Biota survey

DuPont began by commissioning a comprehensive inventory of the animals living in the river—a pioneering example of what is now called a biota survey. Two complete baseline surveys were carried out by the Philadelphia Academy of Natural Sciences, a year apart, and that work was repeated 18 months after the plant opened. At the mouth of the river, where shellfish were an important resource, the inventory was taken every six months. 

Large amounts of carbon are found in the terrestrial ecosystems and there is a rapid exchange of carbon between the atmosphere, terrestrial biota, and soils. The complexity of the terrestrial ecosystems makes any description of their role in the carbon cycle a crude simplification and we shall only review some of the most important aspects of organic carbon on land. Inventories of the total biomass of terrestrial ecosystems have been made by several researchers, a survey of these is given by Ajtay etal.(1979). 

Adams, W.J. and H.E. Johnson. 1977. Survey of the selenium content in the aquatic biota of western Lake Erie. Jour. Great Lakes Res. 3 10-14. 

Toxicology and environmental health studies often lack a firm foundation of baseline data, and the NASGLP is a perfect starting point for a baseline data survey. During the field component of the survey, the crews collected two composite samples. One represented the top 5 cm of the soil directly below the litter layer (which will include a lot of the airborne components if they are present), and a second came from the 0-30-cm interval, independent of which soil horizon this may represent. Within this interval (the active layer), most of the interactions between biota and the non-living soil components take place, and thus is the important interval for this type if study. Environment Canada s Biological Methods Division selected one of the northern New Brunswick sites to collect a bulk sample in an attempt to create reference sites across Canada for standardized toxicity test methods. 

HHCB and AHTN have been detected in concentrations as high as 4200 and 1900 ng L, respectively. Fragrances are used topically, and after routine use they are released into sewage and wastewater, and they have been detected in influents and effluents, seawater, as well as in marine biota (Ricking et al., 2003 Berset et al., 2004). In surveys conducted in Canada and Sweden, the concentrations of HHCB, AHTN, ADBI, and AHMI in the effluents was moderately to strongly correlated with the population size served by the respective treatment plants (r = 0.796,... 

Di(2-ethylhexyl) adipate has been detected infrequently in fresh water, generally at < 1 pg/L (Sheldon Hites, 1979 lARC, 1982 Felder etal, 1986 WHO, 1996). Di(2-ethylhexyl) adipate is relatively insoluble in water and is likely to partition to sediment and biota in the aquatic environment. A survey of 23 natural surface water sites in 12 states showed that 7% of 82 samples contained di(2-ethylhexyl) adipate at levels ranging from 0.25 to 1.0 pg/Lwith an average of 0.46 pg/L(Felder eta/., 1986). 

Hexabromobiphenyl has not been surveyed or monitored in biota in the Environmental Survey and Monitoring of Chemicals Program. There is the first report of PBB detection in cormorants and fish from Japan by Watanabe et al. (2004). 

Unlike the freshwater biota, POPs in local marine fish and shellfish were relatively well studied. Data were retrieved primarily from two toxic substances consultancy studies (EPD, 2003a,b), the EPD ad hoc baseline survey (EPD, 2003c), and the 2004 CEDD Environmental Monitoring and Audit for Contaminated Mud Pit IV at East Sha Chau (CEDD,... 

EPD, 2003c. Baseline surveys on trace toxics in Hong Kong marine biota. Environmental Protection Department, Hong Kong SAR Government. 

SPA Typhoon obtains additional information in the course of casual expedition surveys in individual regions and thanks to participation in different international projects. As the result of 1992-2002 expedition smveys performed in radiation-hazardous facility location areas in Kola Gulf, the Kara Sea, Novaya Zemlia bays and the Japan Sea their 3D effects on the environment were discovered, and the contamination levels in seawater, bottom sediments and biota were established. 

Wong, C.S. Capel, P.D. Nowell, L.H., Organochlorine pesticides and PCBs in stream sediment and aquatic biota Initial results from the National Water-Quality Assessment Program, 1992-1995 Water-Resources Investigations Report 00-4053, U. S. Geological Survey, 2000. 

The determination of Po is relatively straightforward, due to the ease of source preparation by spontaneous deposition onto metal surfaces and the uncomplicated alpha spectrum. Although several optimisation studies have been carried out, published source preparation methods remain remarkably diverse. For this review about 130 papers mainly focussed on analytical methodology of Po were collected and critically examined. The literature surveyed included analysis of air, fresh water, rainwater, seawater, soil, sediment, coal, tobacco, phosphogypsum, foodstuffs, marine organisms, vegetation, human bone, and biota (Table 3). 

The aquatic sampling and surveillance campaign was conducted over four weeks using five naval vessels. Gamma spectrometric surveys were made of the sea bed in order to optimise sampling. Over 300 samples were collected (from lagoon water, ocean water, sediment pore water, sediment, corals and biota). Some 13 000 litres of water and 1 tonne of solid samples were collected, processed, packaged and transported to Monaco for distribution to analytical laboratories. 

Homberger, M. L, Lambing, J. H., Luoma, S. N., and Axtmann, E. V., 1997, Spatial and temporal trends of trace metals in surface water, bed sediment, and biota of the upper Clark Fork basin, Montana, 1985-1995 U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report, 97-669, 127 p. 

There are also several methods to determine patterns of fate and transport of pollutants in the environment. In some cases, microcosms and me-socosms are used to study fate, biodegradability, bioavailability, and transport within compartments. Field surveys may also be used to study fate and transport of pollutants in contaminated environments. Such studies involve collection and analysis of biota, water, air, soil, or sediment. In some cases, radioactively labeled contaminants ( tracers ) may be introduced in mesocosms or noncontaminated environments in order to determine their fate and patterns of transport. Finally, mathematical models are often used to produce computer simulations to... 

Field biological surveys - conduct on-site studies of biota to evaluate possible impact at site (biological response pass/fail)... 

Chapman, P.M. et al. (1982) Survey of Biological Effects of Toxicants upon Puget Sound Biota. I. Broad Scale Toxicity Suxrvey. NOAA Techn. Mem. OMPA-25, 98 pp. Boulder/CO United States Natl. Oceanic and Athmospheric Administration. 

Another major effort to link pollutant levels with ecosystem effects is sponsored by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The Marine Ecosystems Analysis (MESA) program conducts monitoring surveys off both the Atlantic and Pacific Coasts which focus on determining the long-term ecological effects of exposure of marine biota to petroleum constituents. These data are published in papers and in MESA reports. 

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