Seasonal Cycling and Transport of Mercury and Methylmercury in the Turbidity Maximum of the Delaware Estuary

The Delaware River Estuary (DRE) is a cornerstone of industrialization, shipping, and urban usage, and has a long history of human impact on pollution and recovery. Mercury (Hg) is a contaminant of concern in the DRE based upon concentrations in some fish samples that were found to exceed State and Federal fish tissue criteria. Methylation of Hg often follows a seasonal pattern as its production is biologically mediated. Surveys were conducted in November 2011, April 2012, and July 2012 to assess this effect. We sampled surface and bottom water at six sites spanning the estuarine turbidity maximum (ETM) in the main channel of the river, plus three sediment sites at shallow, subtidal locations. Our results indicate there is a clear seasonal increase in both water column and sediment methylmercury (MeHg) and %MeHg concentrations in the ETM during July. Water-column-filtered total mercury (HgT), suspended particle HgT, and MeHg concentrations were found to fluctuate little with location or season in the ETM. In contrast, sediment MeHg, water-column-filtered MeHg, and pore water HgT varied seasonally. Furthermore, pore water MeHg levels were elevated in concert with increased k _meth rates in July. Estimated river input and sediment and atmospheric depositional MeHg flux were compared seasonally. River flux was more than an order of magnitude higher than sediment flux in April, coinciding with higher fluvial transport. However, during July, river flux decreases and sediment flux becomes a larger relative source. This trend has potential implications for fish and other biota residing in the DRE during summer.     

Behavior of mercury in an urban river and its accumulation in aquatic plants

The characteristics of mercury in the aquatic environment have been intensively studied in mining areas with heavy mercury pollution but little work has been conducted in urban areas, with no significant Hg source. This paper presents a study of the Haihe River, which flows through an urban area in North China. The concentrations of total mercury (THg) and methylmercury (MeHg) in the river water were 3.6–31.2 and 0.12–3.21 ng/l, and the corresponding values in river sediment were 22.9–374.8 and 0.03–0.46 μg/kg. These values are lower than the reported values from mining areas. The THg concentration in sediment samples collected from the urban areas was higher than that from the rural areas and the global background levels, indicating the influence of urbanization on mercury contamination. Samples of typical riparian and floating plants, reed and hornwort, were collected. Correlation analysis showed that sediment is the major source of THg and MeHg in reed and water is the major source of MeHg in hornwort. The higher bioaccumulation factor of reed indicates its higher potential to accumulate MeHg from the environment.     

Antibiotics pollution in Gonghu Bay in the period of water diversion from Yangtze River to Taihu Lake

As a famous project in China, the water diversion from Yangtze River to Taihu Lake Project has impacts on the water quality of Taihu Lake, especially Gonghu Bay, which is the entrance of the diversion water and the drinking water source for Wuxi and Suzhou. To investigate contamination of the antibiotics in Gonghu Bay in the period of water diversion, 16 antibiotics in 14 water samples collected from Wangyu River and Gonghu Bay in China were analyzed by liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry. The results indicated that the concentration of total antibiotics in Wangyu River and Gonghu Bay ranged from 1320 to 17,209 ng/L (mean: 3920?±?3841 ng/L). The average level of different antibiotics was tetracyclines (range 1082–15,310 ng/L, mean 3161?±?3479 ng/L)?>?quinolones (range 225–1325 ng/L, mean 463?±?276 ng/L)?>?sulfonamides (range n.d.–888 ng/L, mean 402?±?248 ng/L)?>?macrolides (range 12–17 ng/L, mean 14?±?2 ng/L), and levels of the detected antibiotics in Gonghu Bay were higher than that in Wangyu River, indicating that the antibiotics pollution in Gonghu Bay were much severer than Wangyu River. Ecological risk evaluation showed that in the Wangyu and Gonghu water, trimethoprim (TMP), sulfacetamide (SAAM), sulfamethoxypyridazine (SMP), and sulfamerazine (SMRZ) presented low ecological risk levels, chlortetracycline (CTC), tetracycline (TC), roxithromycin (ROM), and sulfamethoxazole (SMX) had medium level of risk, and oxytetracycline (OTC), norfloxacin (NOR), ofloxacin (OFL), ciprofloxacin (CIP), and enrofloxacin (ENR) had high level of ecological risk. The total hazard quotient of antibiotic mixtures for each sample site indicated high risk of antibiotics in Wangyu River and Gonghu Bay. In summary, the water diversion could mitigate antibiotic pollution in Gonghu Bay to a certain degree. However, the risk of antibiotics in the Wangyu River and Gonghu Bay is still high.     

