Major Spill Research Articles

High accumulation of metals and metalloids in the liver of the blue tilapia (Oreochromis aureus) during a massive mortality event induced by a mine tailing spill.

In this study, the concentration of six metal(loid)s was examined in the fish Oreochromis aureus collected from El Comedero dam during a massive mortality event induced by a mine tailing spill. A major spill (~ 300,000 m3) of waste was released into the San Lorenzo River System following a rupture in the tailing dam of a mining plant in NW Mexico; consequently, the discharged material flowed into El Comedero dam. The accumulation of metal(oid)s in the tissues of O. aureus showed higher levels in the liver than in the guts and muscle. Concentrations in the liver were high (As, 1.1-1063; Cd, 8.9-392; Cu, 372-59,129; Hg, 0.46-19.79; Se, 8.7-748; and Zn, 116-820μgg-1), revealing that these fish were exposed to high concentrations of these elements. The mortality of fish could have resulted from the combined effect of the six analyzed metal(loid)s, as well as other residues present in mine tailings.

Management of marine oil spills: A case study of the Wakashio oil spill in Mauritius using a lens-actor-focus conceptual framework

Small Island Developing States, or SIDS, astride major shipping lanes are particularly vulnerable to pollution incidents. The Wakashio spill of nearly 1,000 t of very low sulphur fuel oil in Mauritius in August 2020 impacted 125 km2 of waterfront and over 30 km of shoreline. Although the Mauritius spill was preceded by major spills in New Zealand and the Solomon Islands, marine oil pollution management in SIDS remains largely unexamined in scholarly studies to influence regulatory or policy response. This paper, therefore, attempts to study the oil pollution contingency planning, preparedness, coordination of response and compensation for pollution damages in SIDS using the Wakashio incident as a case study of international interest. A lens-actor-focus triad is developed as a conceptual framework and applied for the case study research in management of marine pollution. The study indicated that any substantive oil spill in SIDS could disproportionately impact livelihoods and economy and highlighted that the significant and comprehensive United Nations system-wide response to the marine oil pollution incident was unlike ever before. The paper discusses, among other aspects, implications for management of marine oil pollution in SIDS with reference to strategies for prevention and containment of pollution, and integration of external assistance and local community into contingency plans. The study suggests that the lens-actor-focus may be a useful framework for study of contingency management including marine pollution and argues that integrating provision of external assistance by UN agencies into national contingency plans merits urgent critical consideration by SIDS, and concerned UN agencies including the International Maritime Organisation. The study also suggests scope for a review of the liability and compensation regime in the context of implications for SIDS.

Response Coordination Between Multiple Countries in the Wider Caribbean Region Following a Possible 6 Million Gallon Oil Spill

ABSTRACT As the 2017 International Oil Spill Conference (IOSC) was wrapping up in Los Angeles, CA, an oil spill on a magnitude no one had expected was making its way across the lower Wider Caribbean Region. The Regional Activity Center, The Regional Marine Pollution Emergency, Information and Training Centre – Caribe (RAC/REMPEITC-Caribe), that was established in 1994 under the Cartegena Convention, stood up for the first time as a regionally coordinating body to facilitate communication, coordination and exchange of information during a major spill as was designed and intended under the Caribbean Oil Pollution Preparedness, Response and Cooperation (OPRC) Plan. What was confirmed months later, was that a large spill from a refinery in Trinidad and Tobago had in fact impacted the States of Venezuela, Bonaire, Curacao and Aruba. On April 23, 2017, it became public knowledge that a spill had occurred from a 150,000 barrel (6.3 million gallon) waste oil tank at the Petrotrin Refinery in Pointe-a Pierre, Trinidad. What fallowed was successive reporting of subsurface oil and tarballs washing ashore over a thirty-six day period: first on Venezuelan Gulf of Paria coasts; then Paria, Isla Margarita, Los Roques and La Orchila coasts; followed by Bonnaire; then Klein Curacao and Curacao; and ultimately beaches in Aruba. Had it not been for the coordinating body of RAC/REMPEITCCaribe, these impacts may have never been officially connected to a single point source. Miraculously, through the Regional Center each of the impacted States exchanged oil samples from each other's coasts and the potential source tank in Trinidad. Subsequent analysis from laboratories in the Netherlands proved that the oiling events, which occurred across 600 nautical miles of ocean, were in fact from the same source, Storage Tank #70 of the Petrotrin Refinery. This paper discusses how RAC/REMPEITC-Caribe worked across borders to help identify the source of a spill that reached across more than 600 miles of the Wider Caribbean Region, and shows just how connected these countries are. It sheds light on a major oil spill that few people outside the impacted countries are aware of, and it presents the April 2017 Petrotrin Spill as a realization that, not only are these scenarios likely, they are real cause for increased regional spill coordination and preparation.

