An overview of toxicant identification in sediments and dredged materials

The identification of toxicants affecting aquatic benthic systems is critical to sound assessment and management of our nation's waterways. Identification of toxicants can be useful in designing effective sediment remediation plans and reasonable options for sediment disposal. Knowledge of which contaminants affect benthic systems allows managers to link pollution to specific dischargers and prevent further release of toxicant(s). In addition, identification of major causes of toxicity in sediments may guide programs such as those developing environmental sediment guidelines and registering pesticides, while knowledge of the causes of toxicity which drive ecological changes such as shifts in benthic community structure would be useful in performing ecological risk assessments. To this end, the US Environmental Protection Agency has developed tools (toxicity identification and evaluation (TIE) methods) that allow investigators to characterize and identify chemicals causing acute toxicity in sediments and dredged materials. To date, most sediment TIEs have been performed on interstitial waters. Preliminary evidence from the use of interstitial water TIEs reveals certain patterns in causes of sediment toxicity. First, among all sediments tested, there is no one predominant cause of toxicity; metals, organics, and ammonia play approximately equal roles in causing toxicity. Second, within a single sediment there are multiple causes of toxicity detected; not just one chemical class is active. Third, the role of ammonia is very prominent in these interstitial waters. Finally, if sediments are divided into marine or freshwater, TIEs perforMed on interstitial waters from freshwater sediments indicate a variety of toxicants in fairly equal proportions, while TIEs performed on interstitial waters from marine sediments have identified only ammonia and organics as toxicants, with metals playing a minor role. Preliminary evidence from whole sediment TIEs indicates that organic compounds play a major role in the toxicity of marine sediments, with almost no evidence for either metal or ammonia toxicity. However, interpretation of these results may be skewed because only a small number of interstitial water (n = 13) and whole sediment (n = 5) TIEs have been completed. These trends may change as more data are collected.     

沉积物金属元素变化的粒度效应--以太湖沉积岩芯为例

水体沉积物中金属元素含量变化除了与人为污染有关之外,在很大程度上受沉积物粒度、矿物组成等沉积物性质的影响．在进行沉积物金属元素研究中,要充分考虑沉积物金属元素含量变化的粒度效应．本文通过对太湖MS岩芯中17种金属元素、沉积物粒度、矿物组成等指标的分析,研究了金属元素变化特征以及与沉积物粒度组成的关系．MS岩芯金属元素变化可分为两类,第一类主要为Al、Fe、K等,该类元素在沉积岩芯中下部含量较高,岩芯上部含量较低;第二类为Na元素,在沉积岩芯中下部含量较低,岩芯上部含量升高．MS岩芯中金属元素与粘土含量之间具有显著相关关系,经沉积物粒度(粘土含量)校正后,沉积岩芯中金属元素含量趋于稳定．因此,沉积物粒度组成(粘土含量)是影响金属元素含量的主要因素,在研究太湖沉积物金属元素变化规律及进行金属污染评价时,应对金属元素含量进行粒度校正．     

Trace metal concentrations and fluxes in Bermuda sediments

Concentrations and calculated fluxes of trace metals into Bermuda nearshore marine and lake sediments are presented. In areas affected by anthropogenic activity, metal profiles show surface sediment enrichments similar to those observed in North American and European lacustrine and estuarine sediments. Atmospheric fluxes of Cu, Zn and Pb into the lake sediments are higher than those of rural areas in North America. These high fluxes are assumed to be due to jet-fuel combustion. Sediment profiles in the Hamilton City area indicate increased anthropogenic input of Cu and Pb compared to other marine locations.     

