Causes of ambient toxicity in the Calleguas Creek watershed of southern California

A combination of toxicity tests, chemical analyses, andToxicity Identification Evaluations (TIEs) were used toinvestigate receiving water toxicity in the Calleguas Creekwatershed of southern California. Studies were conductedfrom 1995 through 1999 at various sites to investigatecauses of temporal variability of toxicity throughout thissystem. Causes of receiving water toxicity varied by siteand species tested. Investigations in the lower watershed(Revolon Slough, Santa Clara Drain, Beardsley Wash)indicated that toxicity of samples to the cladoceran Ceriodaphnia dubia due to elevated concentrations ofthe organophosphate pesticide chlorpyrifos, while causes ofintermittent toxicity to fathead minnows (Pimephalespromelas) and the alga Selanastrum capricornutum wereless clear. Investigations at sites in the middle and upperreaches of the watershed (Arroyo Simi and Conejo Creek)indicated that the pesticide diazinon was the probable causeof receiving water toxicity to Ceriodaphnia. Elevatedammonia was the cause of toxicity to fathead minnows in theupper watershed sites. Results of these and previousstudies suggest that biota are impacted by degraded streamquality from a variety of point and non-point pollutionsources in the Calleguas Creek watershed. Water qualityresource manager's efforts to identify contaminant inputsand implement source control will be improved with thefindings of this study.     

Spatial Relationships Between Water Quality and Pesticide Application Rates in Agricultural Watersheds

Pesticide applications to agricultural lands in California, USA, are reported to a central data base, while data on water and sediment quality are collected by a number of monitoring programs. Data from both sources are geo-referenced, allowing spatial analysis of relationships between pesticide application rates and the chemical and biological condition of water bodies. This study collected data from 12 watersheds, selected to represent a range of pesticide usage. Water quality parameters were measured during six surveys of stream sites receiving runoff from the selected watershed areas. This study had three objectives: to evaluate the usefulness of pesticide application data in selecting regional monitoring sites, to provide information for generating and testing hypotheses about pesticide fate and effects, and to determine whether in-stream nitrate concentration was a useful surrogate indicator for regional monitoring of toxic substances. Significant correlations were observed between pesticide application rates and in-stream pesticide concentrations (p < 0.05) and toxicity (p < 0.10). In-stream nitrate concentrations were not significantly correlated with either the amount of pesticides applied, in-stream pesticide concentrations, or in-stream toxicity (all p > 0.30). Neither total watershed area nor the area in which pesticide usage was reported correlated significantly with the amount of pesticides applied, in-stream pesticide concentrations, or in-stream toxicity (all p > 0.14). In-stream pesticide concentrations and effects were more closely related to the intensity of pesticide use than to the area under cultivation.     

Roles of interplant movement,acoustic communication,and phototaxis in mate-location behavior of the leafhopper Graminella nigrifrons

Summary Male Graminella nigrifrons leafhoppers (Cicadellidae: Homoptera) employ a call-fly strategy to find virgin females on oat host plants. Males observed in isolation during daylight hours exhibit a high rate of interplant movement, calling from the lower canopy on each plant visited. Virgin and mated females exhibit little interplant movement. They differ from one another in that virgin females perch on the upper half of plants, whereas mated females perch on the lower half of plants. The positioning of females in the plant canopy is influenced by light. Unlike mated females, virgin females respond to male calls by emitting their own acoustic signals. When virgin females are present on plants visited by males, interplant movement of males ceases, and a localized-upward search of the female bearing plant ensues. Male search is influenced by light. Regardless of whether virgin females were confined to the upper or lower portion of plants, direction of male search was towards a light source used to illuminate above or below the plant canopy. These findings suggest that interplant movement by males and sedentary behavior by females prior to mate recognition and their use of acoustic and phototactic sensory modalities after mate recognition represent previously unrecognized adaptations to problems associated with the use of vibrational signals on plants. Offprint requests to: R.E. Hunt at the current address     

Spatial trends and impairment assessment of mercury in sport fish in the Sacramento–San Joaquin Delta watershed

A three-year study was conducted to examine mercury in sport fish from the Sacramento–San Joaquin Delta. More than 4000 fish from 31 species were collected and analyzed for total mercury in individual muscle filets. Largemouth bass and striped bass were the most contaminated, averaging 0.40 μg/g, while redear sunfish, bluegill and rainbow trout exhibited the lowest (<0.15 μg/g) concentrations. Spatial variation in mercury was evaluated with an analysis of covariance model, which accounted for variability due to fish size and regional hydrology. Significant regional differences in mercury were apparent in size-standardized largemouth bass, with concentrations on the Cosumnes and Mokelumne rivers significantly higher than the central and western Delta. Significant prey–predator mercury correlations were also apparent, which may explain a significant proportion of the spatial variation in the watershed.     

