Search

International audience; Purpose This paper reports a toxicity survey of Canadian Arctic marine sediments. During the Amundsen scientific cruise, eight sites distributed across the Canadian Arctic and sub-Arctic regions were selected to highlight sensitive areas affected by either atmospheric deposition, ocean current, river drainage, or anthropogenic activities. As part of the Canadian-led ArcticNet research program, this study aims to monitor and to better understand potential changes likely to impact the Arctic.Materials and methods Surface sediments were investigated with bioanalytical tests to assess sediment toxicity. Testing of sediment elutriates was undertaken with the ARTOXKIT M, Microtox liquid phase (MLPA), and ROTOXKIT M toxicity assays, while whole sediment testing was carried out with the Microtox solid phase assay (MSPA) toxicity test procedure. Sediment mercury (Hg) content was also determined in each sample since Hg transport and toxicity is specifically an important issue in the Arctic and is generally a key indicator of the pollution status in many aquatic ecosystems.Results and discussion Based on bioassay results and sediment granulometric criteria, these Arctic sediments must be considered nontoxic. However, based on MSPA half maximal inhibitory concentrations (IC50s) and/or MLPA threshold effect concentration (TEC) values, some degree of toxicity may be measureable particularly in the sediments located in southern and northeast Hudson Bay. The Hudson Bay watershed drains 30% of Canadian rivers and extends to northern USA. Despite the large Hg concern in the Arctic, the input of local or long-range Hg sources does not appear to be a contributing factor to sediment toxicity.Conclusions These initial results are valuable in that they set baseline quality levels for these sediments as of 2005. As such, future comparisons can be made to assess temporal and spatial trends. Human activity and climate change is expected to impact these regions in the future, resulting in further reduction of sea ice extent, access to new Arctic seaways, and drilling associated with the exploitation of natural resources.

Sampling was conducted at seven sites on, and at varying distances adjacent to, the Island of Montreal (Quebec, Canada), and as far as 1,100 km away in Northern Quebec, to explore the hazard potential of snowpacks in remote, rural, and urban environments. Ecotoxic effects of melted snow were ascertained with a suite of small-scale bioassays representing several aquatic taxonomic groups (bacteria, micro-algae, micro-invertebrates, fish liver cells) as well as with biomarker measurements determined with a rainbow trout primary hepatocyte (RTPH) assay. Bioassays undertaken with the cnidarian Hydra attenuata and RTPH cell assays, and to a lesser extent with the micro-alga Pseudokirchneriella subcapitata, proved particularly sensitive to infer the presence of bio-available pollutants in snow samples collected from all sites, thereby suggesting their contamination (at least) via atmospheric sources. Furthermore, biomarker responses indicated that snow samples presumably included metals (free Zn biomarker), organics (CYP 1A1 biomarker), estrogens (alkali-labile phosphate biomarker) as well as chemicals capable of causing oxidative stress (LPO biomarker), depending on the site being considered. Overall, effects data acquired during this preliminary investigation on the ecotoxicity of snowpacks submit that adverse impact toward aquatic biota is conceivable at some sites during spring meltdown. Because snow has a recognized affinity for sequestering solids and contaminants of atmospheric origin, future studies aimed at identifying sources and chemicals implicated in observed effects are legitimate endeavors.

Microbial-mediated soil uptake accounts for approximately 80% of the global tropospheric dihydrogen (H(2)) sinks. Studies conducted over the last three decades provide indirect evidences that H(2) soil uptake is mediated by free soil hydrogenases or by unknown microorganisms that have a high affinity for H(2). The exact nature of these hypothetical free soil enzymes or of H(2)-consuming microorganisms remains elusive because the activity has never been observed in pure culture. Here, we present the first aerobic microorganism able to consume tropospheric H(2) at ambient levels. A dynamic microcosm chamber was developed to enrich a microbial consortium with a high affinity for H(2), from which selected bacterial and fungal strains were isolated and tested for H(2) uptake. Strain PCB7 had a H(2) consumption activity that followed a Michaelis-Menten kinetics, with an apparent K(m) of 11 p.p.m.v. and a H(2) threshold concentration0.100 p.p.m.v., corresponding to the high-affinity uptake of tropospheric H(2) observed in soil. 16S ribosomal RNA gene sequences showed that strain PCB7 is highly related to several Streptomyces species. H(2) consumption occurred during the sporulation period of the bacterium. Addition of nickel increased the activity, suggesting that the enzymes involved in H(2) consumption belong to the NiFe uptake class of hydrogenases. Because this is the first microorganism showing a high-affinity uptake of tropospheric H(2), we anticipate that Streptomyces sp. PCB7 will become a model organism for the understanding of the environmental factors influencing H(2) soil uptake.