Coarse and fine particulates, Hg(p)-bound particulate concentrations and compositions study at Sha-Lu, central Taiwan

Ambient air and coarse, fine and particulate-bound mercury (Hg(p)) pollutants were collected and analyzed from March 17 to May 22 and September 3, 2009 to March 5, 2010 at a highway traffic site located in Sha-Lu, central Taiwan. This study has the following objectives: (1) to measure the coarse and fine particulates concentrations and the particulate-bound mercury Hg(p) which was attached to these particulate; (2) to determine the average Hg(p) compositions in coarse and fine particulates and (3) to compare the Hg(p) concentrations and compositions particulate in this study to the those obtained in other studies. The results obtained in this study indicated that the average ambient air PM_2.5, PM_2.5–10 and PM₁₀ were 18.79 ± 6.71, 11.22 ± 4.93 and 30.01 ± 10.27 μg/m³, respectively. The ranges of concentrations for Hg(p) in PM_2.5 were from 0.0016 to 0.0557 ng/m³, from 0.0006 to 0.0364 ng/m³ in PM_2.5–10 and from 0.0022 to 0.0862 ng/m³ in PM₁₀. In addition, the highest particle-bound mercury compositions in PM_2.5 were 16.85 ng/g and the lowest particle-bound mercury concentrations were 0.55 ng/g. The highest particle-bound mercury compositions in PM_2.5–10 were 13.88 ng/g and the lowest particle-bound mercury in PM_2.5–10 were 0.22 ng/g.     

Seasonal distribution of total mercury and methylmercury in sediments of the Wujiangdu Reservoir, Guizhou, China

The concentrations of total mercury and methylmercury in sediments were determined at the dam of the Wujiangdu Reservoir in different seasons. Total mercury (HgT) levels in the whole sediment profile were 254.2±47.0 ng/g in winter, 254.2±31.6 ng/g in spring, and 256.7±60.8 ng/g in summer, without significant variations in different seasons or at different depths. In contrast, the methylmercury (MeHg) compounds were most abundant at the sediment-water interface and decreased progressively with depth. MeHg contents of the sediments during different seasons are highly dependent on microbial activity, and seem to be higher when Hg (II)-methylating microorganisms are active. Thus, MeHg levels tend to rise in the loci where nutrient supplies and biological productivity are favorable. The percentage of HgT that is present as MeHg in the sediments increased gradually from December 2003 to April 2004 and to July 2004.     

Enrichment characteristics and risk assessment of Hg in bird feathers from Caohai wetland in Guizhou Province,China

