Toxic metal enrichment and boating intensity: sediment records of antifoulant copper in shallow lakes of eastern England

Tributyltin (TBT), an aqueous biocide derived from antifouling paint pollution, is known to have impacted coastal marine ecosystems, and has been reported in the sediment of the Norfolk and Suffolk Broads, a network of rivers and shallow lakes in eastern England. In the marine environment, the 1987 TBT ban has resulted in expanded use of alternative biocides, raising the question of whether these products too have impacted the Broads ecosystem and freshwaters in general. Here we examine the lake sediment record in the Norfolk and Suffolk Broads for contamination by copper (Cu) (as an active biocide agent) and zinc (Zn) (as a component of booster biocides), to assess their occurrence and potential for causing environmental harm in freshwater ecosystems. We find that, after the introduction of leisure boating, there is a statistically significant difference in Cu enrichment between heavily and lightly boated sites, while no such difference exists prior to this time. At the heavily boated sites the onset of Cu enrichment coincides with a period of rapid increase in leisure boating. Such enrichment is maintained to the present day, with some evidence of continued increase. We conclude that Cu-based antifouling has measurably contaminated lakes exposed to boating, at concentrations high enough to cause ecological harm. Similar findings can be expected at other boated freshwater ecosystems elsewhere in the world

Tributyltin (TBT) and the decline of the Norfolk Broads

This is the final report to the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (DEFRA) on the contract "Tributyltin (TBT) and the decline of the Norfolk Broads"

Environmental change and atmospheric contamination across China as indicated by lake sediments (Joint Project Q741)

In China, anthropogenic impact from changes in water quality, land-use and atmospheric deposition vary both spatially and temporally. There is a gradient across the country from the populous lowlands in the east, where considerable long-term impact on water bodies has resulted from centuries of agricultural and aquacultural practices superimposed by more recent, rapid industrial growth; to the mountainous west where many areas remain minimally impacted and any anthropogenic impact is restricted to long-range transport of atmospheric pollutants and change in climate. Currently, however, there is little information on temporal trends in atmospheric deposition. The importance of water resources in China cannot be overestimated and therefore determining the extent, rate and direction of change in water quality is a national priority. In the absence of long-term monitoring programmes, lake sediments remain the only way whereby this information can be retrospectively determined at the necessary temporal scale to ascertain whether the causes of any detriment in quality are as a result of natural changes, or due to agricultural or industrial impacts. Therefore, the aim of this research programme is to use lake sediments from three regions of China to detennine the extent to which impacts to lakes have changed through time and the causes of these changes. The project focuses on an east - west transect along the Yangtse River. The Middle and Lower Reaches of the Yangtse are undergoing exceptionally rapid economic and industrial development and this region is receiving a great deal of attention as the Three Gorges Dam undergoes construction. The three areas in which lakes are to be studied in this proposal are: l. Jiangsu Province in east China north of Shanghai. Lowland sites. Lakes in this area are likely to have been impacted by long-term agriculture and may therefore may have become eutrophic. Atmospheric deposition may also be significant from local and regional industrial sources. 2. The upper reaches of the Yangtse River, in Sichuan and Yunnan Provinces. Lakes at l-2000m. Lakes in this area may have been impacted by agriculture, but where possible sites will be selected where direct impact is minimal. Lakes may therefore be mesotrophic but sources of atmospherically derived industrial pollutants are likely to be remote. 3. The Tibetan Plateau. Lakes at 4 - 5000m. 'Control' sites in a pristine area with minimal human influence. Sediment cores from these sites will be used to detem1ine background levels of atmospherically deposited contaminants. Oligotrophic (low nutrient) sites on sensitive geology (low acid neutralising capacity e.g. granites) will be selected where possible. By including earlier collaborative work between the participating institutes (funded by the Royal Society and the Chinese Academy of Sciences) on the lake sediment records on the Jianghan Plain and research currently being undertaken on lakes in the Shennonggjia region in western Hubei (NNFSC funded), this study will produce a transect of lakes from five regions providing a unique database on the historical impact of human activity on the freshwater environment

