Distributions of pesticides and organic contaminants between water and suspended sediment,San Francisco Bay,California

Suspended-sediment and water samples were collected from San Francisco Bay in 1991 during low river discharge and after spring rains. All samples were analyzed for organophosphate, carbamate, and organochlorine pesticides; petroleum hydrocarbons; biomarkers; and polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons. The objectives were to determine the concentrations of these contaminants in water and suspended sediment during two different hydrologic conditions and to determine partition coefficients of the contaminants between water and sediment. Concentrations of hydrophobic contaminants, such as polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons, varied with location of sample collection, riverine discharge, and tidal cycle. Concentrations of hydrophobic contaminants in suspended sediments were highest during low river discharge but became diluted as agricultural soils entered the bay after spring rains. Polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons defined as dissolved in the water column were not detected. The concentrations sorbed on suspended sediments were variable and were dependent on sediment transport patterns in the bay. In contrast, the relatively hydrophilic organophosphate pesticides, such as chlorpyrifos and diazinon, has a more uniform concentration in suspended sediment. These pesticides were detected only after spring rains. Most of the measured diazinon, at least 98% for all samples, was in the dissolved phase. Measured partition coefficients for diazinon generally were uniform, which suggests that suspended-sediment concentrations were close to equilibrium with dissolved concentrations. The concentration of diazinon sorbed to suspended sediments, at any given sampling site, was driven primarily by the more abundant solution concentration. The concentrations of diazinon sorbed to suspended sediments, therefore, were independent of the patterns of sediment movement.     

Selenium Behavior in San Francisco Bay Sediments

Sediment and porewater samples (1997–1999) were collected in the Northern Reach of the San Francisco Bay and Sacramento–San Joaquin Delta for determinations of sedimentary selenium and its chemical speciation. Total sedimentary selenium increased with depth, with approximately 50% of the sedimentary selenium as elemental selenium and 35% as organic selenide. Porewater total dissolved selenium increased with depth in the estuary and Delta, and fluxes out of the sediments were calculated at 0.01 and 0.06 nmol cm⁻² year⁻¹ for the estuary and Delta, respectively. Present-day sediment–water exchange of dissolved selenium and internal transformations cannot explain the observed increase in total sedimentary selenium with depth. However, mass balance calculations demonstrate that the increase in total selenium with depth may be linked to higher dissolved selenium concentrations in the water column in the 1980s, suggesting that the sediments could be used as historical recorders of selenium in the estuary.     

Sudden Clearing of Estuarine Waters upon Crossing the Threshold from Transport to Supply Regulation of Sediment Transport as an Erodible Sediment Pool is Depleted: San Francisco Bay, 1999

The quantity of suspended sediment in an estuary is regulated either by transport, where energy or time needed to suspend sediment is limiting, or by supply, where the quantity of erodible sediment is limiting. This paper presents a hypothesis that suspended-sediment concentration (SSC) in estuaries can suddenly decrease when the threshold from transport to supply regulation is crossed as an erodible sediment pool is depleted. This study was motivated by a statistically significant 36% step decrease in SSC in San Francisco Bay from water years 1991–1998 to 1999–2007. A quantitative conceptual model of an estuary with an erodible sediment pool and transport or supply regulation of sediment transport is developed. Model results confirm that, if the regulation threshold was crossed in 1999, SSC would decrease rapidly after water year 1999 as observed. Estuaries with a similar history of a depositional sediment pulse followed by erosion may experience sudden clearing.     

Lateral Baroclinic Forcing Enhances Sediment Transport from Shallows to Channel in an Estuary

