More than 2 y have passed since the BP-Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, yet we still have little understanding of its ecological impacts. Examining effects of this oil spill will generate much-needed insight into how shoreline habitats and the valuable ecological services they provide (e.g., shoreline protection) are affected by and recover from large-scale disturbance. Here we report on not only rapid salt-marsh recovery (high resilience) but also permanent marsh area loss after the BP-Deepwater Horizon oil spill. Field observations, experimental manipulations, and wave-propagation modeling reveal that (i) oil coverage was primarily concentrated on the seaward edge of marshes; (ii) there were thresholds of oil coverage that were associated with severity of salt-marsh damage, with heavy oiling leading to plant mortality; (iii) oil-driven plant death on the edges of these marshes more than doubled rates of shoreline erosion, further driving marsh platform loss that is likely to be permanent; and (iv) after 18 mo, marsh grasses have largely recovered into previously oiled, noneroded areas, and the elevated shoreline retreat rates observed at oiled sites have decreased to levels at reference marsh sites. This paper highlights that heavy oil coverage on the shorelines of Louisiana marshes, already experiencing elevated retreat because of intense human activities, induced a geomorphic feedback that amplified this erosion and thereby set limits to the recovery of otherwise resilient vegetation. It thus warns of the enhanced vulnerability of already degraded marshes to heavy oil coverage and provides a clear example of how multiple human-induced stressors can interact to hasten ecosystem decline.geomorphology | multiple stressor | wetland | human impacts

Although the major influence of black carbon (BC) on soil and sediment organic contaminant sorption is widely accepted, an understanding of the mechanisms and natural variation in pyrogenic carbon interaction with natural organic matter (NOM) is lacking. The sorption of a phenolic NOM monomer (catechol) and humic acids (HA) onto BC was examined using biochars made from oak, pine, and grass at 250, 400, and 650 degrees C. Catechol sorption equilibrium occurred after 14 d and was described by a diffusion kinetic model, while HA required only 1 d and followed pseudo-second-order kinetics. Catechol sorption capacity increased with increasing biochar combustion temperature, from pine < oak < grass and from coarse < fine particle size. At lower catechol concentrations, sorption affinity (Freundlich constant, K(f)) was directly related to micropore surface area (measured via CO(2) sorptometry) indicating the predominance of specific adsorption. In contrast, HA exhibited an order of magnitude less sorption (0.1% versus 1%, by weight) due to its exclusion from micropores. Greater sorption of both catechol and HA occurred on biochars with nanopores, i.e. biochars made at higher temperatures. These findings suggest that addition of BC to soil, via natural fires or biochar amendments, will sequester abundant native OM through sorption.

The Deepwater Horizon oil spill led to the severe contamination of coastal environments in the Gulf of Mexico. A previous study detailed coastal saltmarsh erosion and recovery in a number of oil-impacted and nonimpacted reference sites in Barataria Bay, Louisiana over the first 18 months after the spill. Concentrations of alkanes and polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) at oil-impacted sites significantly decreased over this time period. Here, a combination of DNA, lipid, and isotopic approaches confirm that microbial biodegradation was contributing to the observed petroleum mass loss. Natural abundance (14)C analysis of microbial phospholipid fatty acids (PLFA) reveals that petroleum-derived carbon was a primary carbon source for microbial communities at impacted sites several months following oil intrusion when the highest concentrations of oil were present. Also at this time, microbial community analysis suggests that community structure of all three domains has shifted with the intrusion of oil. These results suggest that Gulf of Mexico marsh sediments have considerable biodegradation potential and that natural attenuation is playing a role in impacted sites.

