Assessment of the effect of environmental pollution in a marina on caged mussels using chemical and genotoxic analysis

An integrated approach using the contamination levels and DNA damage in mussels (Mytilus galloprovincialis) was applied in order to assess the chemical contamination in a marina (Eastern coastline of Aegean Sea). Mussels, which were harvested from a reference site (Foca), were transplanted into a marina situated along the coast of Izmir Bay. The transplanted mussels were collected at the 14th, 30th and 60th day of the experimental period. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) levels (27–51?ng?g^?1?wet?weight) detected in the mussels were similar to the levels detected in other coastal areas of the Mediterranean Sea. The marina’s sediment was found to be contaminated with PAHs (∑PAH?=?25?µg?g^?1) of pyrolytic origin and may become a source of pollution and a threat to the marine environment. In order to assess the DNA damage, the haemolymph and gill cells of the mussels were used for the comet analysis and considered as an indicator of exposure to genotoxic chemicals including 16 PAH compounds and metals. The highest levels of DNA damage expressed as %Tail-DNA (%T-DNA) were observed at the end of the experiment (21.5% T-DNA). The correlation analyses conducted between 2-, 3-, 4-ring PAHs in mussels and %T-DNA in haemolymph and gill cells showed a significant positive correlation. This investigation confirmed that transplanted mussel can be a useful tool to determine PAH contamination in marinas.     

Characterization of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) and Their Sources in the Air of Izmir, Turkey

Air samples were collected in Izmir, Turkey at two (suburban and urban) sites during three sampling programs in 2002 and 2004 to determine the ambient concentrations of several monoaromatic, chlorinated and oxygenated volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Samples were analyzed for 60 VOCs using gas chromatography/mass spectrometry and 28 compounds were detected in most samples. On the average, urban air VOC concentrations were about four times higher than those measured at the suburban site. Toluene (40.6%) was the most abundant compound in suburban site and was followed by benzene (7.4%), o,m-xylene (6.5%), and 1,2-dichloroethane (5.1%). In urban site, toluene (30.5%), p-xylene (14.9%), o,m-xylene (11.4%), and ethyl benzene (7.2%) were the dominating compounds in summer. In winter, toluene (31.1%), benzene (23.9%), 1,2-dichloroethane (9.5%), and o,m-xylene (8.2%) were the most abundant compounds. Receptor modeling (positive matrix factorization) has been performed to estimate the contribution of specific source types to ambient concentrations. Six source factors (gasoline vehicle exhaust, diesel vehicle exhaust+residential heating, paint production/application, degreasing, dry cleaning, and an undefined source) were extracted from the samples collected in the urban site. Three source factors (gasoline vehicle exhaust, diesel vehicle exhaust, and paint production/application) were identified for the suburban site.     

Hydrogeochemical and Geophysical Investigation of the Istanbul Tuzla–Icmeler Spring Area for Environmental and Land Use Planning Purposes

The spring waters of Tuzla–Icmeler are on the Marmara Sea coast in Tuzla town of Istanbul city. The springs discharge a natural sodium chloride mineral water that consumed for ages for therapeutic purposes attributed to their chemical properties. Development of springs commenced during the Ottoman times and a surface collection structure was built at the discharge point of the main spring. Two deep wells were drilled to tap mineral water within the past decades. The bottled water of these springs is also sold for a couple of years and its consumption as a beverage is increasing. The geochemical properties of these springs were investigated by several researchers in the past. This study comprises geochemical and geophysical measurements performed between July 2001 and July 2002 in order to construct a conceptual hydrogeological model for environmental and land use planning purposes. The seasonal evaluation of Tuzla–Icmeler (mineral spring) shows that the chemical properties fluctuate from the beginning of summer until the beginning of winter. This indicates that the overdraft of water during the summer season causes the movement and mix of normal groundwater with the mineralized groundwater. As a result, mixing of less mineralized groundwater decreases the salinity of mineralized groundwater. Using the site-specific hydrogeological, geochemical and geophysical data, zones of protection areas were delineated in order to prevent a possible pollution access to the springs and surroundings from nearby dockyards, dwellings and vehicle traffic. For this purpose, a new land use plan was proposed using the existing settlement sustainability plans.     

Are CO2 Emissions Stationary After All? New Evidence from Nonlinear Unit Root Tests

Environmental Modeling & Assessment - This study applies a large battery of state-of-the-art nonlinear unit root tests to examine the stationarity properties of carbon dioxide emission series...