We investigate the dynamics governing exchange of sediment between estuarine shallows and the channel based on field measurements at eight stations spanning the interface between the channel and the extensive eastern shoals of South San Francisco Bay. The study site is characterized by longitudinally homogeneous bathymetry and a straight channel, with friction more important than the Coriolis forcing. Data were collected for 3 weeks in the winter and 4 weeks in the late summer of 2009, to capture a range of hydrologic and meteorologic conditions. The greatest sediment transport from shallows to channel occurred during a pair of strong, late-summer wind events, with westerly winds exceeding 10 m/s for more than 24 h. A combination of wind-driven barotropic return flow and lateral baroclinic circulation caused the transport. The lateral density gradient was produced by differences in temperature and suspended sediment concentration (SSC). During the wind events, SSC-induced vertical density stratification limited turbulent mixing at slack tides in the shallows, increasing the potential for two-layer exchange. The temperature- and SSC-induced lateral density gradient was comparable in strength to salinity-induced gradients in South Bay produced by seasonal freshwater inflows, but shorter in duration. In the absence of a lateral density gradient, suspended sediment flux at the channel slope was directed towards the shallows, both in winter and during summer sea breeze conditions, indicating the importance of baroclinically driven exchange to supply of sediment from the shallows to the channel in South San Francisco Bay and systems with similar bathymetry.     

Temporal and spatial evolution of surface sediments characteristics in the Dagu River estuary and their dynamic response mechanism

Based on the 39 surface sediment samples collected in the flood season and the dry season in 2012 respectively and the measured hydrological data in October 2012, the sediment grain size characteristics has been analyzed and the response mechanism of surface sediments to estuarine hydrodynamics was revealed by calculating the range of waves and tidal currents. The results show that: (1) The grain size of the surface sediment samples decreased gradually from land to sea in the flood season. The fine sediment was redistributed under marine hydrodynamics in the dry season and the sediments showed coarser tendency ingeneral; (2) tidal current stirring sediment was very obvious in Dagu River estuary area, and wave stirring sediments mainly occurred in the tidal flat area and estuary sand bar area; (3) in the flood season, surface sediment sat the estuary were transported towards south and southeast. In the dry season, surface sediments were transported towards southwest at the north area of Jiaozhou Bay Bridge, and sediments were transported towards northeast area at the south of Jiaozhou Bay Bridge.     

辽东湾北部浅海区泥沙输送及其沉积特征

根据实测资料，本文定量分析了辽东湾北部泥沙输送及其分布，并对辽河三角洲沉积区划作了初步讨论。研究表明本区泥沙以纵向搬运为特征。双台子河以西来沙和辽河西水道入海泥沙是区域东部拦门沙体和浅滩发育的主导因素。汛季大潮期，泥沙自西向东运移落淤在河口及毗邻浅水域；小潮期，泥沙除向东扩散外，大部泥沙向海方搬运。调查区可划分六个现代沉积作用区，即潮坪沉积区、辽河水下三角洲细粒沉积区、河口沙洲沉积区、波浪潮流冲蚀沉积区、河口冲积沉积区以及潮汐水道沉积区。     

Larval Pacific Herring (Clupea pallasi) Survival in Suspended Sediment

Pacific herring early life stages provide good model systems for studying effects of suspended sediments on estuarine organisms. To investigate effects on the herring larval stage, we used environmentally relevant particle concentrations for San Francisco Bay (200?C400?mg/L of particles <50???m in size) and exposure times of 16?h in a novel two-pump sediment suspension mesocosm. There were no mortalities during the 16-h suspended sediment incubation. Following sediment exposure, larvae were cultured in sediment-free water for up to 10?days during which survival and condition were measured. None were affected by previous sediment treatment. Four criteria for larval condition included growth, heart rate, prey capture, and critical swimming velocity. These results provide a framework for implementing regulatory decisions on anthropogenic activities such as dredging.     

Variable Nitrification Rates Across Environmental Gradients in Turbid,Nutrient-Rich Estuary Waters of San Francisco Bay

Understanding rates of nitrogen cycling in estuaries is crucial for understanding their productivity and resilience to eutrophication. Nitrification, the microbial oxidation of ammonia to nitrite and nitrate, links reduced and oxidized forms of inorganic nitrogen and is therefore an important step of the nitrogen cycle. However, rates of nitrification in estuary waters are poorly characterized. In fall and winter of 2011–2012, we measured nitrification rates throughout the water column of all major regions of San Francisco Bay, a large, turbid, nutrient-rich estuary on the west coast of North America. Nitrification rates were highest in regions furthest from the ocean, including many samples with rates higher than those typically measured in the sea. In bottom waters, nitrification rates were commonly at least twice the magnitude of surface rates. Strong positive correlations were found between nitrification and both suspended particulate matter and ammonium concentration. Our results are consistent with previous studies documenting high nitrification rates in brackish, turbid regions of other estuaries, many of which also showed correlations with suspended sediment and ammonium concentrations. Overall, nitrification in estuary waters appears to play a significant role in the estuarine nitrogen cycle, though the maximum rate of nitrification can differ dramatically between estuaries.     

