Burial and degradation of Rena oil within coastal sediments of the Bay of Plenty

ABSTRACT

During the Rena oil spill, no data existed for New Zealand conditions on the likely depth of burial and the expected degradation of oil deposited on sandy beaches. Sediment cores were taken from 12 locations along the Bay of Plenty coastline c. 1 year after the Rena oil spill. No visible oil was detected in cores and trenches dug within the beaches. Chemical extraction was performed on 20?cm slices from the upper 40?cm of 26 cores, and the elutriates were analysed for the presence of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). The results were compared with known PAH fingerprints of Rena oil and its degradation products. Only seven samples contained some marker PAHs, and none had a complete Rena profile, indicating stormwater contamination. Despite extensive deposition of Rena oil on beaches, no evidence of ongoing contamination could be located, indicating that the clean-up and degradation were effective at removing the oil.     

Oil dispersal modelling: reanalysis of the Rena oil spill using open-source modelling tools

ABSTRACT

Oil spill forecast modelling is typically used immediately after a spill to predict oil dispersal and promote mobilisation of more effective response operations. The aim of this work was to map oil dispersal after the grounding of the MV Rena on Astrolabe Reef and to verify the results against observations. Model predictions were broadly consistent with observed distribution of oil contamination. However, some hot spots of oil accumulation, likely due to surf-zone and rip current circulation, were not well represented. Additionally, the model was run with 81 differing wind conditions to show that the events occurring during the grounding represented the typical likely behaviour of an oil spill on Astrolabe Reef. Oil dispersal was highly dependent on prevailing wind patterns; more accurate prediction would require better observations of local wind patterns. However, comparison of predictions with observations indicated that the GNOME model was an effective low-cost approach.     

The MV Rena shipwreck: time-critical scientific response and environmental legacies

ABSTRACT

The sinking of the MV Rena on Astrolabe Reef (Otaiti) in the Bay of Plenty, New Zealand, resulted in the release of oil and ship debris, including dangerous goods carried as cargo. Two key questions of concern to the public and environmental managers were posed immediately: what was the impact of the Rena oil spill and how long would it take for the marine environment to recover? The research that began immediately after the ship grounded provided answers, as documented in this special issue.     

In situ sampling reveals rapid uptake and depuration of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons by surf clams (Paphies subtriangulata) affected by the Rena oil spill

ABSTRACT

To investigate the uptake and depuration of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons associated with the Rena oil spill we sampled the surf clam Paphies subtriangulata at two open coast locations (6?km apart) just prior to oil coming ashore (7 October 2011), then at 1–3 week intervals for the next 4 months. Total polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (tPAH) increased at both sites from 1 to 96–124?µg?kg^?1 (wet weight) by 18 October before declining to low levels (<4?µg?kg^?1) by February 2012. Ongoing sampling throughout 2012–2014 included three additional sites to the north east (up to 30?km away) and a site 5?km to the south east revealing tPAH levels generally <10?µg?kg^?1 except in October 2013 where levels ranged between 39–45?µg?kg^?1 at all sites. A comparison of PAH component profiles with oil-contaminated beach sediment indicated that the high levels observed in surf clams between October–December 2011 were clearly associated with the Rena spill. However, the October 2013 peak had a PAH profile inconsistent with weathered Rena oil, suggesting an alternative source of contamination. Our results highlight the potential for P. subtriangulata as a PAH monitoring tool but recognise more study is needed to better quantify baseline levels and uptake and depuration dynamics.     

