"Proceedings, Federal Interagency Workshop,
"Sediment Technology for the
21'st Century,"
St. Petersburg, FL, February 17-19,
1998"
Development of Benthic Profile Imaging and Sampling System (BPISS)
By Scott Carr
Pre-Proposal
Issue/Problem
Great advances have been achieved during the last decade in the conduct of
sediment quality assessment studies (Carr et al., 1996a; 1996b; 1997a).
Several novel and sensitive methods have been developed for evaluating the
toxicity of contaminated sediments but the relationship between these tests
and actual impacts in the field are often difficult to correlate (Carr and
Chapman, 1992; 1995, Carr et al., 1997b). We propose to develop a sampling
and reconnaissance instrument which would allow the real-time evaluation of
the infaunal benthic community at the precise point where samples for
toxicity or other chemical/physical measurements are taken. This
instrument would help bridge the link between contaminant concentrations
and benthic impacts which is a critical issue for developing sediment
quality guidelines (MacDonald et al., 1996).
Beneficiaries
This instrument would be useful to all facets of the environmental
community (i.e., Federal, state, academic, private, international) that are
considered with sediment quality in riverine, estuarine, and marine
ecosystems.
Objectives
To develop a sampler that would consist of a video sediment profile imaging
system coupled with pneumatic and vacuum operated sampling devices for
collecting sediment and sediment pore water while simultaneously measuring
dissolved oxygen, redox potential, pH, sulfide, and ammonia concentrations
at varying depths (0-20 cm).
This device would allow large numbers of sites to be sampled and the
benthos rapidly assessed simultaneously, thereby providing a database which
could be used to reinterpret data from previous studies in which only
toxicity/chemistry data were obtained.
Approach
The development of this instrument would utilize existing
commercially available cameras, probes, etc. The first prototype
instrument would be designed for shallow water (< 10 m depths) use. The
second phase development would be designed for oceanographic applications.
We envision that the first prototype could be developed with 6-12 months.
The oceanographic version would probably require an additional year to
develop.
Funding
|
Funding by Fiscal Year: |
|
|
| FY98 | $100K |
| FY99 | $100K |
| FY00 | $75K |
Principal Investigator
Scott Carr
Human Resource Requirements - 2 to 3 man-years/year
Collaborators
Dr. Joe Germano, EVS, Seattle, WA - co-developer of the REMOTS¨ sediment profile
camera
Dr. Marion Nipper, TAMU-CC, CCS, Corpus Christi, TX - marine ecotoxicologist
Dr. Bruce Williamson, NIWA, Hamilton, New Zealand - marine porewater chemist
Dr. Paul Montagna, UTMSI, Port Aransas, TX - marine benthic ecologist
Dr. George Tate, USGS, Geologic Division
References Cited
Carr, R.S. and D.C. Chapman. 1992. Comparison of whole sediment and pore-water toxicity
tests for assessing the quality of estuarine sediments. Chem. Ecol.
7:19-30.
Carr, R.S. and D.C. Chapman. 1995. Comparison of methods for conducting
marine and estuarine sediment porewater toxicity tests - Extraction,
storage, and handling techniques. Arch. Environ. Contam. Toxicol.
28:69-77.
Carr, R.S., D.C. Chapman, C.L. Howard, and J. Biedenbach. 1996a. Sediment Quality Triad
assessment survey in the Galveston Bay Texas system. Ecotoxicology 5:341-361.
Carr, R.S., D.C. Chapman, B.J. Presley, J.M. Biedenbach, L. Robertson, P.
Boothe, R. Kilada, T. Wade and P. Montagna. 1997a. Sediment porewater
toxicity assessment studies in the vicinity of offshore oil and gas
production platforms in the Gulf of Mexico. Can . J. Fish. Aq. Sci.
53:2618-2628.
Carr, R.S., E.R. Long., D.C. Chapman, G. Thursby, J.M. Biedenbach, H.
Windom, G. Sloane and D.A. Wolfe. 1996b. Toxicity assessment studies of
contaminated sediments in Tampa Bay, Florida. Environ. Toxicol. Chem.
15:1218-1231.
Carr, R.S., P.M. Montagna and M.C. Kennicutt. 1997b. Sediment quality
assessment of storm water outfalls and other sites of concern in the Corpus
Christi Bay National Estuary Program study area. Report prepared for the
Corpus Christi Bay National Estuary Program, 90 pp. + 23 appendices.
MacDonald, D.D., R.S. Carr, F.D. Calder, E.R. Long and C.G. Ingersoll.
1996. Development and evaluation of sediment quality guidelines for
Florida coastal waters. Ecotoxicology 5:253-278.
Workshop Contributions
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