Radionuclides and large particles in estuarine sediments

Radionuclides, released into the north-east Irish Sea from the British Nuclear Fuels plc uranium reprocessing plant at Sellafield, Cumbria, UK and which are present in sediments of the Esk estuary, Cumbria, are initially associated with large (i.e. >0.5 mm) rather than fine grained (i.e. <63 μm) particles. I call these macro particles organoliths. They consist of an agglomerate of sediment grains held together with an organic iron rich matrix; their surfaces are coated with a patina of iron and manganese oxides with which the radionuclides are associated. Concentration factors (Kd's) for plutonium, americium, and other radionuclides, together with various stable elements in the patina are orders of magnitude greater than those found in bulk sediments. Some implications concerning the radionuclide content of organoliths are discussed in relation to geochemical process, pollution studies and the requirements of radiological protection.     

Trends und Verteilungsmuster in der Schadstoffbelastung von Sedimenten aus östlichen Bundeswasserstraßen

Trends and Patterns in the Contamination of Sediments from Federal Waterways in Eastern Germany The following study presents a concept for a sediment pollution cadastre and the results of systematic investigations of sediment contamination for eight toxic heavy metals and arsenic, as well as for eight classes of organic priority pollutants in all together 21 reaches in the Elbe and Oder waterway systems. Based on data from the years 1991 to 1995; multivariate statistical evaluations were carried out to identify local and temporal trends in the overall contamination. It was possible to differentiate between more non-point and point sources of sediment contamination. Because of the closure of substantial parts of the industry in Eastern Germany and by common sanitation efforts of both the German and the Czech sides since 1990, the situation in the Elbe river system with respect to the heavy metals has improved markedly. For the Oder river system, a comparable trend does not exist yet, and the sediment contamination by heavy metals is stagnant there. As a consequence, the pollution situation in both German parts of the rivers has become similar except for mercury and arsenic. Regarding organic pollutants, the picture is quite different. With the exception of PAHs, Oder sediments are contaminated by organics only to a lower extent and compare better with the ones from unpolluted waters found in parts of Brandenburg and Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania than with those of rivers Elbe, Mulde, and Saale with its tributaries. On the one hand, organic pollution generally also decreased since 1991 in these rivers. On the other hand, due to continuing inputs from plants in the Czech Republic and from old contaminated sites, both in Czechia and Germany, a decreasing trend is not significant or cannot be found at all for such pollutants as HCB, PCBs, or PAHs. The general trends are discussed in detail, e.g., by comparison with quality targets for sediments and suspended matter, and illustrated at the example of individual contaminants being typical for the overall situation.     

Impact evaluation of the industrial activities in the Bay of Bakar (Adriatic Sea,Croatia): Recent benthic foraminifera and heavy metals

The Bay of Bakar is one of the most heavily polluted bays at the Eastern Adriatic. Three major industrial companies potentially endanger the bay. The concentration of major, minor and trace elements in surface sediments from thirteen stations was discussed in relation to the sediment type and foraminiferal assemblages. The distribution of major elements in the bay is influenced by geological nature of surroundings. Heavy metal distribution depends on pollution sources and on amount of mud fraction: fine-grained sediments are enriched by them in comparison with coarse-grained ones. Different sediment quality criteria complicate the pollution assessment in the bay. Heavy metal concentrations generally fall into allowed depositional values for marine environments; only area in front of the coke plant and the City of Bakar harbor is heavily polluted. Stress-tolerant foraminiferal species dominate at stations with higher concentrations of heavy metals and coarse-grained sediments consist of larger number of epifaunal taxa.     

Geochemical Assessment of a Subtropical Reservoir: A Case Study in Curitiba,Southern Brazil

Suspended particles and dissolved substances in water provide reactive surfaces, influence metabolic activity and contribute to the net sediment deposition. It therefore plays an important part in the ecology and quality of the water mass. The water quality in reservoirs is crucial and it is naturally maintained by flushing and sedimentation, which continuously remove phosphorus from the water. In some reservoirs, however, these removal processes are countered by recycling of ions which could play a key role to start and/or maintain the eutrophic state. The combination of macro‐, trace‐ and microanalysis techniques can be useful to trace pollution sources through a chemical fingerprint, whether be during an acute environmental disaster or a long‐term release of pollutants. The water quality and total metal content of reservoir sediments were assessed in a reservoir, situated in the capital of the Paraná State, in the South‐Eastern part of Brazil. The goal of this paper was to determine the metal presence in the sediment and metal and ionic speciation in the Green River reservoir water. Water and bed sediment samples, collected from various sites during 2008 and 2009, were investigated using XRF, ICP‐OES, ICP‐MS, XRD and zeta potential measurements. Based on the results, the heavy metal concentration and chemical composition of the suspended matter in the water samples, as well as the sediment's chemical composition will be discussed.     

