Urban stormwater inputs to an adapted coastal wetland : role in water treatment and impacts on wetland biota

The Lake Pertobe wetland system is a semi-natural wetland that has been modified primarily for recreational use. However, this lake system receives stormwater from much of the central business district of Warrnambool City (Victoria, Australia) and serves as a buffer zone between the stormwater system and the Merri River and Merri Marine Sanctuary. This work considers the impact of stormwater inputs on Lake Pertobe and the effectiveness of the lake in protecting the associated marine sanctuary. Sediment contaminants (including heavy metals and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs)) and water quality parameters within the lake, groundwater and stormwater system were measured. Water quality parameters were highly variable between stormwater drains and rain events. Suspended solids rapidly settled along open drains and shortly after entering the lake. Groundwater inputs increased both salinity and dissolved nitrogen in some stormwater drains. Some evidence of bioaccumulation of metals in the food chain was identified and sediment concentrations of several PAHs were very high. The lake acted as a sink for PAHs and some metals and reductions in Escherichia coli, biological oxygen demand and total phosphorus were observed, affording some protection to the associated marine sanctuary. Nutrient retention was inadequate overall and it was identified that managing the lake primarily as a recreational facility impacted on the effectiveness of stormwater treatment in the system.

Geoprocessing applied to the assessment of environmental noise: a case study in the city of Sorocaba, São Paulo, Brazil

Noise mapping has been used as an instrument for assessment of environmental noise, helping to support decision making on urban planning. In Brazil, urban noise is not yet recognized as a major environmental problem by the government. Besides, cities that have databases to drive acoustic simulations, making use of advanced noise mapping systems, are rare. This study sought an alternative method of noise mapping through the use of geoprocessing, which is feasible for the Brazilian reality and for other developing countries. The area chosen for the study was the central zone of the city of Sorocaba, located in So Paulo State, Brazil. The proposed method was effective in the spatial evaluation of equivalent sound pressure level. The results showed an urban area with high noise levels that exceed the legal standard, posing a threat to the welfare of the population.

The application of biochemical responses to assess environmental quality of tropical estuaries: field surveys

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Hemocitical responses to environmental stress in invertebrates: a review

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Environmental solutions of recovery of Amazonian forest mining operations

In order for the projects of recovery of degraded areas to be successful, it is necessary to have a perfect recovery of the soil where the revegetation will be implanted as an initial action in the recovery of the whole process. The use of native forest species fully adapted to these types of terrain is another aspect of great importance, once the non-selection of these species, even if abundant in the surrounding areas, as it is in our case, implies great mortality of individuals during the planting and their low fixation during the process. The establishment of a monitoring program that contemplates the advancements obtained in the soil, the vegetation and the return of wild animals also collaborate in the evaluation of the success of the process. And, finally, the effective participation of the mining company, accepting and applying the techniques tested and indicated by research, even if, initially, the return time is longer than expected, also guarantees the success of the process. The mining company not only implemented a partnership with important universities in Brazil to obtain solutions for the environmental problems but also applied the developed techniques and the monitoring program. In the present work, we have attempted to summarize important aspects to evaluate the advancements in the rehabilitation plan for those areas, being here presented some results of the monitoring of areas under different levels of recovery, in accordance with the techniques adopted. Biological parameters of the soil were used to verify the efficiency of these different techniques in the recovery process. This work is part of the monitoring program of areas in rehabilitation by the mining company, implemented as of 1999 and in partnership with universities. The microbial activity was determined through the quantification of the carbon and nitrogen microbial biomass (BMC and BMN) and the activity of the dehydrogenase evaluated in the mining floor and tailing areas in different levels of soil preparation and planting of native species. The analysis of the parameters studied revealed that the preparation of the soil, following the three years proposed by the methodology, was important for the success in establishing the rehabilitation process. Some of the areas analyzed already show some parameters with values close or superior to those found in the capoeira (secondary forest), the latter being the non-treated area. © 2010 WIT Press.