Environmental effects of the MV Rena shipwreck: cross-disciplinary investigations of oil and debris impacts on a coastal ecosystem

ABSTRACT

The 2011 wreck of the MV Rena off the northeast coast of New Zealand, and subsequent impacts, has been called New Zealand's worst ever maritime environmental disaster. It is certainly one of the world's most complex as it involved a pollutant combination of oil and dangerous goods debris in a dynamic oceanic environment adjacent to a pristine coastline. Heavy fuel oil, shipping containers loaded with cargo, and a wide range of wreck debris and contaminants were spread along hundreds of kilometres of coastline of the Bay of Plenty. Much of this landed on sandy beaches and rocky shores. Broken containers released often toxic substances, and the wreck itself slid down the pinnacle of the wreck site at Astrolabe Reef (Otaiti). The reef remains heavily contaminated, with substantial remnants of the ship and its cargo present, and chemical effects still evident in some species. Here we present the background and timeline of events that unfolded after the grounding. The following articles contain the results of the ensuing chemical, toxicological and ecological studies of contamination and environmental recovery. At the time of writing, numerous legacy issues remain.     

The self-organising of youth volunteers during the Rena oil spill in New Zealand

ABSTRACT

This study explores the communication and organising of youth volunteers during a crisis, focusing on how they conceived, framed, and executed self-organising efforts during the 2011 Rena oil spill in New Zealand. It offers insights into the intersections of self-organising, youth volunteering and crisis events which have not been researched before. The study addresses two core research questions: 1. how was ‘volunteering’ conceptualised by youth volunteers involved in the Rena crisis; and 2. how did these volunteers communicate and self-organise during this crisis? The findings indicate that self-organising emerged out of a resistance towards structured responses and as a reaction to the inability of the official volunteer response to meet the needs of the community. Self-organised efforts were particularly attractive among youth volunteers because they offered flexibility, required minimal administrative processes, and fostered an environment of innovation and creativity. The volunteers’ youthful energy and technological aptitude additionally drove their self-organised responses. The study identifies the considerable challenges that crisis officials faced in utilising youth volunteers despite the significant advantages of self-organising.     

Comparative study on the fauna composition of intertidal invertebrates between natural and artificial substrata in the northeastern coast of Jeju Island

This study was carried out to learn about differences in the sessile macrobenthic fauna communities between the artificial and natural habitats. There were some differences in terms of species composition and dominant species and community structure between two habitat types. The dominant species include Pollicipes mitella and Granuilittorina exigua in natural rocky intertidal zones; Monodonta labio confusa, Ligia exotica, Tetraclita japonica in the artificial rocky intertidal zones. Among all the species, L. exotica and T. japonica occurred only in the artificial rocky intertidal zone. The results of cluster analysis and nMDS analysis showed a distinct difference in community structure between artificial and natural rocky intertidal zones. The fauna in the natural rocky intertidal zones were similar to each other and the fauna in the artificial rocky intertidal zones were divided depending on the slope of the substratum. In the case of a sloping tetrapod, M. labio confusa and P. mitella were dominant, but at the vertical artificial seawall, Cellana nigrolineata, L. exotica T. japonica were dominant. The analysis of the species presented in natural and artificial rocky intertidal areas showed the exclusive presence of 10 species on natural rocks and 12 species on artificial rocks. The species in the natural rocky intertidal area included mobile gastropods and cnidarians (i.e. rock anemones), and the species in the artificial rocky intertidal area mostly included non-mobile attached animals. The artificial novel structure seems to contribute to increasing the heterogeneity of habitats for marine invertebrate species and an increase the species diversity in rocky coastal areas.     

Long-term changes in rocky intertidal macrobenthos during the five years after the <Emphasis Type="Italic">Hebei Spirit</Emphasis> oil spill,Taean, Korea

The Hebei Spirit oil spill reached the west coast of Taean County, Korea, on December 7, 2007. At that time, this was the largest oil spill that had occurred in the country. The incident devastated local marine ecosystems. In this study, we examined changes in these ecosystems and the recovery pattern on impacted rocky shores. Macrobenthos monitoring of polluted and control sites was performed seasonally from January 2008 through October 2013. At polluted sites, ecological indices increased gradually from 2009, thereby providing evidence of recovery. However, the mean density of macrobenthos was still less than 50% of the level at the control site, indicating that the ecological status of the polluted sites has still not recovered to that which prevailed before the oil spill. Although densities of the most dominant species were higher in the control site than in polluted sites, the densities of Lottia spp. and Odostomia aomori were higher in polluted sites. These two taxa were found in lower numbers at the control site, where they were out-competed by Chthamalus challengeri. Nonmetric multidimensional scaling ordination divided the macrobenthic community structure into three clusters according to differences in the abundance of dominant species over the 6 years after the oil spill. An ANOSIM test detected significant differences between the polluted and control sites. Consistent long-term differences indicate that complete recovery had not occurred during the duration of our study.     

