藻水华的影响,其中底泥和上覆水均来自太湖,扰动强度以悬浮物浓度表示。实验监测了底泥扰动过程中以及扰动停止后48 h之内水体氮磷营养盐和叶绿素a的变化,采样间隔为6 h。实验结果表明,扰动明显增加了水体中总氮、总磷、活性磷等含量,但是可溶性无机氮的增加不明显,叶绿素a含量没有出现明显的增长。水华没有出现明显增长很可能是氮限制的原因。由此推测太湖一次风浪扰动过程引起的底泥营养盐释放不一定就能够加剧蓝藻水华的暴发。底泥中释放的营养盐对蓝藻水华的影响需要进一步研究     

Levels of 137Cs in muddy sediments of the seabed of the Bay of Cadiz, Spain. Part I. Vertical and spatial distribution of activities

This is the first of a two-part paper. This first part describes a detailed study conducted of the spatial and vertical distribution of the concentration of the radionuclide (137)Cs, utilising columns of sediment extracted from the seabed of the Bay of Cadiz (Spain) as specimens. The activity concentrations have been measured by means of gamma spectrometry using a HPGe detector and (137)Cs is used as an indicator of the sedimentation and contamination processes in the zone. At the same time the relationship between the levels of activity found and other hydrodynamic and sedimentological variables characteristic of the zone have been studied. The experimental results obtained will also serve to develop a model of the distribution of (137)Cs, which will be presented in the second part of this paper.     

太湖聚藻区水华易发季节沉积物磷的分布特征

为了探讨太湖聚藻区月亮湾在水华易发季节及前后沉积物磷的赋存及迁移特征,采用欧洲标准测试委员会框架下发展的SMT磷形态分级方法对月亮湾由冬季至夏季（1～7月）表层沉积物（5 cm）分层的磷形态分析发现,总磷和无机磷呈现逐渐下降的趋势,平均含量分别为53553和42590 mg/kg。但有机磷则在冬季至夏初降低,随后从夏初开始上升并于7月达最大值,平均含量为8772 mg/kg,是冬季的14～18倍,表明藻类聚集和沉降对表层沉积物有机磷含量产生显著影响。在监测的这几个月中,无机形态磷均于春季4月达到最大值,而且与1、6和7月表现出显著的差异性（P <005）。铁磷为无机磷主要形态,平均含量达到18686 mg/kg,占无机形态磷质量分数的4443%,且4月、5月和6月沉积物铁磷含量表现出显著的差异性（P <005）。其次是铝磷和钙磷,平均含量分别达到12949和9748 mg/kg,为无机形态磷质量分数的3118%和2318%,各月份沉积物铝磷含量表现出显著的差异性（P<005）,而钙磷却无显著性差异。沉积物中可交换态磷的含量虽然较少（平均444 mg/kg）,但其冬季至春季逐渐升高、春季至夏季逐渐降低的现象,表明在生长季节可交换态磷从沉积物向上覆水柱释放,为藻类复苏和生长提供物资基础。分析还发现,铁磷、铝磷和有机磷均与可交换态磷存在较好相关性,无机磷与总磷的相关性最为显著,表明研究区沉积物中总磷的含量与分布主要受控于无机磷     

Interrelations of Epibiontic Microalgae and Crustacean Zooplankton under Conditions of a Blooming Eutrophic Water Body

The possibility of symbiotic, mutualistic (++) interrelations between epibiontic microalgae (Characidiopsis ellipsoidea, Colacium vesiculosum) and cyclopoids (Cyclops vicinus, Mesocyclops leukarti) in the Bugach recreational reservoir with a bloom of cyanobacteria is demonstrated. Overgrown cyclopoids, compared to those free from microalgae, have advantages in oxygen supply, which may be insufficient in the period of intensive algal bloom. Calculations have shown that oxygen requirements of cyclopoids may be fully satisfied due to C. vesiculosum photosynthetic activity in the dysphotic zone if the density of overgrowth exceeds 1000 algal cells per individual. There is no significant correlation between the natural mortality of crustaceans and the indices of their overgrowth by microalgae.     

