Mercury (Hg) is a pervasive contaminant that can adversely affect predatory wildlife. Bird eggs provide insights into breeding females' Hg burdens, and are easily collected and archived. We present data on Hg trends in herring gull (Larus argentatus) eggs from five sites in Atlantic Canada from 1972 to 2008. We found a significant decrease in Hg at Manawagonish Island, New Brunswick and Île du Corossol, Quebec, but after correcting Hg for dietary shifts using stable isotopes (δ15N), these trends disappeared. Decreasing temporal trends of stable isotopes in gull eggs were observed at four sites, suggesting shifts in gull diets. At Gull Island, Newfoundland, diet-adjusted Hg increased from 1977 to 1992, dropped sharply between 1992 and 1996, and rose again from 1996 to 2008. After adjusting Hg trends for dietary shifts of herring gulls, it appears that environmental Hg in coastal ecosystems has remained relatively constant at most sites in Atlantic Canada over the last 36 years.

Stable isotope 111Cd was spiked into sediments of different organic content levels for 3 days to 2 months. Bioavailability of spiked Cd to deposit-feeders, assessed by in vitro Cd solubilization, generally decreased with contact time but became comparable with that of background Cd after 2 months. This could be explained by the gradual transfer of Cd from the more mobile geochemical phase (carbonate associated phase) to more refractory phases (Fe–Mn oxide associated phase, and organic associated phase) within 2 months. The sedimentary organic content had a weak effect on Cd solubilization, while the distribution of Cd in carbonate or Fe–Mn oxide associated phase could have a larger influence on the solubilization of sedimentary Cd and its change with contact time. The observations in this study emphasize the need to consider Cd sequestration over time in sediments of various compositions, which would be useful in risk assessment of contaminated sediments.

Efficient bioremediation of PAH-contaminated sites is limited by the hydrophobic character and poor bioavailability of pollutants. In this study, stable isotope probing (SIP) was implemented to track bacteria that can degrade PAHs adsorbed on hydrophobic sorbents. Temperate and tropical soils were incubated with 13C-labeled phenanthrene, supplied by spiking or coated onto membranes. Phenanthrene mineralization was faster in microcosms with PAH-coated membranes than in microcosms containing spiked soil. Upon incubation with temperate soil, phenanthrene degraders found in the biofilms that formed on coated membranes were mainly identified as Sphingomonadaceae and Actinobacteria. In the tropical soil, uncultured Rhodocyclaceae dominated degraders bound to membranes. Accordingly, ring-hydroxylating dioxygenase sequences recovered from this soil matched PAH-specific dioxygenase genes recently found in Rhodocyclaceae. Hence, our SIP approach allowed the detection of novel degraders, mostly uncultured, which differ from those detected after soil spiking, but might play a key role in the bioremediation of PAH-polluted soils.

This literature review focuses on the prevalence of nitrogen and phosphorus in urban environments and the complex relationships between land use and water quality. Extensive research in urban watersheds has broadened our knowledge about point and non-point pollutant sources, but the fate of nutrients is not completely understood. For example, it is not known how long-term nutrient cycling processes in turfgrass landscapes influence nitrogen retention rates or the relative atmospheric contribution to urban nitrogen exports. The effect of prolonged reclaimed water irrigation is also unknown. Stable isotopes have been used to trace pollutants, but distinguishing sources (e.g., fertilizers, wastewater, etc.) can be difficult. Identifying pollutant sources may aid our understanding of harmful algal blooms because the extent of the relationship between urban nutrient sources and algal blooms is unclear. Further research on the delivery and fate of nutrients within urban watersheds is needed to address manageable water quality impacts.

We employed stable isotope probing (SIP) with 13C-labeled hexahydro-1,3,5-trinitro-1,3,5-triazine (RDX) to identify active microorganisms responsible for RDX biodegradation in groundwater microcosms. Sixteen different 16S rRNA gene sequences were derived from microcosms receiving 13C-labeled RDX, suggesting the presence of microorganisms able to incorporate carbon from RDX or its breakdown products. The clones, residing in Bacteroidia, Clostridia, α-, β- and δ-Proteobacteria, and Spirochaetes, were different from previously described RDX degraders. A parallel set of microcosms was amended with cheese whey and RDX to evaluate the influence of this co-substrate on the RDX-degrading microbial community. Cheese whey stimulated RDX biotransformation, altered the types of RDX-degrading bacteria, and decreased microbial community diversity. Results of this study suggest that RDX-degrading microorganisms in groundwater are more phylogenetically diverse than what has been inferred from studies with RDX-degrading isolates.