Based on the analysis of the enrichment characteristics of Hg and MeHg in bird feathers from Caohai National Nature Reserve in Guizhou, the risks of Hg pollution to the birds from Caohai wetland have been evaluated. The total Hg content of bird feathers ranges from 40 to 5058 ng/g with an average of 924 ng/g. The content of MeHg is significantly correlated with total Hg (r = 0.68, p < 0.01), and the content are among 0.75 and 113 ng/g. The total Hg content in the birds feathers is significantly dependent on their feeding habits, which is mainly in accordance with the following rule: carnivorous birds > omnivorous birds that are mainly carnivorous > omnivorous birds that are mainly herbivorous. There are also differences in the Hg enrichment ability in the different parts of bird feathers, and the total Hg and MeHg content in the wing feathers are significantly higher than that in the other parts of feathers. The bioaccumulation coefficients of aqueous Hg and MeHg by bird feathers are 0.9 × 10⁴–112.13 × 10⁴ (mean value is 20.47 × 10⁴) and 0.47 × 10⁴–70.4 × 10⁴ (mean value is 9.52 × 10⁴), respectively. Although the whole Hg level in Caohai bird feathers is not too high, the Hg content in some carnivorous birds exceeds over or approaches the abnormal threshold when birds are breeding (5 μg/g), which indicates that the birds in Caohai wetland are faced with some risks of ecological Hg pollution.     

Records of organochlorine pesticides in soils and sediments on the southwest of Buenos Aires Province,Argentina

The present study fills a gap in the knowledge in regards to the occurrence of banned pesticides at both coastal and inland locations at the Southwest Buenos Aires region, Argentina. Superficial sediment and soil samples were collected from different sites along the Bahia Blanca Estuary and surrounding sites to assess the concentration levels and spatial distribution of 12 selected organochlorine pesticides (OCs); 13 spatial locations including inland and shore-coast were sampled to evaluate occurrence and concentration levels of hexachlorocyclohexanes α-HCH, β-HCH, δ-HCH, γ-HCH, dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane and its degradation products (DDXs: p,p′-DDT, o,p′-DDT, p,p′-DDE, o,p′-DDE, p,p′-DDD, o,p′-DDD) and the polychlorobenzenes PeCB (pentachlorobenzene) and HCB (hexachlorobenzene). After cleaning and extractions steps, samples were analyzed by means of gas chromatography/mass spectrometry. ∑OCs (sum of all studied compounds) ranged between 0.206 and 1040 ng g^?1 dw (mean?=?82.4 and SD?=?277 ng g^?1 dw). Total HCHs (sum of α-HCH, β-HCH, γ-HCH and δ-HCH) ranged from 0.0858 to 0.876 ng g^?1 dw (mean?=?0.43 and SD?=?0.23 ng g^?1 dw), DDXs (sum of p,p′and o,p′ isomers) from 0.080 to 1040 ng g^?1 dw (mean?=?81.3 and SD?=?277 ng g^?1 dw). Lower concentrations were found for PeCB (mean?=?0.095 and SD 0.17 ng g^?1 dw) and HCB (mean?=?0.56 and SD 1.7 ng g^?1 dw). Principal component analysis (PCA) permitted the extraction of underlying information about common factors, providing an overview of the distribution of pesticides and allowing the characterization of sites in regards to the major pesticide signature.     

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in the sediments of Xiangjiang River in south-central China: occurrence and sources

The Xiangjiang River (XR), located in Hunan province in south-central China, is the second largest tributary of the Yangtze River. The occurrence, and sources of the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in the 20 surface sediment samples from XR were analyzed, and the biological risks of the PAHs on the benthic organisms were assessed using sediment quality guidelines. The results showed that the occurrence level of the 16 USEPA priority PAHs in the surface sediments ranged from 190 to 983 ng/g (dry weight) with a mean concentration of 452 ± 215 ng/g. The concentration of phenanthrene was the highest with a mean concentration of 104 ± 44 ng/g. The compositions and principal components analysis indicated that the PAHs in the sediments in XR were mainly from pyrogenic sources which could be attributed to the open burning of rice straws and coal combustion of the local industries in the XR basin. The PAH contamination in the sediments was considered to be moderate, and has posed a small adverse biological effect on the benthic organisms.     

