Derivation of marine water quality criteria for metals based on a novel QICAR-SSD model.

Abstract

Establishment of water quality criteria (WQC) is one procedure for protection of marine organisms and their ecosystems. This study, which integrated two separate approaches, quantitative ion character-activity relationships (QICARs) and species sensitivity distributions (SSDs), developed a novel QICAR-SSD model. The QICARs predict relative potencies of individual elements while SSDs integrate relative sensitivities among organisms. The QICAR-SSD approach was applied to derive saltwater WQC for 34 metals or metalloids. Relationships between physicochemical properties of metal ions and their corresponding potencies for acute toxicity to eight selected marine species were determined. The softness index (σp) exhibited the strongest correlation with the acute toxicity of metals (r (2) > 0.66, F > 5.88, P < 0.94 × 10(-2)). Predictive criteria maximum concentrations for the eight metals, derived by applying the SSD approach to values predicted by use of QICARs, were within the same order of magnitude as values recommended by the US EPA (2009). In general, the results support that the QICAR-SSD approach is a rapid method to estimate WQC for metals for which little or no information is available for marine organisms.