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At least 343 records · Page 19Linked to original sources

USGS2025

Investigating the influence of Diadematidae scuticociliatosis on host microbiome composition

Mass mortality of Diadematidae urchins, caused by the Diadema antillarum scuticociliatosis Philaster clade (DScPc) , affected the Caribbean in spring 2022 and subsequently spread to the eastern Mediterranean, Red Sea, and western Indian Ocean. A key question around Diadematidae scuticociliatosis (DSc), the disease caused by the scuticociliate, is whether the urchin microbiome varies between scuticociliatosis-affected and grossly normal urchins. Tissue samples from both grossly normal and abnormal Diadema antillarum were collected in the field during the initial assessment of the DSc causative agent and from an experimental challenge of DScPc culture on aquacultured D. antillarum . Specimens were analyzed using 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing. Additional abnormal urchin samples were collected from the most recent outbreak site in the western Indian Ocean (Réunion Island). At reference (i.e., unaffected by DSc) sites, Kistimonas spp. , Propionigenium spp., and Endozoicomonas spp. were highly represented in amplicon libraries. DSc-affected urchin amplicon libraries had lower taxonomic richness and a greater representation of taxa related to Fangia hongkongensis and Psychrobium spp. Amplicon libraries of urchins experimentally challenged with the DSc pathogen had some shifts in microbial composition, but F. hongkongensis was not a part of the core bacteria in DSc-challenged specimens. DSc-affected Echinothrix diadema from Réunion Island showed a similar high representation of F. hongkongensis as that seen on Caribbean D. antillarum . Our results suggest that DSc alters Diadematidae microbiomes and that F. hongkongensis may be a candidate bacterial biomarker for DSc in environmental samples. The mechanism driving microbiome variation in host–pathogen interactions remains to be explored.

mSystems↗

USGS2022

Geochemistry of the Cretaceous Mowry Shale in the Wind River Basin, Wyoming

The siliceous nature of the Mowry Shale distinguishes it from many of the well-studied organic-rich mudstones of the Cretaceous Western Interior Seaway. Available models of organic enrichment in mudstones rarely incorporate detailed biomarker, bulk organic, inorganic, and mineralogy data. Here, we used these data to evaluate how variations in organic matter source, productivity, dilution, and preservation modulated organic matter accumulation during the deposition of the Mowry Shale, while also demonstrating the benefits of this integrated approach. An organic stable carbon isotope vertical profile for the Mowry Shale is presented to test whether the Mowry Shale was deposited during oceanic anoxic event 1d (OAE 1d), thereby contributing to organic enrichment in the Mowry Shale.

Wyoming↗

USGS2001

Deposition of sedimentary organic matter in black shale facies indicated by the geochemistry and petrography of high-resolution samples, blake nose, western North Atlantic

A transect of three holes drilled across the Blake Nose, western North Atlantic Ocean, retrieved cores of black shale facies related to the Albian Oceanic Anoxic Events (OAE) lb and ld. Sedimentary organic matter (SOM) recovered from Ocean Drilling Program Hole 1049A from the eastern end of the transect showed that before black shale facies deposition organic matter preservation was a Type III-IV SOM. Petrography reveals that this SOM is composed mostly of degraded algal debris, amorphous SOM and a minor component of Type III-IV terrestrial SOM, mostly detroinertinite. When black shale facies deposition commenced, the geochemical character of the SOM changed from a relatively oxygen-rich Type III-IV to relatively hydrogen-rich Type II. Petrography, biomarker and organic carbon isotopic data indicate marine and terrestrial SOM sources that do not appear to change during the transition from light-grey calcareous ooze to the black shale facies. Black shale subfacies layers alternate from laminated to homogeneous. Some of the laminated and the poorly laminated to homogeneous layers are organic carbon and hydrogen rich as well, suggesting that at least two SOM depositional processes are influencing the black shale facies. The laminated beds reflect deposition in a low sedimentation rate (6m Ma-1) environment with SOM derived mostly from gravity settling from the overlying water into sometimes dysoxic bottom water. The source of this high hydrogen content SOM is problematic because before black shale deposition, the marine SOM supplied to the site is geochemically a Type III-IV. A clue to the source of the H-rich SOM may be the interlayering of relatively homogeneous ooze layers that have a widely variable SOM content and quality. These relatively thick, sometimes subtly graded, sediment layers are thought to be deposited from a Type II SOM-enriched sediment suspension generated by turbidities or direct turbidite deposition.