Abundance of biofilm on intertidal rocky shores: Can trampling by humans be a negative influence?

Trampling by human visitors to rocky shores is a known stressor on macroorganisms. However, the effects of trampling on rocky intertidal biofilm, a complex association of microorganisms of ecological importance in coastal communities, have not been quantified. We evaluated the impact of trampling frequency and intensity on total biomass of epilithic microalgae on intertidal rocky shores in the southeast of Brazil. There was a trend of increase in the variability of biomass of biofilm in function of intensity of trampling, but no significant effects emerged among trampling treatments. The low influence of trampling on biofilm might be a result of the small dimensions of the organisms coupled with their natural resilience and roughness of the substrate; the former preventing the removal of biofilm layers by shoes and facilitating their quick recovery. Our results provide insights for management and conservation of coastal ecosystems revealing a weaker impact of trampling on biofilm than that reported on macroorganisms.     

The wreck of the MV Rena: spatio-temporal analysis of ship-derived contaminants in the sediments and fauna of Astrolabe Reef

ABSTRACT

The October 2011 sinking of the container ship MV Rena on Astrolabe Reef, New Zealand, provided a rare opportunity to examine the fate of shipwreck-derived contaminants on an offshore rocky reef and food chain. Analyses of trace metals, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and organotins indicated significant but localised contamination of Astrolabe Reef but not of nearby Mōtītī Island. Three years after the grounding, PAH concentrations were greater in sediments at Astrolabe (up to 131?mg kg^?1) than at control locations, while organotins from the ship's antifouling hull paint were found exclusively in Astrolabe Reef sediments and biota. Over 80% of Astrolabe sediment samples contained tributyltin at concentrations above guideline sediment levels (>0.07?mg kg^?1). Tributyltin and its decomposition products were also recorded in sea urchins, gastropods, lobster and fishes at concentrations up to 0.2?mg kg^?1. Wreck and cargo-derived metals, particularly copper, tin and zinc, were present in some Astrolabe sediment samples above Australia and New Zealand Environment and Conservation Council guideline concentrations. However, there appeared to be only limited transmission of metals through the food chain. Copper, tin and zinc were recorded at greater concentrations in Astrolabe sea urchins and gastropods compared to control specimens, while metal concentrations in other biota were comparable across impact and control sites. Despite over 3 years having passed since the Rena grounding, the data series does not show any upward or downward trends in contaminant concentrations on Astrolabe Reef. Consequently, there is uncertainty about the long-term implications of the Rena grounding for the ecology of Astrolabe Reef.     

Impact of crude oil on sulphate reduction and methane production in sediments impacted by the Amoco Cadiz oil spill

The activities of methane-producing and sulphate-reducing bacteria in intertidal sediments along the Brittany coast of France were examined in order to determine the effect of the Amoco Cadiz oil spill on sediment microbial processes. Porewater chemistry, methane production, sulphate rate and [2?¹⁴C]-acetate metabolism did not vary significantly between beach, estuary, and marsh sites, oiled or unoiled, after the Amoco Cadiz spill. Oiled sediments contained highly weathered oil of Amoco Cadiz origin, but unoiled comparison sites also contained hydrocarbons from anthropogenic sources. The additions of weathered Amoco Cadiz mousse, fresh and slightly weathered light Arabian crude oil, benzene or toluene to sediments from the oiled and unoiled marsh site did not significantly affect rates of sulphate reduction or methane production. The oxidation of [2?^14C]-acetate to ¹⁴CO₂, however, was significantly decreased when mousse, crude oil, benzene or toluene was added to sediments from the unoiled site. Inhibition seemed to be proportional to the extent of weathering. Sediments recently exposed to Amoco Cadiz crude oil were less affected by a second oiling, suggesting that the indigenous populations may have been replaced by organisms more resistant to oil toxicity. These results suggested that the Amoco Cadiz oil spill did not have major long-term effects on sulphate reduction or methane production.     

