Assessing differences in macrofaunal assemblages as a factor of sieve mesh size,distance between samples,and time of sampling

With increasing cascading effects of climate change on the marine environment, as well as pollution and anthropogenic utilization of the seafloor, there is increasing interest in tracking changes to benthic communities. Macrofaunal surveys are traditionally conducted as part of pre-incident environmental assessment studies and post-incident monitoring studies when there is a potential impact to the seafloor. These surveys usually characterize the structure and/or spatiotemporal distribution of macrofaunal assemblages collected with sediment cores; however, many different sampling protocols have been used. An assessment of the comparability of past and current survey methods was in need to facilitate future surveys and comparisons. This was the aim of the present study, conducted off the Oregon coast in waters 25–35 m deep. Our results show that the use of a sieve with a 1.0-mm mesh size gives results for community structure comparable to results obtained from a 0.5-mm mesh size, which allows reliable comparisons of recent and past spatiotemporal surveys of macroinfauna. In addition to our primary objective of comparing methods, we also found interacting effects of seasons and depths of collection. Seasonal differences (summer and fall) were seen in infaunal assemblages in the wave-induced sediment motion zone but not deeper. Thus, studies where wave-induced sediment motion can structure the benthic communities, especially during the winter months, should consider this effect when making temporal comparisons. In addition, some macrofauna taxa-like polychaetes and amphipods show high interannual variabilities, so spatiotemporal studies should make sure to cover several years before drawing any conclusions.     

A spatially explicit estimate of the prewhaling abundance of the endangered North Atlantic right whale

The North Atlantic right whale (NARW) (Eubalaena glacialis) is one of the world's most threatened whales. It came close to extinction after nearly a millennium of exploitation and currently persists as a population of only approximately 500 individuals. Setting appropriate conservation targets for this species requires an understanding of its historical population size, as a baseline for measuring levels of depletion and progress toward recovery. This is made difficult by the scarcity of records over this species’ long whaling history. We sought to estimate the preexploitation population size of the North Atlantic right whale and understand how this species was distributed across its range. We used a spatially explicit data set on historical catches of North Pacific right whales (NPRWs) (Eubalaena japonica) to model the relationship between right whale relative density and the environment during the summer feeding season. Assuming the 2 right whale species select similar environments, we projected this model to the North Atlantic to predict how the relative abundance of NARWs varied across their range. We calibrated these relative abundances with estimates of the NPRW total prewhaling population size to obtain high and low estimates for the overall NARW population size prior to exploitation. The model predicted 9,075–21,328 right whales in the North Atlantic. The current NARW population is thus <6% of the historical North Atlantic carrying capacity and has enormous potential for recovery. According to the model, in June–September NARWs concentrated in 2 main feeding areas: east of the Grand Banks of Newfoundland and in the Norwegian Sea. These 2 areas may become important in the future as feeding grounds and may already be used more regularly by this endangered species than is thought.     

Single and mixture effects of pesticides and a degradation product on fluvial biofilms

The Morcille River located in the Beaujolais vineyard area (Eastern France) is subjected to strong vine-growing pressure leading to the contamination by a range of herbicides and fungicides of the surrounding freshwater environment. Particularly high concentrations of norflurazon, desmethyl norflurazon and tebuconazole were recorded in spring 2010 at the downstream site of the river. Despite their occurrence in rivers, scarce toxicity data are available for these products, in particular in the case of desmethyl norflurazon (main norflurazon degradation product). Furthermore, the toxicity data are generally available only for single compounds and are issued from single species toxicity tests, leading to a lack of ecological relevance. Consequently, this study was undertaken to evaluate the toxic effects of norflurazon, desmethyl norflurazon and tebuconazole singly and in a ternary mixture on fluvial biofilm. Toxicity tests were performed in microplates for 48 h. Photosynthetic endpoints were measured using pulse amplitude-modulated fluorometry; diatom densities and taxonomic composition were determined. After 48 h of exposure, significant effects on optimal quantum yield (F _v/F _m) for desmethyl norflurazon and mixture were observed.     

