Some problems of marine toxicity studies

Toxicity tests are necessarily carried out on animals in the laboratory, but are these test organisms healthy? Dr Perkins suggests some of the pitfalls and describes some of the precautions that must be observed to make sure the subjects of toxicity tests are not already unhealthy and dying because of the way they were collected or kept in the laboratory.     

Oil dispersant toxicity

Toxicity tests using a wide variety of shore animals reveal that the latest generation of dispersants have very low toxicity and no long-term effects.     

Spectra® fishing twine entanglement of a bottlenose dolphin: A case study and experimental modeling

We report here the first documented case of a cetacean fatality from entanglement in recreational Spectra® fishing twine. Spectra® twine is a relatively new microfilament braided twine that is marketed to replace nylon monofilament twine in rod and reel fisheries. Following the case of this entangled bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus), we conducted tests with Spectra® and comparable monofilament twines on Tursiops tissue from stranded animals to compare the abrasion properties of the twines. We found that Spectra® twine was significantly more abrasive on bottlenose dolphin fluke tissue than a similar strength and diameter monofilament. With the same forces applied, the Spectra® twine cut deeper than the monofilament, exhibiting a linear relationship with force applied where the monofilament appeared to reach a maximum depth of penetration of approximately 2 mm. These tests may explain why this bottlenose dolphin was so severely debilitated from carrying a relatively light load of twine over a short period of time (20 days). Future public and corporate outreach will be essential to minimize the effect that this increasingly popular fishing twine will have on non-target species.     

Comparison of Hydraulic Conductivity Values Obtained from Aquifer Pumping Tests and Conservative Tracer Tests

Afield site was established in an area of glacial outwash near Des Moines, Iowa. Hydraulic conductivity (K) of the outwash was measured in various ways including six pumping tests and two natural-gradient Cl^- tracer tests. The velocity of the conservative tracer was converted to K using measured gradients and effective porosity determined from two radial-convergent Cl^- tracer tests.
K values measured from the conservative tracer tests are approximately one-tenth to one-twentieth the average pumping-test value. Thus the K relevant to solute transport does not reflect the K measured by pumping tests. This discrepancy may be caused by the different scale and dimensionality of the two test types. Dispersion may prevent solutes from flowing exclusively within smaller high-conductivity paths which strongly affect the K measured by pumping tests.     

Ore dust pollution and body temperatures of intertidal animals

Intertidal animals were dusted with iron ore dust and, even after two full tidal cycles, when exposed to direct sunlight during low tide the treated animals heated faster, reached higher temperatures and cooled faster than controls. No short term mortalities were observed. Ore coating changes the colour of the animals and it would appear that colour is one of the important mechanisms controlling the heat budget. Ore dust pollution may therefore have a long-term effect on intertidal animals through its effect on their heat balance.     

Stream-stage response tests and their joint interpretation with pumping tests

Hydraulic head response to stream-stage variations can be used to explore the hydraulic properties of stream-aquifer systems at a relatively large scale. These stream-stage response tests, also called flooding tests, are typically interpreted using one- or two-dimensional models that assume flow perpendicular to the river. Therefore, they cannot be applied to systems that are both horizontally and vertically heterogeneous. In this work, we use the geostatistical inverse problem to jointly interpret data from stream-stage response and pumping tests. The latter tests provide flow data (which are needed to resolve aquifer diffusivity into transmissivity and storage coefficient) and may supply supplementary small-scale information. Here, we summarize the methodology for the design, execution, and joint numerical interpretation of these tests. Application to the Aznalcóllar case study allows us to demonstrate that the proposed methodology may help in responding to questions such as the continuity of aquitards, the role and continuity of highly permeable paleochannels, or the time evolution of stream-aquifer interaction. These results expand the applicability and scope of stream-stage response tests.     