The level of oil spill risk in Northwest Pacific and regional cooperation activities of NOWPAP MERRAC on marine pollution preparedness and response.

1. ABSTRACT The Northwest Pacific region, covering the four member states namely, People's Republic of China, Japan, Republic of Korea and Russian Federation, has been severely exposed to oil and HNS spills due to its high shipping density and high levels of industrial and economic growth and became a hotspot worldwide. Since member states are geographically close to each other, it is possible to cause transboundary issue affecting neighboring countries when oil and HNS spill incidents occur. In accordance with the need, the NOWPAP member states adopted the Regional oil and HNS spill Contingency Plan (RCP) in 2008, which provides the technical and operational framework for regional cooperation on major spill accidents, is a major achievements among the various regional cooperation activities. This was the first agenda actually adopted in the NOWPAP region and shows a national level of cooperation to protect the marine and coastal environment of the region. Particularly, to enhance the response capacities under the RCP, since 2006, member states jointly conduct oil and HNS spill response exercises (DELTA exercise) biannually, mobilizing actual response resources from the member states in a rotational basis. The 7th NOWPAP DELTA exercise was organized by Japan and Russia in Maizuru city, Japan (Oct. 2018). In addition to this, 19 communication exercises (BRAVO exercise) have also been implemented to test joint operational response procedures and associated communication tools in case of major spills. To further facilitate the exchange of information on marine pollution and preparedness in the region, MERRAC developed and operates the online pollution reporting system (POLREP) since 2015, which enables real-time exchange of information not only with the emails and fax but also through personal mobile phones of competent national authorities of member states. During the Sanchi spill incident (Jan 2018), the member states and MERRAC exchanged almost 300 notifications through POLREP concerning the location and trajectory of the spill and response operations. Furthermore, Member states exchange information on their national policies and response resources and has been building regional cooperation to strengthen its capabilities. In order to establish and maintain such regional cooperation system, MERRAC has been holding Focal Points meetings every year and Expert meetings every two years to exchange information on oil and HNS spill preparedness and response and implement Specific projects for various purposes by the national experts from the member states. In this presentation, we will review the oil and HNS risk levels in the NOWPAP region and examine the various cooperative activities and achievements and discuss the future prospects which MERRAC should go in through.

Oil Spill Modeling Lessons Learned over Four Decades of Catastrophic Spills

ABSTRACT Oil spill modeling developed tremendously over the past four decades, from simple floating particle trajectories of the 1979 Ixtoc spill to four-dimensional oil trajectory and fate models coupled with biological exposure, toxicity, and population models begun in the late 1980s to early 1990s, spurred by the Exxon Valdez, other major spills at that time and the Oil Pollution Oct of 1990. While many of the basic concepts and algorithms were developed in the 1990s, advances in computer hardware/software, as well as modeling techniques, have allowed for much better resolution of the needed model inputs, computations and outputs. Data availability and assimilation has greatly improved the performance of meteorological, hydrodynamic and ice (metocean) models, which are critical inputs to oil spill modeling. While large oil spills are traumatic events adversely impacting the environment and socioeconomic interests, they provide opportunities for process studies, model development and validation due to resources supporting the efforts and collections of needed data. Among other lessons, the Ixtoc spill modeling demonstrated the need for comprehensive, time-varying winds and currents from metocean models as input. In modeling the Exxon Valdez, spatially and temporally (hourly) varying winds driven by mountainous terrain, as well as coastal currents, were highly influential to the trajectory and fate of the oil. Measurement data was needed to drive modeling as the existing metocean models were not sufficiently accurate to account for observed oil movements. Other large spills in 1989 were in estuaries and coastal areas where oil movements were primarily driven by river and tidal currents, for which hydrodynamic models were reliable. The 1996 North Cape oil spill was the first for which water column exposure and effects modeling could be verified with field data. The Erika and Prestige spill trajectories were largely driven by the ships' movements while releasing oil and the winds. In modeling the Deepwater Horizon spill, metocean models were able to predict observed surface oil movements for several days and in terms of general overall direction. However, the modeled deepwater plume moved in various directions depending upon the hydrodynamic model used as input, highlighting the need for more accuracy in ocean models below surface waters. Recent developments in instrumentation, remote sensing, and data assimilation should improve both deepwater and surface trajectories. This combined with advancements in toxicity modeling and supporting data will facilitate confidence in biological effects modeling results. Described research and monitoring needs are based on modeling lessons learned.

