Gail Krantzberg

The Influence of Bioturbation on Physical, Chemical and Biological Parameters in Aquatic Environments: A Review

Abstract The role of benthic macroinvertebrates in sediment processing is of importance for investigators attempting to describe the dynamics of a wide range of materials in aquatic environments. Benthic macroinvertebrates have been shown to blur sediment stratigraphy, alter particle size and pore spaces, and influence shear strength of the sediment and turbidity of overlying waters. The macroinfauna can increase oxygen and E h penetration into the sediment and shift pH levels in actively worked substrates. These changes have been correlated with trace element redistributions among physicochemical forms and the flux of N, P, PCBs, Cu, Fe, I, Hg, Mn, Si, Zn and radioisotopes to the water column. There is general agreement that bioturbation can stimulate microbial activity, although the data remain inconclusive. Realistic estimates of sediment particle mixing rates are required in order to estimate the impact of bioturbation on core dating techniques, material cycling studies and contaminant remobilisation from polluted spoils.

Metal accumulation by chironomid larvae: the effects of age and body weight on metal body burdens

Age and body weight affected the extent of metal retention in larval chironomids. Elements differed with respect to age- and size-dependent metal uptake. The slopes of the regressions of metal burdens against age and size varied depending on the range in body size considered. Among fourth instar larvae, younger chironomids had higher concentrations of Cd, Mn, Ca, Ni, Fe, and Cu than older instars. When all instars were included, only concentrations of Cd and Ni were greater in young as compared to older larvae. Concentrations of Fe, Mn, Ca, and Ni were greater in larger chironomids than smaller larvae of similar age, but the effect of body weight on metal content was significant only when a wide range in biomass was considered. For the design of biological monitoring programs that use information on tissue residues of contaminants to assess contaminant bioavailability, individuals of different ages and sizes should be collected from each site in order to validate intersite comparisons. The advantages of considering metal burdens in addition to metal concentrations are emphasized.

Capacity-building for restoring degraded areas in the Great Lakes

The 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development identified capacity-building in Agenda 21 as one of the essential means to implement sustainable development. Capacity-building means an enhanced ability of a country or local region to identify and reach agreement on problems, develop policies and programmes to address them, and mobilize appropriate resources to fulfill the policies and programmes. One practical example of capacity-building in developed countries is the development and implementation of comprehensive remedial action plans (RAPS) to restore beneficial uses in 43 degraded areas of the Great Lakes, USA. RAPS employ a combination of: human elements and strategies (e.g. empowerment, long-term vision/mission driven, shared decision-making); tools and techniques (e.g. pollution prevention, habitat rehabilitation, remediation of contaminated sediments and hazardous waste sites); and management support systems (e.g. ecosystem performance measures, geographical information systems, ...

Science Must Inform Great Lakes Policy

The Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement (GLWQA) of 1972, revised in 1978 and amended by protocol in 1987, is essentially a pollution control and elimination tool. This is because chemical impacts on the lakes were the issues best understood when it was developed and signed in 1972. The extensive list of threats to the health of the Great Lakes basin ecosystem we now recognize calls into question whether the Great Lakes regime has been shaped to deliver relevant programs and policies. The multitude of stresses on the Great Lakes ecosystem will not be new to JGLR readers. Great Lakes scientists continue to grow their understanding of the extensive set of ecosystem threats that span the loss of species and spaces, climate change, new chemicals of concern, emerging and more virulent pathogens, aging infrastructure, impacts of land use on the receiving waters, invasive species, atmospheric deposition, and more. It is the Great Lakes scientific community that continues to unravel the complex interactions of multiple stressors on this very important place. To help advance the appreciation that scientific excellence is imperative for Great Lakes renewal, the IJC will be issuing its second biennial award for scientific excellence in June 2005. Please participate in our call for nominations for the IJC Biennial Award for Great Lakes Science ( www.ijc.org). The science/policy interface is of fundamental importance if we are to achieve a sustainable Great Lakes basin ecosystem. Successfully navigating the interface is no simple matter. It is generally so that policymakers are not well versed in the sciences. It is also generally so that many scientists are unfamiliar with the process of formulating and implementing public policy. As a result, there is an inherent

The Remedial Action Plan That Led to the Cleanup and Delisting of Collingwood Harbour as an Area of Concern

Abstract This paper traces the rehabilitation and restoration of Collingwood Harbours ecosystem and establishes that the targets set to delist Collingwood Harbour as one of 43 North American Areas of Concern were met as of 1994. Numerous actions to ameliorate environmental problems and rehabilitate the harbor ecosystem have been implemented. In so doing, environmental conditions to support the uses and goals identified by the Public Advisory Committee and the community of Collingwood have been realized. The process of cleaning up and protecting Collingwood Harbours ecosystem has been an extensive one, involving 8 years of legislative, organizational, and information-gathering efforts and a far-reaching program of public consultation and participation. Extensive consultation with agency scientists, government officials, the International Joint Commission, the community of Collingwood, and the public at large has resulted in unified consent that the environmental targets established for the community-driven cleanup have been met, and in fact, surpassed.