An intensive survey of mercury speciation was performed at a site on the Upper St. Lawrence River near Cornwall, Ontario, Canada with a history mercury contamination in sediments. Surface sediments were collected every 1.50 h. Total mercury (Hgtotal), methylmercury (MeHg), organic carbon, inorganic and organic sulphur were determined in the solid fraction. Dissolved Hgtotal, MeHg and dissolved organic carbon (DOC) were measured in pore waters. Concentrations of Hgtotal in the upper layers (first 5 cm) were high, ranging from 1.42 to 25.8 nmol g−1 in solids and from 125 to 449 pM in pore waters. MeHg levels were also high, ranging from 4.34 to 34.1 pmol g−1 in solids and from 40 to 96 pM in pore waters. This amounts to up to 1.4% of Hgtotal present as MeHg in solids and 64% in pore waters. A daily pattern for Hgtotal was observed in the solid fraction. The MeHg distribution in solids and pore waters was not correlated with Hgtotal or DOC, suggesting that the concentrations of MeHg are probably more influenced by the relative rates of methylation/demethylation reactions in the sediment–water interface. Acid volatile sulphide levels and DOC were inversely correlated with organic sulphur (Sorg) levels suggesting that both parameters are involved in the rapid production of Sorg. A positive correlation was also observed between Hgtotal and Sorg in solids (R = 0.87, p < 0.01) illustrating the importance of organic sulphur in the retention and distribution of Hg in the solid fraction of the sediments. The results suggest that variations of Hgtotal concentrations in Upper St. Lawrence River surface sediments were strongly influenced by the formation/deposition/retention of organic sulphur compounds in the sediment–water interface.

Data from 13 National Atmospheric Deposition Program Mercury Monitor Network (NADP/ MDN) monitoring stations (1996-2002) and the Underhill (VT) event-based monitoring site (1993-2002) were evaluated for spatial and temporal trends. More precipitation and mercury deposition occurred in the southern and coastal MDN sites, except for the Underhill site, which received more mercury deposition than surrounding sites. Precipitation patterns varied. Regionally, higher concentrations of mercury were recorded during the late spring and summer months. Several sub-regional clusters of MDN sites were evident, based on mercury deposition patterns. In general, more mercury was deposited during the summer months. "Enhanced" weekly deposition (250 ng/m2) and distinct seasonal deposition patterns were evident at all MDN sites. Regionally, high depositional periods contributed significantly to annual loads (20%- approximately 60%). Southern and coastal sites measured more frequent periods of high deposition than inland sites. Spring and summer "enhanced" deposition may be important contributing factors to mercury bioaccumulation during the growing season. Recent regional reductions of mercury emissions were not reflected in the regional mercury concentration or deposition data. Few sites showed linear relations between the concentration of mercury in precipitation and acid rain co-contaminants (sulfates and nitrates).

An efficient linear Kalman filter has been combined with a coupled atmospheric transport and soil–air exchange model to determine organochlorine pesticides emissions on the regional scale. In this study, results of γ-HCH emissions from the Great Lakes–St. Lawrence ecosystem, estimated from the coupled model, are presented and discussed. A source receptor technique is used to identify a priori the locations of emission sources of γ-HCH, the emissions are then updated through a Kalman filtering procedure which minimizes the weighted difference between the predicted mixing ratios from the coupled model and the measured concentrations over the Great Lakes–St. Lawrence river region. Two experiments using the inverse algorithm are carried out. In the first experiment, the coupled atmospheric transport and soil–air exchange model is implemented to predict γ-HCH air and soil concentrations. Emissions are then updated every 12 days using the updated soil concentrations and emission factors. However, the updated emissions are not input into the coupled atmospheric transport and soil–air exchange model. On the other hand, in the second experiment the updated emissions are fed back to the coupled model, so that the model is reinitialized in each 12 days. The results from the inverse technique for the year 1995 have been compared with grided γ-HCH emission inventory in Canada, generated by emission factors. It is shown that the estimated emissions of γ-HCH are consistent with the measured emissions. It is found that the St. Lawrence valley has larger emissions of γ-HCH than the Great Lakes region, indicating an opposite distribution to the emission usage inventory, but in agreement with the measured γ-HCH concentration.

Total Gaseous Mercury (TGM) data (n = 5125) measured from September 9 to November 30, 1994 in Southern Quebec with an automatic TGM analyser (Tekran®) are used to study the behaviour of TGM with ozone and the water vapour mixing ratio. Results show, as a whole, no straight-forward correlation between TGM and ozone concentrations. A significant correlation between TGM and water vapour mixing ratio was measured. Some back reduction of Hg(II) to Hgo in the aqueous phase and subsequent evaporation of Hg0 according to Henry's Law is expected. The latter correlation seems to be partly ozone dependent since under ‘clean conditions’ (ozone > 30 ppbv) the slope of TGM vs the water vapour mixing ratio is twice that during ‘polluted conditions’ (ozone > 30 ppbv) which suggests some compensation effects under polluted conditions (counteracting the back-reduction of Hg(II) to Hgo in the aqueous phase). Oxidation of TGM by ozone during high moisture conditions (water vapour mixing ratio ∼14g/kg) seems to appear at the threshold ozone concentration ⩾ 30 ppbv.

A fugacity-based model to explain the partitioning of contaminants in the environment is evaluated. Using emission inventories, air and water concentrations predicted by the model for the southwestern Quebec region generally agree with field data for phenanthrene, α-HCH, lindane, and DDT. For pyrene, air concentrations are in agreement but water concentrations were in error by a factor of nearly 20. There is also a possibility for using the model to predict emissions from known air and water concentrations. The model was run over 120 times each for phenanthrene, HCB, and lindane while randomly varying the input parameters each time. A Principal Components Analysis and a partial correlation analysis indicate that certain input parameters are more important for some compounds than for others and that log Kow is the physical-chemical property of greatest importance.