skip to main content
OSTI.GOV title logo U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Title: Definitions of critical environmental conditions for selected Chesapeake Bay finfishes exposed to acidic episodes in spawning and nursery habitats. Final report

Technical Report ·
OSTI ID:6959682

Definitions of critical environmental conditions associated with acidic episodes are defined for yellow perch, alewife, blueback herring, American shad, and white perch, based on a review of field and laboratory data. These species are an important biological resource in the mid-Atlantic Coastal Plain. Values for blueback herring and alewife reproduction are an acid pulse between pH 5.5 and 6.2 with dissolved Ca at least 2 mg/l, with total monomeric Al levels between 15 and 137 microgram/l. Critical acidic conditions for American shad reproduction are an acid pulse between pH 5.7 and 6.7, dissolved Ca at least 2 micrograms/l, and total monomeric Al levels between 0 and 137 micrograms/l. Using data from the congeneric striped bass as a proxy, critical acidic conditions for white perch are an acid pulse between pH 6.5 and 6.7, total monomeric Al concentration of 25 microgram/l persisting for 7 days, and dissolved Ca at least 2 microgram/l. Based on a combination of life stage exposure and tolerance to acidic conditions the species can be ranked from high to low potential with regard to risks posed by acidic episodes on their early life stages: white perch, alewife/blueback herring, American shad, yellow perch.

Research Organization:
Johns Hopkins Univ., Shady Side, MD (USA). Aquatic Ecology Section
OSTI ID:
6959682
Report Number(s):
PB-90-161928/XAB
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English