Source Identification of Florida Bay's Methylmercury Problem: Mainland Runoff Versus Atmospheric Deposition and <Emphasis Type="Italic">In situ</Emphasis> Production

The first advisory to limit consumption of Florida Bay fish due to mercury was issued in 1995. Studies done by others in the late 1990s found elevated water column concentrations of both total Hg (THg) and methylmercury (MeHg) in creeks discharging from the Everglades, which had its own recognized mercury problem. To investigate the significance of allochthonous MeHg discharging from the upstream freshwater Everglades, we collected surface water and sediment along two transects from 2000 to 2002. Concentrations of THg and MeHg, ranging from 0.36 ng THg/L to 5.98 ng THg/L and from <0.02 ng MeHg/L to 1.79 ng MeHg/L, were elevated in the mangrove transition zone when compared both to upstream canals and the open waters of Florida Bay. Sediment concentrations ranged from 5.8 ng THg/g to 145.6 ng THg/g and from 0.05 ng MeHg/g to 5.4 ng MeHg/g, with MeHg as a percentage of THg occasionally elevated in the open bay. Methylation assays indicated that sediments from Florida Bay have the potential to methylate Hg. Assessment of mass loading suggests that canals delivering stormwater from the northern Everglades are not as large a source as direct atmospheric deposition and in situ methylation, especially within the mangrove transition zone.     

Predictive environmental impact assessment of total petroleum hydrocarbons in petrochemical wastewater effluent and surface sediment

The contamination level of total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPH) in wastewater and surface sediment samples from the Petrochemical Special Economic Zone (PETZONE) and adjacent coastal area in Musa Bay (in Northwest of Persian Gulf) was examined. Concentrations of TPH in the Musa Bay sediments ranged from 16.48 to 97.15 µg/g dry weight (dw) with average value of 48.98 ± 30.36 µg/g dw. The highest concentrations were estimated in stations close to the coastline, locations affected by intensive petrochemical discharges and shipping activities. The average TPH concentration in the PETZONE wastewater effluent samples was 5.22 mg/L, with a range of 0.06–35.33 mg/L. Regarding environmental impact assessment, the concentration of TPH was lower than the wastewater effluent discharge standard at most of the monitoring stations inside PETZONE companies, with the exception of stations 15, 16 (Imam Khomeini petrochemical company 1, 2) and 17 (Razi petrochemical company). These stations were considered as moderate environmental aspects, suggesting that concentration of TPH in the wastewater effluents of these petrochemical companies could be considered as contaminants of concern in the PETZONE area.     

Distribution and source of organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) in the sediments of Poyang Lake

The concentrations of typical organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) (DDTs, HCHs, PCP-Na, and HCB) were measured to understand distribution and source of OCPs in surface and columnar sediments of Poyang Lake in 2006. And OCPS concentrations in surface sediment in 2017 were made a comparison with those in 2006 at several same sampling sites. OCPs showed higher concentrations in main stream than in river mouths (entrance of river flow into lake) of the lake. The average concentrations of HCHs and DDTs were 4.63 ± 3.86 and 20.15 ± 26.86 ng/g in surface sediments in 2006, respectively. Concentrations of OCPs in 2017 were lower than in 2006, such as HCHs average 1.98 ± 2.04 ng/g and DDTs average 4.87 ± 1.48 ng/g in 2017, indicating historical residual and degradation. The primary isomers of HCHs and DDTs in the lake were α-HCH, γ-HCH and p,p′-DDD, respectively. HCHs were from historical residual and lindane application. DDTs were from historical residual. PCP-Na total concentrations in surface sediment were 77.36 ng/g in 2006 and 44.04 ng/g in 2017. The concentration of HCB residues in surface sediment was 0.92 ± 0.90 ng/g in 2006 and 0.42 ± 0.38 ng/g in 2017. The concentrations of OCPs in columnar sediments showed annual variations, and the peak concentrations occurred in 1953, 1961, 1974, 1982, and 1995, showing close relations with onset of production OCPs pesticide in 1950s and its later prohibition in 1980s and a large number agricultural cultivated land decrease in 1990s in China. The concentrations of HCB in columnar sediments were average 2.33 ± 1.26 ng/g. OCPs of columnar sediments were from historical residues and lindane input. The main contamination of OCPs was PCP-Na and p,p′-DDD in Poyang Lake. On the whole, the combination of surface samples (0–5 cm in depth) and columnar samples (0–38 cm in depth) in a single study would give insight into OCPs pollution levels in different years (temporal resolution) and in different regions (spatial resolution) in Poyang Lake.     