Physico-chemical and toxicological characterization of the historic estuarine sediments: a multidisciplinary approach

The accumulation rates, the geochronology of metals and PAH contamination, and the Microtox toxicity are studied in five sediment cores (50 cm length) covering different areas of the Santander Bay, Northern Spain. Chronology given by (210)Pb and (137)Cs reveals significant differences in accumulation rates between sites (0.2-1.1 cm/year), as well as a variable degree of anthropogenic enrichment factors for Fe, Mn, Cu, Pb, Zn, Ni (from 1 to 15) and concentrations of summation Sigma 16PAHs (from 0.01 to 23.84 mg/kg dw) in sediments over the last 90 years. The results indicate the increasing contamination pressure from industrial and urban activities along the Bay. No toxic results from the Microtox test are obtained either with pore water or with normalised sediment aqueous extracts (European Norm EN 12457), suggesting low water solubility and low availability of contaminants in the studied sediments. However, the EC50 values from the Microtox Basic Solid Phase Test (BSPT) ranged from 0.03% to 2.35%, showing vertical toxicity profiles in accordance with metal and PAHs behaviour. The correlation degrees of Microtox BSPT toxicity to chemical concentration in sediment profiles are widely variable showing a high site-dependent toxicity. The oligochaete Limnodrilus hoffmeisteri has been used as a chronic bioassay over surface sediments of two of the studied sites, showing results coherent with the Microtox BSPT acute test results. Global results of the present work provide regional geochemical baselines for metals and PAHs and toxicological data now make it possible to obtain a preliminary quality assessment of the Santander Bay sediment profiles.     

Environmental changes in Sepetiba Bay,SE Brazil

Sepetiba Bay is an example of an aquatic environment that has been severely impacted by human occupation and industrial activities in its basin. Some 400 industries including metallurgical, petrochemical and pyrometallurgical smelters, which emitted pollutants to air, soil and water, were established in Sepetiba Basin during the past 30 years. Apart from these point sources, changes in land use have also resulted in a large remobilization of pollutant deposition on Sepetiba Bay Basin. Studies have pointed out significant changes in sedimentation rates, concentrations of inorganic pollutants (Zn, Cd, Pb and Hg) and more recently, eutrophication, pointing to this area as an example of an impacted coastal zone. Notwithstanding local sources, Sepetiba Bay also suffers environmental impacts caused by diversion of river waters from adjacent basins, with some 30% of the total Hg flux to Sepetiba Bay and a 10-fold increase in water and sediment fluxes resulting from this. Decreasing environmental quality compromises both the large biodiversity and the potential economic uses of Sepetiba Bay, including fisheries and tourism. Monitoring of heavy metal levels in organisms (algae, mollusks, crustaceans and oysters) often shows concentrations well above the limits allowed following Brazilian legislation for food quality. Historical evolution of these concentrations suggests a worsening of the situation. Failure to monitor the effect of land-based activities, including those from other basins artificially associated with Sepetiba Bay has resulted in poor scenario construction and proper management planning.     

基于Landsat影像巢湖蓝藻水华暴发时空变化特征及其驱动因素分析

为研究巢湖蓝藻水华暴发的规律,该文以Landsat影像作为数据源,采用AFAI指数对藻华进行提取,分析1983～2017年巢湖蓝藻暴发的时空动态变化特征,并探讨巢湖藻华暴发的驱动因素。结果表明：1983～2017年巢湖藻华暴发频次、持续时间都在增加,历年最早暴发时间逐渐提前,藻华覆盖面积总体呈增加趋势。巢湖藻华主要分布在西北入湖口,西北部是巢湖藻华暴发的核心区。从其驱动力分析发现,风速、气温和大气压力是导致巢湖暴发重要影响因子,人口增长、GDP快速发展、施肥增加以及生活污水排放量增加是导致巢湖藻华现象日益严重的重要人为因素。     

Analysis of microcystins in cyanobacteria blooms and surface water samples from Meiliang Bay,Taihu Lake,China

Taihu Lake is the third largest freshwater lake in China. In recent years, the water pollution of cyanobacteria blooms has become a severe problem in this area. Microcystins (MCs) are an important group of toxic compounds mainly produced by some cyanobacteria species and have both acute and chronic hepatotoxic effects on animals and humans. This paper presents the first data on the identification and detection of MCs in both natural occurring cyanobacteria blooms and surface water samples (0-0.5 m), collected from Meiliang Bay, Taihu Lake, China. A conventional method for extraction and isolation of MCs from cyanobacteria blooms was applied. High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) analysis showed that the main toxic component in the cyanobacteria materials was MC-LR. The monoclonal antibody (mAb) against MC-LR produced by hybridoma technique was employed for direct competitive ELISA to detect the concentrations of MCs in bloom and water samples collected in 2001. The results not only revealed the presence of MCs but also temporal variations of MCs levels of three sampling stations in Meiliang Bay in 1 year. It is obvious that the MC contents were relatively higher during warm months and related with the status of eutrophication. Our study indicates the threat associated with MCs in water body of Taihu Lake. To prevent the MCs potential hazard on public health in this area, some necessary measures of monitoring and control of growth of cyanobacteria are urgently needed.     

