Macroalgal Introductions by Hull Fouling on Recreational Vessels: Seaweeds and Sailors

Macroalgal invasions in coastal areas have been a growing concern during the past decade. The present study aimed to assess the role of hull fouling on recreational yachts as a vector for macroalgal introductions. Questionnaire and hull surveys were carried out in marinas in France and Spain. The questionnaires revealed that the majority of yacht owners are aware of seaweed introductions, usually undertake short range journeys, dry dock their boat at least once a year, and use antifouling paints. The hull survey showed that many in-service yachts were completely free of macroalgae. When present, fouling assemblages consisted mainly of one to two macroalgal species. The most commonly found species was the tolerant green seaweed Ulva flexuosa. Most of the other species found are also cosmopolitan and opportunistic. A few nonnative and potentially invasive Ceramiales (Rhodophyta) were found occasionally on in-service yachts. On the basis of the information gathered during interviews of yacht owners in the surveyed area, these occurrences are likely to be uncommon. However they can pose a significant risk of primary or secondary introductions of alien macroalgal species, especially in the light of the increase in yachting activities. With large numbers of recreational yachts and relatively rare occurrences of nonnative species on hulls, comprehensive screening programs do not seem justified or practical. The risks of transferring nonnative species may, however, be minimized by encouraging the behaviors that prevent fouling on hulls and by taking action against neglected boats before they can act as vectors.     

U.S. Natural Resources and Climate Change: Concepts and Approaches for Management Adaptation

Public lands and waters in the United States traditionally have been managed using frameworks and objectives that were established under an implicit assumption of stable climatic conditions. However, projected climatic changes render this assumption invalid. Here, we summarize general principles for management adaptations that have emerged from a major literature review. These general principles cover many topics including: (1) how to assess climate impacts to ecosystem processes that are key to management goals; (2) using management practices to support ecosystem resilience; (3) converting barriers that may inhibit management responses into opportunities for successful implementation; and (4) promoting flexible decision making that takes into account challenges of scale and thresholds. To date, the literature on management adaptations to climate change has mostly focused on strategies for bolstering the resilience of ecosystems to persist in their current states. Yet in the longer term, it is anticipated that climate change will push certain ecosystems and species beyond their capacity to recover. When managing to support resilience becomes infeasible, adaptation may require more than simply changing management practices—it may require changing management goals and managing transitions to new ecosystem states. After transitions have occurred, management will again support resilience—this time for a new ecosystem state. Thus, successful management of natural resources in the context of climate change will require recognition on the part of managers and decisions makers of the need to cycle between “managing for resilience” and “managing for change.”     

A Tool for Automated Load Duration Curve Creation1

Abstract: A recent study by the Texas Bacteria Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) Task Force has recommended the use of load duration curves as a primary tool in calculating bacterial TMDLs. This method is attractive because it effectively integrates flow regimes into TMDL analyses, clearly communicates data through a method that is understandable to the general public, and has been successfully applied in TMDL studies in other states. To ease the creation of load duration curves, an automated load duration curve creation tool called LDCurve has been created within a Microsoft Excel framework. Web services and a webscraper are used to retrieve U.S. Geological Survey streamflow data and Texas Commission on Environmental Quality water quality data. Data are imported to the spreadsheet, combined to create flow and load duration curves, and plotted. Final steps result in a preliminary estimate of the overall load reductions needed to meet water quality standards in the modeled segment. LDCurve is currently only applicable in the state of Texas, but may be updated to model water quality throughout the nation using analogous web services from the EPA STORET database. By using automated data retrievals and computations, the LDCurve tool reduces the amount of time required to create curves and calculate load reductions to a matter of minutes. LDCurve and all supporting materials are available online for free download at: http://tools.crwr.utexas.edu/LDCurve/ .     

Simulated effects of sulfur deposition on nutrient cycling in class I wilderness areas

We predicted the effects of sulfate (SO(4)) deposition on wilderness areas designated as Class I air quality areas in western North Carolina using a nutrient cycling model (NuCM). We used three S deposition simulations: current, 50% decrease, and 100% increase. We measured vegetation, forest floor, and root biomass and collected soil, soil solution, and stream water samples for chemical analyses. We used the closest climate stations and atmospheric deposition stations to parameterize NuCM. The areas were: Joyce Kilmer (JK), Shining Rock (SR), and Linville Gorge (LG). They differ in soil acidity and nutrients, and soil solution and stream chemistry. Shining Rock and LG have lower soil solution base cation and higher acidic ion concentrations than JK. For SR and LG, the soil solution Ca/Al molar ratios are currently 0.3 in the rooting zone (A horizon), indicating Al toxicity. At SR, the simulated Ca/Al ratio increased to slightly above 1.5 after the 30-yr simulation regardless of S deposition reduction. At LG, Ca/Al ratios ranged from 1.6 to 2.4 toward the end of the simulation period, the 100% increase scenario had the lower value. Low Ca/Al ratios suggest that forests at SR and LG are significantly stressed under current conditions. Our results also suggest that SO(4) retention is low, perhaps contributing to their high degree of acidification. Their soils are acidic, low in weatherable minerals, and even with large reductions in SO(4) and associated acid deposition, it may take decades before these systems recover from depletion of exchangeable Ca, Mg, and K.     