Special Papers of the Geological Society of London↗

USGS2000

Quantitative polymerase chain reaction for transforming growth factor-β applied to a field study of fish health in Chesapeake Bay tributaries

Fish morbidity and mortality events in Chesapeake Bay tributaries have aroused concern over the health of this important aquatic ecosystem. We applied a recently described method for quantifying mRNA of an immunosuppressive cytokine, transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β), by reverse transcription quantitative-competitive polymerase chain reaction to a field study of fish health in the Chesapeake Basin, and compared the results to those of a traditional cellular immunoassay macrophage bactericidal activity. We selected the white perch ( Morone americana ) as the sentinel fish species because of its abundance at all of the collection sites. White perch were sampled from Chesapeake Bay tributaries in June, August, and October 1998. Splenic mononuclear cell TGF-β mRNA levels increased and anterior kidney macrophage bactericidal activity decreased, particularly in eastern shore tributaries, from June to August and October. The results of the two assays correlated inversely (Kendall's τ b = -0.600; p = 0.0102). The results indicated both temporal and spatial modulation of white perch immune systems in the Chesapeake Basin, and demonstrated the utility of quantitative PCR for TGF-β as a molecular biomarker for field assessment of teleost fish immune status.

Delaware, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia↗

USGS2008

Families of miocene monterey crude oil, seep, and tarball samples, coastal California

Biomarker and stable carbon isotope ratios were used to infer the age, lithology, organic matter input, and depositional environment of the source rocks for 388 samples of produced crude oil, seep oil, and tarballs to better assess their origins and distributions in coastal California. These samples were used to construct a chemometric (multivariate statistical) decision tree to classify 288 additional samples. The results identify three tribes of 13C-rich oil samples inferred to originate from thermally mature equivalents of the clayey-siliceous, carbonaceous marl and lower calcareous-siliceous members of the Monterey Formation at Naples Beach near Santa Barbara. An attempt to correlate these families to rock extracts from these members in the nearby COST (continental offshore stratigraphic test) (OCS-Cal 78-164) well failed, at least in part because the rocks are thermally immature. Geochemical similarities among the oil tribes and their widespread distribution support the prograding margin model or the banktop-slope-basin model instead of the ridge-and-basin model for the deposition of the Monterey Formation. Tribe 1 contains four oil families having geochemical traits of clay-rich marine shale source rock deposited under suboxic conditions with substantial higher plant input. Tribe 2 contains four oil families with traits intermediate between tribes 1 and 3, except for abundant 28,30-bisnorhopane, indicating suboxic to anoxic marine marl source rock with hemipelagic input. Tribe 3 contains five oil families with traits of distal marine carbonate source rock deposited under anoxic conditions with pelagic but little or no higher plant input. Tribes 1 and 2 occur mainly south of Point Conception in paleogeographic settings where deep burial of the Monterey source rock favored petroleum generation from all three members or their equivalents. In this area, oil from the clayey-siliceous and carbonaceous marl members (tribes 1 and 2) may overwhelm that from the lower calcareous-siliceous member (tribe 3) because the latter is thinner and less oil-prone than the overlying members. Tribe 3 occurs mainly north of Point Conception where shallow burial caused preferential generation from the underlying lower calcareous-siliceous member or another unit with similar characteristics. In a test of the decision tree, 10 tarball samples collected from beaches in Monterey and San Mateo counties in early 2007 were found to originate from natural seeps representing different organofacies of Monterey Formation source rock instead from one anthropogenic pollution event. The seeps apparently became more active because of increased storm activity. Copyright ?? 2008. The American Association of Petroleum Geologists. All rights reserved.

American Association of Petroleum Geologists Bulle↗

USGS2013

Chemometric differentiation of crude oil families in the San Joaquin Basin, California

