Skip to main content

Advertisement

Log in

Regional assessment of marine and estuarine sediment toxicity in Southern California, USA

Environmental Monitoring and Assessment Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Sediment toxicity was investigated at 222 stations in the Southern California Bight (SCB) during 2008. This represented the first time that assessment methods established by California's new Sediment Quality Objectives program were employed in a survey of this scale. The goal was to determine the extent and magnitude of sediment toxicity in the SCB, how toxicity compared among specific environments, and whether toxicity has changed over the last decade. Two toxicity tests were used: the 10-day amphipod whole sediment survival test with Eohaustorius estuarius and a 48-h embryo development test with the mussel Mytilus galloprovincialis exposed at the sediment–water interface. Less than 1 % of the area of the SCB was found to be toxic to the amphipod test. No toxicity was found in offshore stations, but 14 % of embayment areas were toxic to the amphipods. The mussel test identified 13 % of the embayment areas to be toxic. Estuary and marina locations had the greatest areal extent of toxicity for both tests. The two toxicity methods agreed that sediments were not toxic at over half of the stations tested. The mussel test showed a greater magnitude of response than the amphipod. Sediment toxicity was shown to have declined in both extent and magnitude from levels measured in 1998 and 2003.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Anderson, B. S., Hunt, J. W., Hester, M., & Phillips, B. M. (1996). Assessment of sediment toxicity at the sediment–water interface. In G. K. Ostrander (Ed.), Techniques in aquatic toxicology (pp. 609–624). Boca Raton: CRC.

    Google Scholar 

  • Anderson, B. S., Hunt, J. W., Phillips, B. M., Fairey, R., Roberts, C. A., Oakden, J. M., et al. (2001). Sediment quality in Los Angeles Harbor, USA: a triad assessment. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry, 20(2), 359–370.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Anderson, B. S., Lowe, S., Phillips, B. M., Hunt, J. W., Vorhees, J., Clark, S., et al. (2008). Relative sensitivities of toxicity test protocols with the amphipods Eohaustorius estuarius and Ampelisca abdita. Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety, 69(1), 24–31.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Anderson, B. S., Phillips, B. M., Hunt, J. W., Clark, S. L., Voorhees, J. P., Tjeerdema, R. S., et al. (2010). Evaluation of methods to determine causes of sediment toxicity in San Diego Bay, California, USA. Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety, 73, 534–540.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • ASTM (2002). Standard guide for conducting 10-day static sediment toxicity tests with marine and estuarine amphipods (E1367). In 2002 Annual Book of ASTM Standards (Vol. 11.05, pp. 693-719). West Conshohocken: American Society for Testing and Materials.

  • Barnett, A. M., Bay, S. M., Ritter, K. J., Moore, S. L., & Weisberg, S. B. (2007). Sediment quality in California bays and estuaries. Costa Mesa: Southern California Coastal Water Research Project.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bay, S. M., & Weisberg, S. B. (2012). Framework for interpreting sediment quality triad data. Integrated Environmental Assessment and Management. doi:10.1002/ieam.118.

  • Bay, S. M., Jirik, A., & Asato, S. (2003a). Interlaboratory variability of amphipod sediment toxicity tests in a Cooperative Regional Monitoring Program. Environmental Monitoring and Assessment, 81(1–3), 257–268.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bay, S. M., Zeng, E. Y., Lorenson, T. D., Tran, K., & Alexander, C. (2003b). Temporal and spatial distributions of contaminants in sediments of Santa Monica Bay, California. Marine Environmental Research, 56(1–2), 255–276.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Bay, S. M., Greenstein, D. J., Ranasinghe, J. A., Diehl, D. W., & Fetscher, A. E. (2009). Sediment quality assessment draft technical support manual. Costa Mesa: Southern California Coastal Water Research Project.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bay, S. M., Greenstein, D. J., Maruya, K. A., & Lao, W. (2010). Toxicity identification evaluation of sediment (Sediment TIE) in Ballona Creek Estuary. Final Report. Costa Mesa: Southern California Coastal Water Research Project.

    Google Scholar 

  • Beiras, R., & Bellas, J. (2008). Inhibition of embryo development of the Mytilus galloprovinicalis marine mussel by organic pollutants; assessment of risk for its extensive culture in the Galician Rias. Aquaculture, 277, 208–212.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Chapman, P. M., Anderson, B., Carr, S., Engle, B., Green, R., Hameedi, J., et al. (1997). General guidelines for using the Sediment Quality Triad. Marine Pollution Bulletin, 34, 368–372.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • DeWitt, T. H., Swartz, R. C., & Lamberson, J. O. (1989). Measuring the acute toxicity of estuarine sediments. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry, 8, 1035–1048.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Fairey, R., Roberts, C., Jacobi, M., Lamerdin, S., Clark, R., Downing, J., et al. (1998). Assessment of sediment toxicity and chemical concentrations in the San Diego Bay region, California, USA. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry, 17, 1570–1581.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Greenstein, D., Bay, S., Jirik, A., Brown, J., & Alexander, C. (2003). Toxicity assessment of sediment cores from Santa Monica Bay, California. Marine Environmental Research, 56, 277–297.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Holmes, R. W., Anderson, B. S., Phillips, B. M., Hunt, J. W., Crane, D. B., Mekebri, A., et al. (2008). Statewide investigation of the role of pyrethroid pesticides in sediment toxicity in California's urban waterways. Environmental Science & Technology, 42(18).