Genomics Tools and Microbiota: Applications to Response in Coastal Ecosystems

Abstract Microorganisms are central and cross-cutting to oil spill response strategies. Biodegradation mediated by indigenous microbial communities is the ultimate fate of the majority of petroleum (oil and gas) that enters the marine environment. Key ecosystem services provided by microbes, such as organic matter and nutrient cycling, may be adversely affected by oil contamination. The Deepwater Horizon (DWH) oil spill was the first large scale environmental disaster to which the methods of genomics were applied to determine microbial response to a major perturbation. Here we present a case study on coastal ecosystems to highlight the knowledge gained by application of genomics tools to interrogate mechanisms of petroleum hydrocarbon degradation and to elucidate impacts of oil exposure on ecosystem health and functioning. At Pensacola Beach, results showed that oiling led to a large increase in the growth of indigenous microbes in the form of a series of bacterial blooms. Oil contamination strongly selected for microbial groups capable of hydrocarbon degradation. Oil was degraded and benthic microbial communities returned to near baseline levels approximately one year after oil came ashore. These results indicate that when small particles (< 1 cm) of weathered light oil are buried in the coastal zone, biodegradation by indigenous microbial communities is sufficient for the rapid mitigation of oil contamination after a major spill, whereas larger sand-oil-aggregates take longer to completely degrade because of their unfavorable surface to volume ratio. “Operation Deep Clean” removed these aggregates and enhanced biodegradation insofar as many larger oil aggregates were broken down into smaller ones thereby increasing the surface area available for microbial attack. For environmental managers, these results suggest that biodegradation in beach sands is relatively rapid because oxygen can easily penetrate to the buried oil, and resources may be better placed elsewhere in environments where degradation is limited by oxygen availability or microbial access to hydrocarbons. While specialist microbial groups such as nitrifiers show promise as bioindicators of oil contamination in coastal ecosystems, more work is needed to further validate these biomarkers. Despite substantial progress, a predictive understanding of the fate and impacts of oil spills remains hampered by challenges in interpreting the in situ activity and ecosystem response of benthic microbial populations. To advance this understanding, a dedicated funding mechanism is needed to support fundamental research. A polyphasic approach is encouraged that employs metagenomics in the field along with cultivation and microcosm or mesocosm experiments in the laboratory. Further, research during future disasters would be greatly facilitated by improved coordination between the emergency responders directing mitigation efforts and scientists investigating the success of those efforts.

Planning and Responding to a Petrochemical Disaster in the North American Inland Seas

The Great Lakes represent the largest group of freshwater lakes in the world along a 1,500 mile international boundary between the United States and Canada. A source of drinking water for 35 million people and a hub of unique biodiversity, a major petrochemical spill would be devastating. With the increase in pipeline activity due to regional tar sands drilling and the navigationally challenging waterways hosting an increasing stream of petrochemical commerce, risk to the Lakes is higher than ever. Given the Lake's closed-system nature and their geographic remoteness relative to current US and Canadian government and private sector assets, the current response posture is inadequate. As the primary maritime spill response agency in the United States, the US Coast Guard retains the mantle of prevention and planning for a Great Lakes petrochemical disaster. This paper seeks to examine the historic, current, and future states of the Great Lakes' oil-spill risk, in light of increased maritime commerce and recent spill “near-misses” regarding submerged pipelines in the Straits of Mackinac. The US Congress and the US Coast Guard have identified that the Great Lakes are not prepared for a large scale spill. Current resourcing levels and technology are insufficient, especially given the challenge of responding while the Lakes are frozen for a substantial portion of the year. With resources focused on the prospect of disaster in salt water regions, the “inland seas” of the Great Lakes receive too little attention. After identifying the evolution of Great Lakes spill prevention and response policy, this paper will apply the Gulf of Mexico Deepwater Horizon spill as a case study into what spill response would look like on the Great Lakes. Given the authors' expansive experience as an operator during that historic spill and current commander of one of two US oil spill response assets in the Great Lakes, this paper will also identify remaining challenges to an effective spill response policy, and conclude with recommendations on how to tackle the response issues identified. The US Congress recently established the US Coast Guard's National Center of Expertise for the Great Lakes and one of their primary tasks is to analyze the effect of a spill in freshwater and develop an appropriate response plan. By attempting to identify critical gaps, this paper seeks to advance government and industry's ability to posture the region swiftly in the face of a growing threat and assist in the Center's work.