Trace metal concentrations in euryhaline fish species from Chilika lagoon: human health risk assessment

Five trace metals, viz. copper (Cu), chromium (Cr), iron (Fe), mercury (Hg) and zinc (Zn), in three organs (muscle, gills and liver) of four selected fish species (Mugil cephalus, Eleutheronema tetradactylum, Etroplus suratensis and Daysciaena albida) from Chilika lagoon were studied monthly to assess the concentration level and human health risk via consumption. The average and range of metal concentrations (μg g^?1) in flesh of the fish species were found to be: Cu (4.15, 3.47–5.03), Cr (0.25, 0.04–0.63), Fe (19.72, 14.51–27.30), Hg (0.07, 0.05–0.08) and Zn (8.09, 4.41–11.36). The metal concentrations measured in the edible muscles of all fish species were found lower as compared to the contents in liver and gill. Analysis of variance revealed a significant difference in trace metal accumulation among the organs (p < 0.001), but the difference among the seasons and fish species was insignificant (p > 0.05), with the exception of Zn accumulation (p < 0.05). The estimated daily intake (EDI) of the trace metals through the consumption of fish as a dietary component varied widely from 0.48 to 21.33% with respect to the corresponding permissible tolerable daily intake (PTDI). The target hazard quotients (THQs) calculated considering these EDIs for individual metals indicated that the Cr and Cu metals dominantly contributed (avg. THQ = 0.198) to represent the hazard index (HI) than other metals (avg. THQ = 0.029). The average HI determined for all the species was <1 (0.484, ranged 0.255–0.605), indicating that these fish species of Chilika are safe for human consumption.     

Use of Pyracantha coccinea Roem. as a possible biomonitor for the selected heavy metals

In this study, copper, iron, manganese and nickel levels of branches and leaves of Pyracantha coccinea Roem. (firethorn) were measured for determining the heavy metal pollution in Mugla Province. Plant samples were collected from 34 different localities in four different areas of Mugla Province, during 2006 vegetation period. Unwashed and washed leaf samples and unwashed branch samples were subjected to analysis and copper, iron, manganese and nickel concentrations of samples were measured by inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry. The obtained data were analyzed with “statistical package for the social sciences” statistics program. As a result of measurements, the highest average and lowest values and their collected stations were as follows; the highest average (5.89 ± 0.04 μg/g dw) and the lowest (5.20 ± 0.03 μtg/g dw) values of copper were measured near highways. The average highest iron value (9.53 ±1.68 μtg/g dw) was in industrial area while the lowest was near highways (1.73 ± 0.54 μtg/g dw). The highest value of magnesium accumulation (1.00 ± 0.16 μtg/gdw) was measured near highways. The lowest value was determined in urban area (0.40 ± 0.14 μtg/g dw). The average highest level of nickel was in industrial area while the lowest was determined in urban area. The values were 14.34 ± 1.59 μtg/g and 4.05 ± 0.51 μtg/g dw. As a result, it was proven that P. coccinea could be used as a biomonitor species for some of these heavy metals especially for copper and nickel.     