Preliminary toxicological assessment of phthalate esters from drinking water consumed in Portugal

This paper reports, for the first time, the concentrations of selected phthalates in drinking water consumed in Portugal. The use of bottled water in Portugal has increased in recent years. The main material for bottles is polyethylene terephthalate (PET). Its plasticizer components can contaminate water by leaching, and several scientific studies have evidenced potential health risks of phthalates to humans of all ages. With water being one of the most essential elements to human health and because it is consumed by ingestion, the evaluation of drinking water quality, with respect to phthalate contents, is important. This study tested seven commercial brands of bottled water consumed in Portugal, six PET and one glass (the most consumed) bottled water. Furthermore, tap water from Lisbon and three small neighbor cities was analyzed. Phthalates (di-n-butyl phthalate ester (DnBP), bis(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate ester (DEHP), and di-i-butyl phthalate ester (DIBP)) in water samples were quantified (PET and glass) by means of direct immersion solid-phase microextraction and ionic liquid gas chromatography associated with flame ionization detection or mass spectrometry due to their high boiling points and water solubility. The method utilized in this study showed a linear range for target phthalates between 0.02 and 6.5 μg L^?1, good precision and low limits of detection that were between 0.01 and 0.06 μg L^?1, and quantitation between 0.04 and 0.19 μg L^?1. Only three phthalates were detected in Portuguese drinking waters: dibutyl (DnBP), diisobutyl (DIBP), and di(ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP). Concentrations ranged between 0.06 and 6.5 μg L^?1 for DnBP, between 0.02 and 0.16 μg L^?1 for DEHP, and between 0.1 and 1.89 μg L^?1 for DIBP. The concentration of DEHP was found to be up to five times higher in PET than in glass bottled water. Surprisingly, all the three phthalates were detected in glass bottled water with the amount of DnBP being higher (6.5 μg L^?1) than in PET bottled water. These concentrations do not represent direct risk to human health. Regarding potable tap water, only DIBP and DEHP were detected. Two of the cities showed concentration of all three phthalates in their water below the limits of detection of the method. All the samples showed phthalate concentrations below 6 μg L^?1, the maximum admissible concentration in water established by the US Environmental Protection Agency. The concentrations measured in Portuguese bottled waters do not represent any risk for adult's health.     

‘Ecomálaga’: an ecosystem analysis of the Mediterranean coast around Málaga, Spain

In October 1992, the Oceanographic Centre of Málaga of the Spanish Oceanographical Institute (IEO) started a monitoring project,Ecomálaga, which collects physical, chemical, biological and sedimentological data from the Alborán Sea shelf. The project is coordinated with similar projects in the Atlantic and Mediterranean Centres of IEO. The ultimate objective is to, understand the long-term changes of the essential marine-environmental parameters. So far, nine quarterly surveys have been carried out—from October 1992 to December 1994. The following variables were registered:abiotic: location weather, water temperature, salinity, pH, dissolved oxygen, chlorophyll a, nitrate, nitrite, phosphate, silicate,biotic: zooplankton biomass and species composition, and ichthyoplankton. The granulometric composition and organic matter content of sediments are also included. Data are stored in a computerized data base named Ecomálaga Data Base, with contributions from geology, physics, plankton biology and marine chemistry. The data base not only contains separate files for each research topic, but also allows for interchange between these files, resulting in a synoptic data output. It offers the users an output in the form of synthetic records of each station sampled. The analysis of the data indicates seasonal influences and ainshore-offshore gradient, as well as an Atlantic influence on the stations located in the transect closest to the Strait of Gibraltar.     

Implementing environmental with other standardized management systems: Scope,sequence, time and integration

The aim of this article is to analyze how the implementation of the environmental management system (EMS) in accordance with the ISO 14001: 2004 standard has been carried out in organizations having more than one standardized Management System (MSs). In particular, four implementation aspects will be discussed, namely the different management system standards (MSSs) used for registration, for example ISO 14001, ISO 9001, OHSAS 18001, ISO 27001 and SA 8000, the order in which they were implemented, the time required for each implementation, as well as the scope of integration of these MSSs into a single Integrated Management System (IMS).In order to do so, some of the results of a survey carried out in 176 organizations registered to, at a minimum, both ISO 14001: 2004 and ISO 9001: 2000 standards for environmental and quality management, respectively, are presented. As one of the few existing empirical studies regarding the integration of multiple MSs, this research reveals the importance of the different possibilities which organizations can opt for when considering EMS implementation. For example, while most respondents implemented ISO 9001 before ISO 14001, others did so simultaneously or even applied ISO 14001 first. Furthermore, although a large majority of organizations integrated their EMS with additional standardized MSs, a small percentage did not. Apart from illustrating the survey outcomes, the article contains a detailed case analysis of four specific organizations with high environmental awareness that have implemented quality and other standardized MSs.