Spatial and seasonal patterns in sediment nitrogen remineralization and ammonium concentrations in San Francisco Bay,California

Nitrogen remineralization and extractable ammonium concentrations were measured in sediments from several locations in North and South San Francisco bays. In South Bay, remineralization rates decreased with depth in sediment and were highest in the spring following the seasonal phytoplankton bloom. At the channel stations, peak remineralization lagged peak water-column phytoplankton biomass (as measured by chlorophylla) by a month. Remineralization rates were generally higher in South Bay than North Bay. The lower remineralization rates in North Bay may be a result of anomalously low phytoplankton production and thus reduced deposition to the sediments, as well as low reiverine organic inputs to the upper estuary in recent years. Remineralization rates were positively correlated to carbon and nitrogen content of the sediments. In general, ammonium profiles in South Bay sediments showed no increase in deeper (4–8 cm) sediments. In North Bay, ammonium concentrations were greatest at stations with highest remineralization rates, and, in contrast to South Bay, extractable ammonium increased in deeper sediment. Differences in ammonium pools between North Bay and South Bay may be a result of increased irrigation by deep-dwelling macrofauna, which are more abundant in South Bay.     

Late Holocene δC and pollen records of paleosalinity from tidal marshes in the San Francisco Bay estuary, California

Records of stable carbon isotopes (δ¹³C) are presented from cores collected from four San Francisco Bay marshes and used as a proxy for changes in estuary salinity. The δ¹³C value of organic marsh sediments are a reflection of the relative proportion of C₃ vs. C₄ plants occupying the surface, and can thus be used as a proxy for vegetation change on the marsh surface. The four marshes included in this study are located along a natural salinity gradient that exists in the San Francisco Bay, and records of vegetation change at all four sites can be used to infer changes in overall estuary paleosalinity. The δ¹³C values complement pollen data from the same marsh sites producing a paleoclimate record for the late Holocene period in the San Francisco Bay estuary. The data indicate that there have been periods of higher-than-average salinity in the Bay estuary (reduced fresh water inflow), including 1600-1300 cal yr B.P., 1000-800 cal yr B.P., 300-200 cal yr B.P., and ca. A.D. 1950 to the present. Periods of lower-than-average salinity (increased fresh water inflow) occurred before 2000 cal yr B.P., from 1300 to 1200 cal yr B.P. and ca. 150 cal yr B.P. to A.D. 1950. A comparison of the timing of these events with records from the California coast, watershed, and beyond the larger drainage of the Bay reveals that the paleosalinity variations reflected regional precipitation.     

Leachable trace elements in San Francisco bay sediments: Indicators of sources and estuarine processes

Geographic variations of leachable Fe, Mn, Cu, Zn, Co, and Ni in San Francisco Bay sediments indicate that Fe, Mn, Co, and Ni are all predominantly supplied to bay sediments from the San Joaquin-Sacramento River system, with little evidence for direct contributions from municipal and industrial sources. In contrast, both Cu and Zn have significant sources within the Bay system, probably municipal and industrial discharges. Precipitation and coagulation of Fe oxides in the low-salinity region of the estuary results in significantly greater concentrations of that element in the most landward portion of the estuary. Co and Ni appear to be actively coprecipitating with Fe but their distributions are also influenced by other factors. Mn is not a major geochemical agent in this system. Its pattern is different from the other elements and it does not account for any of the other elemental variance. The behavior of Cu and Zn is affected not only by the presence of nonriverine sources but also through surface-active processes and organic complexing, coupled with the transportation of fine-grained sediment.     

What have natural and human changes wrought on the foraminifera of San Francisco Bay late Quaternary estuaries?

