Contaminant Transport and Bioaccumulation Modeling
Kevin J. Farley, Manhattan College, HydroQual, NYU SBRP Center
Purpose of Modeling
■ To confirm / extend interpretation of field data
■ To determine contaminant contributions from various sources
■ To provide forecasts of future conditions under various remedial options
■ To evaluate relevant mechanisms controlling contaminant transport and bioaccumulation
SourceCharacterization
ExposureAssessment
RiskAssessment
CARP
Contaminants• PCBs• Dioxins• Furans• Hg• meHg• Cd• PAHs• Pesticides• etc.
Source Characterization(34 Tributaries, 99 STPs, >1,000 CSOs and SWOs,
plus atmospheric and landfill inputs)
Contaminant Fate Processes(hydrodynamics, sediment transport, organic carbon cycling,
sorption, volatilization, chemical transformations)
Partitioning to Suspended SedimentNon-Planar PCB Congeners(2, 3 and 4 Ortho Chlorines)
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
4 5 6 7 8 9 10
log Kow
log
K oc
Partitioning to Suspended SedimentPlanar PCB Congeners
(0 and 1 Ortho Chlorines)
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
4 5 6 7 8 9 10
log Kow
log
K oc
Estuarine Circulation
From Schnoor, 1996
Model Grid: 16,000 water column and 16,000 sediment cells
Passaic Valley Sewage DischargeRelease of 3,3’-dichlorobiphenyl: BZ#11
pvsc_16yrW_16yrNWocta.exepvsc_16yrW_16yrNWdi.exe
Contaminant Transfer through
Aquatic Food Webs
Bioaccumulation Modeling
Courtesy of John Waldman, Hudson River Foundation
νBSAF lipid
lipid = Γoc
CARP: Harbor Worm Data
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
LISound
JamaicaBay
SandyHook
RaritanBay
ArthurKill
NewarkBay
UpperBay
BSA
F - k
g oc /
kg l
ipid
di-CB
tri-CB
tetra-CB
penta-CB
hexa-CB
hepta-CB
octa-CB
nona-CB
deca-CB
Bioaccumulation Model(1)
Partitioning
PoreWater Ventilation
WormEgestion
SedimentIngestion
dν lipid ⎡K ⎤= k + α I lipid
dt uCdis oc,lipid Γoc ⎢ app ⎥ − ke + kg ν lipid( )⎣ Koc ⎦
(1) Thomann, Connolly and Parkerton, Environ. Toxicol. Chem., 1992
Bioaccumulation ModelingChanges in organism bioenergetics with levels of contamination
Changes in Bioenergetics
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
4 5 6 7 8 9log Kow
BSA
F - k
g oc /
kg l
ipid
Newark Bay
Sandy Hook
Previous Fit
Adj. Bioenerg.
“Urban myth” or serious implications in setting targets for sediment cleanup
Laboratory-derived BSAFs
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
ChapelHill
Narrows Battery UnionCity
ShootersIs.
NewarkBay
BSA
F (k
g oc /
kg l
ipid
) Tri-CB
Tetra-CB
Penta-CB
Hexa-CB
Hepta-CB
Octa-CB
Nona_CB
Deca-CB
Laboratory-measured Growth Rates
0
25
50
75
100
125
150
ChapelHill
Narrows Battery UnionCity
ShootersIs.
NewarkBay
Gro
wth
(as
% o
f con
trol
)
Controlled Laboratory Tests
■ 10-day BioaccumulationTests(1)
■ Non-deposit feedingamphipod (Rhepoxyniusabronius)
■ Deposit feeding polychaete(Armandia brevis)
■ 20-day Growth Tests(2)
(1) Meador, Adams, Casillas and Bolton, Arch. Environ. Contam. Toxicol., 1997
(2) Rice, Plesha, Casillas, Misitianoand Meador, Environ. Toxicol. Chem., 1995
Summary
q Overview of contaminant transport modeling
ü Partitioning to sediment
ü Estuarine circulation
q Challenges in evaluating contaminant transport in complex estuarine environments
q Issues in bioaccumulation
ü Effect of contamination levels on bioaccumulation behavior
Acknowledgments
Sponsors
q NIEHS-SBRP
q The Hudson River Foundation
q Port Authority of NY-NJ
q EPA
Collaborators
q Robert V. Thomann
q Dominic M. Di Toro
q Robin L. Miller
q James R. Wands
Special thanks toq Jim Meador (NOAA)