Trace metals in shallow sediments from the Mediterranean coastal region of Israel

Concentrations of mercury, lead, copper, zinc, cadmium, iron and aluminium were recorded in coastal and river mouths surficial sediments, collected along the Mediterranean coast of Israel, during 1988–1991. The levels of trace metal concentrations when normalized against Fe concentration (trace metal/iron ratios) indicated no contamination at most of the stations along the coast. Enrichment of Hg, Cu, Zn and Cd attributed to land-based point sources of pollution, was found in the estuaries of the Kishon and Yarkon rivers. The normalized Pb, Cu and Zn data showed a trend of increasing values from the south toward the north. This S-N trend could be a result of three processes which may be occurring simultaneously: progressive mixing between sediment with a low trace metal/iron ratio in the south, which probably represents a single source derived from the Nile region with (a) non-point source input of pollutants by atmospheric transport, or (b) with point sources of pollutants introduced by rivers and streams, or (c) a natural change in the mineralogy of the sediments along the coast with a relative increase in the trace metals or a decrease in iron as one progresses further north. The relative importance of these three possible processes remains to be established.     

Characterization of Organic Contaminants in New York/New Jersey Harbor Sediments Using FTIR‐ATR and Synchrotron FTIR

Dredging and remediation of contaminated Harbor sediments requires characterization of organic pollutants. In this paper, we apply a combination of Fourier transform IR attenuated total reflectance (FTIR‐ATR) and synchrotron FTIR techniques to the investigation of sediments and related materials from New York/New Jersey Harbor and other locations. The FTIR techniques give information on the functional groups of the compounds found in the sediments and make possible measurements with a spatial resolution of about 0.015 mm. Comparisons of natural organic materials namely, river and groundwater humic substances, recent marine and lacustrine sediments, and ancient sedimentary kerogen show that contaminated NY/NJ Harbor sediments display a strong and distinct absorption in their IR spectra at 2850–2950 cm^?1 identified as a C? H stretching band, indicative of the presence of anthropogenic hydrocarbons. We suggest that the presence of this band could be used for rapid screening for the presence of contaminant organic compounds in sediments encountered in dredging operations and/or as an indicator for the efficacy of sediment decontamination technologies used for treatment of dredged material.     

A general integrated ecotoxicological method for marine sediment quality assessment: application to sediments from littoral ecosystems on Southern Spain's Atlantic coast

In the last few decades, several integrated methods for marine sediment quality evaluation have been developed and applied to many coastal sites. This paper describes the development of a general integrated method based on the determination of organic and inorganic sediment contamination, lethal and sublethal toxicity assessments, in situ benthonic community structure alteration and bioaccumulation of contaminants. The proposed method was applied to sediments from Southern Spain's Atlantic coast where six rivers (Guadiana, Carreras, Piedras, Tinto, Odiel and Guadalquivir) drain pollutants from various anthropogenic sources. A series of experiments was conducted to determine the characteristics of the sediments: granulometry, organic matter content, etc. (1); metal contamination of sediments and Chamelea gallina (bivalves widely distributed in the area studied) (2); lethal and sublethal toxicity by a series of biological tests (3); and macrofauna distribution at the 16 stations included in the study (4). Ratio-to-reference values (RTR) calculated for each parameter were used to determine the organic and inorganic contamination indices, the lethal and sublethal toxicity indices, the index of bioavailability of metals in the organisms analyzed and the macrobenthic alteration index. The data were plotted on six-axis plots to describe better the relations between the physical, chemical and biological properties studied. A general integrated sediment quality index (ISQI) was determined and used as an indicator of pollution-induced degradation. The ISQI values summarize the main characteristics of the environmental situation at each sampling point and can be used for purposes of comparison.     