Detection of Paracoccidioides spp. in environmental aerosol samples

Taking into account that paracoccidioidomycosis infection occurs by inhalation of the asexual conidia produced by Paracoccidioides spp. in its saprobic phase, this work presents the collection of aerosol samples as an option for environmental detection of this pathogen, by positioning a cyclonic air sampler at the entrance of armadillo burrows. Methods included direct culture, extinction technique culture and Nested PCR of the rRNA coding sequence, comprising the ITS1-5.8S-ITS2 region. In addition, we evaluated one armadillo (Dasypus novemcinctus) as a positive control for the studied area. Although the pathogen could not be isolated by the culturing strategies, the aerosol sampling associated with molecular detection through Nested PCR proved the best method for discovering Paracoccidioides spp. in the environment. Most of the ITS sequences obtained in this investigation proved to be highly similar with the homologous sequences of Paracoccidioides lutzii from the GenBank database, suggesting that this Paracoccidioides species may not be exclusive to mid-western Brazil as proposed so far. © 2013 ISHAM.

Toxicogenetic monitoring in urban cities exposed to different airborne contaminants

Microparticles found in the air may be associated with organic matter that contains several compounds, such as Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) and nitro-PAHs, and may pose a significant risk to human health, possibly leading to DNA mutations and cancers. This study associated genotoxicity assays for evaluating human exposure with the atmospheric air of two urban areas in southern Brazil, that received different atmospheric contributions. Site 1 was under urban-industrial influence and the other was a non-industrial reference, Site 2. Organic extracts from the airborne particulate matter were tested for mutagenicity via the Salmonella/microsome assay and analyzed for PAH composition. Cells samples of people residing in these two cities were evaluated using the comet and micronucleus assay (MN).Concentrations of the individual PAHs ranged from 0.01ng/m3 (benzo[a]anthracene) to 5.08ng/m3 (benzo[ghi]perylene). As to mutagenicity analysis of airborne, Site 1 presented all the mutagenic responses, which varied from 3.2±1.22rev/m3 (TA98 no S9) to 32.6±2.05rev/m3 (TA98, S9), while Site 2 ranged from negative to minimal responses. Site 1 presented a high quantity of nitro and amino derivatives of PAHs, and peaked at 56.0±3.68rev/μg (YG1024 strain). The two groups presented very low DNA damage levels without intergroup difference. Although Site 1 presented high mutagenic responses in the air samples, high PAH levels, healthy people exposed to this environment did not show significative damage in their genetic material. However, the evaluation of different environmental and genetic damage in such population is necessary to monitor possible damages. © 2013 Elsevier Inc.

Habitat monitoring and genotoxicity in Ucides cordatus (Crustacea: Ucididae), as tools to manage a mangrove reserve in southeastern Brazil

In Brazil, the state of São Paulo contains both preserved areas (Juréia-Itatins Ecological Station) and extremely impacted ones (Cubatão Municipality). This study evaluated the concentrations of five metals (Cu, Cd, Cr, Pb, and Hg) in two mangroves with different levels of anthropogenic impact and the apparent genotoxicity to Ucides cordatus. Water and sediment samples were obtained, and metal concentrations were determined with an atomic absorption spectrophotometer. The genotoxic impact was quantified based on the number of micronucleated cells per 1,000 analyzed (MN‰), using hemolymph slides stained with Giemsa. Metal concentrations in water were below the detection limit, except for lead, although no significant difference was observed between the areas (P > 0.05). Sediment from Cubatão had higher concentrations of Cd, Pb, Cr, and Cu than sediment from Juréia-Itatins (P < 0.05), but no significant differences in metal concentrations were detected among depth strata of the sediment (P > 0.05). Crabs from Cubatão had a 2.6 times higher mean frequency of micronucleated cells (5.2 ± 1.8 MN‰) than those from Juréia-Itatins (2.0 ± 1.0 MN‰; P < 0.0001). The more-polluted conditions found in the mangrove sediments of Cubatão were reflected in the micronucleus assay, demonstrating their genotoxic effect; however, genetic damage should be attributed to a synergistic effect with other kinds of pollutants previously recorded in different environments of Cubatão. U. cordatus proved to be an excellent bioindicator of mangrove pollution. This study established, for the first time, the normal frequency of MN‰ in a population of this species within an ecological station. © 2013 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht.