The pollution status and the toxicity of surface sediments in Izmit Bay (Marmara Sea), Turkey

Izmit Bay is one of the most polluted and populated enclosed sea in Turkey. It has been the centre of industrial activities for the last 30 years. Seven major sources enter the bay waters along the north coastline of the bay. This investigation forms part of continuing ecotoxicology studies in the Izmit Bay designed to constrain and minimise the pollution caused by flourishing industry and a growing population. Sediments sampled from the mouths of the major discharges of Izmit Bay were analysed for their organic carbon, total polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (t-PAH) and trace inorganic element (Cd, Al, As, Pb, Hg and Cu) contents and compared with those found in the sediments from the reference station in the outer bay (in the Marmara Sea). The toxicity of sediments was determined in the bulk and elutriate samples by using algal (Phaeodactylum tricornutum) batch bioassays. Chemical data showed that the sediments collected from the inner sites of the bay have been contaminated with Cd, Hg, As and PAHs. Organic carbon contents were also found higher. All the major industrial discharges into the bay are now biologically treated but bioassays performed with bulk sediments revealed that the recent sediments are toxic to the microalgae throughout the bay. The results are consistent with the previous toxicity studies performed with the industrial discharges.     

A multicriteria-based methodology for site prioritisation in sediment management

Decision-making for sediment management is a complex task that incorporates the selections of areas for remediation and the assessment of options for any mitigation required. The application of Multicriteria Analysis (MCA) to rank different areas, according to their need for sediment management, provides a great opportunity for prioritisation, a first step in an integrated methodology that finally aims to assess and select suitable alternatives for managing the identified priority sites. This paper develops a methodology that starts with the delimitation of management units within areas of study, followed by the application of MCA methods that allows ranking of these management units, according to their need for remediation. This proposed process considers not only scientific evidence on sediment quality, but also other relevant aspects such as social and economic criteria associated with such decisions. This methodology is illustrated with its application to the case study area of the Bay of Santander, in northern Spain, highlighting some of the implications of utilising different MCA methods in the process. It also uses site-specific data to assess the subjectivity in the decision-making process, mainly reflected through the assignment of the criteria weights and uncertainties in the criteria scores. Analysis of the sensitivity of the results to these factors is used as a way to assess the stability and robustness of the ranking as a first step of the sediment management decision-making process.     

三峡水库藻类“水华”预测

根据三峡库区江段16条一级支流以及重庆市35座大中型〖JP2〗水库的调查资料，分析天然河流与水库两种不同水流条件下，水体叶绿素a浓度与总磷和透明度的关系。结果发现,在水库环境中，水体叶绿素a的浓度与总磷以及与透明度都具有较好的相关性，但在河流条件下则没有明显的关系。由于三峡库区江段大多数支流的营养水平已达到富营养化状况，当三峡水库建成、水流条件发生变化后，在支流河口等水域存在爆发“水华”的风险。为此，我们根据1998年枯水期，在三峡库区长江江段流域面积大于100 km2的40条支流河口实测的总磷浓度，利用所建立的水库环境中总磷与叶绿素a 浓度的关系，对三峡成库后在局部水域爆发“水华”的可能性和程度进行了分析，并提出了相应的对策。     

三峡水库汛末175 m试验蓄水过程对香溪河库湾水环境的影响

为研究解决三峡库区支流水华问题,实现三峡水库生态调度,需探明现行三峡水库175 m蓄水方案对库区支流水环境的影响。基于2008~2010年三峡水库开展的汛末175m试验性蓄水工作,及香溪河库湾2008~2010年野外监测数据,从库湾水华暴发程度、营养盐水平及水动力特性方面分析了2008~2010年三峡水库汛末175 m试验性蓄水对香溪河库湾水环境的影响。结果表明：分两阶段蓄水时间提前方案有利于库湾中上游上层水体的交换和紊动,降低库湾中上游水体表层营养盐浓度,破坏了浮游植物赖以生存较稳定的环境,抑制藻类的生长,降低水体表层叶绿素a的浓度,减少水华暴发频次、持续时间以及强度,有利于库湾水环境的改善     

