Liguang Sun

Animal excrement: A potential biomonitor of heavy metal contamination in the marine environment

To assess the feasibility of using animal excrement to biomonitor the extent of heavy metal contamination in the marine environment, concentrations of mercury (Hg), lead (Pb), copper (Cu) and zinc (Zn) in the fresh excrement of seabirds and marine mammals, along with other biomaterials, from the Arctic, Antarctica (West and East), and Xisha Archipelago of the South China Sea were determined. Results show that the excrement of marine animals at higher trophic levels generally contained high levels of Hg, demonstrating the biomagnification of Hg through food chains in different remote regions. Significant variations in metal accumulation in the excrements were observed among the distinctive geographical areas, with the highest Hg concentration in Xisha Archipelago and the highest Pb concentration in the Arctic, which reflects different levels of air metal pollution at various sampling locations. Concentrations of Cu in the excrements primarily correlate to the geochemical background levels in the regions. High Cu concentrations were found near the Great Wall Station in West Antarctica where a copper mineralized belt exists. No clear spatial variation pattern was found for Zn accumulation in the excrement. This study shows that animal excrement can be used as bioindicators for the level of metal contamination in the marine environment, with the advantages of easy sampling, accurate detection (i.e., with high levels of metal accumulation), and reconstructing historical metal contamination trends by long-term monitoring of sedimentary excrements.

Penguin population dynamics for the past 8500 years at Gardner Island, Vestfold Hills

Abstract In order to reconstruct past changes in penguin populations we performed geochemical analyses on a penguin ornithogenic sediment core DG4 retrieved from a lake catchment on Gardner Island, Vestfold Hills. P, Se, F, S, As, Sr and Cu in DG4 were identified as the bio-element assemblage by R-clustering analyses on the elemental concentrations and comparisons with those in bedrock and fresh penguin guano. Factor analysis on the levels of these bio-elements in the core permitted a reconstruction of variations in historical penguin populations at Gardner Island spanning the past 8500 years. The penguin population showed significant fluctuations, reaching its highest density between 4700–2400 calibrated years before present. This coincides with evidence for a late Holocene warm period in the Vestfold Hills, similar to that associated with the late Holocene penguin optimum recorded in the Ross Sea and Antarctic Peninsula regions.

Hexabromocyclododecanes (HBCDs) in marine fishes along the Chinese coastline.

This study reports concentrations of hexabromocyclododecanes (HBCDs) in two species of marine fish, large yellow croaker (Pseudosciaenacrocea) and silver pomfret (Pampusargenteus) (n = 46), from nine Chinese coastal cities (Dalian, Tianjin, Qingdao, Shanghai, Zhoushan, Wenzhou, Fuzhou, Quanzhou and Xiamen). HBCDs were detectable in all samples analyzed, indicating ubiquitous contamination of these compounds in the Chinese coastal environment. The average total HBCD concentration was 3.7 ng g⁻¹ lipid weight (range: 0.57-10.1 ng g⁻¹ lipid weight), which is relatively lower than other regions of the world, especially Europe, where HBCDs are intensively used. Among the three individual HBCD isomers (α-, β- and γ-HBCD) in all fish samples, the α-isomer showed a remarkable predominance (from 87.5% to 100% of total contribution), indicating its higher bioaccumulative potential. Geographically, the highest HBCD level present in fish was found in Dalian in northern China, and the lowest occurred in Wenzhou. Estimated daily intakes of HBCDs via fish consumption for the Chinese population were 0.004-1.00 ng kg body weight⁻¹ d⁻¹. These exposure levels were much lower than the effect levels.