Supercritical fluid extraction of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons from white pine (Pinus strobus) needles and its implications

A supercritical fluid extraction (SFE) method was developed for the extraction of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) from fresh and fallen pine needles. Toluene-modified CO2 was used as the extracting fluid, and the extracted PAHs were analyzed by GC-MS. Using a two-stage extraction procedure, a static extraction at 180 degrees C and a dynamic extraction at 60 degrees C, and an in-cell silica gel plug plus a post-oven silica gel column, the extraction and fractionation of PAHs can be accomplished in one step. Over a seven month period, a significant variation was observed for PAHs in urban samples, while PAHs in mountain samples were at much lower levels (by a factor of approximately 8) and showed little seasonal change. Although dry fallen needles and fresh needles contained similar amounts of PAHs, in the fallen needles the lower molecular weight PAHs were partially lost while the higher molecular weight PAHs were slightly enriched. Pollution in urban areas was found to be highly localized, and buildings and trees are believed to be important factors in the restriction of atmospheric PAHs.     

Assessment of prospective foodchain doses from radioactive discharges from BNFL Sellafield

This paper presents the method used by the UK Food Standards Agency (FSA) to assess the potential impact of proposed radioactive discharges from the Sellafield nuclear site on food and determine their acceptability. It explains aspects of a cautious method that has been adopted to reflect the UK government policy and uncertainties related to people's habits with regard to food production and consumption. Two types of ingestion doses are considered in this method: 'possible' and 'probable' doses. The method is specifically applied to Sellafield discharge limits and calculated possible and probable ingestion doses are presented and discussed. Estimated critical group ingestion doses are below the dose limit and constraint set for members of the public. The method may be subject to future amendments to take account of changes in government policy and the outcome of a recent Consultative Exercise on Dose Assessments carried out by FSA. Uncertainties inherent in dose assessments are discussed and quantified wherever possible.     

Estimating different order polynomial logarithmic environmental Kuznets curves

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - This paper contributes to the environmental literature by (i) demonstrating that the estimated coefficients and the statistical significance of the...     

Nitrification and denitrification gene abundances in swine wastewater anaerobic lagoons

Although anaerobic lagoons are used globally for livestock waste treatment, their detailed microbial cycling ofN is only beginning to become understood. Within this cycling, nitrification can be performed by organisms that produce the enzyme ammonia monooxygenase. For denitrification, the reduction of nitrite to nitric oxide can be catalyzed by two forms of nitrite reductases, and N,O can be reduced by nitrous oxide reductase encoded by the gene nosZ The objectives of this investigation were to (i) quantify the abundance of the amoA, nirK, nirS, and nosZ genes; (ii) evaluate the influence of environmental conditions on their abundances; and (iii) evaluate their abundance relative to denitrification enzyme activity (DEA). Samples were analyzed via real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction and collected from eight typical, commercial anaerobic, swine wastewater lagoons located in the Carolinas. The four genes assayed in this study were present in all eight lagoons. Their abundances relative to total bacterial populations were 0.04% (amoA), 1.33% (nirS), 5.29% (nirK), and 0.27% (nosZ). When compared with lagoon chemical characteristics, amoA and nirK correlated with several measured variables. Neither nirS nor nosZ correlated with any measured environmental variables. Although no gene measured in this study correlated with actual or potential DEA, nosZ copy numbers did correlate with the disparity between actual and potential DEA. Phylogenetic analysis ofnosZdid not reveal any correlations to DEA rates. As with other investigations, analyses of these genes provide useful insight while revealing the underlying greater complexity of N cycling within swine waste lagoons.     

Birmingham's Eastside story: Making steps towards sustainability?

Abstract

Sustainability has come to play a dominant discursive role in the UK planning system, particularly relating to urban regeneration. The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the role that sustainability plays in a major regeneration programme, known as Eastside, currently underway in Birmingham, the UK. That this £6 billion redevelopment is now widely talked about by such key players as Birmingham City Council and the Regional Development Agency, Advantage West Midlands, as having a central sustainability agenda points to the growing importance of the ideal of sustainability in planning and regeneration agendas. In this paper, we investigate in detail how and why sustainability has become part of the planning discourse for Eastside and critically evaluate what impact, if any, this is having on public policy decision-making.