In this study we compare the foraminifera of modern South San Francisco Bay with fossils from sediments of a previous estuary at 125 ka to provide a basis for interpreting the impact of natural and human change on the benthic ecosystem. All the species found in the Pleistocene sediments of this study are estuarine and/or shallow-water species occurring commonly in San Francisco Bay today, except for the introduced foraminifer Trochammina hadai, a native of Japan that was not found in samples taken in San Francisco Bay before 1983. The biodiversity and species composition of the fossil and modern assemblages before the introduction of T. hadai are nearly identical, suggesting that the environmental and physical changes in the 125,000-year-old and modern estuaries have not had a significant effect on the meiofauna of the Bay. In contrast, modern anthropogenic change in the form of species introductions has impacted the modern foraminiferal assemblage: T. hadai began to dominate the modern assemblage a decade after its introduction. Similar to the recorded impacts of introductions of marine metazoan invertebrate species, the dominance of T. hadai changed species proportions in the post-1980s foraminiferal assemblage, however no known extinctions in the native foraminiferal fauna occurred.     

Trace metals (Cd,Cu, Ni,and Zn) and nutrients in coastal waters adjacent to San Francisco Bay,California

Samples collected in December 1990 and July 1991 show that dissolved Cd, Cu, Ni, and Zn distributions in the Gulf of the Farallones are dominated by mixing of two end-members: (1) metal-enriched San Francisco Bay water and (2) offshore California Current water. The range of dissolved metal concentrations observed is 0.2–0.9 nmol kg^?1 for Cd, 1–20 nmol kg^?1 for Cu, 4–16 nmol kg^?1 for Ni, and 0.2–20 nmol kg^?1 for Zn. Effective concentrations in fresh water discharged into San Francisco Bay during 1990–1991 (estimated by extrapolation to zero salinity) are 740–860 μmol kg^?1 for silicate, 21–44 μmol kg^?1 for phosphate, 10–15 nmol kg^?1 for Cd, 210–450 nmol kg^?1 for Cu, 210–270 nmol kg^?1 for Ni, and 190–390 nmol kg^?1 for Zn. Comparison with effective trace metal and nutrient concentrations for freshwater discharge reported by Flegal et al. (1991) shows that input of these constituents to the northern reaches of San Francisco Bay accounts for only a fraction of the input to Gulf of the Farallones from the estuary system as a whole. The nutrient and trace metal composition of shelf water outside a 30-km radius from the mouth of the estuary closely resembles that of California Current water further offshore. In contrast to coastal waters elsewhere, there is little evidence of Cd, Cu, Ni, and Zn input by sediment diagenesis in continental shelf waters of California.     

Tropical Storm and Hurricane wind effects on water level, salinity, and sediment transport in the river-influenced Atchafalaya-Vermilion Bay System, Louisiana, USA

Changes in circulation, water level, salinity, suspended sediments, and sediment flux resulted from Tropical Storm Frances and Hurricane Georges in the Vermilion-Atchafalaya Bay region during September 1998. Tropical Storm Frances made landfall near Port Aransas, Texas, 400 km west of the study area, and yet the strong and long-lived southeasterly winds resulted in the highest water levels and salinity values of the year at one station in West Cote Blanche Bay. Water levels were abnormally high across this coastal bay system, although salinity impacts varied spatially. Over 24 h, salinity increased from 5 to 20 psu at Site 1 on the east side of West Cote Blanche Bay. Abnormally high salinities were recorded in Atchafalaya Bay but not at stations in Vermilion Bay. On September 28, 1998, Hurricane Georges made landfall near Biloxi, Mississippi, 240 km east of the study area. On the west side of the storm, wind stress was from the north and maximum winds locally reached 14 m s⁻¹. The wind forcing and physical responses of the bay system were analogous to those experienced during a winter cold-front passage. During the strong, north wind stress period, coastal water levels fell, salinity decreased, and sediment-laden bay water was transported onto the inner shelf. As the north wind stress subsided, a pulse of relatively saline water entered Vermilion Bay through Southwest Pass increasing salinity from 5 to 20 psu over a 24-h period. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)-14 reflectance imagery revealed the regional impacts of wind-wave resuspension and the bay-shelf exchange of waters. During both storm events, suspended solid concentrations increased by an order of magnitude from 75 to over 750 mg l⁻¹. The measurements demonstrated that even remote storm systems can have marked impacts on the physical processes that affect ecological processes in shallow coastal bay systems.     

