Factors controlling the bioaccumulation of mercury and methylmercury by the estuarine amphipod Leptocheirus plumulosus

The bioaccumulation of inorganic mercury (HgI) and monomethylmercury (MMHg) by benthic organisms and subsequent trophic transfer couples the benthic and pelagic realms of aquatic systems and provides a mechanism for transfer of sedimentary contaminants to aquatic food chains. Experiments were performed to investigate the bioavailability and bioaccumulation of particle-associated HgI and MMHg by the estuarine amphipod Leptocheirus plumulosus to further understand the controls on bioaccumulation by benthic organisms. HgI and MMHg are particle reactive and have a strong affinity for organic matter, a potential food source for amphipods. Microcosm laboratory experiments were performed to determine the effects of organic matter on Hg bioaccumulation and to determine the major route of Hg uptake (i.e. sediment ingestion, uptake from water/porewater, or uptake from 'food'). Amphipods living in organic-rich sediment spiked with Hg accumulated less Hg than those living in sediments with a lower organic matter content. Feeding had a significant impact on the amount of HgI and MMHg accumulated. Similarly, amphipods living in water with little organic matter accumulated more Hg than those living in water with a greater percentage of organic matter. MMHg was more readily available for uptake than HgI. Experimental results, coupled with results from a bioaccumulation model, suggest that accumulation of HgI and MMHg from sediment cannot be accurately predicted based solely on the total Hg, or even the MMHg, concentration of the sediment, and sediment-based bioaccumulation factors. All routes of exposure need to be considered in determining the accumulation of HgI and MMHg from sediment to benthic invertebrates.     

Wax of a whitefly and its utilization by a chrysopid larva

Defense Mechanisms of Arthropods, no. 96; no. 95: Eisner et al.: Chemoecology (in press)     

Characterization of organic chemical contaminants in sediments from Jobos Bay, Puerto Rico

Jobos Bay, located on the southeastern coast of Puerto Rico, contains a variety of habitats including mangroves, seagrass meadows, and coral reefs. The watershed surrounding the bay includes a number of towns, agricultural areas, and the Jobos Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve (NERR). Jobos Bay and the surrounding watershed are part of a Conservation Effects Assessment Project (CEAP), involving the Jobos Bay NERR, the US Department of Agriculture, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to assess the benefits of agricultural best management practices (BMPs) on the terrestrial and marine environments. As part of the Jobos Bay CEAP, NOAA collected sediment samples in May 2008 to characterize over 130 organic chemical contaminants. This paper presents the results of the organic contaminant analysis. The organic contaminants detected in the sediments included polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), polychlorinated biphenyls, and the pesticide DDT. PAHs at one site in the inner bay near a boat yard were significantly elevated; however, all organic contaminant classes measured were below NOAA sediment quality guidelines that would have indicated that impacts were likely. The results of this work provide an important baseline assessment of the marine environment that will assist in understanding the benefits of implementing BMPs on water quality in Jobos Bay.     

Aerosol Research and Inhalation Epidemiological Study (ARIES): Air Quality and Daily Mortality Statistical Modeling— Interim Results

ABSTRACT

The Aerosol Research and Inhalation Epidemiological Study (ARIES) is an EPRI-sponsored project to collect air quality and meteorological data at a single site in northwestern Atlanta, GA. Seventy high-resolution air quality indicators (AQIs) are used to examine statistical relationships between air quality and health outcome end points. Contemporaneous mortality data are collected for Fulton and DeKalb counties in Georgia. Currently, 12 months of air quality and weather data are available for analysis, from August 1998 through July 1999.

The interim mortality analysis used Poisson regression in generalized additive models (GAMs). The estimated log-linear association of mortality with various AQIs was adjusted for smoothed functions of time and meteorological data. The analysis considered daily deaths due to all nonaccidental causes, deaths to persons 65 years or older, and deaths in each of the two constituent counties. The fine particle effect associated with the four mortality subgroups, using only today (lag 0), yesterday (lag 1), 2-day average (average of today and yesterday), and first difference (today minus yesterday) measurements of the air quality relative to today's number of deaths was positive for lag 0, lag 1, and 2-day average and positive only for decedents at least 65 years of age using first difference. The t values ranged from 0.81 to 1.15 for lag 0, 1.04 to 1.53 for lag 1, 1.10 to 1.66 for 2-day average, and -0.32 to 0.33 for first difference with 346 or 347 days of data. No statistically significant estimate of the linear coefficient was found for the other 14 air quality variables in our interim analysis for the four mortality subgroups. We discuss diagnostics to support these models.

These interim analyses did not include an evaluation of sensitivity to a larger set of lag structures, nonlinear model specifications, multipollutant analyses, alternative weather model and smoothing model specifications, air pollution imputation schemes, or cause-specific mortality indicators, nor did they include a full reporting of model selection or goodness-of-fit indicators. No conclusion can be drawn at this time about whether the findings from subsequent studies have sufficiently greater power to detect effects comparable to those found in other U.S. cities including at least 2 or 3 years of data.     