Predicting biological parameters of estuarine benthic communities using models based on environmental data

Este trabalho objetivou predizer parâmetros da estrutura de associações macrobentônicas (composição específica, abundância, riqueza, diversidade e equitatividade) em estuários do Sul do Brasil, utilizando modelos baseados em dados ambientais (características dos sedimentos, salinidade, temperaturas do ar e da água, e profundidade). As amostragens foram realizadas sazonalmente em cinco estuários entre o inverno de 1996 e o verão de 1998. Em cada estuário as amostras foram coletadas em áreas não poluídas, com características semelhantes quanto a presença ou ausência de vegetação, profundidade e distância da desenbocadura. Para a obtenção dos modelos de predição, foram utilizados dois métodos: o primeiro baseado em Análise Discriminante Múltipla (ADM) e o segundo em Regressão Linear Múltipla (RLM). Os modelos baseados em ADM apresentaram resultados melhores do que os baseados em regressão linear. Os melhores resultados usando RLM foram obtidos para diversidade e riqueza. É possível então, concluir que modelos como aqui derivados podem representar ferramentas muito úteis em estudos de monitoramento ambiental em estuários.

Environmental sensitivity index (ESI) mapping of oil spill in the amazon coastal zone: the PIATAM Mar project

A importância do monitoramento ambiental é medida pelos vários casos de derramamentos de óleo ocorridos no mundo durante as últimas três décadas. Isto tem incentivado as empresas e órgãos do governo envolvidos na prevenção e combate a estes acidentes a aperfeiçoarem cada vez mais os métodos, tanto preventivos como corretivos, para a minimização dos danos gerados por acidentes com derramamento de óleo. Este trabalho objetiva contextualizar de forma histórica como os acidentes com derramamento de óleo propiciaram o desenvolvimento de pesquisa tecnológica a partir de parcerias entre empresas de petróleo, agências de governo, universidades e institutos de pesquisa no Brasil, em especial na zona costeira Amazônica. Como resultado, índices de sensibilidade ambiental ao derramamento de óleo (ISA) foram definidos especialmente para a Amazônia costeira, onde processos fluviais e marinhos se encontram na foz do maior rio do mundo, o rio Amazonas. Perspectivas de pesquisa e respostas de emergência a acidentes são apresentadas, a fim de se conservar a diversidade socioambiental da mais importante região tropical do planeta.

Monitoring of hydrogen sulfide via substrate-integrated hollow waveguide mid-infrared sensors in real-time

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Analysis of the environmental impact on a stream: is only tannery to blame?

The contribution of wastewater from a tannery industry to the pollution of a stream was investigated. The main parameters studied were biochemical oxygen demand, chemical oxygen demand, chromium, dissolved oxygen, fecal and total conforms, nitrogen, oils and greases, pH, phosphorous, sulfides, suspended solids, turbidity, and volatile solids. Three sampling points were located: (I) at the discharge point of tannery wastewater, (2) 50 m upstream, and (3) 80 m downstream of discharge point. Also was investigated the pollution at the stream source.

Monitoring pollution in river Mure , Romania, Part III: biochemical effect markers in fish and integrative reflection

Along a downstream stretch of River Mure , Romania, adult males of two feral fish species, European chub (Leuciscus cephalus) and sneep (Chondrostoma nasus) were sampled at four sites with different levels of contamination. Fish were analysed for the biochemical markers hsp70 (in liver and gills) and hepatic EROD activity, as well as several biometrical parameters (age, length, wet weight, condition factor). None of the biochemical markers correlated with any biometrical parameter, thus biomarker reactions were related to site-specific criteria. While the hepatic hsp70 level did not differ among the sites, significant elevation of the hsp70 level in the gills revealed proteotoxic damage in chub at the most upstream site, where we recorded the highest heavy metal contamination of the investigated stretch, and in both chub and sneep at the site right downstream of the city of Arad. In both species, significantly elevated hepatic EROD activity downstream of Arad indicated that fish from these sites are also exposed to organic chemicals. The results were indicative of impaired fish health at least at three of the four investigated sites. The approach to relate biomarker responses to analytical data on pollution was shown to fit well the recent EU demands on further enhanced efforts in the monitoring of Romanian water quality.