  • Hunt, J., Markiewiez, D., & Pranger, M. (2010). Summary of toxicity in California Waters: 2001–2009. Sacramento: Prepared for Surface Water Ambient Monitoring Program.

    Google Scholar 

  • Long, E. R. (2000). Spatial extent of sediment toxicity in U.S. estuaries and marine bays. Environmental Monitoring and Assessment, 64, 391–407.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Lyon, G., & Stein, E. (2009). How effective has the Clean Water Act been at reducing pollutant mass emissions to the Southern California Bight over the past 35 years? Environmental Monitoring and Assessment, 154(01), 413–426.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • McPherson, C. A., & Chapman, P. M. (2000). Copper effects on potential sediment test organisms: the importance of appropriate sensitivity. Marine Pollution Bulletin, 40(8), 656–665.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Phillips, B. M., Anderson, B. S., Hunt, J. W., Thompson, B., Lowe, S., Hoenicke, R., et al. (2003). Causes of sediment toxicity to Mytilus galloprovincialis in San Francisco Bay, California. Archives of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology, 45, 492–497.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Schiff, K., Diehl, D., & Valkirs, A. (2004). Copper emissions from antifouling paint on recreational vessels. Marine Pollution Bulletin, 48(3–4).

  • Schiff, K., Gossett, R., Ritter, K., Tiefenthaler, L., Dodder, N., Lao, W., et al. (2011). Southern California Bight 2008 Regional Monitoring Program: II. Sediment chemistry. Costa Mesa: Southern California Coastal Water Research Project.

    Google Scholar 

  • SFEI. (2010). 2008 annual monitoring results. The regional monitoring program for water quality in the San Francisco Estuary (RMP). Oakland: San Francisco Estuary Institute.

    Google Scholar 

  • Stevens, D. L., Jr. (1997). Variable density grid-based sampling designs for continuous spatial populations. Envirometrics, 8, 167–195.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Stevens, D. L., Jr., & Olsen, A. R. (2003). Variance estimation for spatially balanced samples of environmental resources. Envirometrics, 14, 593–610.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • SWRCB. (2008). Water quality control plan for enclosed bays and estuaries—part I: Sediment quality. Sacramento: State Water Resources Control Board.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tang, A., Kalocai, J. G., Santos, S., Jamil, B., & Stewart, J. (1997). Sensitivity of blue mussel and purple sea urchin larvae to ammonia. Paper presented at the Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry 21st Annual Meeting, Nashville, TN

  • Tay, K. L., Doe, K., Jackman, P., & McDonald, A. (1998). Assessment and evaluation of the effects of particle size, ammonia, and sulfide on the acute lethality test. Environment Canada Atlantic Division

  • USEPA. (1994). Methods for assessing the toxicity of sediment-associated contaminants with estuarine and marine amphipods (p. 140). Narragansett: Office of Research and Development, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

    Google Scholar 

  • USEPA. (1995). In G. A. Chapman, D. L. Denton, & J. M. Lazorchak (Eds.), Short-term methods for estimating the chronic toxicity of effluents and receiving waters to west coast marine and estuarine organisms (1st ed., p. 661). Cincinnati: Office of Research and Development.

    Google Scholar 

  • USEPA. (2008). National coastal condition report III. Washington, D.C.: United States Environmental Protection Agency.

    Google Scholar 

  • USGS. (2000). Final report on toxicity testing of sediments from the BEST/EMAP estuary group monitoring study. Corpus Christi: U.S. Geological Survey.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

The authors wish to thank the members of the Bight’08 Toxicology Technical Committee for their assistance with study design, sample analysis, data analysis, and report review. We also thank the Bight’08 Steering Committee and Coastal Ecology Planning Committee for financial and in-kind services. We also wish to thank the sampling personnel from the following organizations: City of San Diego, Weston Solutions, Orange County Sanitation District, County Sanitation Districts of Los Angeles County, City of Los Angeles, Southern California Coastal Water Research Project, and Aquatic Bioassay and Consulting Laboratories. The authors also wish to express their gratitude to Becky Schaffner (SCCWRP) for assistance with map preparation. We thank two anonymous reviewers whose comments and suggestions greatly improved this manuscript.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Darrin Greenstein.

Electronic supplementary material

Below is the link to the electronic supplementary material.

ESM 1

(DOCX 82 kb)

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Greenstein, D., Bay, S., Jacobe, M. et al. Regional assessment of marine and estuarine sediment toxicity in Southern California, USA. Environ Monit Assess 185, 2055–2065 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-012-2687-9

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-012-2687-9

Keywords

Navigation