Bioavailability: the organism as sensor

The use of a system of continuous culture of phytoplankton at constant population density, the ‘cage-culture’ turbidostat, as a monitor of the bioavailability of pollutant materials, is illustrated. In the case of proposed dredge spoils from two polluted areas, it is shown that bulk analyses for scheduled materials cannot be equated with bioavailability. Monitoring for the effect of the whole pollutant mixture on a properly chosen test population could obviate the necessity for chemical analyses for each component.     

Interactions of cadmium with the reproductive cycle of Mytilus edulis L.

Sublethal effects of cadmium on reproduction can have detrimental consequences for the long-term survival, even of species with high LC₅₀ values. The sea mussel, Mytilus edulis, is well-known for its use in biomonitoring work due to its relatively low sensitivity towards many toxicants, including cadmium.¹ Because little is known on sublethal effects of this metal in invertebrates,^2–6 we have studied these effects, with emphasis on reproduction, by exposing mussels to 100 ppb cadmium in sea water. This concentration significantly inhibits follicle development in both male and female gonads, but has subsequently a stimulating effect on the spawning frequency. Due to these opposite effects the consequences of cadmium stress for gamete production are expected to be small, as the average number of gametes released by spawning animals was not significantly changed.     

Sea-level, sediment supply and coastal changes: Examples from the coast of Ireland

Sediment supply and pre-existing shoreline morphology are crucial factors in controlling coastal changes due to sea-level rise. Using examples from both southeast and northeast Ireland, it can be shown that sea-level change may trigger a sequence of events which leads to both static and dynamic shoreline equilibrium. Cliff erosion and longshore sediment movement in east Co. Wexford has led to injection of sediment onto the shelf, and the growth, under both wave and tide regimes, of linear offshore shoals. These shoals now control the pattern of shoreline erosion and provide a template for possible stepwise evolution of the coast under any future sea-level rise. In contrast, the nearby coast of south Co. Wexford comprises a series of coarse clastic barriers moving monotonously onshore, via overwash processes. Here the behavior of the barrier is conditioned by the antecedent morphology of both the beach face and stream outlet bedforms. Finally, the rock platform coast of Co. Antrim presents a far more resistant shoreline to incident marine processes, yet even here there is strong evidence of present process control over so-called ‘raised’ platforms and embayments. It is concluded that coastal sediment supply and dynamics, together with coastal morphology and its interaction with waves, present a far more complex variety of sea-level indicators than is normally acknowledged.     

Bioaccumulation of heavy metals by bivalves from Limski Kanal (North Adriatic Sea). II. Copper distribution between oysters, Ostrea edulis, and ambient water

Accumulation of copper was studied between June 1979 and June 1980 in the oyster Ostrea edulis Linnaeus, cultivated in the Limski Kanal, on the Istria Peninsula (Yugoslavia).The copper distribution in different organs of oysters of the same age was compared with concentrations of copper existing in different physicochemical forms in ambient sea water, i.e., dissolved Cu in labile complexes determined at the natural pH of 8; ‘total’ dissolved Cu determined after acidification to pH 2; and Cu bound to suspended particles with a diameter above 0.45 μm. Copper concentrations in the water were determined by differential pulse anodic stripping voltammetry (DPASV) and in analyses of biotic material, graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry (GFAAS) was applied.Significant correlations have been found between copper complexed with dissolved organic ligands and its concentration in the soft part of the oyster. Copper contents increase gradually with the weight of the organs until enhanced gametogenetic activity of the oysters occurs. Thereafter the correlation factor between copper contents and the size of body parts varied significantly with the season.     

