Photocatalytic degradation of spill oils on TiO(2) nanotube thin films

The nitrogen-doped TiO(2) nanotube (N-TNT) thin films were synthesized using ZnO nanorods as the template and doped with urea at 623K. Under ultraviolet (UV) and visible light irradiation, the efficiencies for photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue is as high as 30%. About 10% of toluene (representing aromatics in the spill oils) in sea water can be photocatalytically degraded under visible light radiation for 120 min. The aliphatic model compound (1-hexadecene) has, on the contrary, a less efficiency (8%) on the N-TNT photocatalyst. On the average, under visible light radiation, the effectnesses of the N-TNT for photocatalytic degradation of model compounds in the spill oils in sea water are 0.38 mg toluene/gN-TNTh and 0.25 mg 1-hexadecene/gN-TNTh. It is expected that spill oils in the harbors or seashores can be adsorbed and photocatalytically degraded on the N-TNT thin films that are coated onto levee at the sea water surface level.     

Seasonal and annual loads of hydrophobic organic contaminants from the Susquehanna River basin to the Chesapeake Bay

Water from the Susquehanna River was collected and analyzed for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) congeners to estimate seasonal and annual riverine loads to the Chesapeake Bay. Temporal variations in the chemical loads resulted from the large changes in the water flow rates and in the particle-associated contaminant concentrations. Concentrations of PCBs and PAHs in river particles (ng/g) were twice as great as those in the northern Chesapeake Bay, indicating that the Susquehanna River is an important source of these contaminants to the bay. The river carries a majority of its hydrophobic organic contaminants (HOCs) in the particulate phase. During periods of high flow, large amounts of suspended particles in the river result in elevated HOC levels and increased loadings of these contaminants to the bay. From 1997 to 1998, 60% of the total annual HOC loading occurred in the early spring coincident with high river flows. The total PCB and PAH annual loadings from the Susquehanna River to the Chesapeake Bay were 76 and 3160 kg/year, respectively and 75% of the loaded organic contaminants were in the particulate phase. Principal component analysis of PAH and PCB congener patterns in the particles reveals that the river suspended particles were dominated by autochthonous production in the summer and by resuspended sediment and watershed erosion during the winter and early spring.     

Contaminant concentrations, biochemical and hematological biomarkers in blood of West Indian manatees Trichechus manatus from Brazil

The West Indian manatee Trichechus manatus is threatened with extinction in Brazil, and this study focused on nondestructive blood samples analyzed for metals, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and organochlorine pesticides (OCPs), as well as biochemical and hematological biomarkers. Studied manatees were kept at Projeto Peixe-Boi headquarters in Pernambuco State, and at two natural areas in estuaries where they are released to the wild. Manatees kept at the natural estuary in Paraiba State have blood concentrations of Al, Pb, Cd, Sn that are 11, 7, 8 and 23 times greater, respectively, than the concentrations found in blood of animals from the same species in Florida, USA. An inhibition of butyrylcholinesterase in manatees kept at the two reintroduction sites in Alagoas and Paraiba States indicated possible exposure of the animals to cholinesterase inhibitor insecticides. PCBs and OCPs were not detected. Results from this study will help delineate conservation efforts in the region.     

Monitoring the Prestige oil spill impacts on some key species of the Northern Iberian shelf

Selected key components of the continental shelf benthic and demersal communities were monitored for the two years following the Prestige oil spill (POS) in order to identify the possible ecological effects of the oil. This work includes the first results regarding changes in abundance, distribution and food habits of hake (Merluccius merluccius), four-spot megrim (Lepidorhombus boscii), Norway lobster (Nephrops norvegicus) and Pandalid shrimp (Plesionika heterocarpus) populations of Galician and Cantabrian Sea shelves following the POS. Significant reductions in the abundance of Norway lobster, Plesionika heterocarpus and four-spot megrim were detected in the POS maximum impact area, located over the Galician shelf. Noteworthy recoveries were observed in the 2004 abundance indices of four-spot megrim and Plesionika. On the other hand, no significant effects were detected in the abundance or distribution of hake juveniles even though the tar aggregates were bound by the same oceanographic drift events as the hake recruits were during the winter of 2003 (Navidad current) in different water column layers of the Cantabrian Sea. Feeding patterns of the four species analysed did not present apparent modifications that can be related to the POS.     

Introduction to the PICES practical workshop: objectives,overview of the study area,and projects conducted by the participants

We coordinated a collaborative research project to investigate environmental conditions in Vancouver Harbour, British Columbia, Canada, between 23 May and 7 June 1999. This special volume of Marine Environmental Research presents a collection of papers giving results of these studies. The project was part of a practical workshop sponsored by the Marine Environmental Quality (MEQ) committee of the North Pacific Marine Science Organization (PICES). Twenty-four scientists from PICES countries (USA, Canada, Russia, Japan, Korea, and China) participated. A wide variety of data was collected, including community structure of benthic invertebrates and fish, evaluation of fish health using biological markers and exposure data, evaluation of contaminant exposure in inter-tidal invertebrates, imposex in gastropods, and information about natural toxins produced by algae. The workshop provided an opportunity for PICES participants to gain an improved appreciation of the approaches and techniques used by other member countries to assess the effects of marine pollution. The purpose of this introductory paper is to briefly describe the project, provide background information on how it was organized, and give an overview of our knowledge about the harbour's environment.     