The Dynamics of an Introduced: Balanus glandula Population in the Southwestern Atlantic Rocky Shores. The Consequences on the Intertidal Community*

Abstract. This paper deals with the population dynamics of the introduced barnacle Balanus glandula in a port shelter and a rocky shore exposed of a southwestern Atlantic area. Replicated areas in both zones were denuded monthly and censused in both the high intertidal and the upper mid intertidal zone. The settlement pattern. recruitment, mortality and growth of B. glandula and a comparative successional pattern in both areas were recorded. Recruitment began in winter, i.e., July in the port and August in the rocky shore. In the port, green algae dominate up to a final community of Balanus glandula all along the intertidal, while in rocky shores the red encrusting alga Hildenbrandia lecanellieri establishes a cover that is replaced by the mytilid Brachidontes rodriguezi in the mid intertidal and by B. glandula in the high intertidal and upper mid intertidal. B. glandula densities were greater in the upper mid intertidal 19 600 and 5050 indiv. · m^-2 in the port and rocky shore, respectively than in the high intertidal 13600 and 1100 indiv.· m^-2, respectively. Mortality was greater in the port up to 62%, but heavy settlement allows a final density 4 times greater than in eulittoral rocky shores and 10 times greater than in the high intertidal. The winter reproduction of Balanus glandula, the absence of predators, the neutral or beneficial effect of algae. with spatial and temporal partitioning of substrate allows it to successfully outcompete mussels and other barnacle species from the intertidal community of both sheltered and exposed areas.     

Habitat provision of barnacle tests for overcrowded periwinkles

In habitats where competition for space is a shaping force of animal distribution such as in the intertidal rocky ecosystem, new habitats are readily taken by colonising species. We examined the importance of empty Chthamalus spp. tests as a habitat for the intertidal common periwinkle Melaraphe neritoides on Portuguese rocky shores. The role played by the space between neighbouring barnacles as a habitat for other species has been largely studied with regard to how an ecosystem functions, whereas the equivalent role of empty barnacle tests remains largely unknown. The small periwinkle is one of the most abundant snails in European rocky shores and is an important prey for key mobile predators. Biological facilitation is common in the rocky intertidal zone, where biological structures often potentiate the abundance of other species. The role played by barnacles as biological facilitators through habitat provision is not fully understood. In this study, the abundance and morphometric features of empty barnacle tests and their occupants were examined across shore levels and shores with differing exposures, as these are important gradients explaining barnacle distribution. The availability of empty barnacle tests was also experimentally manipulated to examine the percentage, time and length of occupation. Empty barnacles were more abundant on the midshore of sheltered shores and barnacle tests were wider on the upper shore but taller on the midshore. The minimum barnacle test occupation rate by the periwinkle was 70%. Barnacle shell height was an important factor determining snail occupation, where taller barnacles harboured significantly more, but not necessarily larger, snails. Snails outside the barnacle tests were significantly larger than those found within, suggesting that this crustacean group has an increased importance as a habitat for juvenile snails, thus potentially influencing the population dynamics of M. neritoides. We found that occupation of experimentally created empty barnacles was extremely high (70%) on the day after, and remained at 100% after 3 months of monitoring. Our study is the first of its kind to focus on the features of barnacle tests that snails occupy and their occupying snail traits. According to our results, it is clear that barnacles have an important role in providing additional habitat for young gastropods. The small periwinkle is an important grazer and prey for intertidal and subtidal foraging predators; hence, the potential refuge role of barnacle tests for juvenile M. neritoides may be important in the dynamics of intertidal communities.     

