Issue 37 - May
Welcome to the Contaminated Sediments News, a monthly review of
recent journal articles, issues in the press, upcoming conferences,
and other news. This website replaces the Contaminated Sediments
Newsletter, which was published through the summer of 2000. Items
for the CS News are chosen from the results of a detailed search
of a number of scientific and technical publication databases, as
well as from searches of media publication databases (including
newspapers and magazines).
Check back to this site frequently to see each new issue of the
Contaminated Sediments News, and visit the CS News
Archive to find past issues.
Note: The summaries found on this website are based on articles
from the press and from peer-reviewed publications, and they represent
the opinions of the original authors. The views of authors expressed
herein do not necessarily state or reflect those of the United States
Government, and shall not be used for advertising or product endorsement
purposes. Reference herein to any specific commercial products,
process, or service by trade name, trademark, manufacturer, or otherwise,
does not necessarily constitute or imply its endorsement, recommendation,
or favoring by the United States Government.
Summarized Journal Articles
- Baseline incidence of mouthpart deformities
in Chironomidae (Diptera) from the Laurentian Great Lakes,
Canada – Larval chironomid mouthpart deformities
function as indicators of anthropogenic stress. In the incidence
of naturally occurring deformities, there are limited data. Environment
Canada, from 1991 through 1993, collected Chironomid larvae from
252 reference sites in the Great Lakes. Overall incidence of mentum
deformities was 2.27% for Procladius, 2.15% for Chironomus, 1.27%
for Heterotrissocladius, 1.38% for Tanytarsus, and 3.25% for Polypedilum.
One missing tooth in the mentum was the most common deformity.
In the Northern Channel and Georgian Bay of Lake Huron, deformity
frequency was at its highest level, but incidences were homogeneous
among regions. In examining contaminated conditions, a result
greater than one 95% confidence interval above the reference deformity
frequencies should be considered significantly elevated from baseline
levels.
Source: Burt, J. et al.; Baseline incidence of mouthpart
deformities in Chironomidae (Diptera) from the Laurentian Great
Lakes, Canada; Journal of Great Lakes Research 29 (1): 172-180,
2003.
- Toxicity of lead-contaminated
sediment to mute swans – Contaminant exposure
through food and water is emphasized by most ecotoxicological
risk assessments of wildlife. In these assessments, the role of
incidental ingestion of sediment-bound contaminants has not been
adequately understood. The authors analyze the toxicological consequences
of contamination of sediments with metals from hard-rock mining
and smelting activities. Lead-contaminated sediments were collected
from the Coeur d'Alene River Basin in Idaho. These sediments were
combined with either a commercial avian maintenance diet or ground
rice and fed to captive mute swans (Cygnus olor) for 6
weeks. Experimental treatments included maintenance or rice diets
containing 0, 12 (no rice group), or 24% highly contaminated sediment,
or 24% reference sediment. Although none of the swans died, those
swans that were fed a rice diet containing 24% lead-contaminated
sediment were the most severely affected, experiencing a 24% decrease
in mean body weight, which included three birds that became emaciated.
All birds in this treatment group had nephrosis; abnormally dark,
viscous bile; and significant reductions in hematocrit and hemoglobin
concentrations compared to their pretreatment levels. This group
also had the greatest mean concentrations of lead in blood, brain,
and liver. Compared to all other treatment groups, these birds
also had significant increases in mean plasma alanine aminotransferase
activity, cholesterol, and uric acid concentrations and decreased
plasma triglyceride concentrations. After 14 days of exposure,
mean protoporphyrin concentrations increased substantially, and
mean 8-aminolevulinic acid dehydratase activity decreased by more
than 95% in groups fed diets that had highly contaminated sediments.
All swans fed diets that contained 24% lead-contaminated sediment
had renal acid-fast intranuclear inclusion bodies, which are diagnostic
of lead poisoning in waterfowl. Body weight and hematocrit and
hemoglobin concentrations in swans on control (no sediment) and
reference (uncontaminated) sediment diets remained unchanged.
In conclusion, the study found evidence that mute swans consuming
environmentally relevant concentrations of Coeur d'Alene River
Basin sediment developed severe sublethal lead poisoning. In addition,
toxic effects were more distinct when the birds were fed lead-contaminated
sediment combined with rice, which closely resembles the diet
of swans in the wild.
