Scientific Studies Conducted in New Bedford Harbor

Monitoring Study: A 30-year post-dredging monitoring study is being conducted in New Bedford Harbor to assess the effects of remediation. Publications resulting from this work are listed below. For more information, contact William Nelson by e-mail at nelson.william@epa.gov.

Nelson, W.G., B.J. Bergen, S.J. Benyi, G. Morrison, R.A. Voyer, C.J. Strobel, S. Rego, G. Thursby, and C.E. Pesch. 1996. New Bedford Harbor Long-Term Monitoring Assessment Report: Baseline Sampling. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, National Health and Environmental Effects Research Laboratory, Atlantic Ecology Division, Narragansett, RI. EPA/600/R-96/097.
Bergen, B.J., K. Rahn, and W.G. Nelson. 1998. Remediation at a Marine Superfund Site: Surficial Sediment PCB Congener Concentration, Composition and Redistribution. Environmental Science and Technology, 32: 3496-3501.

Sediment Cores: Paleoecological studies were conducted in New Bedford Harbor to determine historical changes in the harbor over the past 350 years. Sediment cores were analyzed for toxic organic compounds, metals, organic carbon content, carbon isotope composition, and biological measures (dinoflagellate cysts, benthic foraminifera). Vertical distribution of the contaminants in the sediment cores correlated with development in the watershed. Contaminants increased with the urbanization of the New Bedford Harbor watershed. Starting in the mid- to late-1700s (the whaling period), three contaminants (PAHs, copper, and lead) were found at concentrations significantly above background level. Concentrations of all contaminants increased greatly after the turn of the 20th century. After environmental regulations were instituted in the 1970s, concentrations of contaminants started to decrease, but were still substantially elevated. This work has been published (see below). For more information contact Jim Latimer by e-mail at latimer.jim@epa.gov.

Latimer, J.S., W.S. Boothman, C.E. Pesch, G.L. Chmura, V. Pospepova, and S. Jayaraman. 2003. Environmental stress and recovery: the geochemical record of human disturbance in New Bedford Harbor and Apponagansett Bay, Massachusetts (USA). Science of the Total Environment, 313: 153-176.
Pospelova, V. 2003. Dinoflagellate cyst assemblages and environmental factors controlling their distribution in New England (USA) estuaries. Ph.D. McGill University, Montreal.
Pospelova V., G.L. Chmura, W.S. Boothman, and J.S. Latimer. 2002. Dinoflagellate cyst records and human disturbance in two neighboring estuaries, New Bedford Harbor and Apponagansett Bay. Science of the Total Environment, 298: 81-102.
Chmura, G.L., A. Santos, V. Pospelova, Z. Spasojevic, R. Lam, and J. S. Latimer. 2004. Response of three paleo-primary production proxy measures to development of an urban estuary. Science of the Total Environment, 320: 225-243.

Hydrodynamics: The hydrodynamics, contaminant transport, and residence time in New Bedford Harbor were modeled using two-dimensional vertically averaged numerical models. The effect of the hurricane barrier was also studied. This work has been published. For more information contact Mohamed Abdelrhman by e-mail at abdelrhman.mohamed@epa.gov.

Abdelrhman, M..A. 2002. Modeling how a hurricane barrier in New Bedford Harbor, Massachusetts, affects the hydrodynamics and residence times. Estuaries, 25 (2): 177-196

Chemical Contaminants: The concentrations of numerous chemical contaminants were measured in the sediments of New Bedford Harbor. Samples were collected along a south to north transect of the estuary. These surface sediment samples were analyzed for polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs), polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDFs), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), and several trace metals. Most of these contaminants were found in high concentrations in New Bedford Harbor sediments. This work has been published.

Pruell, R.J., C.B. Norwood, R.D. Bowen, W.S. Boothman, P.F. Rogerson, M. Hackett, and B.C. Butterworth. 1990. Geochemical study of sediment contamination in New Bedford Harbor, Massachusetts. Marine Environmental Research, 29: 77-101.

