Assessing Sediments from Upper Mississippi River Navigational Pools Using a Benthic Invertebrate Community Evaluation and the Sediment Quality Triad Approach

Abstract

Abstract. Benthic invertebrate samples were collected from 23 pools in the Upper Mississippi River (UMR) and from one station in the Saint Croix River (SCR) as part of a study to assess the effects of the extensive flooding of 1993 on sediment contamination in the UMR system. Sediment contaminants of concern included both organic and inorganic compounds. Oligochaetes and chironomids constituted over 80% of the total abundance in samples from 14 of 23 pools in the UMR and SCR samples. Fingernail clams comprised a large portion of the community in three of 23 UMR pools and exceeded abundances of 1,000/m2 in five of 23 pools. Total abundance ranged from 250/m* in samples from pool 1 to 22,389/m* in samples from pool 19. Abundance values are comparable with levels previ ously reported in the literature for the UMR. Overall frequency of chironomid mouthpart deformities was 3% (range O-13%), which is comparable to reported incidence of deformities in uncontaminated sediments previously evaluated. Sediment con tamination was generally low in the UMR pools and the SCR site. Correlations between benthic measures and sediment chemistry and other abiotic parameters exhibited few signifi cant or strong correlations. The sediment quality triad (Triad) approach was used to evaluate data from laboratory toxicity tests, sediment chemistry, and benthic community analyses; it showed that 88% of the samples were not scored as impacted based on sediment toxicity, chemistry, and benthic measures. Benthic invertebrate distributions and community structure within the UMR in the samples evaluated in the present study were most likely controlled by factors independent of contami nant concentrations in the sediments.The Mississippi River is the central catchment for a majority of the water runoff between the west side of the Appalachian

Organic Pollution and Genotoxicity of Sediments of the Palun Marshes (Berre Lagoon, France)

“…Dieldrin is a nonsystemic organochlorine pesticide that was used in France until 1992. In the present study, dieldrin levels were higher than those commonly observed in many other impacted areas, such as the Mississippi Delta (Canfield et al, 1998), Indian tropical mangroves (Bhattacharya et al, 2003), and Albufera Lake, Spain (Carvalho et al, 2009). According to the freshwater sediment quality guidelines (McDonald et al, 2000), dieldrin concentrations in B1, B2, B3, and V1 were above the probable effect level (PEC = 6.67 μg kg −1 dw) intended to identify contaminant concentrations above which harmful effects on sediment‐dwelling organisms are expected to occur (Swartz, 1999).…”

Multispatial-scale variation in benthic and snag-surface macroinvertebrate assemblages in mid-continent US great rivers

“…Canfield et al (1998) also found there was an order of magnitude in differences of macroinvertebrate abundance values between Pools 1 and 26. While this in itself is important information, a more focused consideration is "Why are the study area taxa abundances different?"…”

A field assessment of long‐term laboratory sediment toxicity tests with the amphipod Hyalella azteca

“…Canfield et al [7][8][9] used the sediment quality triad approach to compare responses of invertebrates collected from the field to responses of H. azteca, C. dilutus, or C. riparius in laboratory toxicity tests. In extremely contaminated samples, concordance was observed among measures of sediment chemistry and effects observed in the laboratory and in the field.…”