Oil Spill Preparedness and Response: Building the Capacity to Protect Public Welfare and Support Community Resilience

Abstract Some oil spills become disastrous for communities who live and work in proximity of the spill, even when a disaster is not formally declared. For decades, social science researchers have reported the negative impacts of such oil spills on communities, but their findings remain in the literature and have not resulted in improvements to oil spill preparedness and response practice. Effective response to an oil spill which has the potential to become a social disaster requires leaders in emergency management to proactively address spill threats to public welfare in addition to stopping the release of oil and cleaning up the spill. To accomplish this, the oil spill community could proactively engage stakeholders at the grass-roots level to share information, address questions and concerns through risk communication, and include inputs for pre-spill planning. The capacity to engage with vulnerable communities and stakeholders before, during, and after an oil spill is one measure of a successful response. This paper is a collaborative effort among oil spill specialists, social science researchers, and community members on the Eastern Shore of Virginia to prepare for a serious oil spill and mitigate its potential threats. This remote area of global ecological significance is highly vulnerable to an offshore persistent oil spill that could negatively impact the way of life of many community members who depend upon the environment. Prior to this effort, community members were not engaged in oil spill preparedness. A subcommittee of the Virginia Area Committee sought community input in developing a new annex of the Area Contingency Plan. This effort engaged non-governmental organizations (NGOs), academia, watermen, local governmental agencies, and others on the Eastern Shore, recognizing the importance of two-way communications with stakeholders, rather than one-way outreach. In addition, social scientists who have studied major spills identify opportunities to adapt oil spill practices and help communities recover from potential psychosocial and incident-specific impacts. The community aspects of the new annex were exercised during a 4-day, full-scale Area Exercise under Preparedness for Response Exercise Program (PREP), along with other pre-exercise activities, to support public welfare and community resiliency. Through this work, the authors demonstrate adaptations to strengthen incident management by leveraging networks of trusted relationships developed during planning with local government, elected officials, and communities.

Spillover Effects from Voluntary Employer Minimum Wages

Low unionization rates, a falling real federal minimum wage, and prevalent non-competes characterize low-wage jobs in the United States and contribute to growing inequality. In recent years, a number of private employers have opted to institute or raise company-wide minimum wages for their employees, sometimes in response to public pressure. To what extent do wage-setting changes at major employers spill over to other employers, and what are the labor market effects of these policies? In this paper, we study recent minimum wages by Amazon, Walmart, Target, and Costco using data from millions of online job ads and employee surveys. We document that these policies induced wage increases at low-wage jobs at other employers. In the case of Amazon, which instituted a $15 minimum wage in October 2018, our estimates imply that a 10% increase in Amazon's advertised hourly wages led to an average increase of 2.6% among other employers in the same commuting zone. Using the CPS, we estimate wage increases in exposed jobs in line with our magnitudes from employee surveys and find that major employer minimum wage policies led to small but precisely estimated declines in employment, with employment elasticities ranging from -.04 to -.13.

Spillover Effects from Voluntary Employer Minimum Wages

Low unionization rates, a falling real federal minimum wage, and outsourcing have hampered wage growth in the low-wage sector in the US. In recent years, a number of private employers have opted to institute or raise company-wide minimum wages for their employees, sometimes in response to public pressure. To what extent do wage-setting changes at major employers spill over to other employers, and what are the broader labor market effects of these policies? In this paper, we study recent minimum wages by Amazon, Walmart, Target, CVS, and Costco using data from millions of online job ads and employee surveys. We document that these policies induced wage increases at low-wage jobs at other employers, where the modal response was to match the wage announced by the large retailer. In the case of Amazon’s $15 minimum wage in October 2018, our estimates imply that a 10% increase in Amazon’s advertised hourly wages led to an average increase of 2.3% among other employers in the same commuting zone. Using the CPS, we estimate wage increases in exposed jobs in line with our magnitudes from employee surveys and find that large employer minimum wage policies led to small but precisely estimated declines in employment, with employment elasticities ranging from -0.04 to -0.13. Large employer minimum wage announcements influenced wages more broadly. The magnitude of these wage spillovers cannot easily be explained by standard competitive pressures, suggesting a role for both market power and norms in wage determination.

