Sustainability Commons^™

Changes In Reproductive Morphology And Physiology Observed In The Amphipod Crustacean, Melita Nitida Smith, Maintained In The Laboratory On Polluted Estuarine Sediments, John T. Tanacredi Ph.D., B. Borowsky, P. Aitken-Ander

Faculty Works: CERCOM

An earlier study showed that the amphipod crustacean Melita nitida Smith maintained on sediments dosed with waste crankcase oil developed physiological and morphological abnormalities. Most notably, mature females developed abnormal setae along the edges of their brood plates. The present study was conducted to determine whether similar abnormalities might be induced in animals maintained on polluted field sediments containing petroleum by-products among other toxic substances. In the laboratory, heterosexual pairs were maintained on three sediments taken from Jamaica Bay (New York) plus one control sediment and one toxic substratum (Ulva lactuca (L.) thalli). The results mirrored the results of …

Rare And Endangered Plants At Gateway National Recreation Area: A Case For Protection Of Urban Natural Areas, Richard Stalter, Michael D. Byer, John T. Tanacredi Ph.D.

Faculty Works: CERCOM

The diversity of native plant species in urban environments is usually overlooked when biodiversity levels are considered. Inventories of native plants reveal many to be rare species surviving the harsh conditions encountered in urban ecosystems. Knowledge of their existence and an inventory of their distribution will assist in maintaining these populations. Protection strategies for rare plant species are outlined for urban National Parks.

Liver Lesions In Winter Flounder (Pseudopleuronectes Americanus) From Jamaica Bay, New York: Indications Of Environmental Degradation, Thomas P. Augspurger, Roger L. Herman, Jeff S. Hatfield, John T. Tanacredi Ph.D.

Faculty Works: CERCOM

Liver sections of winter flounder (Pseudopleuronectes americanus) collected from Jamaica Bay and Shinnecock Bay, New York, in 1989, were examined microscopically to determine the pervasiveness of liver lesions observed previously in Jamaica Bay winter flounder. Neoplastic lesions were not detected in fish from Jamaica Bay or the Shinnecock Bay reference site. Twenty-two percent of Jamaica Bay winter flounder examined (n=103) had unusual vacuolization of hepatocytes and biliary pre-ductal and ductal cells (referred to hereafter as the vacuolated cell lesion). The lesion, identical to that found in 25% of Jamaica Bay winter flounder examined in 1988, has previously been …

Variability In Growth And Age Structure Among Populations Of Ribbed Mussels, Geukensia Demissa (Dillwyn) (Bivalvia: Mytilidae), In Jamacia Bay, New York (Gateway Nra), David R. Franz, John Tanacredi Ph.D.

Faculty Works: CERCOM

Growth rates, body weight, density and biomass of ribbed mussels, Geukensia demissa (Dillwyn), were determined at Spartina alterniflora marsh-flat sites in Jamaica Bay, New York (Lower Hudson Estuary). Cumulative growth and annual growth increments varied but rates were lower at sites within the central bay relative to peripheral sites. Local variability both in size at Ring-1 and size-specific annual growth rates probably account for the variability in cumulative length. No pattersn were noted in frequency distributions of shell size but congruence in age structure was observed among neighboring sites in some areas of the bay. Mussel densities were greater within …

Rotating Biological Contractors As An Effective Removal System Of Waste Petroleum Hydrocarbons From Untreated Wastewaters, John Tanacredi Ph.D., R. C. Cardenas

Faculty Works: CERCOM

A staged, partially submerged rotating biological disk system was assessed to determine its performance in the reduction of detectable concentrations of polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH0 attributable to waste crankcase oils (WCCO) in wastewater effluent. Results indicate that such biological systems for the removal of WCCO aromatic hydrocarbons may be a viable alternative to secondary treatment systems commonly being employed.

Characterization Of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (Pahs) By The Kinetics Of Depuration In Bivalve Molluscs, Mercenaria Mercenaria, C Sato, H Kim, John T. Tanacredi Ph.D.