Box coring artifacts in sediments affected by a waste water outfall

Variations in porosity of surface sediments are often the major cause of sediment loss during gravity and box coring. Sediments with a high content of organic matter usually have higher porosity, and thus, lower resistance (strain) towards mechanical disturbance. Here, we demonstrate that box coring artifacts (i.e. sediment loss and core shortening) can be produced in sediments from the Palos Verdes (PV) shelf, which in the past had received relatively high loads of organic carbon (OC) enriched particulate matter originating from the Whites Point outfall that had created a high porosity layer at depth. This has been overlooked as a possibility for obtaining low estimates of sediment and pollutant accumulation rates. Since any such sediment loss during coring can lead to serious underestimates of sedimentation rates, our results here may have important implications for any attempts at reconstructing pollutant fluxes and histories in these coastal marine sediments.     

Distribution and enrichment evaluation of heavy metals in Mejillones Bay (23°S), Northern Chile: Geochemical and statistical approach

A suite of 36 surface sediment samples, taken between 10 and 100 m water depth in Mejillones Bay (Northern Chile), were analyzed for mineralogy, grain size, total organic carbon, Al, and heavy metal content (Cd, Zn, Ni, Mn, V, Mo). Quartz and feldspars were the main lithogenic minerals and carbonate the predominant biogenic mineral. Sediments were fine sands in the shallow zone and organic silt in the deeper zone.

Enrichment Factor and Factor Analysis approach showed that the presence of Mn in the marine sediment of Mejillones is due to a partial influence of continental input, while all other metals are not supported by lithogenic debris. Although all metals showed high concentrations in the marine sediment of Mejillones Bay, comparison between metal concentration in surface sediments and preindustrial levels in this bay, show that present values agree with natural levels.     

Natural and anthropogenic heavy metals in estuarine cohesive sediments: geochemistry and bioavailability

The geochemistry, mineralogy, and grain size distribution of several estuarine cohesive sediment samples from potentially human-influenced areas without such an influence were analyzed to determine the natural heavy metal content and evaluate its impact on the Bahía Blanca estuarine environment. The data were compared with different ranges of concentrations for heavy metals in marine sediments established by the NOAA Screening Quick Reference Tables in which values range from background levels to those considered toxic to the marine environment. Our total heavy metal contents were below the established hazardous levels in all the analyzed samples, even though the potentially human-influenced areas (harbors, industry, urban spread) showed the highest total concentration values as well as greater percentages of bioavailable compounds. This would imply a low and not extensive anthropogenic input into the environment. The relatively high proportions in which Cd, Pb, and Cr appear as bioavailable compounds at some sites not influenced by human activity suggest the presence of a natural source for these elements. This could be attributed to the weathering of naturally occurring volcanic minerals, indicating that special care must be taken when monitoring of sediment for anthropogenic activity is carried out within this environment. According to the results obtained, and in order to minimize the environmental impact caused by periodic water injection dredging, relocation of sewage outfalls from vessel mooring areas into open waters is strongly recommended.     

Setting sediment quality guidelines: a simple yet effective method

Deriving sediment quality guidelines (SQGs) for marine sediments is a difficult task. It will often be a trade off between reproducibility and relevance. One of the fundamental questions in ecotoxicology is to decide what one should measure to detect response in ecosystems exposed to human disturbance. In this paper we use field data to estimate threshold levels eliciting effects on soft bottom macrobenthos collected at different sediment types and depths on the Norwegian Continental Shelf and test these against natural levels occurring levels in reference conditions. SQGs are presented from multivariate analyses based on 121 gradients (represented with Ba, THC, Cd, Cu, Pb and Zn) incorporating more than 2000 species. Clear clusters with slightly disturbed communities related to contamination loadings were evident in 35% of the gradients. We found large variations in naturally occurring contamination concentrations and in the threshold levels electing effects on the fauna at different sediment types and depths. For example, an increase in depth of only 100 m can triple the Cu and Zn concentrations that elicit effects. Lowest background and threshold levels were found in shallow, sandy sediment. Our results suggest that current SQGs are too high. We hypothesised that setting a SQG of 4-times background concentrations will give sufficient protection for the fauna from metal contamination. The overall background concentration eliciting effects on metal was 3.6x.     

