Evaluating legacy contaminants and emerging chemicals in marine environments using adverse outcome pathways and biological effects-directed analysis

Natural and synthetic chemicals are essential to our daily lives, food supplies, health care, industries and safe sanitation. At the same time protecting marine ecosystems and seafood resources from the adverse effects of chemical contaminants remains an important issue. Since the 1970s, monitoring of persistent, bioaccumulative and toxic (PBT) chemicals using analytical chemistry has provided important spatial and temporal trend data in three important contexts; relating to human health protection from seafood contamination, addressing threats to marine top predators and finally providing essential evidence to better protect the biodiversity of commercial and non-commercial marine species. A number of regional conventions have led to controls on certain PBT chemicals over several years (termed ‘legacy contaminants’; e.g. cadmium, lindane, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons [PAHs] and polychlorinated biphenyls [PCBs]). Analytical chemistry plays a key role in evaluating to what extent such regulatory steps have been effective in leading to reduced emissions of these legacy contaminants into marine environments. In parallel, the application of biomarkers (e.g. DNA adducts, CYP1A-EROD, vitellogenin) and bioassays integrated with analytical chemistry has strengthened the evidence base to support an ecosystem approach to manage marine pollution problems. In recent years, however, the increased sensitivity of analytical chemistry, toxicity alerts and wider environmental awareness has led to a focus on emerging chemical contaminants (defined as chemicals that have been detected in the environment, but which are currently not included in regulatory monitoring programmes and whose fate and biological impacts are poorly understood). It is also known that natural chemicals (e.g. algal biotoxins) may also pose a threat to marine species and seafood quality. Hence complex mixtures of legacy contaminants, emerging chemicals and natural biotoxins in marine ecosystems represent important scientific, economic and health challenges. In order to meet these challenges and pursue cost-effective scientific approaches that can provide evidence necessary to support policy needs (e.g. the European Marine Strategy Framework Directive), it is widely recognised that there is a need to (i) provide marine exposure assessments for priority contaminants using a range of validated models, passive samplers and biomarkers; (ii) integrate chemical monitoring data with biological effects data across spatial and temporal scales (including quality controls); and (iii) strengthen the evidence base to understand the relationship between exposure to complex chemical mixtures, biological and ecological impacts through integrated approaches and molecular data (e.g. genomics, proteomics and metabolomics). Additionally, we support the widely held view that (iv) that rather than increasing the analytical chemistry monitoring of large number of emerging contaminants, it will be important to target analytical chemistry towards key groups of chemicals of concern using effects-directed analysis. It is also important to evaluate to what extent existing biomarkers and bioassays can address various classes of emerging chemicals using the adverse outcome pathway (AOP) approach now being developed by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) with respect to human toxicology and ecotoxicology.     

Quantifying urban land cover change between 2001 and 2006 in the Gulf of Mexico region

We estimated urbanization rates (2001–2006) in the Gulf of Mexico region using the National Land Cover Database (NLCD) 2001 and 2006 impervious surface products. An improved method was used to update the NLCD impervious surface product in 2006 and associated land cover transition between 2001 and 2006. Our estimation reveals that impervious surface increased 416 km² with a growth rate of 5.8% between 2001 and 2006. Approximately 1110.1 km² of non-urban lands were converted into urban land, resulting in a 3.2% increase in the region. Hay/pasture, woody wetland, and evergreen forest represented the three most common land cover classes that transitioned to urban. Among these land cover transitions, more than 50% of the urbanization occurred within 50 km of the coast. Our analysis shows that the close-to-coast land cover transition trend, especially within 10 km off the coast, potentially imposes substantial long-term impacts on regional landscape and ecological conditions.     