Faculty Works: CERCOM

The objectives of this study were to examine depuration aspects of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in a hard-shell clam Mercenaria mercenaria, and to characterize PAHs by the depuration kinetics. In this investigation, clams were exposed to artificial sea water containing a mixture of eight PAHs (i.e., naphthalene, fluorene, phenanthrene, flouranthene, pyrene, benz[a]anthracene, chrysene, benzo[a]pyrene) for 48 hours. The clams were then transferred into clean (PAH-free) artificial seawater for release, and sampled at predetermined intervals. The target PAHs were extracted from the clam tissue and quantified by a gas chromatograph equipped with a capillary glass column and FID.

The results …

Biodepuration Of Polynuclear Aromatic Hydrocarbons From A Bivalve Mollusk, Mercenaria Mercenaria L, John T. Tanacredi Ph.D., Raul R. Cardenas

Faculty Works: CERCOM

Mercenaria mercenaria, exposed in vitro for 48 h to nine parent polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) found in waste crankcase oil (WCCO) and analysed by multiparametric analysis over a 45- day depuration period in an activated carbon filtration aquaria system, did not depurate PAHs, but rather maintained them at detectable levels. Uptake of PAHs was shown to be directly related to clam weight. A cluster analysis of empirical results reaffirmed a biostabilization in PAH groupings in clam tissue over a 45-day depuration period and exhibited no evidence of a decreasing trend in total PAHs when subjected to ANOVA. Due to the …

Naphthalenes Associated With Treated Wastewater Effluents In An Urban National Wildlife Refuge, John T. Tanacredi Ph.D.

Faculty Works: CERCOM

Our coastal enviornments have become the invariable recipient of petroleum and petroleum wastes. Demands for petroleum products coupled with a lack of economic incentive to recycle waste oil, will increase the probability of greater concentrations of petroleum derived hyrdrocarbons entering our estuaries (CEQ Report, 1983).

Tidal Flat Ecology: An Experimental Approach To Species Interactions By K. Riess, John T. Tanacredi Ph.D.

Faculty Works: CERCOM

A periodic pause to intensely observe a singularly unique ecosystem sharpens one's awareness of this diverse world of ours, especially, as the author notes, if one observes a transitional ecosystem whose ecological treasures are hidden or maybe obscured by a tidal sediment's resemblance to a large, rotten cheese! "It smells, is slimy and sticky, is punched with holes and crowded with various worms." Sounds good to me! Reise's "pause" encompasses 10 years in which he investigated the Wadden Sea mudflats near the border between West Germany and Denmark. He uses this site to discuss the biotic and abiotic interactions within …

Characterization Of The Aquatic Environment In Lake Mead Near The Proposed Spring Canyon Pumped-Storage Project, And Assessment Of Potential Aquatic Impacts, Charles R. Liston, Stephen J. Grabowski, Bureau Of Reclamation

Publications (WR)

A pumped storage system consists of an upper reservoir and lower reservoir separated by an elevation difference. During low demand energy periods such as nights and weekends water is pumped from the lower to the upper reservoir using available energy from conventional steam electric power plants. During high energy demand periods, such as mornings and afternoons of weekdays, upper reservoir water is allowed to drop back down through the same system of water conduits and turbines, generating electricity to conveniently meet abrupt electrical energy requirements. The same water turbines thus act both as pumps and as conventional hydroelectric turbines.

Because …

Limnological Monitoring Data For Lake Mead During 1987: Technical Report No. 20, Larry J. Paulson

Publications (WR)

Limnological monitoring was conducted in Las Vegas Bay and Boulder Basin from April to December of 1987. The purpose of the monitoring was to (i) document possible changes in water quality resulting from decreased phosphorus loading in Las Vegas Wash, and (ii) establish a data base for evaluating the adequacy of water quality standards.