Source: Day, D.D. et al.; Toxicity of lead-contaminated
sediment to mute swans; Archives of Environmental Contamination
and Toxicology 44 (4): 510-522, 2003.
- Growth of estuarine
fish is associated with the combined concentration of sediment
contaminants and shows no adaptation or acclimation to past conditions
– This study analyzed if the growth rates
of small benthic fish (Gillichthys mirabilis) in three
southern California estuaries corresponded with the local concentrations
of contaminants. In each estuary in two reciprocal transplant
experiments, fish originating from each estuary were relocated
to cages. The growth rates of caged fish and the size-distribution
of natural populations revealed the same pattern of difference
among estuaries. Occurring in bulk sediments at concentrations
close to their individual ERL values were twelve metals and organic
contaminants. A simple index of their combined concentration (the
mean ERL quotient) was inversely associated with the growth of
caged fish. Metals in the water column took place at lower concentrations
than those in sediments and were unrelated to fish growth. Fish
used in the field caging experiments, and other fish held in the
laboratory under constant conditions, showed no difference in
growth according to their estuary of origin. Also, no consistent
differences in tissue burden of organic contaminants were shown
in fish originating from different estuaries. Therefore, the results
indicated no genetic adaptation or physiological acclimation to
the past contaminant regime, but they showed a possible association
between fish growth rates and the combined concentration of multiple
sediment contaminants.
Source: Forrester, G.E. et al.; Growth of estuarine fish
is associated with the combined concentration of sediment contaminants
and shows no adaptation or acclimation to past conditions;
Marine Environmental Research 56 (3): 423-442, 2003.
- Assessment of the
bioavailability and toxicity of sediment-associated polycyclic
aromatic hydrocarbons and heavy metals applied to Crassostrea
gigas embryos and larvae – Sediments
represent a vast sink for contaminants in aquatic systems and
also have the possibility of posing a threat to pelagic and benthic
organisms. Using embryos and larvae of the oyster Crassostrea
gigas, which were exposed to two sediment fractions: the whole
sediment and the elutriate, a study was conducted to determine
the bioavailability and toxicity of sediment-associated PAHs and
heavy metals. The percentages of abnormal larvae, the contaminant
accumulation, and the induction of metallothionein in the larvae
were analyzed. As indicated by accumulation in C. gigas
larvae and by the abnormalities induced during larval development,
sediment-associated PAHs and heavy metals were available for exposure.
Abnormalities were observed above the critical body burden of
PAHs in the larvae of 0.3 µ, which relates to concentrations
observed for most vertebrate and invertebrate species. The solubility
of PAHs determines its bioavailability. The embryos accumulate
only the soluble fraction of PAHs. The bioavailability of metals
for the larvae is substantiated by MT induction, correlated with
cytosolic metal concentrations. In evaluating environmental contamination
by metals, MT induction provided a better early-warning response
than the embryotoxicity test currently used. In conclusion, the
authors suggest choosing oyster embryos as a particularly sensitive
tool for evaluating sediment quality.
Source: Geffard, O. et al.; Assessment of the bioavailability
and toxicity of sediment-associated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons
and heavy metals applied to Crassostrea gigas embryos and larvae;
Marine Pollution Bulletin 46 (4): 481-490, 2003.
- Modelling metal desorption
kinetics in estuaries – Using riverine and
estuarine sediments, the kinetics of desorption of Cd, Cu, Ni
and Zn have been determined in deionised water and seawater. The
time-dependent release of Cd, Cu and Ni from riverine sediments
in both media revealed an increase in dissolved metal concentrations
within a few minutes, followed by a plateau after several hours
of incubation. A maximum dissolved concentration occurred after
several minutes, characterizing the desorption of Zn from riverine
sediments in seawater, which was followed by readsorption onto
the suspended sediment. In both deionised water and seawater,
the extent of metal desorption from estuarine sediment was less
than that from the fluvial sediments, even though the available
particulate metal concentrations were higher. By using a mechanism
consisting of reversible, first-order consecutive reactions, the
desorption kinetics of the metals were modeled. The dissolved
metals were assumed to desorb into the bulk solution from exchangeable
surface sites and from binding sites located within the particle
matrix. By integrating the differential equations resulting from
the mechanism, a reasonable fit to the observed time-dependent
desorption behavior was simulated, assuming that the exchangeable
particulate metal was defined by the chemical digest. The study
and its results are analyzed within the context of improved understanding
of the non-conservative behavior of dissolved metals in estuaries.