The degradation characteristics of microbial biomass in soil

Soil microbial biomass is a primary source of soil organic carbon (SOC) and therefore plays a fundamental role in carbon and nitrogen cycling. However, little is known about the fate and transformations of microbial biomass in soil. Here we employ HR-MAS NMR spectroscopy to monitor ¹³C and ¹⁵N labeled soil microbial biomass and leachate degradation over time. As expected, there is a rapid loss of carbohydrate structures. However, diffusion edited HR-MAS NMR data reveals that macromolecular carbohydrates are more resistant to degradation and are found in the leachate. Aromatic components survive as dissolved species in the leachate while aliphatic components persist in both the biomass and leachate. Dissolved protein and peptidoglycan accumulate in the leachate and recalcitrant amide nitrogen and lipoprotein persists in both the degraded biomass and leachate. Cross-peaks that appear in ¹H-¹⁵N HR-MAS NMR spectra after degradation suggest that specific peptides are either selectively preserved or used for the synthesis of unknown structures. The overall degradation pathways reported here are similar to that of decomposing plant material degraded under similar conditions suggesting that the difference between recalcitrant carbon from different sources is negligible after decomposition.     

Global photometric properties of Asteroid (4) Vesta observed with Dawn Framing Camera

Dawn spacecraft orbited Vesta for more than one year and collected a huge volume of multispectral, high-resolution data in the visible wavelengths with the Framing Camera. We present a detailed disk-integrated and disk-resolved photometric analysis using the Framing Camera images with the Minnaert model and the Hapke model, and report our results about the global photometric properties of Vesta. The photometric properties of Vesta show weak or no dependence on wavelengths, except for the albedo. At 554 nm, the global average geometric albedo of Vesta is 0.38 ± 0.04, and the Bond albedo range is 0.20 ± 0.02. The bolometric Bond albedo is 0.18 ± 0.01. The phase function of Vesta is similar to those of S-type asteroids. Vesta’s surface shows a single-peaked albedo distribution with a full-width-half-max ∼17% relative to the global average. This width is much smaller than the full range of albedos (from ∼0.55× to >2× global average) in localized bright and dark areas of a few tens of km in sizes, and is probably a consequence of significant regolith mixing on the global scale. Rheasilvia basin is ∼10% brighter than the global average. The phase reddening of Vesta measured from Dawn Framing Camera images is comparable or slightly stronger than that of Eros as measured by the Near Earth Asteroid Rendezvous mission, but weaker than previous measurements based on ground-based observations of Vesta and laboratory measurements of HED meteorites. The photometric behaviors of Vesta are best described by the Hapke model and the Akimov disk-function, when compared with the Minnaert model, Lommel–Seeliger model, and Lommel–Seeliger–Lambertian model. The traditional approach for photometric correction is validated for Vesta for >99% of its surface where reflectance is within ±30% of global average.     

A fresh look at discordant redshift galaxies in compact groups

We reexamine the statistics of discordant redshift galaxies in compact groups. We find that 43 out of 100 groups in the Hickson catalog contain at least one discordant redshift galaxy. We show that, despite the prevailing impression, all previous attempts have failed to explain this large number of discordant redshift galaxies. The order of magnitude excess survives all of our attempts to refine the sample.     

Assessment and Assimilation of FY-3 Humidity Sounders and Imager in the UK Met Office Global Model

China's Feng Yun 3(FY-3) polar orbiting satellites are set to become an important source of observational data for numerical weather prediction(NWP),atmospheric reanalyses,and climate monitoring studies over the next two decades.As part of the Climate Science for Service Partnership China(CSSP China) program,FY-3 B Microwave Humidity Sounder 1(MWHS-1) and FY-3 C MWHS-2 observations have been thoroughly assessed and prepared for operational assimilation.This represents the first time observations from China's polar orbiting satellites have been used in the UK's global NWP model.Since 2016,continuous data quality monitoring has shown occasional bias changes found to be correlated to changes in the energy supply scheme regulating the platform heating system and other transient anomalies.Nonetheless,MWHS-1 and MWHS-2 significantly contribute to the 24-h forecast error reduction by 0.3% and 0.6%,respectively,and the combination of both instruments is shown to improve the fit to the model background of independent sounders by up to 1%.The observations from the Microwave Radiation Imager(MWRI) also are a potentially significant source of benefits for NWP models,but a solar-dependent bias observed in the instrument half-orbits has prevented their assimilation.This paper presents the bases of a correction scheme developed at the Met Office for the purpose of a future assimilation of MWRI data.     