Minor elements in sediments of Great Bay estuary,New Hampshire

Concentrations of copper, zinc, chromium, lead, cadmium, and phosphorus were obtained from 81 samples of unconsolidated estuarine sediment from Great Bay, New Hampshire. Dispersal of aqueous chromium from localized industrial effluent is believed responsible for an increase in sediment chromium throughout the entire estuary. High phosphorus concentrations exist in sediment near the outfalls from several waste-water treatment plants. There is no evidence for any increase of copper, zinc, lead, or cadmium in this estuary, except for localized high concentrations close to industrial outfalls. Fine-grained sediments and organic carbon correlate highly with all the elements studied, except for chromium. This suggests that conventional agents of sedimentary adsorption are not adequate to explain the incorporation of chromium into sediment under the conditions of heavy industrial discharge which exist in this estuary. Sediment phosphorus correlates highly with minor elements, suggesting that it is an adsorption agent, similar to more typical sedimentary parameters such as organic matter and clay minerals. In such a capacity phosphorus may enhance the sedimentary uptake of other aqueous species, and account for higher chromium sediment concentrations. Comparative data from other sedimentary environments emphasize the environmental significance of these elements in Great Bay.     

海南岛崖州湾宁远河河口区现代沉积特征

崖州湾宁远河河口区位于海南岛南侧,是以陆源为主、沉积环境相对简单的小型河流入海沉积区。分别在宁远河中游、下游、河流两侧海岸带以及近岸300余米的滩坝处,采集了5根重力柱状样、55个底质沉积物样品,通过粒度分析和同位素测试,对研究区近代沉积物沉积环境、空间展布规律和水动力演化规律进行了详细探讨。结果发现,研究区主要以河流三角洲沉积为主,在空间上,根据沉积物粒度和分选将研究区划分为五类沉积环境分区;在时间上,近百年来不同地区的水动力变化有所区别,入海口附近区域水体动荡随时间变化频繁;而河道上游附近区域水体条件变化小,形成明显的沉积旋回。     

The effects of the San Francisco Bay plume on trace metal and nutrient distributions in the Gulf of the Farallones

The distributions of particulate elements (Al, P, Mn, Fe, Co, Cu, Zn, Cd, and Pb), dissolved trace metals (Mn, Fe, Co, Cu, Zn, and Cd), and dissolved nutrients (nitrate, phosphate, and silicic acid) were investigated in the Gulf of the Farallones, a region of high productivity that is driven by the dynamic mixing of the San Francisco Bay plume, upwelled waters, and California coastal surface waters. Particulate metals were separated into >10 and 0.4-10 μm size-fractions and further fractionated into leachable (operationally defined with a 25% acetic acid leach) and refractory particulate concentrations. Dissolved metals (< 0.4 μm pore-size filtrate) were separated into colloidal (0.03-0.4 μm) and soluble (<0.03 μm) fractions. The percent leachable particulate fractions ranged from 2% to 99% of the total particulate concentration for these metals with Mn and Cd being predominantly leachable and Fe and Al being predominantly refractory. The leachable particulate Pb concentration was associated primarily with suspended sediments from San Francisco Bay and was a tracer of the plume in coastal waters. The particulate trace metal data suggest that the leachable fraction was an available source of trace metal micronutrients to the primary productivity in coastal waters. The dissolved trace metals in the San Francisco Bay plume and freshly upwelled surface waters were similar in concentration, with the exception of Cu and Co, which exhibited relatively high concentrations in plume waters and served as tracers of this water mass. The dissolved data and estimates of the plume dynamics suggest that the impact of anthropogenic inputs of nutrients and trace metals in the San Francisco Bay plume contributes substantially to the concentrations found in the Gulf of the Farallones (10-50% of estimated upwelled flux values), but does not greatly disrupt the natural stoichiometric balance of trace metal and nutrient elements within coastal waters given the similarity in concentrations to sources in upwelled water. In all, the data from this study demonstrate that the flux of dissolved nutrients and bioactive trace metals from the San Francisco Bay plume contribute to the high and relatively constant phytoplankton biomass observed in the Gulf of the Farallones.     