Spatial distributions and deposition chronology of short chain chlorinated paraffins in marine sediments across the Chinese Bohai and Yellow Seas

As the most complex halogenated contaminants, short chain chlorinated paraffins (SCCPs) are scarcely reported in marine environments. In this work, a total of 117 surficial sediment (0-3 cm) samples and two sediment cores were collected from the Chinese Bohai and Yellow Seas to systematically study the spatial and temporal trends of SCCPs at a large scale in the Chinese marine environment. Total SCCP concentrations in the surficial sediments were in the range of 14.5-85.2 ng g(-1) (dry weight, d.w.) with an average level of 38.4 ng g(-1) d.w. Spatial distribution showed a decreasing trend with the distance from the coast to the open waters. Compositional pattern analysis suggested that C10 was the most predominant homologue group, followed by C11, C12, and C13 homologue groups. The concentrations of total SCCPs in sediment cores ranged from 11.6 to 94.7 ng g(-1) d.w. for YS1 and from 14.7 to 195.6 ng g(-1) d.w. for YS2, with sharp rise from the early 1950s to present based on (210)Pb dating technique. The historical records in cores correspond well to the production and usage changes of CPs in China. Multivariate regression statistics indicate TOC, latitude and longitude are the major factors influencing surficial SCCP levels in the Chinese East Seas by combining analysis with the data from the East China Sea (R(2) = 0.332, p < 0.01). These findings indicated that the sources of SCCPs were mainly from river outflows via ocean current and partly from atmospheric depositions by East Asian monsoon in the sampling areas.

Distribution of radionuclides in the guano sediments of Xisha Islands, South China Sea and its implication

Several natural and anthropogenic radionuclides ((210)Pb, (226)Ra and (137)Cs) in guano-phosphatic coral sediments and pure guano particles collected from Ganquan, Guangjin, Jinqing and Jinyin Islands of the Xisha archipelago, South China Sea, were analyzed. The Constant Initial Concentration (CIC) model and the Constant Rate of Supply (CRS) model were applied for age calculation. The average supply rate of (210)Pb was 126 Bq m(-2) a(-1), very close to the flux of northern hemisphere average (125 Bq m(-2) a(-1)). The activities of anthropogenic radionuclides in the sediments were very low, indicating that human nuclear tests did not notably impact this region. The main source of radionuclides in the sediments was from atmospheric precipitation, and the organic matter derived from plant and produced by nutrient-rich guano could further enhance them.

Penguins and vegetations on Ardley Island, Antarctica: evolution in the past 2,400 years

The impact of penguins on vegetation cover is a frequently documented but not fully explained phenomenon, especially over geological time scales. To address this we collected two ornithogenic sediment cores from Ardley Island, Antarctica, and reconstructed historic variations of penguin population and different vegetations by using biomarkers fecal sterols and n-alkanols in the cores. The three major types of vegetations in the colony, namely coprophilic algae, moss and lichen, exhibited quite different trends, in concert with fluctuations in the penguin populations: a moderate penguin population is favorable for coprophilic algae and mosses, while lichen abundances decreased whenever penguin population increased, and vice versa. Cholestanol and alkanols biomarkers, in combination with bioelements, provided integrated information about the 2,400-year evolution of the penguin colony: historical penguins and vegetation populations, their fluctuations, and their interactions.

Impacts of Siberian Biomass Burning on Organic Aerosols over the North Pacific Ocean and the Arctic: Primary and Secondary Organic Tracers

During the 2003 Chinese Arctic Research Expedition (CHINARE2003) from the Bohai Sea to the high Arctic (37°N-80°N), filter-based particle samples were collected and analyzed for tracers of primary and secondary organic aerosols (SOA) as well as water-soluble organic carbon (WSOC). Biomass burning (BB) tracer levoglucosan had comparatively much higher summertime average levels (476 ± 367 pg/m(3)) during our cruise due to the influence of intense forest fires then in Siberia. On the basis of 5-day back trajectories, samples with air masses passing through Siberia had organic tracers 1.3-4.4 times of those with air masses transporting only over the oceans, suggesting substantial contribution of continental emissions to organic aerosols in the marine atmosphere. SOA tracers from anthropogenic aromatics were negligible or not detected, while those from biogenic terpenenoids were ubiquitously observed with the sum of SOA tracers from isoprene (623 ± 414 pg/m(3)) 1 order of magnitude higher than that from monoterpenes (63 ± 49 pg/m(3)). 2-Methylglyceric acid as a product of isoprene oxidation under high-NOx conditions was dominant among SOA tracers, implying that these BSOA tracers were not formed over the oceans but mainly transported from the adjacent Siberia where a high-NOx environment could be induced by intense forest fires. The carbon fractions shared by biogenic SOA tracers and levoglucosan in WSOC in our ocean samples were 1-2 orders of magnitude lower than those previously reported in continental samples, BB emissions or chamber simulation samples, largely due to the chemical evolution of organic tracers during transport. As a result of the much faster decline in levels of organic tracers than that of WSOC during transport, the trace-based approach, which could well reconstruct WSOC using biogenic SOA and BB tracers for continental samples, only explained ∼4% of measured WSOC during our expedition if the same tracer-WSOC or tracer-SOC relationships were applied.