Chemometric analyses of geochemical data for 165 crude oil samples from the San Joaquin Basin identify genetically distinct oil families and their inferred source rocks and provide insight into migration pathways, reservoir compartments, and filling histories. In the first part of the study, 17 source-related biomarker and stable carbon-isotope ratios were evaluated using a chemometric decision tree (CDT) to identify families. In the second part, ascendant hierarchical clustering was applied to terpane mass chromatograms for the samples to compare with the CDT results. The results from the two methods are remarkably similar despite differing data input and assumptions. Recognized source rocks for the oil families include the (1) Eocene Kreyenhagen Formation, (2) Eocene Tumey Formation, (3–4) upper and lower parts of the Miocene Monterey Formation (Buttonwillow depocenter), and (5–6) upper and lower parts of the Miocene Monterey Formation (Tejon depocenter). Ascendant hierarchical clustering identifies 22 oil families in the basin as corroborated by independent data, such as carbon-isotope ratios, sample location, reservoir unit, and thermal maturity maps from a three-dimensional basin and petroleum system model. Five families originated from the Eocene Kreyenhagen Formation source rock, and three families came from the overlying Eocene Tumey Formation. Fourteen families migrated from the upper and lower parts of the Miocene Monterey Formation source rocks within the Buttonwillow and Tejon depocenters north and south of the Bakersfield arch. The Eocene and Miocene families show little cross-stratigraphic migration because of seals within and between the source rocks. The data do not exclude the possibility that some families described as originating from the Monterey Formation actually came from source rock in the Temblor Formation.

AAPG Bulletin↗

USGS2021

Organic geochemistry and petrology of Devonian shale in eastern Ohio: Implications for petroleum systems assessment

Recent production of light sweet oil has prompted reevaluation of Devonian petroleum systems in the central Appalachian Basin. Upper Devonian Ohio Shale (lower Huron Member) and Middle Devonian Marcellus Shale organic-rich source rocks from eastern Ohio and nearby areas were examined using organic petrography and geochemical analysis of solvent extracts to test ideas related to organic matter sources, oil–source rock correlation, thermal maturity, and distances of petroleum migration. The data from these analyses indicate organic matter in the Ohio and Marcellus Shales primarily was derived from marine algae and its degradation products, including bacterial biomass. Absence of odd-over-even n - alkane distributions (n - C 13 to n - C 21 range) in gas chromatograms and low gammacerane index values in Devonian source rocks are similar to those of Devonian-reservoired oils in eastern Ohio, suggesting an oil–source rock correlation. Lower Paleozoic oils from eastern Ohio, in contrast, are characterized by the presence of odd-over-even n - alkane distributions (n - C 13 to n - C 21 range) and higher gammacerane values, which discriminate them from Devonian shale-derived oils. Thermal maturity estimates from equilibrium(?) biomarker isomerization ratios suggest that some of the Devonian source rock samples are at middle to peak oil window conditions (i.e., approximate vitrinite reflectance values of 0.8%–0.9%). This observation requires local to short-distance (<50 mi) lateral migration for emplacement of Devonian-sourced oils into Devonian reservoirs of eastern Ohio and may impact exploration and assessment of petroleum resources in the Upper Devonian Berea Sandstone.

Ohio↗

USGS2021

Oil–source correlation studies in the shallow Berea Sandstone petroleum system, eastern Kentucky

Shallow production of sweet high-gravity oil from the Upper Devonian Berea Sandstone in northeastern Kentucky has caused the region to become the leading oil producer in the state. Potential nearby source rocks, namely, the overlying Mississippian Sunbury Shale and underlying Ohio Shale, are immature for commercial oil generation according to vitrinite reflectance and programmed pyrolysis analyses. We used organic geochemical measurements from Berea oils and solvent extracts from potential Upper Devonian–Mississippian source rocks to better understand organic matter sources, oil–oil and oil–source rock correlations, and thermal maturity in the shallow Berea oil play. Multiple geochemical proxies suggest Berea oils are from one family and from similar source rocks. Oils and organic matter in the potential source rocks are from a marine source based on pristane-to-phytane (Pr/Ph) and terrestrial-to-aquatic ratios, carbon preference index values, n - alkane maxima, C-isotopic composition, and tricyclic terpane and hopane ratios. Any or all of the Devonian to Mississippian black shale source rocks could be potential source rocks for Berea oils based on similarities in oil and solvent extract Pr/n - C 17 and Ph/n - C 18 ratios, sterane distributions, C-isotopic values, and sterane/hopane and tricyclic terpane ratios. Multiple biomarker ratios suggest Berea oils formed at thermal maturities of approximately 0.7% –0.9% vitrinite reflectance. These data require significant updip lateral migration of 30–50 mi from a downdip Devonian black shale source kitchen to emplace low-sulfur oils in the shallow updip oil-play area and indicate that immature source rocks nearby to Berea oil production are not contributing to produced hydrocarbons.