Effects of MV Rena heavy fuel oil and dispersed oil on yellowtail kingfish early life stages

ABSTRACT

The grounding of the MV Rena has highlighted the lack of information concerning the effects of oil-related compounds on New Zealand marine life. Yellowtail kingfish (YTK), Seriola lalandi, embryos were exposed in static incubations to the water-accommodated fraction (WAF) of Rena heavy fuel oil as well as a similar preparation treated with the commercial dispersant Corexit 9500. Mortality in WAF treatments generally increased in association with total polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (tPAH) concentration over a 24-h period. Physical abnormalities were observed in some of the larvae exposed to WAF for 48 h. There was no survival in dispersed oil treatments after 24 h of exposure. These treatments had greater tPAH concentrations (2–53?µgL^?1) than equivalent WAF dilutions (0.2–1.5?µgL^?1?tPAH). Indications are that significant morbidity is induced in YTK at ecologically relevant tPAH concentrations. This highlights the need for further research into oil and dispersant toxicity in New Zealand marine species.     

Evidence of the restricted gene flow within a small spatial scale in the Japanese common intertidal goby Chaenogobius annularis

Elucidating the scale of gene flow among populations is an important challenge for understanding the ecological dynamics and local adaptation of marine organisms. We assessed whether gene flow is restricted even at a small spatial scale in the Japanese common intertidal goby Chaenogobius annularis, using highly polymorphic DNA markers, involving the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) control region and 15 microsatellite DNA (msDNA), because past ecological studies have suggested low dispersal ability for rocky intertidal fishes. We found significant heterogeneities between four neighboring local populations by both mtDNA and msDNA analyses. In addition, no genetic heterogeneity was detected by either method across generations within a population; it was considered that such genetic differentiation is retained across generations and that the gene flow of this species is restricted to within a radius of a few kilometers. This is the first report showing a clear genetic subdivision in rocky intertidal fish.     

A chemical investigation of the transport and fate of petroleum hydrocarbons in littoral and benthic environments: The TSESIS oil spill

The fate of saturated and aromatic hydrocarbons discharged into the coastal Baltic Sea environment from the TSESIS oil spill has been studied in the acute and postacute (one year) phases of the spill. Periodic samples of Mytilus edulis (mussels) from eight littoral zone stations and Macoma balthica from nine soft bottom stations were obtained as well as sediment trap samples and surface sediment samples. Glass capillary gas chromatography and gas chromatographic mass spectrometry were used as the analytical tools to determine saturated and aromatic hydrocarbon composition and concentrations in these samples.Sediment trap samples indicated that sizable quantities of chemically and microbially weathered oil were sedimented, and available for benthic uptake shortly after the spill. After initial uptake of sedimented oil (500 to 1000 μ/g dry weight), Macoma populations appear to have begun slow depuration through the first winter after the spill, but TSESIS oil was again introduced to the benthic stations studied during the following summer. Mytilus populations in the region were severely impacted by the oil. Initial depuration of spilled oil during the first month was rapid and nearly complete at all but the most heavily impacted stations one year after the spill. The post-spill depuration of assimilated hydrocarbons was characterised by a relative retention of alkylated dibenzothiophenes and alkylated phenanthrenes compared to their unsubstituted parent compounds and compared with the entire homologous naphthalene series.These data suggest that petroleum hydrocarbons from the TSESIS spill have become a chronic source of degraded saturated and aromatic hydrocarbons to the soft bottom benthic communities. Petroleum hydrocarbons in the benthic environment from this spill appear to reside in the difficulty sampled and mobile flucculent layer at the sediment/water interface and may affect epifaunal communities for an extended period of time.     