Effects of settling organic matter on the bioaccumulation of cadmium and BDE-99 by Baltic Sea benthic invertebrates

Settling organic matter (OM) is the major food source for heterotrophic benthic fauna. The high sorption affinity of many contaminants for OM implies that OM can influence both the distribution and bioavailability of contaminants. Here, we experimentally examine the role of settling OM of various nutritional qualities on the bioaccumulation of cadmium and the flame retardant BDE-99 by three benthic invertebrates; Macoma balthica, Monoporeia affinis and Marenzelleria sp. Contaminants were associated with three types of OM; a microalgae (Tetraselmis spp.), lignin and sediment. Bioaccumulation of Cd was proportional to OM nutritional quality for all three species, and was species-specific in the order Marenzelleria>M. balthica>M. affinis. BDE-99 bioaccumulation was highest in the treatment with the most nutritious OM (Tetraselmis). Consequently, both benthic species composition and the nutritive value of organic matter settling to the seafloor can have a substantial effect on the bioaccumulation of both metals and organic contaminants.     

Sources and distribution of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in the sediments of Kaoping River and submarine canyon system, Taiwan

In this study, we measured and analyzed polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in surface sediment samples collected from the Kaoping river and submarine canyon (KPSC) system to determine the compositional patterns and characteristic distributions of PAH and to elucidate the transport and fate of these land-derived particles. Concentrations of total PAH (sum of 28 PAH compounds) ranged from 22.6 to 45,100 ngg(-1) dry weight (dw) and the highest concentrations were found in the sediments of Donggang Harbor. The ratio of perylene to sum of penta-aromatic PAH isomers (47-55%) was higher in off-shore stations, suggesting a diagenetic PAH source. Various isomeric ratios also indicated that combustion was a significant source of PAH to the sediment at stations located along the Kaoping river and the north-western shelf of the Kaoping estuary. However, in the south-eastern shelf and some canyon sites, petroleum-derived PAHs were a more significant source of these compounds. Principal component analysis and hierarchical cluster analysis suggest PAHs in the sediments from the north-western shelf, and river and canyon sediments might be a pyrogenic product of coal and diesel-burning vehicles, while those of the south-eastern shelf may be petrogenic. PAH concentrations and compositional patterns are effective tracers of particulate transport in KPSC system. The seaward transport of riverine particulates was found to be mostly directed to NW-shelf and/or canyon.     

Model parameters for simulating fate and transport of on-site wastewater nutrients

This paper presents a critical review of model-input parameters for transport of on-site wastewater treatment system (OWS) pollutants. Approximately 25% of the U.S. population relies on soil-based OWS for effective treatment and protection of public health and environmental quality. Mathematical models are useful tools for understanding and predicting the transport and fate of wastewater pollutants and for addressing water-budget issues related to wastewater reclamation from site to watershed scales. However, input parameters for models that simulate fate and transport of OWS pollutants are not readily obtained. The purpose of this analysis is to illustrate an objective, statistically supported method for choosing model-input parameters related to nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P). Data were gathered from existing studies reported in the literature. Cumulative frequency distributions (CFDs) are provided for OWS effluent concentrations of N and P, nitrification and denitrification rates, and linear sorption isotherm constants for P. When CFDs are not presented, ranges and median values are provided. Median values for model-input parameters are as follows: total N concentration (44 mg/L), nitrate-N (0.2 mg/L), ammonium (60 mg/L), phosphate-P (9 mg/L), organic N (14 mg/L), zero-order nitrification rate (264 mg/L/d), first-order nitrification (2.9/d), first-order dentrification (0.025/d), maximum soil capacity for P uptake (237 mg/kg), linear sorption isotherm constant for P (15.1 L/kg), and OWS effluent flow rates (260 L/person/d).     

Toxicity comparison of biosurfactants and synthetic surfactants used in oil spill remediation to two estuarine species

The relative environmental toxicities of synthetic and biogenic surfactants used in oil spill remediation efforts are not well understood. Acute and chronic toxicities of three synthetic surfactants and three microbiologically produced surfactants were determined and compared in this study for the estuarine epibenthic invertebrate, Mysidopsis bahia and the inland silverside, Menidia beryllina. The toxicities of the surfactant were determined in standard laboratory static and static-renewal tests of 4-7 d duration. Results were specific to the surfactant, response parameter and test species. The LC50 values (nominal concentrations) for M. bahia ranged from 3.3 mg/l (Triton X-100) to >1000 mg/l (PES-61) and 2.5 mg/l (Triton X-100) to 413.6 mg/l (PES-61) for M. beryllina. Chronic first-effect concentrations (mg/l) for the six surfactants ranged from 2.3 to 465.0 (M. beryllina) and 1.0 to >1000.0 (M. bahia) based on reductions in growth and fecundity. Few generalizations could be made concerning the results due to their variability but M. bahia was generally the more sensitive species and the toxicities of the biosurfactants were intermediate to those of the synthetic surfactants.