Modelling phosphorus fluxes in Loweswater

1. This is the final report to the Loweswater Care Project (in support of the Catchment Restoration Fund for England) ECRC-ENSIS Project 298, 'Loweswater 12-13'. The study was concerned with the spatial and temporal concentrations of sediment phosphorus (P) in the lake and the use of P measurements from the water column and inflow and outflow samples to derive a simple mass balance model for P in the lake. 2. A review of published and unpublished literature on Loweswater highlighted trends in water chemistry since the mid-eighteenth century. Land use and farming practises have changed over the past 200 years which have led to increased nutrient loading to the lake with significant increases occurring in the mid part of the last century. Agricultural intensification is likely to be a significant cause of the problem as well as inadequate septic tank management. Local management efforts, led by the Loweswater Care Project, has sought to reduce the primary sources of nutrients reaching the lake, but total phosphorus (TP) concentrations in the lake remain higher than desired. 3. Temperature and dissolved oxygen (DO) profiling confirmed that the site stratified in summer with major changes in DO occurring below a depth of 8 m. The deeper waters were almost entirely anoxic. During stratification the maximum TP value was recorded at the lake bottom. This is a clear indication that P is being released from the lake bed during summer stratification. 4. Analysis of the stream water from the Dub Beck inflow (data for 2013), shows that P influx remains high enough to explain the elevated lake water P concentrations, despite considerable efforts to reduce catchment P sources. 5. Analysis of the water column P profiles shows that P release from the sediment is only a minor contribution to the P load. While the sediment core data reveals a substantial pool of P in the sediment very little of this should be released each year to the water column. In 2013 it is estimated that more than 90% of the P came from the catchment and only ~10% from the sediment. 6. As with all modelling exercises there are uncertainties inherent in the approach. In this case the model output is based on a single year of input data for the inflow P flux calculations and it would be preferable to have a longer data series to inform the modelling. Inflow fluxes are highly dependent on flow conditions and here, in the absence of flow data from Dub Beck, we used data from a nearby stream. Further, the monthly sampling has resulted in most samples being taken in low flow conditions, thus missing potential storm flow conditions. Finally, stream input information is restricted to Dub Beck, and contributions from the other stream is unknown. 7. Nevertheless, the results from the modelling are clear and on that basis we conclude that the priority is for P loading to the lake to be reduced by better catchment management and that lake manipulation is not warranted. Integrated catchment management supported by modelling together with local stakeholder engagement should provide the most effective means of improving the condition of the lake

Annual variation in the levels of transcripts of sex-specific genes in the mantle of the common mussel, Mytilus edulis

Mytilus species are used as sentinels for the assessment of environmental health but sex or stage in the reproduction cycle is rarely considered even though both parameters are likely to influence responses to pollution. We have validated the use of a qPCR assay for sex identification and related the levels of transcripts to the reproductive cycle. A temporal study of mantle of Mytilus edulis found transcripts of male-specific vitelline coat lysin (VCL) and female-specific vitelline envelope receptor for lysin (VERL) could identify sex over a complete year. The levels of VCL/VERL were proportional to the numbers of sperm/ova and are indicative of the stage of the reproductive cycle. Maximal levels of VCL and VERL were found in February 2009 declining to minima between July - August before increasing and re-attaining a peak in February 2010. Water temperature may influence these transitions since they coincide with minimal water temperature in February and maximal temperature in August. An identical pattern of variation was found for a cryptic female-specific transcript (H5) but a very different pattern was observed for oestrogen receptor 2 (ER2). ER2 varied in a sex-specific way with male > female for most of the cycle, with a female maxima in July and a male maxima in December. Using artificially spawned animals, the transcripts for VCL, VERL and H5 were shown to be present in gametes and thus their disappearance from mantle is indicative of spawning. VCL and VERL are present at equivalent levels in February and July-August but during gametogenesis (August to January) and spawning (March to June) VCL is present at lower relative amounts than VERL. This may indicate sex-specific control mechanisms for these processes and highlight a potential pressure point leading to reduced reproductive output if environmental factors cause asynchrony to gamete maturation or release

The study design of UDRIVE: the Naturalistic Driving Study across Europe for cars, trucks and scooters

Purpose: UDRIVE is the first large-scale European Naturalistic Driving Study on cars, trucks and powered two wheelers. The acronym stands for "European naturalistic Driving and Riding for Infrastructure & Vehicle safety and Environment". The purpose of the study is to gain a better understanding of what happens on the road in everyday traffic situations. Methods: The paper describes Naturalistic Driving Studies, a method which provides insight into the actual real-world behaviour of road users, unaffected by experimental conditions and related biases. Naturalistic driving can be defined as a study undertaken to provide insight into driver behaviour during everyday trips by recording details of the driver, the vehicle and the surroundings through unobtrusive data gathering equipment and without experimental control. Data collection will take place in six EU Member States. Results: Road User Behaviour will be studied with a focus on both safety and environment. The UDRIVE project follows the steps of the FESTA-V methodology, which was originally designed for Field Operational Tests. Conclusions: Defining research questions forms the basis of the study design and the specification of the recording equipment. Both will be described in this paper. Although the project has just started collecting data from drivers, we consider the process of designing the study as a major result which may help other initiatives to set up similar studies

Integration of decision support systems to improve decision support performance

Decision support system (DSS) is a well-established research and development area. Traditional isolated, stand-alone DSS has been recently facing new challenges. In order to improve the performance of DSS to meet the challenges, research has been actively carried out to develop integrated decision support systems (IDSS). This paper reviews the current research efforts with regard to the development of IDSS. The focus of the paper is on the integration aspect for IDSS through multiple perspectives, and the technologies that support this integration. More than 100 papers and software systems are discussed. Current research efforts and the development status of IDSS are explained, compared and classified. In addition, future trends and challenges in integration are outlined. The paper concludes that by addressing integration, better support will be provided to decision makers, with the expectation of both better decisions and improved decision making processes