Kentucky↗

USGS2021

Organic petrology and geochemistry of the Sunbury and Ohio Shales in eastern Kentucky and southeastern Ohio

As part of a study to determine the origin of oil and gas in the Berea Sandstone in northeastern Kentucky and southeastern Ohio, 158 samples of organic-rich shale from the Upper Devonian Olentangy and Ohio Shales and the Lower Mississippian Sunbury Shale, collectively referred to as the “black shale,” were collected and analyzed from 12 cores. The samples were analyzed for total organic carbon ( TOC ) content, organic petrography, and programmed pyrolysis. Previously acquired analytical data for 11 samples from 2 additional wells in eastern Kentucky were also used. Most of the samples were organic rich (>5 wt. % TOC ), high in sulfur (>2.0 wt. %), and dominated by liptinite macerals. The vitrinite reflectance ( VR o ) and equivalent vitrinite reflectance ( VR eq ) values, calculated from bitumen reflectance ( BR o ) measurements, were found to be in close agreement. The calculated reflectance values from programmed pyrolysis temperature at which the maximum release of hydrocarbons occurs ( T max ) showed better agreement with measured VR o after T max was corrected for excessive hydrogen index values for several samples. Thermal maturation parameters were found to increase in a northwest–southeast direction, paralleling an increase in black shale thickness and depth of burial. The thermal maturity proxies indicate the northwestern part of the study area to be more thermally mature than previously indicated. Geochemical and biomarker data from Berea oils indicate migration of oil from more thermally mature to less thermally mature areas. As such, the occurrence of petroleum liquids in the Berea Sandstone cannot be predicted directly from conventional thermal maturity proxies ( T max , VR o , and BR o ) because these methods do not account for migrated petroleum.

Ohio, Kentucky↗

USGS2007

Circum-Arctic petroleum systems identified using decision-tree chemometrics

Source- and age-related biomarker and isotopic data were measured for more than 1000 crude oil samples from wells and seeps collected above approximately 55??N latitude. A unique, multitiered chemometric (multivariate statistical) decision tree was created that allowed automated classification of 31 genetically distinct circumArctic oil families based on a training set of 622 oil samples. The method, which we call decision-tree chemometrics, uses principal components analysis and multiple tiers of K-nearest neighbor and SIMCA (soft independent modeling of class analogy) models to classify and assign confidence limits for newly acquired oil samples and source rock extracts. Geochemical data for each oil sample were also used to infer the age, lithology, organic matter input, depositional environment, and identity of its source rock. These results demonstrate the value of large petroleum databases where all samples were analyzed using the same procedures and instrumentation. Copyright ?? 2007. The American Association of Petroleum Geologists. All rights reserved.

American Association of Petroleum Geologists Bulle↗

USGS1998

Black shale source rocks and oil generation in the Cambrian and Ordovician of the central Appalachian Basin, USA

Nearly 600 million bbl of oil (MMBO) and 1 to 1.5 trillion ft 3 (tcf) of gas have been produced from Cambrian and Ordovician reservoirs (carbonate and sandstone) in the Ohio part of the Appalachian basin and on adjoining arches in Ohio, Indiana, and Ontario, Canada. Most of the oil and gas is concentrated in the giant Lima-Indiana field on the Findlay and Kankakee arches and in small fields distributed along the Knox unconformity. Based on new geochemical analyses of oils, potential source rocks, bitumen extracts, and previously published geochemical data, we conclude that the oils in both groups of fields originated from Middle and Upper Ordovician black shale (Utica and Antes shales) in the Appalachian basin. Moreover, we suggest that approximately 300 MMBO and many trillions of cubic feet of gas in the Lower Silurian Clinton sands of eastern Ohio originated in these same source rocks. Oils from the Cambrian and Ordovician reservoirs have similar saturated hydrocarbon compositions, biomarker distributions, and carbon isotope signatures. Regional variations in the oils are attributed to differences in thermal maturation rather than to differences in source. Total organic carbon content, genetic potential, regional extent, and bitumen extract geochemistry identify the black shale of the Utica and Antes shales as the most plausible source of the oils. Other Cambrian and Ordovician shale and carbonate units, such as the Wells Creek formation, which rests on the Knox unconformity, and the Rome Formation and Conasauga Group in the Rome trough, are considered to be only local petroleum sources. T max , CAI, and pyrolysis yields from drill-hole cuttings and core indicate that the Utica Shale in eastern and central Ohio is mature with respect to oil generation. Burial, thermal, and hydrocarbon-generation history models suggest that much of the oil was generated from the Utica-Antes source in the late Paleozoic during the Alleghanian orogeny. A pervasive fracture network controlled by basement tectonics aided in the distribution of oil from the source to the trap. This fracture network permitted oil to move laterally and stratigraphically downsection through eastward-dipping, impermeable carbonate sequences to carrier zones such as the Middle Ordovician Knox unconformity, and to reservoirs such as porous dolomite in the Middle Ordovician Trenton Limestone in the Lima-Indiana field. Some of the oil and gas from the Utica-Antes source escaped vertically through a partially fractured, leaky Upper Ordovician shale seal into widespread Lower Silurian sandstone reservoirs.