Source: Millward, G.E., and Y.P. Liu; Modelling metal desorption
kinetics in estuaries; The Science of the Total Environment,
In Press.
-
A simplified dehydrogenase enzyme assay in contaminated
sediment using 2-(p-iodophenyl)-3(p-nitrophenyl)-5-phenyl tetrazolium
chloride – This study analyzed how 2-(p-Iodophenyl)-3(p-nitrophenyl)-5-phenyl
tetrazolium chloride (INT) accepts electrons from dehydrogenase
enzymes and is reduced to a red-colored formazan (INTF), which
can be quantified by colorimetric analysis. Due to background
chemical reactions from high levels of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons
(PAHs) and metals in the sediments, use of previously published
methods for this technique was unsuccessful. A modified method
using acetonitrile extraction of the INTF, which is simple,
quick, inexpensive, and precise, was efficient and did not chemically
reduce INT.
Source: Mosher, J.J. et al.; A simplified dehydrogenase
enzyme assay in contaminated sediment using 2-(p-iodophenyl)-3(p-nitrophenyl)-5-phenyl
tetrazolium chloride; Journal of Microbiological Methods
53 (3): 411-415, 2003.
-
Survival tests with Chironomus riparius exposed
to spiked sediments can profit from DEBtox model –
DEBtox model is a biologically based model that examines aquatic
toxicity data. The model has not yet been used to analyze sediment
survival tests because this would require daily counting of
survivors, which is difficult for benthic organisms. The authors
adapted survival toxicity tests with the midge Chironomus
riparius to permit survival data analysis with DEBtox. Organisms
were exposed to two chemicals, copper and methiocarb, in order
to validate the adaptation proposed. In the study, larvae of
second, third and fourth instar were exposed to different concentrations
of the tested compounds and two different diets to assess the
influence of diet and instar on DEBtox parameter estimates.
When compared to usual tests, daily counting of organisms did
not affect survival and did not lead to much more effort, and
the analysis profited from the use of the DEBtox model. With
only survival data to estimate and validate the kinetics of
the compounds, it was possible to predict survival during the
recovery of exposed organisms, as well as to assess the influence
of food availability on toxicity. Food availability did not
affect methiocarb toxicity, but copper was more toxic to food-limited
organisms when a threshold concentration was exceeded. The variations
in toxicity responses between instars had increased understanding
with the comparison of parameters estimate. For the two compounds
studied, the differences in threshold values explained the variation.
Source: Pery, A.R.R. et al.; Survival tests with Chironomus
riparius exposed to spiked sediments can profit from DEBtox
model; Water Research, 37(11): 2691-2699, 2003.
- Distribution of heavy metals in sediment
pore water due to offshore discharges: an ecological risk assessment
– In order to maintain bore hold pressure during offshore
oil drilling operations, barite is used as a weighting agent in
synthetic and oil based drilling fluids (SBFs and OBFs). The risk
of ecological impacts has been reduced by the substitution of
OBFs by SBFs. Barite is composed of approximately 33% by weight
of an SBF and contains traces of heavy metals, which contributes
drastically to the toxicity of drilling waste. Due to the hydrophobic
nature of SBFs, drilling wastes are not dispersive in the water
column. Three important toxic heavy metals found in the drilling
waste include arsenic, copper, and lead. In order to determine
the concentrations of heavy metals, a steady state aquivalence-based
fate model in a probabilistic mode is used. Monte Carlo simulations
using Latin Hypercube Sampling are employed to determine pore
water concentrations at known pollutant loading rates and impact
area conditions. This study analyzes a hypothetical case study
to evaluate the water quality impacts for 4 and 10% attached SBFs
that correspond to proposed best available technology (BAT) option
and current discharge practice in U.S. offshore. The exposure
concentration (CE) is a predicted environmental concentration
(PEC), which is adjusted for exposure probability (p) and bioavailable
fraction of heavy metals. The probabilistic response of an ecosystem
is the development of an empirical distribution function (EDF)
of predicted-no-effect-concentration derived from LC50 and NOEC
data.
Source: Sadiq, R. et al.; Distribution of heavy metals in
sediment pore water due to offshore discharges: an ecological
risk assessment; Environmental Modelling & Software
18 (5): 451-461, 2003.