Advancing the use of an innovative cleanup technology: Case study of Lasagna™

Originated from a recognized need for significantly more effective technologies for soil cleanup, the Lasagna^TM project provides an interesting case study in which industry, government, and academia successfully collaborated to rapidly advance the technology from the laboratory to the field. Called Lasagna^TM because of its layered configurations, the technology combines electrically induced contaminant transport in soils, treatment in place, and geotechnical methods to achieve completely in situ clean-up of contaminated soils. Experiences with respect to the partnership, the development of technology and its current commercialization status are described.     

The Influence of Varying Algal Biomass On Contaminant Exposure in Benthic-Planktonic Mesocosms: Copper (Ii)

A series of mesocosms was exposed to a suite of light treatments and nutrient enrichment in order to generate algal communities of varying biomass. the influence of this biomass on the speciation of copper (II) was studied. Distribution coefficients (_Kd,Lkg-1) were relatively high (log_Kd = 5 to 7), indicative of robust trace metal sequestration, and were likely controlled by the particulate organic carbon content (foc). Differences in _Kd over time and among treatments were significant, as was the relationship between _Kd and foc. Fluorescence quenching was used to determine binding capacities (_Lt, M) and their associated binding constants (_Kcond,M^-1) in order to model the solid phase copper speciation. the _Kcond ranged between 2.1 and 5.2 × 10¹²M^-1, indicating a very strong copper-ligand complex, and was higher in mesocosms that received more light. the light _Lt increased over time, dramatically after the nutrient enrichment, but did not vary systematically among light treatments. _Lt ranged from 7.2 × 10- 7 to 4.9 × 10- 5 M. the large magnitudes of _Kd, _Kcond and _Lt ensured that greater than 97% of total copper in the mesocosms was complexed by organic matter. the total copper concentration ([Cu]_T, M) needed to reach a target dissolved copper concentration of 10^-12.5 M (pCu = 12.5) was determined for each mesocosm over time. [Cu]_T was between 8.02 × 10^-5 and 3.41 × 10^-2 M, and increased over time. the [Cu]_T normalized to the target pCu (Effective Dose Ratio, EDR) increased directly with increases in algal biomass, indicating a direct link between system productivity and copper exposure. Approximately 45% of the variance in EDR was explained by variance in total biomass, while the residual variance in EDR was due likely to differences in the strengths of particle associations and magnitude of binding capacities.     

Beach topography mapping—a comparsion of techniques

A comparison of current techniques for measuring elevations in the beach and near-shore zones is presented. Techniques considered include traditional methods such as ground survey along transects and airborne stereophotogrammetry, and also newer methods based on remote sensing such as airborne scanning laser altimetry (LiDAR). The approach taken was to identify a representative group of users of beach elevation data, elicit their requirements regarding these data, then assess how well the different methods met these requirements on both technical and financial grounds. Potential users of beach height measurements include those concerned with coastal defence, coastal environmental management economic exploitation of the intertidal zone, and coastal flood forecasting. Three test areas in the UK were identified covering a range of such users and also different beach types. A total of 17 basic user requirements were elicited. For each requirement each method was scored according to the degree to which it could meet the requirement. Total scores were calculated and each method ranked. This was undertaken for all the requirements together, for a subset relating to survey of narrow beaches, and for a subset relating to survey of wide beaches. Approximate costs were also established for the top six methods. Airborne stereophotogrammetry proved to be the best method technically, but was also the most expensive. Ground survey provides very good technical performance on narrower beaches at moderate cost. Airborne LiDAR can achieve good technical performance on both narrow and wide beaches at lower cost than ground survey. The satellite-based waterline method was also inexpensive and gave good results on wide beaches. An overall conclusion is that, while the traditional methods of ground survey and airborne stereophotogrammetry remain the best for engineering-related surveys requiring high levels of accuracy, airborne LiDAR in particular looks set to have a significant impact on beach survey for applications for which a vertical accuracy of 20 cm is acceptable, provided that its technology evolves satisfactorily.     

Physical modelling of the composting environment: a review. Part 1: Reactor systems

In this paper, laboratory- and pilot-scale reactors used for investigation of the composting process are described and their characteristics and application reviewed. Reactor types were categorised by the present authors as fixed-temperature, self-heating, controlled temperature difference and controlled heat flux, depending upon the means of management of heat flux through vessel walls. The review indicated that fixed-temperature reactors have significant applications in studying reaction rates and other phenomena, but may self-heat to higher temperatures during the process. Self-heating laboratory-scale reactors, although inexpensive and uncomplicated, were shown to typically suffer from disproportionately large losses through the walls, even with substantial insulation present. At pilot scale, however, even moderately insulated self-heating reactors are able to reproduce wall losses similar to those reported for full-scale systems, and a simple technique for estimation of insulation requirements for self-heating reactors is presented. In contrast, controlled temperature difference and controlled heat flux laboratory reactors can provide spatial temperature differentials similar to those in full-scale systems, and can simulate full-scale wall losses. Surface area to volume ratios, a significant factor in terms of heat loss through vessel walls, were estimated by the present authors at 5.0-88.0m(2)/m(3) for experimental composting reactors and 0.4-3.8m(2)/m(3) for full-scale systems. Non-thermodynamic factors such as compression, sidewall airflow effects, channelling and mixing may affect simulation performance and are discussed. Further work to investigate wall effects in composting reactors, to obtain more data on horizontal temperature profiles and rates of biological heat production, to incorporate compressive effects into experimental reactors and to investigate experimental systems employing natural ventilation is suggested.