Potential ammonia emissions from penguin guano, ornithogenic soils and seal colony soils in coastal Antarctica: effects of freezing-thawing cycles and selected environmental variables

Abstract Very little attention has been paid to quantifying ammonia (NH3) emissions from Antarctic marine animal excreta. In this paper, penguin guano and ornithogenic soils from four penguin colonies and seal colony soils were collected in coastal Antarctica, and laboratory experiments were conducted to investigate potential NH3 emissions and effects of environmental factors on NH3 fluxes. Ammonia fluxes were extremely low from the frozen samples. Significantly enhanced NH3 emissions were observed following thawing. The mean fluxes were 7.66 ± 4.33 mg NH3 kg-1 h-1 from emperor penguin guano, 1.31 ± 0.64 mg NH3 kg-1 h-1 from Adélie penguin guano and 0.33 ± 0.39 mg NH3 kg-1 h-1 from seal colony soils during the thawing period. Ammonia emissions from penguin guano were higher than those from ornithogenic soils during freezing-thawing cycles (FTCs). The temperature, pH, total nitrogen (TN) and drying-wetting conversion had an important effect on NH3 fluxes. For the first time, we provide a quantitative relationship between NH3 flux and temperature, TN and pH. Our results show that marine animal excreta and ornithogenic soils are significant NH3 emission sources. In coastal Antarctica, FTC-induced NH3 emissions might account for a large proportion of annual flux from marine animal colonies due to high freezing-thawing frequency.

Levels and distribution of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) in marine fishes from Chinese coastal waters

Concentrations of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) in yellow croakers (Pseudosciaena crocea) and silver pomfrets (Pampus argenteus) collected from nine coastal cities along the eastern China coastline were investigated. PBDE congeners with mono- to hexa-brominated substitutions were detected in the samples, indicating their ubiquitous distribution in the marine environment of China. The total PBDE concentration averaged 3.04 ng g⁻¹ lipid wt, a level that was relatively lower than in other regions of the world, especially North America where Penta-BDE was extensively used. Geographically, the highest concentration of PBDEs was found in Xiamen, and the PBDE levels in yellow croakers were significantly higher than those in pomfrets in most of the selected cities, a pattern which may be related to the different feeding habits of the two species. The congener profiles of PBDEs were found to be different from the commonly detected pattern in fishes from other regions of the world (i.e., BDE47>BDE99, BDE100>BDE153, BDE154). BDE47 and BDE154 were the predominant congeners in both species, accounting for more than 60% of the total PBDE concentrations. The reasons for the relatively high proportion of BDE154 may be due to the debromination of higher brominated congeners such as BDE183 and BDE209 by these two species.

Geochemical evidence for rapid enlargement of a gentoo penguin colony on Barton Peninsula in the maritime Antarctic

Gentoo penguin Pygoscelis papua is an important component of the Antarctic marine ecosystem. In this paper, we use an indirect approach, a geochemical method combining with 137Cs and 210Pb CRS mode dating, to study the dynamics of the gentoo population and colony on Barton Peninsula, King George Island, in the maritime Antarctic. Five sediment profiles were sampled in the zone between the gentoo penguin colony and tundra vegetation on this peninsula and the sediment sequence and typical elements from penguin guano were analysed. Results showed that the levels for typical elements display a dramatic change at around 5 cm depth, indicating the strong impact of penguin guano. The sediments below 5 cm showed lower concentrations in these elements, suggesting that these sediments had received little impact from penguin guano. By Q-mode factor analysis, a method for decomposing multiple factors, we found that over the past sixty years the gentoo colony showed a rapid enlargement and the tundra vegetation had been destroyed. Possible factors responsible for the enlargement of the penguin colony are tentatively discussed.