Genetic Adaptation to Pollutants by Resident Fish: A large population of the non-migratory fish, Fundulus heteroclitus (mummichog) resides in the urban estuary of New Bedford, MA, USA, which is highly contaminated with polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), and other pollutants that are toxic to fishes and other vertebrates. New Bedford mummichogs contain tissue concentrations of PCBs that are lethal to mummichogs from uncontaminated populations. However, our toxicological studies document that New Bedford mummichogs are profoundly tolerant to some of the most toxic effects of these contaminants, and this tolerance is inherited at least through two generations of uncontaminated laboratory rearing. These results suggest that the population of mummichogs resident to New Bedford are genetically adapted to PCBs. This adaptation could have resulted from intense selection by toxic PCBs, removing sensitive individuals and leaving only tolerant individuals to re-populate the site. Furthermore, site history suggests that this chemical tolerance has evolved very rapidly (within a few decades). Collaborative studies are revealing the biochemical and genetic mechanisms associated with this evolved chemical tolerance in New Bedford mummichogs to better understand how fish (and other vertebrates) can survive toxic chemical exposures. Similarly, comparisons between New Bedford mummichogs and populations resident to other highly contaminated sites reveal that even fish populations within the same species use different mechanisms to cope with chemical contamination. Much of this work has been published (see below). For more information contact Diane Nacci by e-mail at nacci.diane@epa.gov.

Nacci, D., Coiro, L., Kuhn, A., Champlin, D., Munns, W.R., Jr., Specker, J., and Cooper, K. 1998. A fish embryonic EROD bioassay. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry 17(12): 2481-2486.
Nacci, D., Coiro, L., Champlin, D., Jayaraman, S., McKinney, R., Gleason, T., Munns, W.R., Jr., Specker, J., and Cooper, K. 1999. Adaptation of wild fish populations to dioxin-like environmental contamination. Marine Biology 134: 9-17.
Nacci, D., Jayaraman, S., and Specker, J. 2001. Stored Retinoids in Populations of an Estuarine Fish, Fundulus heteroclitus, Indigenous to Highly PCB-Contaminated and Reference Sites. Archives Environmental Contamination and Toxicology 40(4): 511-518.
Nacci, D., Kohan, M., Coiro, L., and George, E. 2002. Effects of Benzo(a)pyrene Exposure on a PCB-adapted Fish Population. Aquatic Toxicology 57: 203-215.
Nacci, D., Coiro, L., Champlin, D., Jayaraman, S., and McKinney, R. 2002. Predicting the Occurrence of Genetic Adaptation to Dioxinlike Compounds in Populations of the Estuarine Fish Fundulus heteroclitus. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry. 21(7): 1525-1532.
Nacci, D., Gleason, T., and Munns, W.R., Jr. 2002. Evolutionary and ecological effects of multi-generational exposures to anthropogenic stressors. Human and Ecological Risk Assessment 8(1): 91-97.
Cohen, S., 2002. Strong positive selection and habitat-specific amino acid substitution patterns in MHC from an estuarine fish under intense pollution stress. Molecular Biology and Evolution 19: 1870 -1880.
Nacci, D., Gleason, T., Gutjahr-Gobell, R., Huber, M., and Munns, W.R., Jr. 2002. Effects of Environmental Stressors on Wildlife Populations: In Coastal and Estuarine Risk Assessment: Risk on the Edge. Editor: Newman, M.C. CRC Press/Lewis Publishers, Washington, DC.
Roark, S.A., Nacci, D., Coiro,L., Champlin, D., and Guttman, S.I. 2005. Population genetic structure of a non-migratory marine fish Fundulus heteroclitus across a strong gradient of PCB contamination. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry 24(3): 717 - 725.
Roark, S. A., Nacci, D., Champlin, D., Coiro, L., and Guttman, S.I. 2005. Population genetic structure and tolerance to dioxin-like compounds of a migratory marine fish Menidia menidia in PCB-contaminated and reference sites. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry 24(3): 726 - 732.
Greytak, S.R., Champlin, D., Callard, G.V., 2005. Isolation and characterization of two cytochrome P450 aromatase forms in killifish (Fundulus heteroclitus): Differential expression in fish from polluted and unpolluted environments. Aquatic Toxicology 71, 371-389.
McMillan, A.M., Bagley, M.J., Jackson, S.A., Nacci, D.E. 2006. Genetic diversity and structure of an estuarine fish (Fundulus heteroclitus) indigenous to sites associated with a highly contaminated urban harbor. Ecotoxicology 15: 539 – 548.
Cohen, C.S., Tirindelli, J., Gomez-Chiarri, M., and Nacci, D. 2006. Functional implications of Major histocompatibility variation using estuarine fish populations. Integrative & Comparative Biology 46(6): 1016 – 1029.
Nacci, D., Walters, S., Gleason, T., and Munns, W.R., Jr. 2007. Using a spatial modeling approach to explore ecological factors relevant to the persistence of estuarine fish (Fundulus heterclitus) in a PCB-contaminated estuary In: Population-level Ecotoxicology, Editor: R. Akcakaya. (in press)
Van Veld, P. A., and Nacci, D. 2007. Chemical Tolerance: acclimation and adaptions to chemical stress. In: The Toxicology of Fishes. Editors: Di Giulio, R.T., and Hinton, D.E. Taylor and Francis, Washington, DC (in press).