Changes In The Morphometry Of Las Vegas Wash And The Impact On Water Quality, Richard A. Roline, James J. Sartoris, U.S. Bureau Of Reclamation

Publications (WR)

Las Vegas Wash, a natural wash east of Las Vegas, Nevada, carries stormwater, groundwater drainage, and sewage effluent from two sewage treatment plants to Lake Mead. Over 80 percent of the normal discharge of approximately 3.4 m³/s (120 ft³/s) consists of effluent from the City of Las Vegas and Clark County sewage treatment plants. Beginning in the 1950s, a large wetland area developed along the wash that supported waterfowl populations and contributed to some water quality transformations. Heavy rains and subsequent flooding in the area in 1983 and 1984 resulted in erosion and channelization that greatly …

Seasonal And Spatial Heterogeneity In The Limnetic Zooplankton Community Of Lake Mead, Gene Robert Wilde

Publications (WR)

Zooplankton samples collected from throughout Lake Mead, in 1981-1982, demonstrate the presence of a statistically significant seasonal and spatial heterogeneity in zooplankton densities. Seasonally, the major zooplankton groups were most abundant in the spring and fall, coincident with maxima in chlorophyll-a concentrations. Successions among the various rotifers, cladocerans and copepods present in the reservoir were influenced by food availability, diapause, predation by planktivorous fish and, possibly, water temperatures.

Spatial heterogeneity in zooplankton densities was unrelated to water temperature, pH, conductivity and dissolved oxygen concentrations, but was related to the abundance of phytoplankton (chlorophyll-a concentrations) and fish. Statistical analyses indicate that …

The Role Of Nannoplankton In The Phytoplankton Dynamics Of Four Colorado River Reservoirs (Lakes Powell, Mead, Mohave, And Havasu), Jeffrey John Janik

Publications (WR)

Phytoplankton species composition and community size structure were studied in four warm-monomictic Colorado River reservoirs; lakes Powell, Mead, Mohave, and Havasu from March 1981 to February 1982. Sampling was done at approximately monthly intervals from several stations in each reservoir. The Utermohl technique was used to enumerate phytoplankton. The phytoplankton assemblage was divided into the following six size classes using microscopic techniques; netplankton (>64 um), and nannoplankton (>5, 5-11, 12-21, 22-44, and 45-64 um).

Total phytoplankton biomass and community size structure were different among these four reservoirs with considerable spatial and temporal variation present. Average reservoir-wide areal weighted …

The Influence Of Lake Powell On The Suspended Sediment-Phosphorus Dynamics Of The Colorado River Inflow To Lake Mead, T. D. Evans, Larry J. Paulson

Publications (WR)

The Colorado River has been successively modified by the construction of several reservoirs, beginning in 1935 with the formation of Lake Mead by Hoover Dam. These reservoirs are located in a chain, and each one has an influence on the nutrient dynamics and productivity of the river and downstream reservoir. Lake Mead derives 98% of its annual inflow from the Colorado River. Historically, the Colorado River inflow was unregulated into Lake Mead. Regulation occurred in 1963, when Lake Powell was impounded by the construction of Glen Canyon Dam, approximately 450 km upstream. The formation of Lake Powell drastically altered the …

Effects Of Wastewater Discharges On Periphyton Growth In Lake Mead, Nevada-Arizona, Marsha Korb Morris

Publications (WR)

A study of the effects of secondary-treated wastewater on periphyton growth in Lake Mead, Nevada-Arizona was conducted from September 1979 to December 1980. Periphyton ash-free dry weight, chlorophyll-a, dominant species composition, and alkaline phosphatase activity were measured on fiberglass substrates. Substrates were incubated for two to four weeks in littoral and limnetic habitats. Physical and chemical variables and phytoplankton chlorophyll-a were measured concurrently.

Transparency increased with increasing distance from the discharge. Secchi depth ranged from 0.75 m at the discharge confluence (station 2) in August, to greater than 20 m at the most distant stations (stations 9 and 10) in …

Potential Use Of Hydroelectric Facilities For Manipulating The Fertility Of Lake Mead, Larry J. Paulson, John R. Baker, James E. Deacon

Publications (WR)

Analysis of historical nutrient data for Lake Mead indicates that the fertility of the reservoir has decreased which may be the cause for a corresponding decline in the largemouth bass population. However, it appears that fertility can be manipulated by altering the operation of the dam. The depletion of nutrients in the euphotic zone by phytoplankton and subsequent accumulation in the hypolimnion during summer and fall provide a natural nutrient gradient from which water of varying fertility can be drawn for discharge. This combined with alterations in the depth or seasonal pattern of discharge can possibly be used to enhance …