Changing coastal oceanography of the Black Sea II: Mediterranean effluent

This article describes the hydrography of the Northwestern Shelf (NWS), of the Black Sea emphasizing the changes induced by water management in the Dniejer and Dniester river basins. The existing literature and previously unpublished data have been reviewed and synthesized to describe water property fields and transport mechanisms of the NWS and the Dnieper and Dniester estuaries before the early 1960s, or the so-called precontrol period, when the effect of artificial river flow control upon the coastal waters was insignificant.After the hydroenergy complexes and water withdrawal and disposal systems on rivers became fully operational in the early 1970s (the so-called postcontrol period), the annual river discharge from the Dnieper and Dniester had noticeably decreased and seasonal river flow patterns had been artificially modified. Instead of a powerful and short early spring flood, typical for the natural conditions in the Dnieper river, the hydrographs in the postcontrol period exhibit two smaller peaks of river discharge of much longer period. One of them (winter-early spring) is caused by intense hydroenergy generation and weir discharges through the cascade of storage reservoirs. Another is associated with spring flood, modified by intense water consumption and storage in this period. High average river discharge in late May—early June strengthened the summer pycnocline which inhibits vertical mixing in the estuaries and coastal waters. Owing to a slow summer circulation, the rate of natural purification of the entire coastal system has been reduced. This coupled with the increased nutrient, organic and pollutant transport, decreased the dissolved-oxygen concentration and led to anoxic events and mass mortalities of marine organisms in the previously productive regions. These effects have primarily plagued the benthic communities along the entire western coast of the NWS since 1973.Winter convective overturn in the Black Sea reaches its maximum depth at the southern boundary of the NWS. Thus, the NWS waters descend beneath the seasonal and main thermoclines in the open sea and are spread by the prevailing currents across the entire sea in the cold intermediate layer (CIL). By this dynamic mechanism the projected man-made modifications in the riverine-estuarine systems of the NWS will affect and change the large-scale thermohaline structure and marine life of the Black Sea.     

Facies recognition of some Tertiary coals applied to prediction of oil source rock occurrence

Coals are oil source rocks in many of the Tertiary basins of Southeast Asia. The precursors of these hydrogen rich and oxygen poor coals are coastal plain peats which have mainly developed in an everwet and tropical climate. In these environments water flow and reworking can concentrate liptinitic kerogen in preference to vitrinitic kerogen. The distribution, petrography and chemistry of the coaly Miocene source rocks present in the Kutai Basin are described. The recognition of environmental controls on the accumulation of potentially oil-prone coals and coaly shales in deltaic environments is an aid to predictive source bed recognition in petroleum exploration. Comments on the environment of deposition of coaly sediments in the basins of the Norwegian Sea are discussed with reference to their possible oil and/or gas sourcing potential. The Triassic - Jurassic coals of the Haltenbanken area may become more oil-prone towards the delta margins, and facies mapping could aid oil exploration in this area.     

Protracted Environmental Issues on a Proposed Titanium Minerals Development in Kenya's South Coast

This study takes cognizance of the fact that the TIOMIN (TIOMIN Resources Inc. of Canada) project has resulted in controversy over its handling of environmental issues and especially the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA). The authors address many of the protracted issues that have slowed the development of the mining project in Kwale. The main emphasis is on the impacts of the mining and mineral separation processes on the environment, including the governing legislation, the role of consultation and public participation, and socioeconomic issues. In their public documents TIOMIN has specified neither the type of minerals it wants to extract from the area nor their chemical composition. It is well known, however that the titanium minerals and zircon targeted have impurities of iron, thorium and uranium. In the absence of an Environmental Management Plan, the effects of stockpiling radioactive wastes and other impurities that could possibly lead to environmental degradation in both the terrestrial and marine environments have not been publically addressed. The measures proposed to mitigate ecological damage as a result of the establishment of a minerals processing plant in the area seem inadequate. Pollution resulting from accidental spillage or breakage could have significant impact on marine life and residents living near the mining site. Other issues that have not been addressed satisfactorily pertain to the use of surface and underground water. The area already faces a huge water deficit and the calculations presented on aquifer recharge and stream flow rates do not indicate the large quantities of water that would be required in the mineral processing plant. The project, if approved in its present state, risks violation of international conventions. Furthermore, it could cause a conflict between Kenya and Tanzania in the event of an oil spill at the proposed ship loading facility at Shimoni. The proposed mining area includes the district's most fertile land, is home to many fisherfolk and is a major tourist destination. An analysis of the effects of this project on other available opportunities must be thoroughly understood to ascertain the economic and environmental benefits and costs of the mining venture. The proposed compensation rate of $1,000 per acre, for resettlement for example, appears to be grossly inadequate. Compensation should take into account family size and structure family assets and the cost of relocation.     

Parameterization of the depth of the upper quasi-homogeneous layer based on measurements in the North Atlantic (Section along 53° N)

The dependence of the variation in the depth of the upper mixed layer (MLD) on the governing parameters (the momentum flux, the buoyancy fluxes at the ocean surface, and the density gradient in the pycnocline) is considered. It is shown that, in the spring storm season, wind mixing dominates over convective mixing. In this case, the MLD is linearly correlated with the Ekman scale calculated from the friction velocity observed approximately 12 h before the measurement of the MLD.