Distribution and migration of pesticide residues in mosquito control impoundments St. Lucie County, Florida, USA

This project was designed to: (1) document the distribution and migration of organochlorine pesticide residues within marsh substrates of 18 St. Lucie County mosquito control impoundments located along the Indian River Lagoon estuary, and (2) evaluate the impact of water management techniques on residue mobility. Our results indicate that detectible concentrations of organochlorine compounds, applied between the late 1940s and early 1950s, are present in 16 of the 18 St. Lucie County mosquito control impoundments. These compounds are primarily restricted to the surficial, organic-rich wetland sediment, which, based upon geotechnical analysis, was exposed to the atmosphere at a time when the impoundments were subjected to pesticide treatment. Contaminated sediments are present below the surficial, organic-rich layer, suggesting that some vertical migration of pesticides has occurred. It is unlikely that leaching associated with the downward percolation of impounded water was responsible for this migration as pesticide residues were never detected within thein situ pore waters. An alternative explanation is that biological processes (e.g., rooting, burrowing) facilitated the downward flux of organochlorine compounds into sediment horizons not subjected to direct treatment. Eighty-eight surface water samples obtained from two impoundments subjected to contrasting water management techniques were analyzed for pesticide content. None of the surficial water samples collected in association with these impoundments contained detectible concentrations of organochlorine compounds. These samples were unfiltered and contained as much as 25 mg/1 of particulate organic matter. This suggests that the currently preferred management technique (RIM), which is designed to maintain water quality, limit mosquito production, and provide for ecological continuity, does not hydraulically mobilize pesticide residues into the Indian River Lagoon estuary.     

Mercury and methylmercury in water and sediment of the Sacramento River Basin, California

Mercury (Hg) and methylmercury (CH₃Hg⁺) concentrations in streambed sediment and water were determined at 27 locations throughout the Sacramento River Basin, CA. Mercury in sediment was elevated at locations downstream of either Hg mining or Au mining activities where Hg was used in the recovery of Au. Methylmercury in sediment was highest (2.84 ng/g) at a location with the greatest wetland land cover, in spite of lower total Hg at that site relative to other river sites. Mercury in unfiltered water was measured at 4 locations on the Sacramento River and at tributaries draining the mining regions, as well as agricultural regions. The highest levels of Hg in unfiltered water (2248 ng/l) were measured at a site downstream of a historic Hg mining area, and the highest levels at all sites were measured in samples collected during high streamflow when the levels of suspended sediment were also elevated. Mercury in unfiltered water exceeded the current federal and state recommended criterion for protection of aquatic life (50 ng/l as total Hg in unfiltered water) only during high streamflow conditions. The highest loading of Hg to the San Francisco Bay system was attributed to sources within the Cache Creek watershed, which are downstream of historic Hg mines, and to an unknown source or sources to the mainstem of the Sacramento River upstream of historic Au mining regions. That unknown source is possibly associated with a volcanic deposit. Methylmercury concentrations also were dependent on season and hydrologic conditions. The highest levels (1.98 ng/l) in the Sacramento River, during the period of study, were measured during a major flood event. The reactivity of Hg in unfiltered water was assessed by measuring the amount available for reaction by a strong reducing agent. Although most Hg was found to be nonreactive, the highest reactivity (7.8% of the total Hg in water) was measured in the sample collected from the same site with high CH₃Hg⁺ in sediment, and during the time of year when that site was under continual flooded conditions. Although Hg concentrations in water downstream of the Hg mining operations were measured as high as 2248 ng/l during stormwater runoff events, the transported Hg was found to have a low potential for geochemical transformations, as indicated by the low reactivity to the reducing agent (0.0001% of the total), probably because most of the Hg in the unfiltered water sample was in the mercury sulfide form.     

Stormwater contamination of urban estuaries. 1. Predicting the build-up of heavy metals in sediments

Many coastal cities are situated around estuaries, which act as traps for urban-derived contamination. To investigate urban development options, to help manage the urbanization process, and to set priorities for retrofitting urban stormwater controls, a model was developed to predict the build-up of contaminants (Pb, Zn, and Cu) in the sediments of sheltered estuaries. This model broadly integrates processes occurring in the estuary and predicts the distribution of sediment-associated contaminants throughout the estuary. It is based on yields of suspended sediment and contaminants from developing and mature catchments and is applicable to shallow, sheltered estuaries and harbors that have accumulated fine sediments. The information required to develop and run the model, and the sensitivity of the model to variation in its parameters, is described in detail.