Using a Sediment Quality Triad Approach to Evaluate Benthic Toxicity in the Lower Hackensack River, New Jersey

Abstract

A Sediment Quality Triad (SQT) study consisting of chemical characterization in sediment, sediment toxicity and bioaccumulation testing, and benthic community assessments was performed in the Lower Hackensack River, New Jersey. Chemistry data in sediment and porewater were evaluated based on the equilibrium partitioning approach and other published information to investigate the potential for chemical effects on benthic organisms and communities. Relationships were supported by laboratory toxicity and bioaccumulation experiments to characterize chemical effects and bioavailability. Benthic community results were evaluated using a regional, multimetric benthic index of biotic integrity and four heterogeneity indices. Evidence of slight benthic community impairment was observed in five of nine sediment sample stations. Severe lethal toxicity to amphipods (Leptocheirus plumulosus) occurred in four of these five stations. Although elevated total chromium concentrations in sediment (as high as 1900 mg/kg) were the rationale for conducting the investigation, toxicity was strongly associated with concentrations of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) rather than total chromium. PAH toxic units (SigmaPAH TU) in sediment and SigmaPAH concentrations in laboratory organisms from the bioaccumulation experiment showed a clear dose-response relationship with toxicity, with 0% survival observed in sediments in which SigmaPAH TU > 1-2 and SigmaPAH concentrations in Macoma nasuta were >2 micromol/g, lipid weight. Metals detected in sediment and porewater, with the possible exception of copper, did not correlate with either toxicity or levels in tissue, likely because acid-volatile sulfide levels exceeded concentrations of simultaneous extracted metals at all sample locations. The study reinforces the value of using multiple lines of evidence approaches such as the SQT and the importance of augmenting chemical and biological analyses with modeling and/or other approaches to evaluate chemical bioavailability and toxicity of sediments.

Dam-associated multiple-stressor impacts on fungal biomass and richness reveal the initial signs of ecosystem functioning impairment

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Scale-dependency of macroinvertebrate communities: Responses to contaminated sediments within run-of-river dams

“…Thus, triadic studies that combine chemical, ecotoxicological and ecological approaches to evaluate sediment toxicity appear to be more appropriate tools, while still neglecting ecosystem functioning (Long and Chapman, 1985;Borgmann et al, 2001;Sorensen et al, 2007). Despite these challenges associated with sediment biomonitoring, storages, which are principally concerned by this topic, are rarely studied, partly because they are not considered within legal texts.…”

Chronic toxicity of contaminated sediments on reproduction and histopathology of the crustacean Gammarus fossarum and relationship with the chemical contamination and in vitro effects

“…Despite ongoing efforts of governments and local authorities to improve water quality, many ecosystems remain polluted, and sediments, in particular, serve as sinks and sources of various types of contaminants (Wirth et al 1998;Sørensen et al 2007). Sediment quality criteria (SQC) have been suggested for priority contaminants (such as heavy metals, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), or chlorinated persistent compounds), but other compounds are still neglected in SQC.…”

“…For example, the TRIAD approach (chemical analyses of known compounds, whole sediment toxicity testing, and evaluation of benthic biodiversity) has been discussed and widely used for sediment evaluation (Chapman and Hollert 2006;Sørensen et al 2007). Ecotoxicological studies with in vivo models play a key role in the assessment of whole sediment toxicity, and several model organisms have been used to assess the effects of different types of sediment contaminants (De Lange et al 2005;Scarlett et al 2007).…”