Ohio, Ontario↗

USGS2002

An upwelling model for the Phosphoria sea: A Permian, ocean-margin sea in the northwest United States

The Permian Phosphoria Formation, a petroleum source rock and world-class phosphate deposit, was deposited in an epicratonic successor basin on the western margin of North America. We calculate the seawater circulation in the basin during deposition of the lower ore zone in the Meade Peak Member from the accumulation rates of carbonate fluorapatite and trace elements. The model gives the exchange rate of water between the Phosphoria sea and the open ocean to the west in terms of an upwelling rate (84 m yr-1) and residence time (4.2 yr) of seawater in the basin. These hydrographic properties supported a mean rate of primary productivity of 0.87 g m-2 d-1 of carbon in the uppermost few tens of meters of the water column (the photic zone) and denitrifying redox conditions in the bottom water (below approximately 150 m depth). High rain rates, onto the sea floor, of the organic matter that hosted the phosphate and several trace elements contributed to the accumulation of phosphorite, chert, and black shales and mudstones. Evaporation in the Goose Egg basin to the east of the Phosphoria basin ensured the import of surface seawater from the Phosphoria sea. Budgets of water, salt, phosphate, and oxygen, plus the minor accumulation of the biomarker gammacerane, show that exchange of water between the two basins was limited, possibly by the shallow carbonate platform that separated the two basins.

Idaho, Montana, Utah, Wyoming↗

USGS2020

Investigating the gene expression profiles of rehabilitated Florida manatees (Trichechus manatus latirostris) following red tide exposure

To investigate a Florida manatee ( Trichechus manatus latirostris ) mortality event following a red tide bloom in Southwest Florida, an RNA sequencing experiment was conducted. Gene expression changes in white blood cells were assessed in manatees rescued from a red tide affected area (n = 4) and a control group (n = 7) using RNA sequencing. The genes with the largest fold changes were compared between the two groups to identify molecular pathways related to cellular and disease processes. In total, 591 genes (false discovery rate <0.05) were differentially expressed in the red tide group. Of these, 158 were upregulated and 433 were downregulated. This suggests major changes in white blood cell composition following an exposure to red tide. The most highly upregulated gene, Osteoclast associated 2C immunoglobulin-like receptor (OSCAR), was upregulated 12-fold. This gene is involved in initiating the immune response and maintaining a role in adaptive and innate immunity. The most highly downregulated gene, Piccolo presynaptic cytomatrix protein (PCLO), was downregulated by a factor of 977-fold. This gene is associated with cognitive functioning and neurotransmitter release. Downregulation of this gene in other studies was associated with neuronal loss and neuron synapse dysfunction. Among the cellular pathways that were most affected, immune response, including inflammation, wounds and injuries, cell proliferation, and apoptosis were the most predominant. The pathway with the most differentially expressed genes was the immune response pathway with 98 genes involved, many of them downregulated. Assessing the changes in gene expression associated with red tide exposure enhances our understanding of manatee immune response to the red tide toxins and will aid in the development of red tide biomarkers.

Florida↗

USGS2012

Ecotoxicology of mercury in fish and wildlife: Recent advances

A number of recent studies have documented subtle, yet potentially important effects of mercury on behavior, neurochemistry, and endocrine function in fish and wildlife at currently realistic levels of environmental exposure. Current levels of environmental methylmercury exposure are sufficient to cause significant biological impairment, both in individuals and in whole populations, in some ecosystems. Future toxicological studies on fish and wildlife will focus on linking biomarkers of methylmercury exposure and associated oxidative stress to effects on reproduction and population change; determining the genetic basis for mercury-related neurotoxic and other biological changes; determining the genetic basis for species differences in sensitivity to methylmercury; and linking toxic effects of methylmercury in individual animals to population-level changes.