Methods for determining bioavailability of organic contaminants suffer various operational limitations. We explored the use of stable isotope labeled references in developing an isotope dilution method (IDM) to measure the exchangeable pool (E) of pyrene and bifenthrin as an approximation of their bioavailability in sediments. The exchange of deuterated bifenthrin or pyrene with its native counterpart was completed within 48 h. The derived E was 38–82% for pyrene and 28–59% for bifenthrin. Regression between E and the sum of rapid and slow desorption fractions obtained from sequential desorption showed a slope close to 1.0. The ability of IDM to predict bioavailability was further shown from a strong relationship (r2 > 0.93) between E and bioaccumulation into Chironomus tentans. Given the abundance of stable isotope labeled references and their relatively easy analysis, the IDM has the potential to become a readily adoptable tool for estimating organic contaminants bioaccessibility in various matrices.

Selenium (Se) is a bioaccumulative constituent of coal fly-ash that can disrupt reproduction of oviparous wildlife. In food webs, the greatest enrichment of Se occurs at the lowest trophic levels, making it readily bioavailable to higher consumers. However, subsequent enrichment at higher trophic levels is less pronounced, leading to mixed tendencies for Se to biomagnify. We used stable isotopes (15N and 13C) in claws to infer relative trophic positions and relative carbon sources, respectively, of seven turtle species near the site of a recently-remediated coal fly-ash spill. We then tested whether Se concentrations differed with relative trophic position or relative carbon source. We did not observe a strong relationship between δ15N and Se concentration. Instead, selenium concentrations decreased with increasing δ13C among species. Therefore, in an assemblage of closely-related aquatic vertebrates, relative carbon source was a better predictor of Se bioaccumulation than was relative trophic position.

The debromination and trophic dynamics of PBDEs in fish and whether or not compound-specific isotopic analysis (CSIA) can be used to trace these processes were investigated. Two predator/prey relationships were established in laboratory by two predatory fish species, oscar fish (OF) and redtail catfish (RF) feeding on tiger barb (TB) exposed to a commercial PBDE mixture. Metabolic debromination of PBDEs was observed in the TB and the OF, but not in the RF. The calculated biomagnification factors (BMFs) were uniform for most of the congeners in RF/TB but varied in OF/TB, which can be attributed to the metabolic debromination in the OF. The δ13C values of BDE47 and BDE28 were lower in fish than in those in the commercial mixture but the δ13C values of BDE99 were slightly higher. These results indicated that CSIA can be used to trace the biotransformation of PBDEs in biota.

In February 2011 a MW 6.3 earthquake in Christchurch, New Zealand inundated urban waterways with sediment from liquefaction and triggered sewage spills. The impacts of, and recovery from, this natural disaster on the stream biogeochemistry and biology were assessed over six months along a longitudinal impact gradient in an urban river. The impact of liquefaction was masked by earthquake triggered sewage spills (∼20,000 m3 day−1 entering the river for one month). Within 10 days of the earthquake dissolved oxygen in the lowest reaches was <1 mg l−1, in-stream denitrification accelerated (attenuating 40–80% of sewage nitrogen), microbial biofilm communities changed, and several benthic invertebrate taxa disappeared. Following sewage system repairs, the river recovered in a reverse cascade, and within six months there were no differences in water chemistry, nutrient cycling, or benthic communities between severely and minimally impacted reaches. This study highlights the importance of assessing environmental impact following urban natural disasters.

Particulate matter (PM) in Masterton, New Zealand, a rural community with a population of 20 000, was studied during the winter to gain an understanding of the carbonaceous species and their influence on PM concentrations. The average PM10 concentration during the winter was 21.0±14.8 µg m–3, of which 64% was PM2.5. PM2.5 concentrations were found to be the main cause of elevated PM10 concentrations, and were responsible for exceedances of the New Zealand National Environmental Standard for PM10. Carbonaceous species were 47 and 77% of the total PM10 and PM2.5, respectively. Organic carbon (OC) concentrations were always higher than elemental carbon (EC) concentrations. OC and EC concentrations showed excellent correlation with PM2.5 concentrations, suggesting that combustion processes were the dominant source of PM. Stable isotope analysis yielded δ13C values ranging from –24.9 to –27.6‰, which is indicative of wood combustion. Analysis of particle–phase PAHs by thermal desorption GC/MS yielded an average total PAH concentration of 38.9±25.9ng m–3, accounting for 0.3% of the PM2.5. Analysis of all of the results revealed that residential wood burning for domestic heating was the main source of PM pollution in Masterton. The results of this study suggest that a PM10 standard alone, particularly in areas where wood combustion is common, may not be providing an adequate level of protection for the exposed population.