Exposure and Effects Workgroup

Study Ideas 2010

Five-Year Plan: Risk to Birds

• Is there clear evidence of pollutant effects on survival, reproduction, or growth of individual birds?

• Are pollutants in the Bay adversely affecting bird populations?

• Do spatial patterns in accumulation indicate particular regions of concern?

Five-Year Plan: Risk to Birds

• Is there clear evidence of pollutant effects on survival, reproduction, or growth of individual birds?– Yes for Hg

• How do the threshold numbers being developed relate to egg monitoring threshold in TMDL (0.5 mg/kg ww)?

– No for emerging chemicals such as PBDEs

Five-Year Plan: Risk to Birds

• Are pollutants in the Bay adversely affecting bird populations? – Don’t know

• Do spatial patterns in accumulation indicate particular regions of concern? – Maybe. SBSP work/ Calfed suggests high

marshes have higher concentrations of Hg in birds. Don’t know for other contaminants.

Five-Year Plan: Risk to Birds

Five-Year Plan: Risk to Benthos• What are spatial and temporal patterns of

impacts of sediment contamination on benthic biota?

• Which pollutants are responsible for observed impacts on benthic biota?

• Are the toxicity tests, benthic community assessment approaches, and the overall SQO assessment framework we are using reliable indicators of impacts of benthic biota?

Five-Year Plan: Risk to Benthos• What are spatial and temporal patterns of

impacts of sediment contamination on benthic biota?– Maybe. SQO identified areas of concern. S&T

benthic work will provide more information.

• Which pollutants are responsible for observed impacts on benthic biota? – Not sure. Further development of TIEs will help.

Five-Year Plan: Risk to Benthos• Are the toxicity tests, benthic community assessment

approaches, and the overall SQO assessment framework we are using reliable indicators of impacts of benthic biota? – Yes consensus that we are best available methods for

sediment toxicity• Recommendation to consider switching to fw test organisms in

rivers

– Benthic assessments to be refined through benthic workshops

– Need to coordinate on SQO assessment approaches/techniques

Five-Year Plan: Risk to Benthos

Five-Year Plan: Risk to Fish• Are pollutants, individually or in combination,

reducing reproductive ability, growth, and health of sensitive fish populations?

• What are appropriate thresholds of concern for contaminant concentrations for Bay species?

• What are cost-effective indicators for monitoring effects of contaminants on fish populations?

Five-Year Plan: Risk to Fish• Are pollutants, individually or in combination,

reducing reproductive ability, growth, and health of sensitive fish populations?– Maybe. POD. Reduced fish runs.

Five-Year Plan: Risk to Fish• What are appropriate thresholds of concern

for contaminant concentrations for Bay species?– Working on PAHs– Need to develop for other compounds such as

ECs

• What are cost-effective indicators for monitoring effects of contaminants on fish populations? – Working on hormone systems– Need to develop methods for inclusion in S&T

Five-Year Plan: Risk to Fish

Patterns in Foodwebs - Small fish

• Where is mercury entering the food web?

• What factors contribute to uptake?

• Are there trends in MeHg bioaccumulation based on restoration activities?

• What are the best monitoring tools for characterizing MeHg bioaccumulation?

• $150K thru 2010

Patterns in Foodwebs - Small fish

• Where is mercury entering the food web?

• What factors contribute to uptake?

• Are there trends in MeHg bioaccumulation based on restoration activities?

• What are the best monitoring tools for characterizing MeHg bioaccumulation?

• $150K thru 2010Too soon to tell

Study ideas for 2010

• Avian effects: Development of thresholds– Augmenting USGS Clapper rail study?

• Avian effects: Development of thresholds– Ratner et al PBDE studies?

• Benthos: Development LC-50 data; continuation of sediment TIE development; develop sed. toxicity strategy thru workgroup

• Benthos: Pyrethroids and TIEs?

Study ideas for 2010

• Fish effects: Development of thresholds– ?

• Fish effects: Development of indicators for S&T

• Fish effects: Bioassays (outcome of EC white paper?)

• Foodweb: Understanding source of Hg– Sediment? Water column?

Patterns in Foodwebs - Egg Monitoring

• Are cormorant and tern egg monitoring valuable indicators of long-term trends?

• Which emerging contaminants accumulate to appreciable concentrations in cormorant eggs?

• Are particular regions of the Bay margin of special concern for Hg accumulation in Forester Terns?

• $90K every three years (starting in 2009)

Patterns in Foodwebs - Egg Monitoring

• Are cormorant and tern egg monitoring valuable indicators of long-term trends?– Yes. Incorporated into program as part of

redesign

• Which emerging contaminants accumulate to appreciable concentrations in cormorant eggs? – Elevated levels of PFOS near LC-50 of lab studies

for chickens– Which ECs should we look for in the eggs?