-
Toxicokinetics of sediment-sorbed benzo[a]pyrene and
hexachlorobiphenyl using the freshwater invertebrates Hyalella
azteca, Chironomus tentans, and Lumbriculus variegatus
– Using three freshwater benthic invertebrates, this study
examined the effect of long-term sediment aging on the toxicokinetics
of benzo[a]pyrene (BaP) and hexachlorobiphenyl (HCBP). Hyalella
azteca, Chironomus tentans, and Lumbriculus variegatus
were exposed to BaP- and HCBP-spiked sediments that were aged
for 7 d or 1.5 years. A two-compartment model was used for each
test organism in order to determine the toxicokinetics of the
two compounds. The modeling of BaP was more complex because
biotransformation was included within the model. The authors
found that HCBP uptake clearance rates (k(s)) for each species
were generally an order of magnitude greater than those determined
for BaP, and this variation was most likely due to preferential
and rapid binding of BaP to sediment particles. Overall, based
on k(s) values and bioaccumulation factors (BAFs), the bioavailability
of HCBP in spiked sediments tended to decrease with duration
of aging, but the decreases in bioavailability appear to be
species specific. (Benzo[a]pyrene did not decline in bioavailability
for the species tested because it may resist movement into the
micropores of the sediment due to its large size.) In addition
to the bioassays, this article describes a method for toxicokinetic
modeling of biotransformed compounds and methods for statistical
comparisons of kinetic parameters and BAF values.
Source: Schuler, L.J. et al.; Toxicokinetics of sediment-sorbed
benzo[a]pyrene and hexachlorobiphenyl using the freshwater invertebrates
Hyalella azteca, Chironomus tentans, and Lumbriculus variegatus;
Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry 22 (2): 439-449, 2003.
-
A toxicity identification evaluation of silty marine harbor
sediments to characterize persistent and non-persistent constituents
– Ammonia or sulfide frequently dominates sediment
toxicity in silty marine harbor sediments, which leaves the
adverse impacts of persistent toxic substances unnoticed. To
investigate the latter, the authors subjected interstitial water
from three contaminated silty sediments to toxicity identification
evaluation (TIE) phase I manipulations and tested for toxicity
with four bioassays: the amphipod Corophium volutator,
the sea urchin Psammechinus miliaris, and the bacterium
Vibrio fischeri. The graduated pH manipulations identified
the prominent toxicity of ammonia in the amphipod and sea urchin
embryo tests, as well as sulfide toxicity in the bacterium test.
In two of the three samples tested with the amphipods, sea urchin
embryos and bacteria, a small but significant reduction in interstitial
water toxicity was achieved by removing persistent compounds
through C(18) solid phase extraction. EDTA chelation resulted
in a slight detoxification of the interstitial water for the
amphipods and sea urchin embryos, which was not related to any
measured trace metals. Despite the presence of toxic levels
of ammonia and sulfide in the harbor sediments, through the
TIE manipulations and in vivo interstitial water bioassays,
this study established the adverse biological effects of persistent
constituents.
Source: Stronkhorst, J. et al.; A toxicity identification
evaluation of silty marine harbor sediments to characterize
persistent and non-persistent constituents; Marine Pollution
Bulletin 46 (1): 56-64, 2003.
- Studies on bioremediation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon-contaminated
sediments: bioavailability, biodegradability, and toxicity issues
– Cost-effective bioremediation processes are needed for
the widespread contamination by polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons
(PAHs). This study analyzed a chronically PAH-contaminated estuarine
sediment from the East River (ER) characterized by high concentrations
of PAHs, sulfide, and metals and a marine sediment from New York/
New Jersey Harbor (NY/NJH) with only trace quantities of PAHs.
The authors examined the relationship between bioavailability
of PAHs and their biological removal in a stuffy system. Freshwater
and marine sediment toxicity tests were conducted to measure baseline
toxicity of both sediments to amphipods, aquatic worms, fathead
and sheepshead minnow larvae, and a vascular plant; to determine
the cause of toxicity; and to evaluate the effectiveness of the
biotreatment strategies in reducing toxicity. Results revealed
that the ER sediment was acutely toxic to all freshwater and marine
organisms tested and that sulfide, PAHs, and metals present in
the sediment caused the toxicity. The majority of PAH compounds
showed significant degradation in the aerobic sediment/water slurry
system if the initial high oxygen demand due to the high sulfide
content of the sediment was overcome, regardless of the high toxicity.