Liver Disease in Winter Flounder: A study was conducted to look at the patterns of liver disease in winter flounder in New England, including flounder from New Bedford Harbor. Of nine sites studied, flounder from New Bedford Harbor had the highest incidence, 26 %, of liver neoplasms (cancer). Fifty-seven percent of all flounder collected from New Bedford Harbor had some liver disease. Sediment from the study sites was analyzed for PCBs, PAHs, cadmium, copper, and lead. The fish with the highest incidence of disease came from the sites with the highest levels of sediment contamination. This study has been published:

Gardner, G.R., R.J. Pruell and L.C. Folmar.1989. A Comparison of Both Neoplastic and Non-neoplastic Disorders in Winter Flounder (Pseudopleuronectes americanus) from Eight Areas in New England. Marine Environmental Research 28, 393-397.

Other publications about conditions in New Bedford Harbor

Bergen, B.J., W.G. Nelson, J.G. Quinn, and S. Jayaraman. 2001. Relationships among total lipid, lipid classes, and polychlorinated biphenyl concentrations in two indigenous populations of ribbed mussels (Geukensia demissa) over an annual cycle. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry, 20(3): 575-581.
Bergen, B. J., J. G. Quinn, and C. C. Parrish. 2000. Quality assurance study of marine lipid classes using Chromorod/Iatroscan TLC-FID. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry, 19: 2189-2197.
Abdelrhman, M A. 1998. Modeling of PCB concentrations in water and biota (Mytilus edulis) in New Bedford Harbor, Massachusetts. Estuaries, 21(3): 435-448
Bergen, B.J., K. Rahn, and W.G. Nelson. 1998. Remediation at a marine Superfund site: Surficial sediment PCB congener concentration, composition and redistribution. Environmental Science and Technology, 32: 3496-3501.
Black, D.E., R.E. Gutjahr-Gobell, R. Pruell, B.J. Bergen, and A.E. McElroy. 1998. Effects of a mixture of non-ortho- and mono-ortho-polychlorinated biphenyls on reproduction in Fundulus heteroclitus (Linnaeus). Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry, 17 (7): 1396-1404.
Black, D.E., R.E. Gutjahr-Gobell, R. Pruell, B.J. Bergen, L. Mills, and A.E. McElroy. 1998. Reproduction and polychlorinated biphenyls in Fundulus heteroclitusi (Linnaeus) from New Bedford Harbor, Massachusetts, USA. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry, 17 (7): 1405-1414.
Bergen, B.J., W.G. Nelson, and R.J. Pruell. 1996. Comparison of nonplanar and coplanar PCB congener partitioning in seawater and bioaccumulation in blue mussels (Mytilus edulis). Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry, 15 (9):1517-1523.
Nelson, W.G., B.J. Bergen, and D.J. Cobb. 1995. Comparison of PCB and trace metal bioaccumulation in the blue mussel, Mytilus edulis, and the ribbed mussel, Modiolus demissus, in New Bedford Harbor, MA. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry, 14 (3): 513-521.
Bergen, B.J., W.G. Nelson, and R.J. Pruell. 1993. The partitioning of PCB congeners in the water column of New Bedford Harbor. Environmental Science and Technology, 27: 938-942.
Bergen, B.J., W.G. Nelson, and R.J. Pruell. 1993. The bioaccumulation of PCB congeners in mussels deployed in New Bedford Harbor. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry, 12 :1671-1681.

If other scientists working in New Bedford Harbor would like their research listed here, please let us know by sending an e-mail to Carol Pesch at pesch.carol@epa.gov.

Scientific Studies Conducted in New Bedford Harbor

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