Book chapter↗

USGS2003

Morphometric and histopathological parameters of gonadal development in adult common carp from contaminated and reference sites in Lake Mead, Nevada

This study examined the hypothesis that exposure to sublethal concentrations of contaminants alters the gonadal condition of feral common carp Cyprinus carpio . Adult common carp in Lake Mead, Nevada, were collected from a contaminated site (Las Vegas Bay) that receives municipal and industrial effluent and from a reference site (Overton Arm) with a relatively low level of contamination. Fish were sampled seven times over a 1-year period extending over two separate spawning seasons. Morphometric and histopathological parameters of gonadal and germ cell development were determined. In males, the pattern of seasonal changes in the gonadosomatic index (GSI) was similar between the sites and showed no clear association with site-specific seasonal temperature profiles. However, Las Vegas Bay males had consistently lower GSI values and, on one of the sampling dates, a lower proportion of sperm relative to other germ cell stages (determined histologically). Further, Las Vegas Bay males had a higher incidence of gonadal macrophage aggregates, which are putative tissue biomarkers of contaminant exposure in fishes. In females, seasonal GSI profiles, the frequency of fish with postovulatory follicles (an index of spawning activity), and the timing of new follicle recruitment all showed differences between sites, but these differences generally matched differences in water temperature profile. Also, the peak size-frequency of full-grown follicles did not differ between sites, and estimates of fecundity for the second spawning season indicated that females from the reference site unexpectedly produced a lower number of gametes. Overall, site differences in gonadal condition were observed in carp of both sexes but they seemed to be associated with site differences in contaminant levels only in males. The apparent lack of association between contaminant level and gonadal condition in female carp from mildly mesotrophic Lake Mead may indicate a lack of contaminant effects in females or a confounding effect of the higher nutrient loads in the Las Vegas Bay environment.

Nevada↗

USGS1993

Distributions of pesticides and organic contaminants between water and suspended sediment, San Francisco Bay, California

Suspended-sediment and water samples were collected from San Francisco Bay in 1991 during low river discharge and after spring rains. All samples were analyzed for organophosphate, carbamate, and organochlorine pesticides; petroleum hydrocarbons; biomarkers; and polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons. The objectives were to determine the concentrations of these contaminants in water and suspended sediment during two different hydrologic conditions and to determine partition coefficients of the contaminants between water and sediment. Concentrations of hydrophobic contaminants, such as polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons, varied with location of sample collection, riverine discharge, and tidal cycle. Concentrations of hydrophobic contaminants in suspended sediments were highest during low river discharge but became diluted as agricultural soils entered the bay after spring rains. Polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons defined as dissolved in the water column were not detected. The concentrations sorbed on suspended sediments were variable and were dependent on sediment transport patterns in the bay. In contrast, the relatively hydrophilic organophosphate pesticides, such as chlorpyrifos and diazinon, has a more uniform concentration in suspended sediment. These pesticides were detected only after spring rains. Most of the measured diazinon, at least 98% for all samples, was in the dissolved phase. Measured partition coefficients for diazinon generally were uniform, which suggests that suspended-sediment concentrations were close to equilibrium with dissolved concentrations. The concentration of diazinon sorbed to suspended sediments, at any given sampling site, was driven primarily by the more abundant solution concentration. The concentrations of diazinon sorbed to suspended sediments, therefore, were independent of the patterns of sediment movement.

California↗

USGS2005

Early chromite mining and agricultural clearance: Opportunities for the investigation of agricultural sediment dynamics in the Eastern Piedmont (USA)

Many flood plains in the Eastern Piedmont (USA) are buried under deposits of sediment resulting from European agricultural clearance. Classic radioisotopic dating techniques cover temporal periods too short (137Cs, 210Pb) or too long (14C) to reliably date sediments deposited during periods of local European activity (1660-1900). Moreover, many potential biomarkers, such as pollen, degrade in oxic flood plain sediments. In the Baltimore, Maryland (USA) region, early chromite mining (1820 - 1880) occurred during periods of rapid agricultural clearance. Use of chromium (Cr) chemostratigraphic profiles in flood plain sediments tied to historical mining activity can provide improved precision in overbank accumulation rates and timing. Sediment cores were collected from the Red Run basin, which is part of the Baltimore Ecosystem Study, an urban Long-Term Ecological Research site. Trace metal chemostratigraphic profiles were measured and peaks in Cr concentration tied to historic mining activity. Dates from Cr chemostratigraphic profiles were combined with 137Cs dating to reconstruct flood plain sedimentation rates. Red Run early sedimentation rates (1820 - 1880) were higher (0.45 - 1.19 cm/yr) than more recent (1880 - 1963) rates (0.08 - 0.46 cm/yr). This indicates that Piedmont flood plain vertical sediment accumulation might have peaked before the peak in agricultural clearance, earlier than assumed by regional models. The Cr chemostratigraphy is applicable to a wider region including much of the Maryland and Pennsylvania (USA) Piedmont.