Biodegradation removal of PAHs was closely related to their desorbed
amount in 90% isopropanol solution during 24 h of contact, while
the desorption of model PAH compounds from freshly spiked NY/NJH
sediment did not describe the bioavailability of PAHs in the East
River sediment well. This study improves how to understand bioavailability
as a controlling factor in bioremediation of PAHs, as well as
the potential of aerobic biodegradation for PAH removal and ecotoxicity
reduction.
Source: Tabak, H.H. et al.; Studies on bioremediation of polycyclic
aromatic hydrocarbon-contaminated sediments: bioavailability,
biodegradability, and toxicity issues; Environmental Toxicology
and Chemistry 22 (3): 473-482, 2003.
- Bioavailability of pyrene to the deposit-feeding polychaete
Arenicola marina: importance of sediment versus water uptake routes
– Using pyrene concentrations between 0 and 10 ppm, the
bioavailability of the PAH model compound pyrene to the deposit-feeding
polychaete Arenicola marina was analyzed. Through manipulation
of the sediment organic content, different distributions of pyrene
between particle-associated pyrene, pyrene bound to dissolved
organic matter (DOM), and freely dissolved pyrene were obtained
at the same pyrene concentration in bulk sediment. In the study,
organic matter influenced the partitioning of pyrene in the sediment
matrix. Due to an increased DOM concentration, the concentration
of dissolved pyrene in porewater and overlying water was higher
in sediment with a high organic content. In contrast, the concentration
of freely dissolved pyrene was, as predicted, higher in sediment
with low organic content. Particle-associated pyrene is bioavailable,
and ingestion is a significant uptake route, indicated through
the successful correlation of bioaccumulation of pyrene with the
amount of pyrene passing through the gut. Body burden was correlated
neither with total dissolved pyrene nor with freely dissolved
pyrene, leading to the rejection of the hypothesis that pyrene
uptake is due to simple diffusion processes from water to sediment.
In conclusion, there was no observation of a relationship between
bioaccumulation and dissolved pyrene passing through the gills
via irrigation. Bioconcentration factors relative to sediment
and water declined with increasing external pyrene concentrations,
enhancing the likelihood of sediment toxicity being underestimated
when using these factors in risk assessment.
Source: Timmermann, K., and O. Andersen; Bioavailability of
pyrene to the deposit-feeding polychaete Arenicola marina: importance
of sediment versus water uptake routes; Marine Ecology-Progress
Series 26: 163-172, 2003.
- Evaluating prey capture by larval mummichogs (Fundulus
heteroclitus) as a potential biomarker for contaminants
– By examining feeding behavior of larval mummichogs (Fundulus
heteroclitus) from many different sites, which included a
severely contaminated "Superfund" site, moderately contaminated
sites, and reference areas, this study analyzed larval prey capture
as a "behavioral biomarker" of contamination. Prey capture
ability was associated with sediment contaminant levels. The levels
of contaminants at a site were highly correlated with each other,
so that the impact of individual contaminants was confounded.
The number of captures of brine shrimp by mummichog larvae from
all sites was highly variable. Many negative correlations of prey
capture, however, were seen with mercury, lead, zinc, cadmium,
and PCBs. As observed previously with adults, PAHs did not seem
to impair prey capture ability. The most contaminated Superfund
site, Barry's Creek, NJ, was the only site that prey capture rates
of 8-day old larvae were severely impacted. This result indicates
that larval prey capture is not as sensitive a behavioral biomarker
for contamination as adult behavior studied previously.
Source: Weis, J.S. et al.; Evaluating prey capture by larval
mummichogs (Fundulus heteroclitus) as a potential biomarker for
contaminants; Marine Environmental Research 55 (1): 27-38,
2003.
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Other Journal Titles of Interest
- Porewater chemistry: effects of sampling, storage,
handling, and toxicity testing. Adams, R.J., R.M. Burgess,
G. Gold-Bouchot, L. LeBlanc, K. Liber, and B. Williamson. Porewater
Toxicity Testing: Biological, Chemical, and Ecological Considerations,
R.S. Carr and M. Nipper (Eds.), SETAC, 2003.