Limnological Aspects Of Lake Mead, Nevada-Arizona, John R. Baker, James E. Deacon, Thomas A. Burke, Samuel S. Egdorf, Larry J. Paulson, Richard W. Tew, Bureau Of Reclamation

Publications (WR)

Lake Mead is a deep, subtropical, moderately productive, desert impoundment with a negative heterograde oxygen profile occurring during; the summer stratification. investigations of the Boulder Basin of Lake Mead by the University of Nevada were initiated in November 1971. The primary objective of the study was to determine what effects industrial and sewage effluent from the Las Vegas metropolitan area, discharged into Las Vegas Bay, have had on the water quality and limnological conditions of Boulder Basin. Data from the 1975-76 period are presented in detail, with earlier data included in the summaries and discussions.

Measurements of water temperature, dissolved …

Petroleum Hydrocarbons From Effluents: Detection In Marine Environment, John T. Tanacredi Ph.D.

Faculty Works: CERCOM

The marine environment has become the primary disposa ground for an increasing quantity of petroleum wastes. Mushrooming demands for petroleum products and the lack of economic incentive to recycle waste oil will increase the concentrations of detrimental petroleum hydrocarbons in the marine environment

Although a continuous, low-level discharge of waste petroleum hydrocarbons into the marine environment may not be as dramatic as a major oil spill, the consequences could be more devastating over an extended period. As noted by Blumer, earlier interpretations of the environmental effects of oil must not be reevaluated in the light of recent evidence of its …

Seasonal And Spatial Variation In Primary Productivity In Boulder Basin, Lake Mead, Clark County, Nevada, Isamu Aoki

Publications (WR)

The ¹⁴C light and dark bottle technique for measurement of primary production was utilized as a means of assessing the amount of inorganic carbon being converted Into organic form by the photosynthesis of phytoplankton populations In the Boulder Basin of Lake Mead.

Spatial and time series changes of productivity levels observed at eight sampling locations within Boulder Basin Indicate that the Influence of treated municipal arts' industrial effluent flowing into Les Vegas Bay is contributing high levels of available nutrients at Las Vegas Wash Inlet to cause productivity to approximate those levels associated with polluted waters.

Productivity levels at …

Final Report On Interrelationships Between Chemical, Physical And Biological Conditions Of The Waters Of Las Vegas Bay Of Lake Mead, James E. Deacon, Richard W. Tew

Publications (WR)

This program was a status study of the interaction between Las Vegas Wash, an enriched stream, and Las Vegas Bay, a wedge shaped arm of one of the world's deeper reservoirs. The program centered primarily on identification and counting of planktonic algae from several points in Las Vegas Bay. Additional work on nutrient enrichment of water samples was conducted to aid in interpretation of algal distribution related to nutrient input. Examination of a variety of physical, chemical, and biological parameters, both at many surface points in the bay, as well as in vertical profile, was also accomplished and further aided …

A Conceptual Draft Of A Dynamic Hydro-Biological Model For Lake Mead, L. G. Everett, Bureau Of Reclamation

Publications (WR)

Food and energy transformation in an aquatic system must be understood in order to develop a simulation approach. This report provides a comprehensive study of an aquatic ecosystem. The objectives of this report are to show:

(1) the biological relationships in an aquatic system

(2) the role of nutrients in the biological cycle

(3) the role of abiotic factors in a limnetic environment

(4) the status of the art of "Eutrophication modeling".

The Effect Of Las Vegas Wash Effluent Upon The Water Quality In Lake Mead, D. A. Hoffman, P. R. Tramutt, F. C. Heller, Bureau Of Reclamation

Publications (WR)

This study developed from observations made during an earlier study on Lake Mead which was reported in CHE-70, Water Quality Study of Lake Mead. Results from that study indicated that poor-quality water was flowing into the Las Vegas Bay reach of Boulder Basin, Lake Mead. Also reports of deteriorating water quality, resulting in taste and odors in domestic water supplies taken from Boulder Basin as well as a reduction in the attractiveness of Las Vegas Bay for recreational uses caused by aquatic plants and algae blooms, indicated a need for a concentrated study concerning the effects of flows from Las …