Nile tilapia and Nile perch samples from Lake Victoria were analyzed for lindane (gamma-1,2,3,4,5,6-hexachlorocyclohexane), aldrin (1,2,3,4,10,10-hexachloro-1,4,4a,5,8,8a-hexahydro-1,4:5,8-dimethanonaphthalene), alpha-endosulfan (6,7,8,9,10,10-hexachloro-1,5,5a,6,9,9a-hexahydro-6,9-methano-2,4,3- benzo(e) dioxathiepin-3-oxide), dieldrin (1,2,3,4,10,10-hexachloro-6,7-epoxy-1,4,4a,5,6,7,8,8a-octahydro-1,4,5,8-dimethanonaphthalene), DDE (p,p'-1,1-dichloro-2,2-bis-(4-chlorophenyl)ethylene), and DDT (p,p'-1,1,1-trichloro-2,2-bis-(4-chlorophenyl)ethane). No significant difference (alpha = 0.05) in the residue levels between fish types for lindane, alpha-endosulfan, p,p'-DDE, p,p'-DDT, and dieldrin was observed. The aldrin levels in Nile perch (Lates niloticus) were significantly higher than the levels in Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus). No difference was observed in the distribution of residues in the different parts of Nile tilapia, although a difference for p,p'-DDE was observed in the Nile perch. No significant difference was observed in the average fat content of the tissue of Nile perch and Nile tilapia; however, the distribution of fat was significantly different in the different parts of the fish, with the abdominal portion having the highest amount of fat. There was no correlation observed in this study between fat content and organochlorine concentration. Lower p,p'-DDT residues levels compared with the p,p'-DDE levels observed in this study indicate that DDT is no longer in use. The levels of organochlorine pesticide residues found in fish samples in this study were below the FAO, U.S. FDA, Australian, and German extraneous residue limits and maximum residue limits. The concentration of organochlorine residues in surface water within the Napoleon Gulf of Lake Victoria was below detection limit (0.1 microg L(-1)).

Soil organic carbon (OC) content is often estimated by determining organic matter (OM) content via mass loss on ignition (LOI) and assuming that there are 580 g OC kg−1 OM. We utilized thermogravimetry (TG), oven‐determined mass LOI, and the Walkley‐Black (WB) wet oxidation method to evaluate the relationship between OC and OM contents of carbonatic and organic soils from Florida and Puerto Rico and Spodosols from Florida. These soils have contrasting components and formed under different ecological settings. The OC content of OM, based on TG‐determined OM mass LOI (TG OM) and WB OC, was higher for Histosols and Spodosols than for carbonatic soils. Regression coefficients between WB OC and TG OM were high for all soils. The factor to convert OM to OC, based on TG OM and WB OC, was 0.56 ± 0.04 (±0.04 is the 95% confidence interval) (R2 = 0.93) for carbonatic soils, 0.67 ± 0.06 (R2 = 0.94) for Spodosols, and 0.69 ± 0.04 (R2 = 0.99) for Histosols. Results show that accuracy in estimating OC from OM content may be improved if the conversion equation is developed from soils within limited compositional and/or biogeochemical ranges. As such, there is no universal conversion factor between OM and OC for all soils. Loss on ignition is not a reliable OM measure if there are mass losses below 200°C that are mistakenly attributed to OM combustion, as in the case of reversible dehydration for Histosols of this study. However, TG enables detection of and accounting for such mass losses. Isothermal TG also confirmed that reversible mass loss between 105 and 200°C was energy—rather than time dependent.

• High concentrations of PCBs were found at locations near Jinja Municipality.• The PCB and HCH levels were low to moderate compared to other locations worldwide.• The fish from the Napoleon Gulf was fit for consumption in regard to PCBs and HCHs.• The ratios of α-/γ-HCH were low suggesting past input of lindane. a b s t r a c t a r t i c l e i n f o Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and hexachlorocyclohexanes (HCHs) were analyzed in surface sediments (b30 cm depth) and two fish species: Nile perch (Lates niloticus) and Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus). The samples were collected from the Napoleon Gulf on the northern shore of Lake Victoria. The analysis was done using a gas chromatograph (GC) coupled to a high resolution mass spectrometer for PCBs and a GC equipped with an electron capture detector for HCHs. Total (Σ) PCBs in the muscles of fish varied widely with mean values ranging from 41 to 670 pg g −1 lipid weight (lw). The PCB levels in L. niloticus were significantly greater than those in O. niloticus. The large variability observed in the data was attributed to differences in feeding habits and trophic levels. While O. niloticus is a filter-eating fish species feeding mainly on phytoplankton and zooplankton, L. niloticus have predatory feeding behaviors and prefer a diet of live fish and, therefore, are more prone to bioaccumulate contaminants. The mean PCB concentrations in the sediments varied from 362 to 848 pg g −1 dry weight. Variations in PCB levels were observed from one study site to another, this was attributed to the nature and particle size of the sediments. HCH isomers were detected in fish at mean concentrations of up to 45,900 pg g −1 lw. The PCB and HCH concentrations were lower than those from previous studies elsewhere in literature and were below the maximum residue limits set by the European Commission and FAO/WHO Codex Alimentarius Commission, implying that the fish was fit for human consumption.

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