- A 40+ year record of Cd, Hg, Pb, and U deposition
in sediments of Patroon Reservoir, Albany County, NY, USA.
Arnason, J.G., and B.A. Fletcher. Environmental Pollution 123
(3): 383-391, 2003.
- Cyst-based toxicity tests XVI--sensitivity
comparison of the solid phase Heterocypris incongruens microbiotest
with the Hyalella azteca and Chironomus riparius
contact assays on freshwater sediments from Peninsula Harbor (Ontario,
Canada). Belgis, Z.C., G. Persoone, and C. Blaise. Chemosphere
52 (1): 95-101, 2003.
- Proceedings of the Sixth International In Situ
and On-Site Bioremediation Symposium. Leeson, A., and V. Magar
(eds.). Journal of Hazardous Materials 96 (2-3): 341, 2003.
- Waterborne and sediment toxicity of fluoxetine to select
organisms. Brooks, B.W., P.K. Turner, J.K. Stanley, J.J. Weston,
E.A. Glidewell, C.M. Foran, M. Slattery, T.W. LaPoint, and D.B.
Huggett. Chemosphere 52 (1): 153-142, 2003.
- Geochemistry of PAHs in aquatic environments: a synthesis
of source, distribution, and persistence. Burgess, R.M., M.J.
Ahrens, and C.W. Hickey. PAHs: An Ecotoxicological Perspective
(P.E.T. Douben, ed.), In Press, 2003.
- Proposed development of Sediment Quality Guidelines under
the European Water Framework Directive: a critique. Crane,
M. Toxicology Letters 142 (3): 195-206, 2003.
- Evaluation of neutral red retention assay, micronucleus
test, acetylcholinesterase activity and a signal transduction
molecule (cAMP) in tissues of Mytilus galloprovincialis (L.),
in pollution monitoring. Dailianis, S., G.P. Domouhtsidou,
E. Raftopoulou, M. Kaloyianni, and V.K. Dimitriadis. Marine
Environmental Research, In Press, 2003.
- A survey of dioxin and furan compounds in sediments of Florida
Panhandle Bay systems. Hemming, J.M., M.S. Brim, and R.B.
Jarvis. Marine Pollution Bulletin 46 (4): 512-521, 2003.
- Degradation rates of low molecular weight PAH correlate with
sediment TOC in marine subtidal sediments. Hinga, K.R. Marine
Pollution Bulletin 46 (4): 466-474, 2003.
- Responses in sediment bioassays used in the Netherlands:
can observed toxicity be explained by routinely monitored priority
pollutants? Lahr, J., J.L. Maas-Diepeveen, S.C. Stuijfzand,
P.E.G. Leonards, J.M. Druke, S. Lucker, A. Espeldoorn, L.C.M.
Kerkum, L.L.P. van Stee, and A.J. Hendriks. Water Research
37 (8): 1691-1710, 2003.
- Recolonization and succession of subtidal macrobenthic infauna
in sediments contaminated with cadmium. Lu, L., and R.S.S.
Wu. Environmental Pollution 121 (1): 27-38, 2003.
- Bioaccumulation and toxicity of sediment associated herbicides
(ioxynil, pendimethalin, and bentazone) in Lumbriculus varietagus
(Oligochaeta) and Chironomus riparius (Insecta). Maenpaa,
K.A., A.J. Sormunen, and J.V.K. Kukkonen. Ecotoxicology and
Environmental Safety, In Press.
- Toxicity of aqueous and sediment-associated fluoride to freshwater
organisms. Metcalfe-Smith, J.L., K.E. Holtze, G.R. Sirota,
J.J. Reid, and S.R. de Solla. Environmental Toxicology and
Chemistry/SETAC 22 (1): 161-166, 2003.
- Redissolution and long-term transport of radionuclides released
from a contaminated sediment: a numerical modelling study.
Perianez, R. Estuarine, Coastal, and Shelf Science 56 (1):
5-14, 2003.
- An automated overlying water-renewal system for sediment
toxicity studies. Rand, G.M., J.V. Wheat, J.F. Carriger, and
T.A. Lee. Enviromental Pollution 122 (2): 169-175, 2003.
- Studies on the sorption behaviors of nitrobenzene on marine
sediments. Zhao, X.K., G.P. Yang, and X.C. Gao. Chemosphere,
52(5): 917-925, 2003.
