Toxicity of ammonia to surf clam (Spisula solidissima) larvae in saltwater and sediment elutriates.

Ammonia is a natural component of sediments and has been identified as a common contributor to toxicity in marine sediment, elutriate and porewater testing. In our study, the role of ammonia as a possible toxicant in sediment toxicity tests was evaluated using larvae of the surf clam, Spisula solidissima. Elutriates were prepared and tested using six baseline sediment samples.

Interlaboratory comparison of a reduced volume marine sediment toxicity test method using the amphipod Ampelisca abdita.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has standardized methods for performing acute marine amphipod sediment toxicity tests.

Evaluation of reduced sediment volume toxicity test procedures using the marine amphipod Ampelisca abdita.

During the past 20 years, the role of sediment toxicity tests has expanded from testing of primarily dredged material to risk assessment, decontamination technologies, large-scale regional sediment-quality assessments, and toxicity identification evaluations. Sediment toxicity tests are needed that can provide reliable data using less sediment and smaller test chambers, thus utilizing resources more efficiently. We compared survival results from 10-d standard marine amphipod tests at 20 degrees C using 200 ml of sediment to reduced-volume tests containing 20 or 50 ml of sediment and found no significant differences.