Ce anomalies in Gough Island lavas — Trace element characteristics of a recycled sediment component

High precision trace element data obtained by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry and Sr–Nd isotope analyses are presented for mafic volcanic rocks from Gough Island, South Atlantic. The new data reveal negative Ce anomalies, with Ce/Ce^? values in Gough lavas extending down to ～ 0.92. Ce is only fractionated from other rare earth elements (REE) due to formation of Ce⁴⁺ under oxidizing conditions of near-surface environments while other REE remain trivalent. Ce anomalies in convergent margin magmas have been shown to indicate a contribution of a subducted sediment component. In contrast, Ce anomalies in intra-plate basalts have been attributed to weathering processes, but can be excluded here based on element–element systematics indicating magmatic trends rather than weathering-induced element mobility. Shallow-level contamination by local marine sediments with negative Ce anomaly inherited from seawater can be excluded because Gough lavas with increasingly negative Ce anomalies do not trend towards low Ce/Pb ratios characterizing such sediments. Rather, it is argued that the negative Ce anomalies in Gough Island lavas are consistent with variable amounts of a sediment component in the mantle plume source. Mixtures between estimates of subducting sediment columns with negative Ce anomaly and mantle capable of giving rise to Gough Island magmas without Ce anomalies reproduce the Gough compositional array with the exception of highly fluid-mobile elements. The calculated trace element composition of the deeply recycled sediment in the Gough plume source is depleted in fluid-mobile elements such as Ba and Pb relative to the composition of some present-day subducting sediments. This loss is attributed to the dehydration or flushing of sediment in the subduction factory, consistent with constraints from arc magmas.     

Distribution of clay minerals in marine sediments off Chennai,Bay of Bengal,India： Indicators of sediment sources and transport processes

Clay mineralogy, texture size and statistical analyses were carried out on surface sediments from the continental shelf of Chennai, Bay of Bengal, India. The purpose of this study is to characterize the clay mineral distribution and its relation to the hydrodynamics off Chennai to identify the sources and transport pathways of the marine sediments. Characterization of clay minerals in coastal sediments by Fourier Transform Infrared （FTIR） spectroscopy has provided the association of quartz, feldspar, kaolinite, chlorite, illite and iron oxides （magnetite and hematite） derived from river catchments and coastal erosion. Kaolinite, chlorite, illite, iron oxides, and organic matter are the dominant minerals in Cooum, and Adayar region. High quartz and feldspar zones were identified in Marina, which are being confined the sand zone and paralleling the coast. The strong relationships among the wave energy density, sand, quartz and carbonate revealed that wave induced littoral drift system play a dominant role in transportation and deposition of sediments in the Chennai coast. The sediment texture and minerals data are in agreement well with the previous results of hydrodynamics and littoral drift models in this region. Multivariate statistical analyses （correlation, cluster and factor analyses） were carried out and obtained results suggested that clay minerals and organic matter are trapped in silt and clay particles, whereas quartz, feldspar and carbonate are associated with sand particles. Results of sediment sources and transport processes from this study will be useful to predict the fate of the pollutants released from land or the potential change in sediment delivery to coastal areas.     