An Analysis of Selected Oil Spill Case Studies on the Shorelines of Canada

After an oil spill, oil may wash ashore and there is only a short window of opportunity to respond. Analysis of historical incident data is valuable to guide future responses and cleanup practices. This study summarized the oil spill accidents that impacted the Canadian shoreline and analyzed the related information including location, incident characteristics, and shoreline treatment. Major spills due to tanker accidents in Canadian marine waters fortunately have been infrequent. Most of the accidents have happened on Canada’s Pacific coast, accounting for 52% of the total accidents recorded. The Atlantic coast accounted for 39% and the remaining accidents happened in the Arctic region. Regarding spilled volume, 55% of the accidents spilled oil volumes smaller than 100 m3. Spilled volumes between 100 ~ 1000 m3 represent 30% of the incidents and 15% had spilled volume greater than 1000 m3. Bunker C fuel and diesel were the main types of the spilled oil, accounting for 33% of the spills, respectively. Within the oil spill accidents impacting Canadian shore- lines, marine vessel accidents were the major sources accounting for 70% of the spill accidents. In terms of the shoreline treatment, the commonly employed treatments were manual, vacuum, mechanical, and sorbent removal. The dataset highlighted the significance of a more comprehensive record for response phase details and environmental effects monitoring.

Development of a framework for dynamic risk assessment of environmental impacts in chemicals warehouse using CFD-BN

Chemical warehouses are one of the high-risk areas in the process industries due to the high diversity and quantity of stored chemicals. Risk assessment is a useful tool for developing appropriate strategies to prevent and control the risks. In this study, computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and Bayesian network (BN) approaches were proposed for dynamic risk assessment. Initially, bow tie (BT) method was used for identifying basic events and modeling the consequences. In order to determine the consequences intensity (heat flux and CO and CO2 concentration), fire dynamics simulator (FDS) and solid flame model were used. A total of 21 causes or failures were identified in the chemical spills, 13 cases of which were related to basic events. Out of the identified causes, the forklift and drum strike basic event had the most contribution of the chemical spills in the warehouse, and the probability of the major spill event scenario 1.25495E−11 was estimated by Bayesian networks. The estimated risk by CFD in combination with BN, after updating, is unacceptable compared to the UK risk criterion. Bayesian networks and CFD approach for dynamic assessment of environmental impact risk in chemical warehouses provide the capability to quantitatively and dynamically assess the consequences of chemical spills by modeling its cause and effect in the warehouse. Based on the results of this method, effective preventive measures can be taken to control the consequences of chemical spills in the warehouse.

An Analysis of Selected Oil Spill Case Studies on the Shorelines of Canada

After an oil spill, oil may wash ashore and there is only a short window of opportunity to respond. Analysis of historical incident data is valuable to guide future responses and cleanup practices. This study summarized the oil spill accidents that impacted the Canadian shoreline and analyzed the related information including location, incident characteristics, and shoreline treatment. Major spills due to tanker accidents in Canadian marine waters fortunately have been infrequent. Most of the accidents have happened on Canada’s Pacific coast, accounting for 52% of the total accidents recorded. The Atlantic coast accounted for 39% and the remaining accidents happened in the Arctic region. Regarding spilled volume, 55% of the accidents spilled oil volumes smaller than 100 m3. Spilled volumes between 100 ~ 1000 m3 represent 30% of the incidents and 15% had spilled volume greater than 1000 m3. Bunker C fuel and diesel were the main types of the spilled oil, accounting for 33% of the spills, respectively. Within the oil spill accidents impacting Canadian shore- lines, marine vessel accidents were the major sources accounting for 70% of the spill accidents. In terms of the shoreline treatment, the commonly employed treatments were manual, vacuum, mechanical, and sorbent removal. The dataset highlighted the significance of a more comprehensive record for response phase details and environmental effects monitoring.

Research on a Safety Assessment Method for Leakage in a Heavy Oil Gathering Pipeline

At present, the number of oil and gas gathering and transportation pipelines is numerous, and leakage accidents occur frequently. Each year, due to pipeline failure, there are immeasurable consequences for people and the environment around the affected pipelines. In order to reduce the risk of leakage accidents in heavy oil gathering pipelines and prevent the occurrence of major spills, it is of great significance to carry out safety assessments of them. However, failure data of these pipelines is seriously deficient and statistical methods used to evaluate pipeline safety are incompatible. Therefore, this paper proposes a risk assessment system for heavy oil gathering pipelines in the absence of failure data. Firstly, a Bayesian network (BN) for the leak safety evaluation of heavy oil gathering pipelines is established via mapping from a bow-tie (BT) model. Then, information diffusion theory is combined with fuzzy set theory to obtain the failure probability of each factor affecting the pipeline failure, and then the failure probability of the pipeline is obtained by the full probability formula. In addition, in order to assess the extent of consequences due to accidents, variable fuzzy set theory is used to comprehensively consider the consequences of the leakage of heavy oil gathering pipelines. Finally, the above two parts are combined to form a safety assessment system to realize risk management and control for pipelines, which is necessary to ensure the safety of heavy oil gathering pipelines.