Methylmercury Bioaccumulation in an Urban Estuary: Delaware River,USA

Spatial variation in mercury (Hg) and methylmercury (MeHg) bioaccumulation in urban coastal watersheds reflects complex interactions between Hg sources, land use, and environmental gradients. We examined MeHg concentrations in fauna from the Delaware River estuary, and related these measurements to environmental parameters and human impacts on the waterway. The sampling sites followed a north to south gradient of increasing salinity, decreasing urban influence, and increasing marsh cover. Although mean total Hg in surface sediments (top 4 cm) peaked in the urban estuarine turbidity maximum and generally decreased downstream, surface sediment MeHg concentrations showed no spatial patterns consistent with the examined environmental gradients, indicating urban influence on Hg loading to the sediment but not subsequent methylation. Surface water particulate MeHg concentration showed a positive correlation with marsh cover whereas dissolved MeHg concentrations were slightly elevated in the estuarine turbidity maximum region. Spatial patterns of MeHg bioaccumulation in resident fauna varied across taxa. Small fish showed increased MeHg concentrations in the more urban/industrial sites upstream, with concentrations generally decreasing farther downstream. Invertebrates either showed no clear spatial patterns in MeHg concentrations (blue crabs, fiddler crabs) or increasing concentrations further downstream (grass shrimp). Best-supported linear mixed models relating tissue concentration to environmental variables reflected these complex patterns, with species specific model results dominated by random site effects with a combination of particulate MeHg and landscape variables influencing bioaccumulation in some species. The data strengthen accumulating evidence that bioaccumulation in estuaries can be decoupled from sediment MeHg concentration, and that drivers of MeHg production and fate may vary within a small region.     

Chemical characterization and sources of PM2.5 at 12-h resolution in Guiyang,China

The increasing emission of primary and gaseous precursors of secondarily formed atmospheric particulate matter due to continuing industrial development and urbanization are leading to an increased public awareness of environmental issues and human health risks in China. As part of a pilot study, 12-h integrated fine fraction particulate matter (PM_2.5) filter samples were collected to chemically characterize and investigate the sources of ambient particulate matter in Guiyang City, Guizhou Province, southwestern China. Results showed that the 12-h integrated PM_2.5 concentrations exhibited a daytime average of 51 ± 22 µg m^?3 (mean ± standard deviation) with a range of 17–128 µg m^?3 and a nighttime average of 55 ± 32 µg m^?3 with a range of 4–186 µg m^?3. The 24-h integrated PM_2.5 concentrations varied from 15 to 157 µg m^?3, with a mean value of 53 ± 25 µg m^?3, which exceeded the 24-h PM_2.5 standard of 35 µg m^?3 set by USEPA, but was below the standard of 75 µg m^?3, set by China Ministry of Environmental Protection. Energy-dispersive X-ray fluorescence spectrometry (XRF) was applied to determine PM_2.5 chemical element concentrations. The order of concentrations of heavy metals in PM_2.5 were iron (Fe) > zinc (Zn) > manganese (Mn) > lead (Pb) > arsenic (As) > chromium (Cr). The total concentration of 18 chemical elements was 13 ± 2 µg m^?3, accounting for 25% in PM_2.5, which is comparable to other major cities in China, but much higher than cities outside of China.     

Iron and Pyritization in Wetland Soils of the Florida Coastal Everglades

We explored environmental factors influencing soil pyrite formation within different wetland regions of Everglades National Park. Within the Shark River Slough (SRS) region, soils had higher organic matter (62.65 ± 1.88 %) and lower bulk density (0.19 ± 0.01 g cm^?3) than soils within Taylor Slough (TS; 14.35 ± 0.82 % and 0.45 ± 0.01 g cm^?3, respectively), Panhandle (Ph; 15.82 ± 1.37 % and 0.34 ± 0.009 g cm^?3, respectively), and Florida Bay (FB; 5.63 ± 0.19 % and 0.73 ± 0.02 g cm^?3, respectively) regions. Total reactive sulfide and extractable iron (Fe) generally were greatest in soils from the SRS region, and the degree of pyritization (DOP) was higher in soils from both SRS (0.62 ± 0.02) and FB (0.52 ± 0.03) regions relative to TS and Ph regions (0.30 ± 0.02 and 0.31 ± 0.02, respectively). Each region, however, had different potential limits to pyrite formation, with SRS being Fe and sulfide limited and FB being Fe and organic matter limited. Due to the calcium-rich soils of TS and Ph regions, DOP was relatively suppressed. Annual water flow volume was positively correlated with soil DOP. Soil DOP also varied in relation to distance from water management features and soil percent organic matter. We demonstrate the potential use of soil DOP as a proxy for soil oxidation state, thereby facilitating comparisons of wetland soils under different flooding regimes, e.g., spatially or between wet years versus dry years. Despite its low total abundance, Fe plays an important role in sulfur dynamics and other biogeochemical cycles that characterize wetland soils of the Florida coastal Everglades.     