The occurrence of NADPH-ferrihemoprotein reductase in Corbula caribea, from a natural oil seep at La Brea, Trinidad

Corbula caribea is the most common non-polychaete macrofaunal organism identified at a large natural oil seep at La Brea in south Trinidad. It is hypothesized that these animals may possess (NADPH-ferrihemoprotein reductase) a component of the Mixed Function Oxygenase system (MFO), which may allow them to ameliorate the potentially deleterious effects resulting from exposure to the high levels of petroleum hydrocarbons within this environment. This study was designed to determine whether organisms from the seep site showed greater enzyme activity when compared to organisms from a non-seep reference site. NADPH-ferrihemoprotein reductase activity was determined by incubating 10 microm cryostat sections with nitro-blue tetrazolium. The reaction product was determined by visual assessment and quantified by measuring the relative mean stain intensity. The intense staining, indicative of enzyme activity was evident in the digestive epithelia of seep animals. Observations indicated that organisms from the seep showed more intense staining, indicating greater enzyme activity, when compared to animals from a non-seep reference site. The relative stain intensity of NADPH-ferrihemoprotein reductase determined for organisms from the seep was 61.30. This was significantly higher than the stain intensity determined for organisms from the non-seep reference site (7.11). This supported visual assessments, which suggested that the seep organisms showed higher enzyme activity than organisms from the non-seep site. The results suggest that NADPH-ferrihemoprotein reductase may be present in Corbula caribea from the seep site and not in those from the non-seep site. It is possible that this enzyme may contribute to these animals ability to tolerate chronic exposure to petroleum hydrocarbons and offer then a selective advantage for survival the seep environment.     

Effect of spoil disposal on benthic invertebrates

Hydraulic dredging and spoil disposal behind the inner breakwater in Delaware Bay has an impact over several kilometres from the site of operations. While dissolved oxygen and the density of animals fell in the areas immediately affected, the total impact of this operation appears to have been small. There may even have been some recruitment of animals to the spoil areas after the operations.     

A State-Of-The-Art Approach to Hydrologic Data Management

High-accuracy electronic data acquisition equipment, a solid-state memory, computer interface and software have been developed to provide a complete system for measuring and recording water level changes.
A small, stand-alone hydrologic instrument (SE1000) provides the automation and accuracy of solid-state electronics in pump tests, slug tests, and long- and short-term ground water monitoring. The unit is powered by a high-performance battery pack with a minimum life of four years. This instrument can be buried at the monitoring site for protection from vandals, animals and temperature extremes. Ten pre-programmed 949-point data schedules are standard. One schedule is logarithmic with an initial data interval of 0.2 seconds. Nine linear schedules provide data intervals ranging from 15 minutes to 1.5 days and corresponding test durations ranging from 10 days to 46 months. The stored data can be recovered directly via the LCD display or transferred to a computer. Software provides automatic data reduction with hard copy tables and plots.
This instrument has been used successfully in various locations in the United States.     

Die Matrix der Fische

Summary An apparatus has been developed and demonstrated, which may be used for measuring the motility and the vitality of fish and other animals under the action of different influences, for instance poisons. Under favorable experimental conditions, the energy can be estimated, which is shown by the animals in theirmilieu extérieur.      

动物习性异常作为地震前兆研究的历史与未来

地震前动物习性异常在很早就有历史文献记录记载。动物习性异常是海城地震预报中重要的宏观前兆之一。此后动物习性异常作为地震前兆的研究在全世界范围内得到重视。因为地震并不是动物习性异常的唯一原因,这一研究后来基本上被放弃。在生命科学的研究达到分子水平并进入基因层次以后,动物习性异常作为地震前兆的研究又重新开始。现在的研究试图从基因遗传水平上解释动物的地震避险能力是如何遗传与进化的,并运用现代分子生物学的技术解开动物习性异常的机理,找出作为地震前兆的特有反应,从而做出地震预报。     

Effect of treatment with reserpine on the change in filtration rate of Mytilus edulis subjected to dissolved copper

Exposure of specimens of Mytilus edulis to dissolved copper leads to a fall in the filtration rate measured in whole animals. The copper concentration leading to a 50% reduction in the filtration rate was found to be 0.094 mg I⁻¹. This effect was abolished on depletion of the monoamine content of the animal using reserpine. It is suggested that there may be a chemosensory mechanism present in the animals which responds to increased levels of metals in the seawater leading to a reduction in the rate of ciliary beating and mediated via the branchial nerve.     

