In situ microcosms deployed at the coast of British Columbia (Canada) to study dilbit weathering and associated microbial communities under marine conditions.

Douglas Channel and the adjacent Hecate Strait (British Columbia, Canada) are part of a proposed route to ship diluted bitumen (dilbit). This study presents how two types of dilbit naturally degrade in this environment by using an in situ microcosm design based on dilbit-coated beads. We show that dilbit-associated n-alkanes were microbially biodegraded with estimated half-lives of 57-69 days.

Fate of diluted bitumen spilled in the coastal waters of British Columbia, Canada.

There is public concern about the behaviour of spilled diluted bitumen (dilbit) in marine and estuarine waters. We provide a preliminary assessment of the results of laboratory experiments and models, in the context of environmental conditions in the coastal waters of British Columbia. Most dilbit spilled within this region would likely float at the surface and be transported to shore by winds and currents.

Local environmental conditions determine the footprint of municipal effluent in coastal waters: a case study in the Strait of Georgia, British Columbia.

To predict the likely effects of management action on any point source discharge into the coastal ocean, it is essential to understand both the composition of the effluent and the environmental conditions in the receiving waters. We illustrate a broadly-applicable approach to evaluating the comprehensive environmental footprint of a discharge, using regional geochemical budgets and nearfield monitoring. We take as a case study municipal effluent discharged into the Strait of Georgia (west coast of Canada), where there has been public controversy over the discharge of screened or primary-treated effluent directly into the ocean.

PBDE and PCB accumulation in benthos near marine wastewater outfalls: the role of sediment organic carbon.

Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) were measured in sediments and benthic invertebrates near submarine municipal outfalls in Victoria and Vancouver, B.C., Canada, two areas with contrasting receiving environments.

Effect of receiving environment on the transport and fate of polybrominated diphenyl ethers near two submarine municipal outfalls.

The fate of contaminants entering the marine environment through wastewater outfalls depends on the contaminant's persistence and affinity for particles. However, the physical characteristics of the receiving environment, for example, current velocity and sedimentary processes, may be even more important. Because of the complexity of natural settings and the lack of appropriate comparative settings, this is not frequently evaluated quantitatively.

Environmental fractionation of PCBs and PBDEs during particle transport as recorded by sediments in coastal waters.

The Strait of Georgia (British Columbia, Canada) is a hydrologically complex inland sea with a rich abundance and diversity of species of aquatic life. Marine sediments, as both a sink for hydrophobic contaminants and a potential source for aquatic food webs, were collected from 41 sites throughout the 6,900-km(2) Strait of Georgia. The congener-specific concentrations of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), including BDE-209, were measured.

Coupling laser ablation and atomic fluorescence spectrophotometry: an example using mercury analysis of small sections of fish scales.

Mercury is a toxic element that exchanges among air, water, and sediments and biomagnifies into high trophic level organisms. Here, we present a novel combination of laser ablation with relatively low-cost cold vapor atomic fluorescence spectrophotometry to analyze Hg vaporized from targeted patches of fish scale 300-500 μm square. This method permits the analysis of multiple samples from the same scale, which is useful, because fish scale growth rings may provide an archive from which spatial and temporal trends in environmental Hg can be inferred at fine resolution.

Natural and anthropogenic mercury distribution in marine sediments from Hudson Bay, Canada.

Twelve marine sediment cores from Hudson Bay, Canada, were collected to investigate the response of sub-Arctic marine sediments to atmospherically transported anthropogenic mercury (Hg). Modeling by a two-layer sediment mixing model suggests that the historical Hg deposition to most of the sediment cores reflects the known history of atmospheric Hg deposition in North America, with an onset of increasing anthropogenic Hg emissions in the late 1800s and early 1900s and a reduction of Hg deposition in the mid- to late-1900s. However, although anthropogenic Hg has contributed to a ubiquitous increase in Hg concentrations in sediments over the industrial era, the most elevated industrial-era sedimentary Hg concentrations only marginally exceed the upper preindustrial sedimentary Hg concentrations.

Biogeochemical controls on PCB deposition in Hudson Bay.

PCB concentrations, congener patterns, and fluxes were examined in 13 dated and organically characterized (C, N, delta(13)C, delta(15)N) marine sediment cores from Hudson Bay, Canada, to investigate the importance of organic matter (OM) supply and transport to PCB sequestration. Drawdown of PCBs, supported by marine primary production, is reflected in elevated summation operatorPCB concentrations and more highly chlorinated PCB signatures in surface sediments underlying eutrophic regions. Sediments in oligotrophic regions, which are dominated by "old" marine OM, have lower PCB concentrations and weathered signatures.

Large and growing environmental reservoirs of Deca-BDE present an emerging health risk for fish and marine mammals.

Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) have been the subject of intense scientific and regulatory scrutiny during recent years. Of the three commercial forms (Penta, Octa and Deca) of PBDEs that have been widely used as flame retardants in textiles, furniture upholstery, plastics, and electronics, only Deca-BDE remains on the general market in North America, while a recent ruling of the European Court spells an impending end to its use in Europe. We review here highlights of aquatic research documenting the rapid emergence of PBDEs as a high priority environmental concern in Canada.

Historical trends in mercury sedimentation and mixing in the Strait of Georgia, Canada.

Seventeen sediment cores collected in the Strait of Georgia reveal a history of mercury contamination that began in the 1860s and include episodic contamination during World War II and in the late 1960s. Surface sediment mercury concentrations ranged from 60 to 420 ng/g dry weight and the current fluxes to sediments are estimated at 5-181 ng cm(-2) a(-1). In one location in Port Moody Arm, a Hg spill seems to have sufficiently poisoned the sediments to eliminate biomixing for about 20 years.