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1674987112001260

Archaea have unique glycerol dialkyl glycerol tetraether (GDGT) lipids that can be used to develop paleotemperature proxies such as TEX₈₆. This research is to validate proposed GDGT-proxies for paleotemperature determination in the South China Sea (SCS). Samples were collected from core-top sediments (0–5 cm) in the northern SCS. Total lipids were extracted to obtain core GDGTs, which were identified and quantified using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS). The abundance of isoprenoidal GDGTs (iGDGTs) ranged from 271.5 ng/g dry sediment to 1266.3 ng/g dry sediment, whereas the branched GDGTs (bGDGTs), supposedly derived from terrestrial sources, ranged from 22.2 ng/g dry sediment to 56.7 ng/g dry sediment. The TEX₈₆-derived sea surface temperatures ranged from 20.9 °C in the coast (water depth < 160 m) to 27.9 °C offshore (water depth > 1000 m). TEX₈₆-derived temperatures near shore (<160 m water depth) averaged 23.1 ± 2.5 °C (n = 4), which were close to the satellite-derived winter mean sea surface temperature (average 22.6 ± 1.0 °C, n = 4); whereas the TEX₈₆-derived temperatures offshore averaged 27.4 ± 0.3 °C (n = 7) and were consistent with the satellite mean annual sea surface temperature (average 26.8 ± 0.4 °C, n = 7). These results suggest that TEX₈₆ may record the sea surface mean annual temperature in the open ocean, while it likely records winter sea surface temperature in the shallower water.     

Distribution and ecological risks of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in sediments of different tropical water ecosystems in Niger Delta,Nigeria

Sediments are considered as suitable matrices to study the contamination levels of aquatic environment since they represent a sink for multiple contaminant sources. In this study, the influence of sediment characteristics on the distribution of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and its potential risk in euryhaline, freshwater and humic aquatic bodies of Douglas/Stubbs creek, Ikpa River and Eniong River, respectively, were investigated. The level of PAHs in sediment was quantified using GC–MS, while sediment properties including total organic carbon (TOC) content and grain size were determined by the wet oxidation and hydrometer methods, respectively. The results revealed that the total levels of PAHs in sediment varied significantly between the euryhaline, freshwater and humic freshwater ecosystems. In Ikpa River freshwater ecosystem, a total PAHs load of 1055.2 ng/g was recorded with the suites concentration ranging from 13.0 ng/g (for acenaphthylene) to 161 ng/g (for pyrene). The humic ecosystem of Eniong River had a total PAH load of 11.06 ng/g, while the suites level recorded ranged from 0.04 ng/g for acenaphthene to 2.65 ng/g for chrysene. The total level of PAHs detected in the euryhaline Douglas/Stubbs creek was 14.47 ng/g, and suite concentrations varied between 4.27 ng/g for naphthalene and 5.13 ng/g for acenaphthylene. This shows variation in quantity and quality of PAH contaminants with the nature of ecosystems. It implies complex and diverse contamination sources as well as different capabilities to recover from PAH contamination. Correlation analysis has shown that sediment particle and TOC content influenced PAHs burden in bottom sediments, but the effects varied with the molecular weight of PAHs and the nature of the ecosystems. The TOC was the most significant determinant of PAHs load and distribution in sediment of the freshwater Ikpa River and euryhaline Douglas/Stubbs but had little or no influence in the humic sediment of Eniong River, while the influence of particle size was generally indefinite but slightly associated with PAHs accumulation in the euryhaline sediment. Generally, the total PAH levels (11.0–1055.2 ng/g) recorded were low and below the allowable limit for aquatic sediments. The ecological risk assessment revealed that these levels were lower than the effects range low and effects range medium values. This indicates no acute adverse biological effect although the accumulation of PAHs in freshwater ecosystem of Ikpa River may pose ecological risks as most of the carcinogenic PAH suites had relatively high pollution indices compared to other ecosystem types studied.     