Comparison of the results of quantitative and non-quantitative tracer tests for determination of Karst conduit networks: An example from the Traligill Basin,Scotland

The relative advantages of fluorescent dyes and Lycopodium spores as tracers are discussed. The major advantage of fluorescent dyes is that they may be detected quantitatively. Thus, in combination with discharge measurements, a dye mass balance can be prepared for tracer tests in karst conduits, which permits elucidation of the underground network. The advantages of this procedure are illustrated by comparison of the networks derived from non-quantitative (Lycopodium and dye) and quantitative (fluorescent dye) tracer methods in the Traligill Basin, Scotland. These tests also suggest that Lycopodium does not give a true indication of travel time, due to sedimentation underground. This could also cause contamination problems in later tests. For non-quantitative tracer tests, sensitive methods are necessary if incorrect inferences on conduit networks are to be avoided. In general, however, quantitative tests give much less ambiguous results, and are therefore to be preferred.     

ANALYSIS OF AQUIFER TESTS CONDUCTED IN FRACTURED ROCK: A REVIEW OF THE PHYSICAL BACKGROUND AND THE DESIGN OF A COMPUTER PROGRAM FOR GENERATING TYPE CURVES

Abstract. Assessing the hydrogeological character of fractured bedrock between two or more wells is usually accomplished through an analysis of the results of traditional pumping tests. Because these tests are subject to field boundary conditions that may be different from those conducted in porous media, alternative testing techniques or analytical methods are required. To provide an adaptable interpretive package for analyzing interwell hydraulic tests in fractured rock, a FORTRAN program was developed to generate type curves for pumping tests and pulse interference tests. A review of the physical conditions which most influence the results of these tests is conducted to provide the background for the development and use of the program. The analytical solutions included in the program consider inner boundary conditions such as wellbore storage, infinitesimally thin skin and finite-thickness skin. In addition, a solution is included to analyze results influenced by wellbore storage and infinitesimally thin skin at both the pumping and observation wells. The solutions are given in the Laplace domain and are numerically inverted to generate data for the type curves. The curves can be plotted using any standard plotting program, or they can be plotted manually. The program is menu driven, easily adaptable to include additional solutions, and can be executed on a personal computer.     

Contamination and toxic effects of persistent endocrine disrupters in marine mammals and birds

In recent years, several species of marine mammals and birds have been affected by uncommon diseases and unusual mortalities. While several possible causative factors have been attributed for these events, a prominent suspect is exposure to man-made toxic contaminants. Particularly, some of these man-made chemicals can disrupt normal endocrine physiology in animals. At CMES, our studies focus on exposure and toxic effects of endocrine disrupting chemicals, particularly organochlorines, in higher trophic level wildlife. Endocrine disrupting chemicals, such as organochlorine insecticides, polychlorinated biphenyls, organotins etc. are found in tissues of a wide variety of wildlife. Extremely high concentrations have been found in animals afflicted with diseases and/or victims of mass mortalities. Elevated contamination by organochlorines has been found in open sea animals such as cetaceans and albatrosses, which seemed to be attributable to their low capacity to metabolize toxic persistent contaminants. Significant correlations between biochemical parameters (serum hormone concentrations and cytochrome P450 enzyme activities) and residues of endocrine disrupting chemicals were found in some species of marine animals, which indicates that these chemicals may impose toxic effects in animals even at the current levels of exposure. In general, water birds and marine mammals accumulated the dioxin-like compounds with much higher concentrations than humans, implying higher risk from exposure in wildlife. The future issues of endocrine disrupting chemicals in humans and wildlife will have to be focused in developing countries.     