American Journal of Science↗

USGS2015

Chemical and ancillary data associated with bed sediment, young of year Bluefish ( Pomatomus saltatrix ) tissue, and mussel ( Mytilus edulis and Geukensia demissa ) tissue collected after Hurricane Sandy in bays and estuaries of New Jersey and New York, 2013–14

This report describes the methods and data associated with a reconnaissance study of young of year bluefish and mussel tissue samples as well as bed sediment collected as bluefish habitat indicators during August 2013–April 2014 in New Jersey and New York following Hurricane Sandy in October 2012. This study was funded by the Disaster Relief Appropriations Act of 2013 (PL 113-2) and was conducted by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) in cooperation with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Young of year Pomatomus saltatrix (bluefish) were collected from nine sites in New Jersey (N.J.) and New York (N.Y.) including Barnegat Bay, N.J., Sandy Hook Bay, N.J., Jamaica Bay, N.Y., and Great South Bay, N.Y., and analyzed for indicators of health and chemical contamination. At each bluefish sampling location, bed sediment was also collected and analyzed for a suite of contaminants. Resident mussels, Mytilus edulis (blue mussels) and (or) Geukensia demissa (ribbed mussels), were collected from 11 historic NOAA Mussel Watch Program sites along the N.J. and N.Y. coastlines in the winter/spring of 2014 and analyzed for contaminants. Individual age of a subset of the mussels sampled was also determined at each site. Bed sediment samples were analyzed for a suite of organic contaminants including 34 polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) congeners, 28 polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDE) congeners, 24 organochlorine pesticides (OCPs), 53 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and alkylated PAHs, 33 aliphatic hydrocarbons (AHs), and 10 petroleum biomarkers (steranes and hopanes). Bed sediment collected from the Navesink River (Sandy Hook, N.J.), Metedeconk River (Barnegat Bay, N.J.), and Toms River (Barnegat Bay, N.J.) had the highest concentrations of contaminants compared to the other sites. Bluefish and mussel tissue collected throughout the study area was analyzed for 34 PCB congeners, 28 PBDE congeners, and 24 OCPs. Thirty-three PCB congeners, 22 PBDE congeners, and 24 OCPs were detected in the bluefish analyzed. The highest median concentrations of total PCBs were present in tissue from Jamaica Bay, N.Y., whereas the highest median concentrations of total PBDEs and total OCPs were present in tissue from Sandy Hook Bay. Of the OCPs detected, p,p’ -DDE was found in 99 percent (%) of the tissue samples and at the highest median concentrations compared to the other OCPs. Fish health assessments were conducted on 20 fish from the 4 bays. Results indicate that the sex ratio and the mean total length varied by site. Physical fish damage, such as lesions and parasites, was observed in fish from all four bays. The most common parasite observed visually was the presence of Livoneca redmanii , an ectoparasitic gill isopod, which can cause localized gill erosion. The prevalence of the gill isopod infestation ranged from 20% at Great South Bay, N.Y., to 35% at Jamaica Bay, N.Y. Twenty three PCB congeners, 9 PBDE congeners, and 20 OCPs were detected in composite mussel samples collected throughout the study area. The co-eluting PCB congeners 153 and 132, PBDE 47, 99, and 100, and p,p’ -DDE were detected in samples from each site. The highest median concentrations of PCBs and PBDEs were present in mussels from Raritan Bay, N.Y., whereas the highest median concentrations of OCPs were present in mussels from Fire Island Inlet, N.Y., and Shark River, N.J. Mytilus edulis (blue mussels) and Geukensia demissa (ribbed mussels) were thin-sectioned and aged. The blue mussels collected ranged in age from 4 to 13 years, and the ribbed mussels ranged in age from 3 to 12 years.

New Jersey, New York↗