Distribution and potential sources of organochlorine pesticides in the karst soils of a tiankeng in southwest China

This research was conducted in an attempt to assess the concentration levels and potential sources of organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) in the karst soils of Dashiwei tiankeng, southwest China. The tiankeng is a karst surface expression that can act as a focal point for introduction of contaminants to groundwater system, which may serve as condenser and receiver for semi-volatile persistent organic pollutants such as OCPs. In this study, surface soil samples from Dashiwei tiankeng were collected and 23 organochlorine pesticide compounds were analyzed. The results showed that the concentration was 0.019–3.605 ng/g for DDTs (sum of p,p’-DDD, p,p’-DDE, o,p’-DDT, p,p’-DDT), 0.001–0.218 ng/g for HCHs (sum of α-, β-, γ-, δ-HCH), 0.003–0.290 ng/g for CHLs (sum of heptachlor, heptachlor epoxide, TC, CC and trans-nonachlor), 0.001–0.064 ng/g for endosulfan (sum of α-endosulfan and β-endosulfan), 0.008–1.630 ng/g for HCB and 0.023–0.928 ng/g for other OCPs (sum of aldrin, dieldrin, methoxychlor, endrin, endrin aldehyde and endrin ketone). The total OCPs concentrations varied from 0.055 to 5.216 ng/g. The ratio of DDT/(DDE + DDD) in the floor soils of Dashiwei tiankeng ranged from 0.434 to 0.797, suggesting a mostly historical residue of technical DDT contamination. However, the ratio of DDT/(DDE + DDD) in the upper rim soils was higher than one, which that there was fresh DDT application nearby. Both the floor and upper rim soils of Dashiwei tiankeng had high ratios of o,p’-DDT/p,p’-DDT (range of 0.016–10.833 with mean of 5.424 and 4.667–7.714 with mean of 5.723, respectively), which implied that the primary source of DDTs was probably from dicofol-type DDT products. The average ratios of α-/γ-HCH were 24.435 in the floor soils and 1.067 in the upper rim soils, together with the averaged percentages of β-HCH among the total HCH isomers (accounting for 33.772 %), indicating that the HCHs were a dominant contribution from technical HCH usage in the past.     

Occurrence of nonylphenol an endocrine disrupter in Karun River,Khuzestan Province,Iran

The important Iranian Karun River has never been investigated for the presence of potentially endocrine-disrupting chemicals, nonylphenol (NP). In this study, concentrations of NP were measured in water from Karun River and five wastewater discharge points into this river, collected during April to July 2010. The analytes were extracted by solid-phase extraction, and quantitative analyses were performed by HPLC–FLD. NP was detected in water and wastewater samples with 0.17–1.83 and 15.27–21.79 μg/L, respectively. The results showed that the NP content of aqueous phase of all wastewater samples higher than particulate phase, which were detected in the aqueous and particulate phases with mean concentrations of 12.8 ± 2.4 and 5.2 ± 1.2 μg/L, respectively. These data suggest that the NP levels in Karun river water are likely attributable to untreated municipal wastewaters discharged directly into the river. To our knowledge; this is the first study to evaluate NP concentrations in water and wastewater in Iran.