Metal extractability in acidic and neutral mine tailings from the Cartagena-La Unión Mining District (SE Spain)

Mine tailings are ubiquitous in the landscapes of mined areas. Metal solubilities were compared in two chemically distinct mine tailings from the old Mining District of Cartagena-La Unión (SE Spain). One of the tailings was acidic (pH 3.0) with 5400 mg/kg Zn, 1900 mg/kg As and 7000 mg/kg Pb. The other was neutral (pH 7.4) with 9100 mg/kg Zn, 5200 mg/kg Pb and 350 mg/kg As. In samples from the acidic tailings, more than 15% of the Zn and 55% of the Cd were extractable with 0.1 M NaNO₃, and distilled water. In the neutral tailings, using the same reagents, less than 1% of the metals were extractable. A sequential extraction procedure revealed that the sum of the residual and the Fe oxide fractions of Cu, Zn and Pb comprised 80–95% in the acidic tailings and 70–90% in the neutral tailings. The acidic mine tailings had a higher metal solubility, resulting in more metal leaching in the short-term, but also a higher fraction of inert metal. In contrast, in the neutral tailings, the metals were evenly distributed between, oxides and the residual fraction. This implies lower metal mobility in the short-term, but that metal mobility may increase in the long-term. When applied to mine tailings, sequential extractions may provide misleading results because the strong cation exchange capacity of some extractants may induce pH changes and thereby significantly change metal solubility.     

Evidence for long-term instability in the Storegga Slide region off western Norway

Shallow-seismic surveys around the Storegga Slide off western Norway have allowed greater understanding of the development of this part of the European margin. The northern flank of the scarp is formed of seismically well-layered, hemipelagic and distal-glaciomarine deposits in which a variety of luid-escape structures, probably due to gas, are locally abundant. There is evidence of slides that substantially pre-date the earliest slide previously recognized. Surveying on the North Sea Fan to the southwest of the Storegga Slide shows the markedly different nature of the autochthonous sediments on the southern flank of the Storegga Slide; there is a predominance of glacigenic debris flows in the upper part of the sequence, lesser maximum slopes, and an apparent absence of interstitial gas and/or hydrates. This contrast has had considerable effect on slope stability and has influenced the position of the southwestern Storegga Slide boundary. The North Sea Fan succession includes at least three major buried slides, termed the Vigra, Møre and Tampen slides, all of which substantially pre-date the Storegga event and probably pre-date predominantly glacigenic margin sedimentation. Post-late Weichselian slope failure is locally significant. The region has a long, but as yet chronologically poorly defined history of instability in which seismic triggering is considered to have been important.     

Persistence of yessotoxin under light and dark conditions

The change in concentration of the disulfated polyether yessotoxin (YTX) produced by a culture of the marine dinoflagellate Protoceratium reticulatum was measured in laboratory experiments under light and dark conditions. Experimental cultures were inoculated and grew at a growth rate of 0.14 d(-1) until stationary phase was reached, after approximately 21 days. Cultures were maintained in the stationary phase until 31 days after inoculation. Cells of P. reticulatum contained a concentration of approximately 10-15 pg YTX cell(-1) during stationary phase but this was considerably lower (<5 pg cell-1) during the growth phase. Low amounts of 45-hydroxy-YTX were also detected. At day 32, P. reticulatum was killed by cooling to 1 degrees C (confirmed microscopically) and YTX concentrations were measured periodically under light and dark conditions. YTX concentrations decreased rapidly to approximately 10% of the initial concentration within the first 3 days and depleted to near zero within a week in the light treatment. In the dark environment, YTX persisted longer with approximately 10% of the initial YTX concentration still remaining after 18 days.