Contaminated Sediment Management in the Great Lakes Basin Ecosystem

Abstract Contaminated sediment remains a pervasive problem to the restoration and delisting in all of the Great Lakes Areas of Concern. Like many other problems, both identification and implementation of ecologically and economically acceptable solutions is complex. Recognizing the scope of this issue and perceiving that limited progress had been achieved, the International Joint Commission (IJC) asked its Great Lakes Water Quality Board to review the magnitude of the problem and what progress had been made in managing contaminated sediment by Canada and the United States. In addition, the Commission also asked for an identification of obstacles to remediation and recommendations for solutions. This paper provides a synopsis of this work and a summary of an IJC workshop held in June of 1997, in Collingwood, Ontario. Six categories of obstacles to sediment remediation are discussed, potential solutions are identified, and a series of recommendations are proposed. A plan of action to further develop approaches to sediment management and to stimulate additional remediation throughout the basin is also presented.

An appraisal of management pathologies in the Great Lakes

Recent research has produced broad application of the health concept to regional ecosystems, including the Great Lakes. The attention is warranted, as new and recurring stresses on the health of the Great Lakes undermine our understanding and hinder our ability to manage and restore critical ecological functions. There is widespread agreement that the Great Lakes are presently exhibiting symptoms of extreme stress and potentially irreversible and catastrophic damage. Historical command and control management has resulted simultaneously in environmental benefits to people and a loss of resilience in Great Lakes ecosystems. Surprising system responses often prompt further control, and the continued decline in resilience has been called the pathology of natural resource management. The pathology is also suggested to affect human systems of organization such as management authorities. We use published criteria of institutional pathologies and illustrate their occurrence in the Great Lakes with evidence of non-existent program evaluation, program incompatibility, lack of coordination among programs, authorities that establish and then abandon public participatory initiatives, and inappropriate choice of policy mechanisms or inadequate level of support for an appropriate mechanism (either of which creates disincentives for stakeholders). Learning is an element of resilience, as managed systems are inherently dynamic and our understanding is therefore always incomplete. Policy mechanisms that mimic learning techniques to improve understanding are therefore central to avoiding pathologies in management. But learning (individually or institutionally) can be threatening and very difficult, and its proper conduct necessarily involves a continuous process of feedback, interpretation, and reformulation. Double-loop learning processes that institutionalize learning in policy are recommended, as these will be required to overcome pathologies in management and maintain resilience of the Great Lakes system.

Keeping Remedial Action Plans On Target: Lessons Learned from Collingwood Harbour

Abstract Remedial Action Plans (RAPs) are being developed and implemented at Areas of Concern (43, now 41). The Areas of Concern are locations throughout the Great Lakes basin ecosystem where environmental quality is particularly compromised. According to the United States and Canada Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement of 1987, RAPs are to embody a systematic and comprehensive ecosystem approach to restoring and protecting beneficial uses (the ability of fish, wildlife, and humans to thrive) in the Areas of Concern. The Agreement calls for the federal governments, in cooperation with state and provincial governments, to ensure the public is consulted throughout the development and implementation of the RAPs. Downsizing at all levels of government in the mid-1990s has created significant problems in sustaining the momentum for clean up. Community-based actions may be proceeding, but costly clean up efforts remain. Despite these organizational and fiscal resource hurdles, several RAPs are being applied and, as a result, there are notable advances in remediation and prevention programs. Essential elements that characterize successful initiatives include true participatory decision making, a clearly articulated and shared vision, and focused and deliberate leadership.

SEDS: setting environmental decisions for sediment, a decision making tool for sediment management

Abstract The need for guidance on the management of contaminated sediment has been articulated by the International Joint Commission, scientists and resource managers in many jurisdictions. There is a growing convergence on what constitutes a valid comprehensive sediment assessment but active debate on how to synthesize multiple pieces of information on sediment chemistry, biological information from field monitoring and laboratory sediment bioassessment. Recognizing the current state of knowledge, we provide a recommended approach to bioassessment sediment management strategies. The intent is to facilitate the formulation of data interpretation tools needed for a decision making process that is flexible to enable site-specific determination regarding the need to take action beyond the control of sources of contamination. While the concepts contained herein have been employed implicitly in Canada and Ontario, the details on data collection, evaluation, and reaching a management decision are explicitly lai...

Science-Seeking Behaviour of Conservation Authorities in Ontario

The communication of science to science users is evolving to an approach that translates knowledge to targeted audiences. Under this evolution, knowledge brokers play an increasingly important role and users help ‘pull’ the required science to meet a policy or management imperative. To do this effectively, more insight is required into the knowledge seeking behaviour of science users and practitioners. The findings from a series of interviews that identify the science needs of Ontario’s Conservation Authorities (CAs) are presented. Results indicate that emerging functions, such as source water protection and integrated water resource planning, require more science input than mature functions. Senior CA officials view personal communication with their knowledgeable staff as the most used, accessible, trustworthy, relevant, shared, and preferable source of science information. While the internet and media were considered highly accessible, they were not viewed as trustworthy. We found no relationship between CA size and science use. Further research is needed to identify where junior and intermediate CA staff obtain their science knowledge from and whether this varies as a function of CA size. Our findings will be of interest to both policy/program communities and science providers.