Measurement of shipwreck-derived waterborne trace metals using DGT samplers

ABSTRACT

A contemporary approach to the assessment of metal pollutants in aquatic environments has been to measure contaminant concentrations in biological indicator species (mussels, oysters). However, for environments in which such indicator species do not occur naturally and cannot be deployed, alternative approaches for monitoring trace-metal pollution are required. Three years after the 2011 grounding of the MV Rena, diffusive gradients in thin films (DGT) samplers were deployed at Otaiti (the offshore reef where the Rena grounded) to assess levels of waterborne trace-metal contamination. Although the probability of detecting waterborne contaminants within a dynamic open ocean reef environment would seem low, due to mixing and dilution, our analyses confirmed the presence of copper (≤0.43 vs ≤0.27?nmol?kg^?1), iron (≤6.3 vs ≤4.2?nmol?kg^?1), aluminium (≤8.9 vs ≤1.3?nmol?kg^?1), zinc (≤2.8 vs ≤2.0?nmol?kg^?1) and manganese (≤0.11 vs ≤0.09?nmol?kg^?1) at elevated concentrations in the Rena debris field relative to reference sites. The results demonstrate the utility of DGTs as a tool for measuring waterborne contaminants and suggest further research is required to characterise the contaminant plume and determine what effect it might have on the recovery of Otaiti's impacted biological communities.     

Effects of high pressure,hot water shore cleaning after oil spills on shore ecosystems in the Northern Baltic proper

The use of high pressure, hot water hosing techniques in oil spill clean-up operations on rocky and stony-gravelly shores drastically reduces the shore vegetation and macrofauna. The negative effects are more substantial than on oiled shores cleaned by raking and scraping. After one year the hot water cleaned shores were not restored completely.On rocky shores the high pressure, hot water technique is very efficient in terms of freeing the rocks from oil. However, due to its detrimental effects on shore organisms this type of oil spill clean-up operation can only be recommended for bird or wildlife protection areas. The cleanup method is inefficient on stony-gravelly shores due to penetration of oil into the ground and sediment and direct killing of shore organisms. The method should be avoided on these types of shores.     

降水对日本菊花螺胚胎发育和幼体孵化的影响

作为常见的肺螺亚纲生物,日本菊花螺Siphonaria japonica(Donovan,1824)会将卵带产于潮间带岩石上,因此会经常遭受降水的影响。为阐明降水对日本菊花螺胚胎发育和幼体孵化的影响,本研究通过实验室模拟和野外原位取样相结合的方式分析了降水对卵带内胚胎发育状态、幼体累积孵化数、单位时间幼体孵化最高值和最高值出现时间的影响。结果表明:实验室模拟降水会显著影响卵带胚胎发育和幼体孵化(P0.05);自然降水并不会影响幼体累积孵化数(P0.05),但会显著加快幼体孵化速率(P0.05)。     

结合极化分解特征的SVM溢油检测研究

Marine oil spills have caused major threats to marine environment over the past few years.The early detection of the oil spill is of great significance for the prevention and control of marine disasters.At present,remote sensing is one of the major approaches for monitoring the oil spill.Full polarization synthetic aperture radarc SAR data are employed to extract polarization decomposition parameters including entropy(H) and reflection entropy(A).The characteristic spectrum of the entropy and reflection entropy combination has analyzed and the polarization characteristic spectrum of the oil spill has developed to support remote sensing of the oil spill.The findings show that the information extracted from(1–A)×(1–H) and(1–H)×A parameters is relatively evident effects.The results of extraction of the oil spill information based on H×A parameter are relatively not good.The combination of the two has something to do with H and A values.In general,when H0.7,A value is relatively small.Here,the extraction of the oil spill information using(1–A)×(1–H) and(1–H)×A parameters obtains evident effects.Whichever combined parameter is adopted,oil well data would cause certain false alarm to the extraction of the oil spill information.In particular the false alarm of the extracted oil spill information based on(1–A)×(1–H) is relatively high,while the false alarm based on(1–A)×H and(1–H)×A parameters is relatively small,but an image noise is relatively big.The oil spill detection employing polarization characteristic spectrum support vector machine can effectively identify the oil spill information with more accuracy than that of the detection method based on single polarization feature.