Levels of Cd,Cu, Pb and V in marine sediments in the vicinity of the Single Buoy Moorings (SBM3) at Mina Al Fahal in the Sultanate of Oman

Recently in the Sultanate of Oman, there has been a rapid surge of coastal developments. These developments cause metal contamination, which may affect the habitats and communities at and near the coastal region. As a result, a study was conducted to assess the level of metal contamination and its impact on the marine sediments in the vicinity of the Single Buoy Moorings 3 (SBM3) at Mina Al Fahal in the Sultanate of Oman. Marine subtidal sediment samples were collected from six different stations of the SBM3 for the period ranging from June 2009 to April 2010. These samples were then analyzed for their level and distribution of the heavy metals of cadmium (Cd), copper (Cu), lead (Pb) and vanadium (V). Overall, low concentrations of all four heavy metals were measured from the marine sediments, indicating that the marine at SBM3 is of good quality.     

The dynamics of sediment‐associated contaminants over a transition from drought to multiple flood events in a lowland UK catchment

Fine sediment in suspended form, recently deposited overbank and in temporary storage on or in channel beds, was collected in the Nene basin during a period of drought through to a period of four high flows. The sediment was analysed for arsenic, copper, lead, phosphorus and zinc concentrations with the aim of investigating their sources, movement, temporary storage and potential for environmental harm. Copper, lead and zinc probably originated from urban street dusts, phosphorus (originally in dissolved form) from sewage effluent and arsenic from natural soils developed over ironstone. There was little difference in the metal or arsenic concentrations in the sediment under different flow conditions; instead, proximity to pollutant sources appeared to control their concentrations. Phosphorus in tributary sub‐catchments probably adsorbed to sediment during periods of low flow but these sediments were flushed away during high flows and replaced by sediment with lower concentrations. However, concentrations of all pollutants in overbank sediments along the Nene's main channel were not reduced in successive flood events, suggesting no first flush effect. Only phosphorus accumulated on sediment at concentrations exceeding those of its catchment‐based sources (e.g. street dusts, channel banks and catchment soils). This scavenging of aqueous phosphate by sediment explained the difference in behaviour between phosphorus, arsenic and heavy metals. The surface area and organic matter content were shown to have a small effect on contaminant concentrations. Street dust contaminants only exceeded predicted effect levels in close proximity to urban areas, suggesting a small potential for harm to the aquatic environment. Arsenic concentrations exceeded predicted effect levels in most sediment samples. However, it has been shown to be largely non‐bioavailable in previously published research on the Nene, limiting its potential for significant environmental harm. Phosphorus concentrations in river sediments are high in comparison to the soils in the catchment and in comparison with sediment–P concentrations in other published lowland catchment studies, indicating a large potential for eutrophication should the Phosphorus be, or become, bioavailable. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

抚仙湖沉积物重金属时空变化与人为污染评价

分析了抚仙湖表层沉积物及沉积短岩芯中10种金属元素含量,结合沉积年代学,定量研究了Cr、Cu、Ni、Pb、Zn的污染特征及时空变化规律;参考沉积物质量基准与潜在生态风险指数法探讨了表层沉积物重金属的潜在生态风险.结果表明,表层沉积物中重金属含量具有一定的空间差异性,近岸地区重金属含量总体上高于湖心区;Pb、Zn含量自1980s中期以来逐渐增加,而Cr、Cu、Ni含量呈下降趋势.重金属富集系数与聚类分析结果表明,抚仙湖沉积物主要重金属污染元素为Pb、Zn,污染开始于1980s中期,并逐渐加重.表层沉积物中Pb、Zn富集系数分别为1.6~4.1和1.4~2.6,已达到弱—中等污染程度,北部湖区污染程度略高于南部湖区;除此之外,北部湖区近岸区域Cr污染程度也略高于其他湖区.除了大气沉降来源之外,抚仙湖沉积物重金属污染还可能与入湖河流输入有关.单因子生态风险指数表明,表层沉积物中Cr、Cu、Ni、Pb、Zn具有较低的潜在生态风险;而综合潜在生态风险指数表明,表层沉积物中重金属具有中等程度的潜在生态风险,这与根据沉积物质量基准所获得的评价结果一致.