Comparison of mussels and semi-permeable membrane devices as intertidal monitors of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons at oil spill sites

Side-by-side comparisons of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) concentrations in resident blue mussels (Mytilus trossulus) and in semi-permeable membrane devices (SPMDs) were made at four sites in Prince William Sound, Alaska. SPMDs were deployed for approximately 30 days on the surface of the beach sediment at three tidal elevations on each shore and in 0.5 m deep open pits in the middle intertidal zone. Total PAH (TPAH) concentrations in mussels and in SPMDs were correlated, but the PAH compositions were different. The lower molecular weight PAH were relatively more abundant in the SPMDs than in the mussels at oiled and HA sites. TPAH concentrations in SPMDs deployed in pits and mussels collected adjacent to those pits at oiled sites were higher than in SPMDs and mussels from non-pitted SPMD locations approximately 3-15 m from the pits. Pitting released buried oil making its PAH bioavailable. SPMDs deployed in the supratidal zone (+4.0 m tidal elevation) were exposed to atmospheric contaminants for a large fraction of the deployment time and accumulated primarily pyrogenic (combustion-sourced) PAH from the atmosphere. The SPMD strips supplied by the manufacturer contained significant amounts (approximately 125 ng/strip) of primarily alkylated 2-3 ring PAH. These blank levels make SPMDs unsuitable for shoreline assessments when environmental PAH concentrations are low. Consequently, where available, mussels are recommended for use in assessments of the bioavailability of buried oil residues sequestered in intertidal sediments following an oil spill. Mussels are the preferred monitoring tool when the assessments involve food-chain effects. At locations where the absence of mussels necessitates the use of SPMDs or other passive sampling devices, their limitations need to be carefully considered in the interpretation of results.     

Petroleum contamination and biochemical alterations in oysters (Crassostrea gigas) and plaice (Pleuronectes platessa) from bays impacted by the Amoco Cadiz crude oil spill

Following the Amoco Cadiz crude oil spill in March 1978, marine animals in coastal and estuarine environments along the north shore of Brittany, France became heavily contaminated with crude oil. The resident benthic fauna in the oil-impacted area which survived the spill were severely stressed by the pollution. The objectives of our investigation were to document long-term trends in petroleum hydrocarbon contamination and sublethal stress in oysters and plaice from the estuaries, Aber Benoit and Aber Wrac'h. Oysters in the estuaries accumulated aliphatic and aromatic petroleum hydrocarbons to high levels and remained heavily contaminated for the duration of the 27 month investigation. Plaice, on the other hand, retained only low concentrations of petroleum hydrocarbons in muscle and liver tissue. Nevertheless, the oysters exhibited very few histopathologic and biochemical responses to the oil, whereas the plaice from the estuaries exhibited a variety of sublethal histopathologic and biochemical alterations.     

Characterization of hydrocarbons in a subsurface oil-rich layer in the Sargasso Sea

The hydrocarbon composition of seawater samples collected within a subsurface oil-rich layer in the southwest North Atlantic Ocean (Sargasso Sea) during February–March, 1978, has been examined in detail. Chromatograms generated through gas chromatographs/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) analyses of saturated and aromatic hydrocarbons are characterized by a narrow unresolved envelope (UCM or unresolved complex mixture) containing isoprenoids as major resolved peaks, suggesting a petroleum source which has undergone moderate biodegradative weathering. Distributions of terpanes, steranes and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons corroborate the inferred fossil origin. Stable carbon isotopic compositions (δ¹³C) suggest that the source of these hydrocarbons is enriched in ¹³C in comparison with most petroleums. The results support the previous suggestions (Harvey et al., 1979) that this layer is part of a massive submarine oil seep originating somewhere on the Venezuelan shelf, although its origin cannot be attributed to seepage of a specific oil formation.     

Non-linear evolution of suppressed dark matter primordial power spectra

We address the degree and rapidity of generation of small-scale power over the course of structure formation in cosmologies where the primordial power spectrum is strongly suppressed beyond a given wavenumber. We first summarize the situations where one expects such suppressed power spectra and point out their diversity. We then employ an exponential cut-off, which characterizes warm dark matter (WDM) models, as a template for the shape of the cut-off and focus on damping scales ranging from 10⁶ to  10⁹  h ⁻¹ M_⊙  . Using high-resolution simulations, we show that the suppressed part of the power spectrum is quickly (re)generated and catches up with both the linear and the non-linear evolution of the unsuppressed power spectrum. From   z = 2  onwards, a power spectrum with a primordial cut-off at  10⁹  h ⁻¹ M_⊙  becomes virtually indistinguishable from an evolved cold dark matter (CDM) power spectrum. An attractor such as that described in Zaldarriaga, Scoccimarro & Hui for power spectra with different spectral indices also emerges in the case of truncated power spectra. Measurements of   z ∼ 0  non-linear power spectra at  ∼100  h ⁻¹ kpc  cannot rule out the possibility of linear power spectra damped below  ∼10⁹  h ⁻¹ M_⊙  . Therefore, WDM or scenarios with similar features should be difficult to exclude in this way.     

