Combined toxicity effects of chlorine, ammonia, and temperature on marine plankton. Progress report, September 16, 1975--September 30, 1976

Technical Report · Fri Oct 01 04:00:00 EDT 1976

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/7328010· OSTI ID:7328010

Goldman, J. C.; Ryther, J. H.

Research on the combined effects of chlorine, ammmonia and temperature on marine plankton have been carried out for 20 months. To date continuous-flow bioassays have been conducted on lobster larvae (Homarus americanus), oyster larvae (Crassostrea virginica), copepods (Acartia tonsa), rotifers (Brachionus plicatilis), three juvenile and larval fish, killifish (Fundulus heteroclitus), scup (Stenotomus versicolor), and winter flounder (Pseudopleuronectes americanus), and phytoplankton (the diatom Phaeodactylum tricornutum). In addition, studies on zooplankton metabolism, filtration rates, and growth were carried out on exposed organisms. In general, the responses of invertebrates were distinctly different than those of fish: increasing mortality with increasing chlorine dose and greater sensitivity to chloramines than free chlorine in the former, and a threshold level of chlorine and greater sensitivity to free chlorine in the latter. Phytoplankton responses indicate that chlorine effects on primary producers are minimal compared to the serious effects on zooplankton, particularly larval forms that spawn intermittently. The overall conclusion of our studies is that chlorine application at power plants must be carried out with extreme caution and that serious consideration should be given to applying dechlorination at all coastal cooling systems.

• Research Organization: Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, MA (USA)
• Sponsoring Organization: US Energy Research and Development Administration (ERDA)
• OSTI ID: 7328010
• Report Number(s): COO-2532-2
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

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54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
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63 RADIATION, THERMAL, AND OTHER ENVIRON. POLLUTANT EFFECTS ON LIVING ORGS. AND BIOL. MAT.
ALGAE
AMMONIA
ANIMALS
AQUATIC ORGANISMS
ARTHROPODS
BIOLOGICAL EFFECTS
BIOMASS
CHLORINE
COASTAL WATERS
COOLING SYSTEMS
CRUSTACEANS
DIATOMS
ELEMENTS
ENERGY SOURCES
FISHES
GROWTH
HALOGENS
HYDRIDES
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
INVERTEBRATES
LARVAE
LOBSTERS
METABOLISM
MOLLUSCS
MORTALITY
NITROGEN COMPOUNDS
NITROGEN HYDRIDES
NONMETALS
OYSTERS
PLANKTON
PLANTS
RENEWABLE ENERGY SOURCES
SURFACE WATERS
TEMPERATURE EFFECTS
TOXICITY
VERTEBRATES