The influence of the Po River discharge on phytoplankton bloom dynamics along the coastline of Pesaro (Italy) in the Adriatic Sea

In recent years, eutrophic phenomena have frequently been reported in the Italian coastal waters of the northern Adriatic Sea. The aim of the present study was to determine that the phytoplankton blooms occurring along the Italian coastline in the area of Pesaro are caused by the Po River waters. In fact between October and December 2000 the nutrient load flushed into the sea from local rivers is not significant (phosphorus 10 tons and nitrogen 110 tons), instead N and P load from the Po River are: 650 and 8969 tons. The bloom episodes occurred during this period, at which time hypoxia developed on the sea bottom. The phytoplankton cell concentrations were 40.0 x 10(6) cells L(-1), and a significant presence of diatoms was observed. This issue is important in analysing the anthropogenic disturbances and environmental changes. The eutrophic seawater conditions were also analysed using the eutrophic index.     

Assessment of uncertainty sources in water quality modeling in the Niagara River

This paper presents a framework to quantify the overall variability of the model estimations of Total Polychlorinated Biphenyls (Total PCBs) concentrations in the Niagara River on the basis of the uncertainty of few model parameters and the natural variability embedded in some of the model input variables. The results of the uncertainty analysis are used to understand the importance of stochastic model components and their effect on the overall reliability of the model output and to evaluate multiple sources of uncertainty that might need to be further studied. The uncertainty analysis is performed using a newly developed point estimate method, the Modified Rosenblueth method. The water quality along the Niagara River is simulated by coupling two numerical models the Environmental Fluid Dynamic Code (EFDC) – for the hydrodynamic portion of the study and the Water Quality Analysis and Simulation Program (WASP) – for the fate and transport of contaminants. For the monitoring period from May 1995 to March 1997, the inflow Total PCBs concentration from Lake Erie is the stochastic component that most influences the variability of the modeling results for the simulated concentrations at the exit of the Niagara River. Other significant stochastic components in order are as follows: the suspended sediments concentration, the point source loadings and to a minor degree the atmospheric deposition, the flow and the non-point source loadings. Model results that include estimates of uncertainty provide more comprehensive information about the variability of contaminant concentrations, such as confidence intervals, and, in general offer a better approach to compare model results with measured data.     

Bioavailability of different chemical forms of dissolved silica can affect marine diatom growth

In this study, we demonstrate that dissolved silica obtained from mineral (crystalline quartz), biogenic amorphous (diatomaceous earth) and artificial amorphous sources (Aerosil) influence the growth rate of two marine diatoms, Chaetoceros sp. and Skeletonema marinoi. Diatoms were reared in four different experimental conditions in artificial seawater containing either dissolved silica previously obtained through dissolution of the mineral crystalline quartz or two amorphous substrates, biogenic diatomaceous earth or artificial Aerosil silica. Sodium metasilicate was used as control. When the silica in the different media reached concentrations higher than 107 μm , particles were eliminated by filtration and the diatom cells were inoculated. Maximum cell density, growth and silica assimilation rates of both species in the presence of dissolved silica derived from crystalline quartz and metasilicate were higher than those obtained with the other silica sources. These results are discussed against the background of previous geochemical studies that have shown that silica–water interactions are strictly dependent on the silica polymorphs involved and on the ionic composition of the solution. Our results demonstrate that the soluble silicon compounds generated in seawater by crystalline sources are highly bioavailable compared with those generated by biogenic and amorphous materials. These findings are potentially of considerable ecological importance and may contribute to clarifying anomalous spatial and temporal distributions of siliceous organisms with respect to the presence of lithogenic or biogenic silica sources in marine environments.     

Monitoring toxic microalgae Ostreopsis (dinoflagellate) species in coastal waters of the Mediterranean Sea using molecular PCR-based assay combined with light microscopy

A molecular PCR-based assay was developed and applied to macrophyte and seawater samples containing mixed microphytobenthic and phytoplanktonic assemblages, respectively, in order to detect toxic Ostreopsis species in Mediterranean Sea. The specificity and sensitivity of the molecular PCR assay were assessed with both plasmidic and genomic DNA of the target genus or species using taxon-specific primers in the presence of background macrophyte DNA. The PCR molecular technique allowed rapid detection of the Ostreopsis cells, even at abundances undetectable within the resolution limit of the microscopy technique. Species-specific identification of Ostreopsis was determined only by PCR-based assay, due to the inherent difficulty of morphological identification in field samples. In the monitoring of the toxic Ostreopsis blooms PCR-based methods proved to be effective tools complementary to microscopy for rapid and specific detection of Ostreopsis and other toxic dinoflagellates in marine coastal environments.