Environmental significance of nitrogenous organic compounds in aquatic sources

The presence of nitrogenous organic compounds in raw water sources for municipal supplies is of environmental concern because many of them exert significant chlorine demand, while some produce complex stable mutagenic products upon chlorination or are precursors to haloform formation. Seven N-organic compounds have been identified in municipal water concentrates (adenine, 5-chlorouracil, cytosine, guanine, purine, thymine, and uracil) at concentrations ranging from 20 to 860 μg/L. Eight compounds (adenine, cytosine, purine, pyrrole, thymine, tryptophan, tyrosine, and uracil) have been found in filtrates from cultures of either Anabaena flos aquae or Oscillatoria tenuis. Calculated CHCl₃ levels which might have formed at pH 7 in the water supplies were well below the maximum contaminant level (MCL) of 0.1 mg/L proposed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) for total trihalogenated methanes. Calculated levels of CHCl₃ which might have been formed under more alkaline conditions, however, were more than 10% of the MCL and were therefore significant. Calculated levels of combined forms of chlorine yielding falsely positive tests for free chlorine in some samples were slightly less or exceeded the 0.5 mg/L free chlorine residual generally taken as an acceptable level of disinfection. The demonstration of a parallel increase in organic nitrogen content with population density in two laboratory grown blue-green algal cultures, and the finding of elevated organic nitrogen values in a water supply sample collected during the occurrence of a blue-green algal bloom, suggested that summer algal bloom occurrence can add considerably to the organic nitrogen content and the trihalomethane potential of water supplies.     

137Cs and (239+240)Pu levels in the Asia-Pacific regional seas

137Cs and (239+240)Pu data in seawater, sediment and biota from the regional seas of Asia-Pacific extending from 50 degrees N to 60 degrees S latitude and 60 degrees E to 180 degrees E longitude based on the Asia-Pacific Marine Radioactivity Database (ASPAMARD) are presented and discussed. 137Cs levels in surface seawater have been declining to its present median value of about 3 Bq/m3 due mainly to radioactive decay, transport processes, and the absence of new significant inputs. (239+240)Pu levels in surface seawater are much lower, with a median of about 6 mBq/m3. (239+240)Pu appears to be partly scavenged by particles and is therefore more readily transported down the water column. As with seawater, (239+240)Pu concentrations are lower than 137Cs in surface sediment. The median 137Cs concentration in surface sediment is 1.4 Bq/kg dry, while that of (239+240)Pu is only 0.2 Bq/kg dry. The vertical profiles of both 137Cs and (239+240)Pu in the sediment column of coastal areas are different from deep seas which can be attributed to the higher sedimentation rates and additional contribution of run-offs from terrestrial catchment areas in the coastal zone. Comparable data for biota are far less extensive than those for seawater and sediment. The median 137Cs concentration in fish (0.2 Bq/kg wet) is higher than in crustaceans (0.1 Bq/kg wet) or mollusks (0.1 Bq/kg wet). Benchmark values (as of 2001) for 137Cs and (239+240)Pu concentrations in seawater, sediment and biota are established to serve as reference values against which the impact of future anthropogenic inputs can be assessed. ASPAMARD represents one of the most comprehensive compilations of available data on 137Cs and (239+240)Pu in particular, and other anthropogenic as well as natural radionuclides in seawater, sediment and biota from the Asia-Pacific regional seas.     

汉江水华水文因素作用机理--基于藻类生长动力学的研究

在相关文献的基础上总结影响汉江水华的水文因素包括流量、流速和水面比降,根据河流动力学理论,讨论了它们之间的内在联系。在此基础上,从生物生长动力学的角度,将连续流反应器原理应用于汉江水华现象,提出了汉江连续流生物反应器模型,并根据Monod方程分析,认为汉江中的藻类浓度与水流速度应成指数关系。由此,建立了汉江藻类浓度与水流速度关系数学模型a = m exp(k/ν)。利用汉江1992年至2000年实测资料,通过回归分析进一步确定了汉江的藻类浓度与水流速度函数关系中的常数m=8.9759、k=0.9054,相关系数r=0.924 4。最后,对流速、流量和长江水位对汉江水华的作用机理进行了分析,揭示了水文因素影响汉江水华的作用机理。     

巢湖水及沉积物中总磷的分布变化特征

磷是导致巢湖水体富营养化的主要营养物质。采集大量巢湖表层水和沉积物样品,通过检测上覆水和沉积物中总磷含量,分析巢湖水体中磷的时空变化及赋存特征。结果显示:巢湖南淝河和裕溪河河口的上覆水中总磷含量值时间变化特征为8月5月3月12月;且南淝河口总磷含量年均值超过地表水Ⅴ类水质标准,明显高于裕溪河口值;表层水和沉积物中总磷含量在空间分布上呈西高东低趋势,最高值均出现在靠近合肥市河口处。巢湖周边土壤及湖区磷的等值线分布表明:杭埠河流域农业污染、东巢湖东南部水土流失可能是巢湖磷面源污染的主要来源。巢湖上覆水和沉积物中总磷的相关系数为0.515,蓝藻爆发期全湖表层沉积物中总磷含量显著减少,揭示目前内源磷释放已是巢湖富营养化的主要因素。结果将对巢湖流域的污染综合防治及蓝藻治理工作提供科学依据。