Current state of research on flow failure considering void redistribution in liquefied deposits

In liquefied ground, lateral flow is sometimes much larger than surface settlement and may exceed several meters even in a gentle slope of less than a few percent. It occurs not only during but also after earthquake shaking. Conventional laboratory soil tests using uniform sand cannot reproduce this phenomenon. Its mechanism is still poorly understood. In this paper, there is a major focus on the mechanism involving void redistribution or water film effects in layered sand deposits using recent findings obtained by different researchers on void redistribution and the associated lateral flow movement that potentially occurs in layered sand deposits. 1G shake table tests, 1D tube tests, torsional simple shear tests, in situ soil investigations, case history studies, etc. are used to develop an understanding of the lateral flow mechanism during liquefaction. Some of the major findings are; sand deposits in the field consist of sublayers with different particle sizes and permeability and readily develop water films by post-liquefaction void redistribution at sublayer boundaries. The water films may have served as sliding surfaces for large flow during the 1964 Niigata earthquake without the constraint of the dilatancy effect because the water films serve as shear stress isolators. The potential of this type of flow failure will be high for loose sand with relative density around 40% or less.     

In Situ Measurement of Electro-Osmotic Fluxes and Conductivity Using Single Wellbore Tracer Tests

Electro-osmosis (EO), the movement of water through porous media in response to an electric field, offers a means for extracting contaminated ground water from fine-grained sediments, such as clays, that are not easily amenable to conventional pump-and-treat approaches. The EO-induced water flux is proportional to the voltage gradient in a manner analogous to the flux dependence on the hydraulic gradient under Darcy's law. The proportionality constant, the soil electro-osmotic conductivity or k_eo, is most easily measured in soil cores using bench-top tests, where flow is one-dimensional and interfering effects attributable to Darcy's law can be directly accounted for. In contrast, quantification of EO fluxes and k_eo in the field under deployment conditions can be difficult because electrodes are placed in ground water wells that may be screened across a heterogeneous mixture of lithologies. As a result, EO-induced water fluxes constitute an approximate radial flow system that is superimposed upon a Darcy flow regime through permeable pathways that may or may not be coupled with hydraulic head differences created by the EO-induced water fluxes. A single well comparative tracer test, which indirectly measures EO fluxes by comparing wellbore tracer dilution rates between background and EO-induced water fluxes, may provide a means for routinely quantifying the efficacy of EO systems in such settings. EO fluxes measured in field tests through this technique at a ground water contamination site were used to estimate a mean k_eo value through a semianalytic line source model of the electric field. The resulting estimate agrees well with values reported in the literature and with values obtained with bench-top tests conducted on a soil core collected in the test area.     

The occurrence of birds and garbage at the Humboldt front off Valparaiso,Chile

There has been growing speculation to what extent marine animals may gather where physical processes lead to a concentration of food in the vicinity of marine fronts. It appears that at a front off western South America only plankton-eating birds gathered at the front itself, though fish-eating species were most numerous in its general vicinity. Drifting garbage also accumulated at the front, which arrested its spread but may pose a threat to the birds from pollution.     

Pore water testing and analysis: the good,the bad,and the ugly

The increasingly common practice of collecting and assessing sediment pore water as a primary measure of sediment quality is reviewed. Good features of this practice include: pore water is a key exposure route for some organisms associated with sediments; pore water testing eliminates particle size effects; pore water analyses and tests can provide useful information regarding contamination and pollution. Bad features include: pore water is not the only exposure route; pore water tests lack chemical or biological realism: their "sensitivity" relative to other tests may be meaningless due to manipulation and laboratory artifacts; many sediment and surface dwelling organisms are not directly influenced by pore water. Bad features can become ugly if: other exposure pathways are not considered (for toxicity or bioaccumulation); manipulation techniques are not appropriate; pore water tests are inappropriately linked to population-level effects. Pore water testing and analyses can be effective tools provided their limitations are well understood by researchers and managers.