Dissolved Inorganic Nitrogen,Soluble Reactive Phosphorous,and Microbial Pollutant Loading from Tropical Rural Watersheds in Hawai'i to the Coastal Ocean During Non-Storm Conditions

This study quantifies dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN), soluble reactive phosphorous (SRP), and microbial pollutant inputs to a tropical embayment, Hanalei Bay, Kaua'i, Hawai'i from rural watersheds during two field excursions during non-storm conditions. We employ land cover analysis and a suite of nucleic acid fecal source tracking markers (host-specific Bacteroidales and human enterovirus) to identify sources of pollutants to the bay. The highest concentrations of DIN and SRP are in streams draining watersheds with large areas of cultivated land, suggesting fertilizer is a source of these nutrients to the streams and coastal waters. Pollutant areal loading correlates with the fractions of urban and cultivated land cover. Microbial source tracking indicates the presence of human, pig, and ruminant feces in the streams. This work provides preliminary evidence that human development affects loading of DIN, SRP, and microbial pollutants to tropical coastal waters; further study is needed to confirm this. Additionally, results point to a mix of microbial pollutant sources.     

Assessment of ECMWF-derived tropospheric delay models within the EUREF Permanent Network

The Global Positioning System (GPS) observations from the EUREF Permanent Network (EPN) are routinely analyzed by the EPN analysis centers using a tropospheric delay modeling based on standard pressure values, the Niell Mapping Functions (NMF), a cutoff angle of 3° and down-weighting of low elevation observations. We investigate the impact on EPN station heights and Zenith Total Delay (ZTD) estimates when changing to improved models recommended in the updated 2003 International Earth Rotation and Reference Systems Service (IERS) Conventions, which are the Vienna Mapping Functions 1 (VMF1) and zenith hydrostatic delays derived from numerical weather models, or the empirical Global Mapping Functions (GMF) and the empirical Global Pressure and Temperature (GPT) model. A 1-year Global Positioning System (GPS) data set of 50 regionally distributed EPN/IGS (International GNSS Service) stations is processed. The GPS analysis with cutoff elevation angles of 3, 5, and 10° revealed that changing to the new recommended models introduces biases in station heights in the northern part of Europe by 2–3 mm if the cutoff is lower than 5°. However, since large weather changes at synoptic time scales are not accounted for in the empirical models, repeatability of height and ZTD time series are improved with the use of a priori Zenith Hydrostatic Delays (ZHDs) derived from numerical weather models and VMF1. With a cutoff angle of 3°, the repeatability of station heights in the northern part of Europe is improved by 3–4 mm.     

Reflection on the first five years of South Africa’s Acoustic Tracking Array Platform (ATAP): status,challenges and opportunities

The Acoustic Tracking Array Platform (ATAP) is a marine science programme that monitors the movements and migrations of inshore marine animals along the South African coastline. Acoustically tagged animals are monitored by an expanded network of approximately 100 automated data-logging acoustic receivers moored at strategic node sites, from Cape Point in the west to the South Africa–Mozambique border in the east. During five years since its inception, in 2011, the ATAP has achieved outstanding progress in terms of the numbers of animals and the variety of species tagged. To date, the ATAP has yielded over 2.6 million detections from more than 700 acoustically tagged animals, representing 27 different species from 20 families, including the African penguin Spheniscus demersus, fishery-at-risk species (e.g. dusky kob Argyrosomus japonicus) and iconic elasmobranchs (e.g. white shark Carcharodon carcharias). Following a period of considerable equipment loss in 2014, refinement of the receiver network was required and the deeper receivers at each site were decommissioned without influencing the integrity of the nationwide array. The platform, managed by the South African Institute for Aquatic Biodiversity, ultimately represents a low-cost method of collecting long-term data that currently benefits approximately 25 researchers from 14 organisations. Case studies are presented to expose the opportunities provided by the ATAP, which will undoubtedly yield new discoveries and provide a greater understanding of the movement patterns and migrations of a wide variety of inshore marine and estuary-associated species.     

Trace metals in sediments from the inner continental shelf of the western Beaufort Sea

Increased development and changing climate have enhanced global interest in the Arctic Ocean and adjacent seas. Using a large, 3-yr data base, we have determined the distribution of trace metals in sediments from the inner shelf of the western Beaufort Sea. Metal concentrations in these sediments reflect pristine conditions, consistent with those for most coastal areas in the Arctic and with predictions based on average continental crust. Geographic variations in metal values are primarily related to sediment grainsize distribution. However, grain-size patterns are a complex function of several variables including source areas, ice and water movement, as well as physical and chemical weathering. Future identification of any metal contamination in Beaufort Sea sediments will be simplified by understanding the predictable natural patterns.     

Human development is linked to multiple water body impairments along the California coast

To elucidate relationships between land cover and water quality along the central California coast, we collected monthly samples from 14 coastal waterway outlets representing various degrees of human development. Sites were distributed between three salinity categories, freshwater, estuarine, and marine, to better understand land cover-water quality relationships across a range of coastal aquatic ecosystems. Samples were analyzed for fecal indicator bacteria (FIB), dissolved nutrients, stable nitrogen isotopes in particulate organic matter, and chlorophylla (chla). Sediment samples from 11 sites were analyzed for the concentration of the anthropogenic organic contaminant perfluorooctane sulfonate and its precursors (ΣPFOS). While the data indicated impairment by nutrient, microbial, and organic contaminants at both agricultural and urban sites, the percentage of agricultural land cover was the most robust indicator of impairment, showing significant correlations (p<0.05) to FIB, nutrient, chla, and ΣPFOS levels. FIB densities were strongly influenced by salinity and were highest at sites dominated by agriculture and urbanization. Nutrient levels and chla correlated to both agricultural and urban land use metrics as well. Positive correlations among FIB, nutrients, chla, and ΣPFOS suggest a synergy between microbial, nutrient, and organic pollution. The results emphasize the importance of land management in protecting coastal water bodies and human health, and identify nutrient, microbial, and organic pollution as prevalent problems in coastal California water bodies.