Contamination from electrically conductive silicone tubing during aerosol chemical analysis

Electrically conductive silicone tubing is used to minimize losses in sampling lines during the analysis of airborne particle size distributions and number concentrations. We report contamination from this tubing using gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS) of filter-collected samples as well as by particle mass spectrometry. Comparison of electrically conductive silicone and stainless steel tubing showed elevated siloxanes only for the silicone tubing. The extent of contamination increased with length of tubing to which the sample was exposed, and decreased with increasing relative humidity.     

Increased environmental gamma-ray dose rate during precipitation: a strong correlation with contributing air mass

It has long been observed that the environmental gamma-ray dose rate increases noticeably during precipitation intervals. This increase, due to the presence of radon progeny in the rain droplets (or snow flakes), can affect the reliability of the monitoring of artificial radioactivity and long term estimates of exposure to ambient natural radionuclides in surveillance network. Predicting the amplitude of the dose increase has been shown to be surprisingly challenging. In this work, standard air mass back trajectory analysis is used to show that the amplitude of the increase can be quantitatively linked to the history of the air mass where the precipitation is occurring. Furthermore, we show how back trajectory analysis, environmental gamma and rain data can be used to obtain estimations of relative radon emanation rates for locations far from the actual point of detection.     

Chemical and Microbiological Characteristics of Mineral Spoils and Drainage Waters at Abandoned Coal and Metal Mines

Mining is a long-established human activity. Abandonedmines, tailings, and mine spoils may have considerable impacton neighboring environments long after the sites are abandoned. Of greatest concern are derelict mines and wastes that generateacidic discharge waters that are enriched with iron and othermetals and metalloids. The chemistry and microbiology of thesesites are intricately intertwined. Whilst some indigenousmicroorganisms are responsible for accelerating sulfide mineraloxidation, thereby generating acidity and mobilizing metals,others catalyze reductive processes that essentially reversethese reactions and thereby ameliorate polluted mine waters.This article reviews current knowledge on the chemistry and microbiology of abandoned coal and metal mines, mine spoils and tailings.     

Implications of research on endocrine disruption for the environmental risk assessment, regulation and monitoring of chemicals in the European Union

We assess the implications which research on endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) has for the regulation of synthetic substances and for the protection of the environment, particularly under the forthcoming European Union (EU) REACH legislation. EDCs present regulatory problems inter alia because they can act additively at concentrations which are individually harmless, and they may have non-classical dose (concentration)-response relationships at low exposure levels. Furthermore, current in vivo testing routines were not specifically designed to assess the endocrine disrupting properties of chemicals, whilst in silico and in vitro methods have only limited applicability and availability for this purpose. We need to ensure that the assessment approaches specified in the draft REACH legislation and Technical Guidance are able to evaluate EDCs efficiently. However, it must also be recognised that environmental monitoring procedures in Europe will need to be improved to detect EDCs that have evaded identification, and where appropriate, control, under REACH.     

Characterization of carbonaceous combustion residues. I. Morphological,elemental and spectroscopic features

Scanning electron microscopy, surface area determination, elemental analysis, organic matter extraction and solid-state cross polarization/magic angle spinning and Bloch decay/magic angle spinning 13C nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy were used to investigate distinctive features among carbonaceous combustion residues. Black carbon (BC) samples included diesel soot, urban dust, carbon black, chimney soot, vegetation fire residues, wood and straw charcoals. Particles varied from small spheres (<50 nm) in fossil BC (>100 m(2)/g), to large layered structures in plant-derived BC (generally <8 m(2)/g). Chimney soot also included large (>1 micrometer) liquid-like structures, while spherules >100 nm were unique to urban dust. The ratios of amorphous to soot carbon (SC) (isolated by thermal degradation) were not necessarily correlated with the degree of aromaticity estimated from H/C ratios. In particular, values of SC in diesel soot were clearly overestimated. Solvent-extractable organic matter (SEOM) was <2% for charcoals and carbon black, but >13% for urban dust, chimney and diesel soot. SEOM is thought to clog pores or to form large waxy globules, hence reducing surface areas. The ratio of polar/nonpolar SEOM was generally <7 for fossil BC, but >30 for plant-derived BC. NMR analysis revealed essentially one chemical shift in the aromatic C region of charcoals, while diesel soot also showed important aliphatic contributions. Aliphatic and oxygenated C predominated over aryl C in urban dust and chimney soot. These morphological and chemical characteristics of the BC samples are discussed in terms of their environmental implications.     

Seasonal bioavailability of sediment-associated heavy metals along the Mississippi river floodplain.

A value of simultaneously extracted metal to acid-volatile sulfide (SEM-AVS) can provide important information regarding metal availability in anaerobic sediment. SEM and AVS concentrations were obtained by the cold-acid purge-and-trap technique during spring and summer at six locations along the Mississippi River floodplain. SEM-AVS values and AVS concentrations did not vary significantly between locations during both seasons. AVS concentrations were significantly greater during summer than spring, resulting in significantly lower SEM-AVS values in summer. Total SEM concentrations did not significantly vary between seasons or specific locations. SEM-AVS values were greater than one at each location during both seasons. Sediment metal toxicity was predicted to be absent for benthic organisms along the river floodplain.