Relationships among sediment chemistry, toxicity testing, and biology: What can large-scale monitoring teach us?
- Environmental Protection Agency, Gulf Breeze, FL (United States)
- National Biological Service, Gulf Breeze, FL (United States)
The Environmental Monitoring and Assessment Program for Estuarine Resources has collected sediments from over 1,000 varying locations in the estuaries of the United States. At each of these sites, sediments are analyzed for bulk chemistry, tested for toxicity to Ampelisca abdita, and enumerated regarding benthic community structure and abundance. In addition, tissue residues have been examined for selected fish and shellfish species and toxicity testing has been completed at selected sites for alternative species. The statistical and ecological relationships among these indicators have been examined with regard to how they can used to identify the overall ecological condition of a site, an estuary, or populations of estuaries. Comparisons of these relationships among different regions of the country show major differences in the modes of exposure and response being prevalent in the Southeast and Gulf Coasts as compared to the Mid-Atlantic and West Coasts. While the extent of sediment contamination in the Southeast and Gulf estuaries appears to be similar to that of the Mid-Atlantic and California Coasts, the degree of contamination at contaminated sites is much greater in Mid-Atlantic estuaries. An examination of the primary contaminants suggests that the primary sources of contamination in the Mid-Atlantic are industrial and urban while the Southeast and Gulf estuaries are dominated by agricultural contaminants.
- OSTI ID:
- 203594
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-9511137-; ISBN 1-880611-03-1; TRN: IM9614%%106
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: 2. Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (SETAC) world conference, Vancouver (Canada), 5-9 Nov 1995; Other Information: PBD: 1995; Related Information: Is Part Of Second SETAC world congress (16. annual meeting): Abstract book. Global environmental protection: Science, politics, and common sense; PB: 378 p.
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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