Robert J. Davies-Colley National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA), PO Box 11-115, Hillcrest, Hamilton, New Zealand. ABSTRACT: River water quality is important to uses and values within rivers and also in water bodies downstream. Water quality here encompasses: the physico-chemical attributes important to aquatic life and that vary diurnally (e.g. dissolved oxygen, temperature)...

In this review, a wide array of bioaccumulation markers and biomarkers, used to demonstrate exposure to and effects of environmental contaminants, has been discussed in relation to their feasibility in environmental risk assessment (ERA). Fish bioaccumulation markers may be applied in order to elucidate the aquatic behavior of environmental contaminants, as bioconcentrators to identify certain ...

This paper gives step-by-step instructions for assessing aquatic selenium hazards associated with mining. The procedure was developed to provide the U.S. Forest Service with a proactive capability for determining the risk of selenium pollution when it reviews mine permit applications in accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). The procedural framework is constructed in a de...

Prioritizing total maximum daily load (TMDL) development starts by considering the scope and severity of water pollution and risks to public health and aquatic life. Methodology using quantitative assessments of in-stream water quality is appropriate and effective for point source (PS) dominated discharge, but less so in watersheds with mostly nonpoint source (NPS) related impairments. For NPSs...

Estuaries and coastal zones are dynamic transitional systems which provide many economic and ecological benefits to humans, but also are an ideal habitat for other organisms as well. These areas are becoming contaminated by various anthropogenic activities due to a quick economic growth and urbanization. This chapter explores the sources, chemical speciation, sediment accumulation and removal m...

Introduction Excess use of nutrients over the last several decades has caused significant water quality and health issues on a global scale. In the U.S., the impact of nutrient pollution has been identified as one of the most widespread, costly, and challenging environmental problems in the 21st century.1 Nutrient pollution causes excess algae growth (i.e., algal blooms) over large bodies of wa...

This lab uses freshwater sponges as model organisms to examine the biological effects of water pollution. Specifically, the focus of this laboratory module is on the effects that chemicals of environmental concern (e.g., endocrine disrupters) have on sponge growth and development. Contamination of aquatic ecosystems is a serious issue in environmental science. Identifying which chemicals we sho...

Increasing industrialization in developing country like India leading difficulty in pollution control. One of the major causes of pollution in aquatic ecosystem is discharge of heavy metals. Wastewater containing heavy metals are treated with conventional technology like chemical precipitation, ion exchange etc. Biosorption of heavy metals from aqueous solution can be considered as an alternati...

Seasonal variations of three heavy metals (Pb,Cd, Ni) in Pinctada radiata have been conducted in Hendorabi and lavan Island from March 2011 to march 2013, edible oysters are best pollution indicator organism in aquatic environment. The soft tissue of Pinctada radiata and sediment was analyzed to detect some potentially toxic metals as Pb, Cd, Ni with a flame AAS and statistical analyses were pe...

Mercury is one of the most toxic and hazardous pollutant which occurs in the environment in different chemical forms, of which methylmercury is the most dangerous. Recently it was recognised that long-term anthropogenic inputs of mercury into environment resulted in the global mercury pollution and it was concluded that action should be taken to quantify the pollution sources and reduce human-g...