Pore water testing and analysis: the good,the bad,and the ugly

The increasingly common practice of collecting and assessing sediment pore water as a primary measure of sediment quality is reviewed. Good features of this practice include: pore water is a key exposure route for some organisms associated with sediments; pore water testing eliminates particle size effects; pore water analyses and tests can provide useful information regarding contamination and pollution. Bad features include: pore water is not the only exposure route; pore water tests lack chemical or biological realism: their "sensitivity" relative to other tests may be meaningless due to manipulation and laboratory artifacts; many sediment and surface dwelling organisms are not directly influenced by pore water. Bad features can become ugly if: other exposure pathways are not considered (for toxicity or bioaccumulation); manipulation techniques are not appropriate; pore water tests are inappropriately linked to population-level effects. Pore water testing and analyses can be effective tools provided their limitations are well understood by researchers and managers.     

粤东沿海全新世海滩岩的特征及其所反映的海平面变化

利用水准仪对粤东沿海海滩岩的分布高度进行实地测量,并且在同一地点进行连续取样,同时分析了海滩岩的结构、构造、物质组分及其微量元素,并从海滩岩的角度探讨该区的海平面变化。     

Issues in sediment toxicity and ecological risk assessment

This paper is based on a facilitated Workshop and Roundtable Discussion of key issues in sediment toxicology and ecological risk assessment (ERA) as applied to sediments that was held at the Conference on Dredged Material Management: Options and Environmental Considerations. The issues addressed included how toxicity is defined and perceived, how it is measured, and how it should be used within the context of ERA to support management decisions. The following conclusions were reached regarding scientific considerations of these issues. Toxicity is a measure of hazard and not a risk per se. Thus, toxicity testing is a means but not the end to understand risks of sediments. Toxicity testing cannot presently be replaced by chemical analyses to define hazard. Toxicity test organisms need to be appropriate to the problem being addressed, and the results put into context relative to both reference and baseline comparisons to understand hazard. Use of toxicity tests in sediment ERAs requires appropriate endpoints and risk hypotheses, considering ecological not just statistical significance, and recognizing that hazard does not equate to risk. Toxicity should be linked to population and community response to support decision-making, assessing possible genotypic adaptations that can influence risk estimates, and addressing uncertainty. Additionally, several key scientific issues were identified to improve future sediment ERAs, including the need to improve basic understanding of ecological mechanisms and processes, recognition of variability in the assessment process, and an improved focus and ability to assess risks to populations and communities.     

Relative risk assessment of cruise ships biosolids disposal alternatives

A relative risk assessment of biosolids disposal alternatives for cruise ships is presented in this paper. The area of study encompasses islands and marine waters of the Caribbean Sea. The objective was to evaluate relative human health and ecological risks of (a) dewatering/incineration, (b) landing the solids for disposal, considering that in some countries land-disposed solids might be discharged in the near-shore environment untreated, and (c) deep ocean disposal. Input to the Bayesian assessment consisted of professional judgment based on available literature and modeling information, data on constituent concentrations in cruise ship biosolids, and simulations of constituent concentrations in Caribbean waters assuming ocean disposal. Results indicate that human health and ecological risks associated with land disposal and shallow ocean disposal are higher than those of the deep ocean disposal and incineration. For incineration, predicted ecological impacts were lower relative to deep ocean disposal before considering potential impacts of carbon emissions.     

Ecological evaluation of an experimental beneficial use scheme for dredged sediment disposal in shallow tidal waters

An experiment was performed to test an alternative dredging strategy for the Westerschelde estuary. Clean sand dredged from the navigation channel was disposed seawards of an eroding intertidal flat in order to modify morphology and hydrodynamics, improving the multi-channel system with ecologically productive shallow water habitat. Five years of intensive monitoring revealed that part of the disposed sediment moved slowly towards the flat, increasing the very shallow subtidal and intertidal area, as planned. The sand in the impact zone became gradually finer after disposal, possibly due to reduced current velocities. Nevertheless, no changes in macrobenthic biomass, density, species richness and composition were detected in the subtidal zone, also demonstrating rapid macrobenthic recovery. In the intertidal zone, no ecological effects could be revealed superimposed on trends associated with long-term sediment fining. Thus, despite morphological success and absence of detected negative ecological impacts of the experiment, new beneficial habitat was not created.     

华南海岸沙坝瀉湖型潮汐汊道口门地貌演变

华南海岸沙坝Ｘｉ湖型潮汐汊道主要分布在小潮差岬湾海岸段。汊道口门基本地貌单元有口门深槽、落潮三角洲、涨潮三角洲、内湾沙嘴等。其形态特征与海岸动力及泥沙条件有关。汊道口门迁移、落潮主水道迁移、冲流坝和水道边缘坝向岸迁移和并岸，是汊道口门地貌演变的主要模式并具周期性特点。Ｘｉ湖港湾大规模围垦堵海或注入港湾的河流改道直接入海，这些人类活动可能导致汊道口门急剧变化和航行条件恶化而必须进行整治。     

海南三亚鹿回头半岛珊瑚礁和连岛坝的发育

海南岛南端三亚市鹿回头半岛由鹿回头岭陆连岛、椰庄连岛坝和南边岭－火岭三部分组成。该地珊瑚岸礁发育良好。为揭示珊瑚礁发育历史,作者在椰庄连岛坝上打了一口深达２６．５ｍ穿透第四纪松散沉积物的钻孔,并对钻孔岩芯进行了微体古生物和孢粉分析以及１４Ｃ和热释光年龄测定,从而区分出晚更新世和全新世两套海相地层,其间隔以晚更新世末期的陆相沉积。研究表明,本区的珊瑚礁主要建造于标高－１３—－９ｍ左右的松散沉积物基底上,开始出现于８５００—８０００ａＢ．Ｐ,繁盛于６３００—４８００ａＢ．Ｐ．的全新世最高海面时期,当时海面高于现今２—３ｍ或更多。近五千年来,随海面波动和下降,珊瑚礁发育渐趋衰退,连岛坝随之开始形成。