Future water quality monitoring--adapting tools to deal with mixtures of pollutants in water resource management.

Environmental quality monitoring of water resources is challenged with providing the basis for safeguarding the environment against adverse biological effects of anthropogenic chemical contamination from diffuse and point sources. While current regulatory efforts focus on monitoring and assessing a few legacy chemicals, many more anthropogenic chemicals can be detected simultaneously in our aquatic resources. However, exposure to chemical mixtures does not necessarily translate into adverse biological effects nor clearly shows whether mitigation measures are needed. Thus, the question which mixtures are present and which have associated combined effects becomes central for defining adequate monitoring and assessment strategies. Here we describe the vision of the international, EU-funded project SOLUTIONS, where three routes are explored to link the occurrence of chemical mixtures at specific sites to the assessment of adverse biological combination effects. First of all, multi-residue target and non-target screening techniques covering a broader range of anticipated chemicals co-occurring in the environment are being developed. By improving sensitivity and detection limits for known bioactive compounds of concern, new analytical chemistry data for multiple components can be obtained and used to characterise priority mixtures. This information on chemical occurrence will be used to predict mixture toxicity and to derive combined effect estimates suitable for advancing environmental quality standards. Secondly, bioanalytical tools will be explored to provide aggregate bioactivity measures integrating all components that produce common (adverse) outcomes even for mixtures of varying compositions. The ambition is to provide comprehensive arrays of effect-based tools and trait-based field observations that link multiple chemical exposures to various environmental protection goals more directly and to provide improved in situ observations for impact assessment of mixtures. Thirdly, effect-directed analysis (EDA) will be applied to identify major drivers of mixture toxicity. Refinements of EDA include the use of statistical approaches with monitoring information for guidance of experimental EDA studies. These three approaches will be explored using case studies at the Danube and Rhine river basins as well as rivers of the Iberian Peninsula. The synthesis of findings will be organised to provide guidance for future solution-oriented environmental monitoring and explore more systematic ways to assess mixture exposures and combination effects in future water quality monitoring.

Long-term environmental time series of continuously collected data in hydroelectric reservoirs in Brazil

Long-term environmental time series of continuously collected data are fundamental to identify and classify pulses and determine their role in aquatic systems. This paper presents a web based archive for limnological and meteorological data collected by integrated system for environmental monitoring (SIMA). The environmental parameters that are measured by SIMA are: chlorophyll-a (µg/L), water surface temperature (ºC), water column temperature by a thermistor string (ºC), turbidity (NTU), pH, dissolved oxygen concentration (mg/L), electric conductivity (µS/cm), wind speed (m/s) and direction (º), relative humidity (%), short wave radiation (W/m**2), barometric pressure (hPa). The data are collected in preprogrammed time interval (1 hour) and are transmitted by satellite in quasi-real time for any user in a range of 2500 km from the acquisition point. So far 11 hydroelectric reservoirs being monitored using the SIMA buoy. A basic statistics (mean and standard deviation) for some parameters and an example of time series were displayed. The main observed problem are divided into sensors and satellite. The sensors problems is due to the environmental characteristics of each water body. In acid waters the sensors of water quality rapidly degrade, and the collected data are invalid. Another problem is the infestation of periphyton in the sensor. SIMA buoy makes the parameters readings every hour, or 24 readings per day. However, not always received all readings because the system requires satellites passing over the buoy antenna to complete the transfer and due to the satellite constellation position, some locations inland are not met as often as necessary to complete all transmissions. This is the more often causes for lack in the time series.