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Upcoming Events and Conferences
-
- Coastal Structures Conference, Portland, Oregon. A Coastal
Structures Conference will take place August 26-29 at Embassy
Suites, Portland, Oregon. Topics to be addressed will include:
functional and structural design; rubble mound breakwaters, revetments,
jetties; shore protection structures; caisson breakwaters; innovative
structures; wave-structure interaction; physical modeling; geotechnical
design and performance; and many other subjects, including dredge
disposal caps/environmental containment. For more information,
contact the American Society of Civil Engineers, World Headquarters,
1801 Alexander Bell Drive Reston, Virginia 20191-4400. Phone:
800-548-2723 or 703-295-6300, or visit http://www.asce.org/conferences/coastal2003/index.cfm.
- Second International Conference on the
Remediation of Contaminated Sediments - The Second International
Sediment Remediation Conference will be held in September 30th
through October 3rd in Venice, Italy. Organizers say the city
is an ideal setting for a conference on this topic because of
the sediments remediation efforts being exerted there by the local,
regional, and national governments. For more information, contact
the Conference Group at 800-783-6338 (U.S. and Canada) or 614-488-2030;
e-mail: info@confgroupinc.com;
or visit the Sediment
Remediation Conference website.
- Contaminated Soils, Sediments, and Water. The conference
is from October 20-23 in Amherst, MA. For more information, contact
Denise Leonard at 413-545-1239 or info@UMassSoils.com.
Web site: www.umasssoils.com.
- SETAC 24th Annual Meeting: Science Without Borders: Developing
Solutions for Global Environmental Challenges. This meeting
takes place November 8-13 in Austin, TX. This conference supports
efforts scientists and engineers to work together to develop solutions
to global problems. Topics including the factors influencing bioavailability
and sediment chemistry will be addressed. For more information,
contact SETAC North America, 1010 North 12th Avenue, Pensacola,
FL 32501. Phone: 850-469-1500; web site: http://setac.org/austin.html.
- Specialist Dredging Techniques, Inspiring Dredging Solutions.
This conference occurs November 20-21 in Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
The Central Dredging Association has programmed this conference
to present a state of the art review of specialized dredging techniques
and innovative approaches to individual dredging operations. The
conference addresses techniques for core business but also from
the so-called niche applications. The aim is to discuss and share
ideas and to initiate the exchange of experience and technology.
For more information, visit http://www.dredging.org
and click on the Dredging Days 2003 link.
- Watersheds 2004. This conference takes place July 11-14,
2004 in Dearborn, Michigan. For more information contact Water
Environment Federation, 601 Wythe Street, Alexandria, VA 22314-1994.
Phone: 703-684-2400 x7010; fax: 703-684-2413; e-mail: watershed
04@wef.org.
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Websites of Interest
Enviro-Access Technology Fact Sheets. Enviro-Access, a network
of people working in industry, has several fact sheets available
through their web site. There is a section dealing with technology
related to site decontamination and restoration. http://www.enviroaccess.ca/eng/faxsheet.html#decontamination
The U.S. Navy Web Page on Environmental Restoration and BRAC.
This site offers information on innovative environmental cleanup
technologies and approaches. Under the focus areas link this site
provides links to reports, guidance documents, and web sites related
to contaminated sediment. http://enviro.nfesc.navy.mil/erb
NOAA Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory's Aquatic
Contaminants Research Program. The research program combines
process studies and mathematical modeling focused on toxic organic
contaminants to increase our understanding of the dynamics and
effects of pollutants in the ecosystem. The web site provides
information on current research projects. http://www.glerl.noaa.gov/res/Programs/aqmain.html
Army Corps of Engineers Center for Contaminated Sediments.
The Center coordinates and facilitates contaminated sediment activities
among Corps organizations, the Department of Defense, other federal
and state agencies, academia, and the private sector. http://www.wes.army.mil/el/dots/ccs/index.html
Army Corps of Engineers Coastal and Hydraulics Laboratory.
The web site provides links to a variety of tools helpful for
contaminated sediment cleanup, including software, data, training,
and publications. http://chl.wes.army.mil
The Sediment Management Work Group. The group works to
advance risk-based, scientifically-sound approaches for evaluation
of sediment management decisions. The web site has information
on projects currently being undertaken by the group including
a national education program and a national technology transfer
program. The site also has links to several published research
papers. http://www.smwg.org
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