Mitigation of impact of a major benzene spill into a river through flow control and in-situ activated carbon absorption

Benzene is a toxic contaminant and can harm many aquatic species and cause serious damages to the river eco-system, if released to rivers. In 2012, a major spill accident occurred on the Huaihe River in Eastern China with 3 tons of benzene released to the river section 70 km upstream of a natural reserve. Two emergency measures were taken to minimize the impact of the accident on the natural reserve: 1) flow control by adjusting upstream sluices to delay the arrival of the contaminant plume at the reserve and 2) in-situ treatment using activated carbons to reduce the contaminant concentration. Here we develop a process-based mathematical model to analyze the monitoring data collected shortly after the accident, and explore not only how effective the adopted measures were over the incident but more importantly the mechanisms and critical conditions underlying the effectiveness of these measures. The model can be used as a tool for designing optimal management responses to similar spill accidents in regulated river systems, combining flow control and in-situ treatment.

Thirty years of leatherback turtle Dermochelys coriacea nesting in Espírito Santo, Brazil, 1988-2017: reproductive biology and conservation

ESR Endangered Species Research Contact the journal Facebook Twitter RSS Mailing List Subscribe to our mailing list via Mailchimp HomeLatest VolumeAbout the JournalEditorsSpecials ESR 39:147-158 (2019) - DOI: https://doi.org/10.3354/esr00961 Thirty years of leatherback turtle Dermochelys coriacea nesting in Espírito Santo, Brazil, 1988-2017: reproductive biology and conservation Liliana P. Colman1,*, João C. A. Thomé2, Antônio de P. Almeida3, Cecília Baptistotte2, Paulo C. R. Barata4, Annette C. Broderick1, Flávia A. Ribeiro5, Lucas Vila-Verde5, Brendan J. Godley1 1Centre for Ecology and Conservation, University of Exeter, Cornwall Campus, Penryn, TR10 9EZ, UK 2Centro TAMAR-ICMBio, Vitória, ES, Brazil 29050-335 3ICMBio, Linhares, ES, Brazil 29900-979 4Fundação Pró-Tamar, Salvador, BA, Brazil 41185-135 5Fundação Pró-Tamar, Vitória, ES, Brazil 29050-256 *Corresponding author: l.p.colman@exeter.ac.uk ABSTRACT: In the southwestern Atlantic Ocean, leatherback turtles Dermochelys coriacea are only known to regularly nest in eastern Brazil, on the coast of the state of Espírito Santo. Here, we present an analysis of the nesting ecology, population trends and conservation status of this leatherback turtle colony between 1988 and 2017. We observed an increasing, although variable, trend in the annual number of nests, with the mean increasing from 25.6 nests in the first 5 yr of the study to 89.8 in the last 5 yr. Concurrently, there was also a significant decrease in the mean curved carapace length of the population, which we hypothesize was caused by recruitment of new females to the nesting population. Throughout the study period, nests were concentrated in the southern part of the 160 km long study area. No change was observed in the annual median nesting date. Mean annual hatching success was 66.0% and no significant variation in hatching success was detected after a major spill of mining tailings into the nesting area in 2015. We postulate that local conservation actions that started in the 1980s have contributed to the gentle recovery of this population; however, given the small population size and restricted nesting geographical distribution alongside the persistence of various threats—fisheries bycatch, climate change, pollution and coastal development—this population continues to be of conservation concern. KEY WORDS: Atlantic Ocean · Brazil · Conservation · Dermochelys coriacea · Leatherback turtle · Nesting biology · Population trend · Reproductive parameters Full text in pdf format Supplementary material PreviousNextCite this article as: Colman LP, Thomé JCA, Almeida AdP, Baptistotte C and others (2019) Thirty years of leatherback turtle Dermochelys coriacea nesting in Espírito Santo, Brazil, 1988-2017: reproductive biology and conservation. Endang Species Res 39:147-158. https://doi.org/10.3354/esr00961 Export citation RSS - Facebook - Tweet - linkedIn Cited by Published in ESR Vol. 39. Online publication date: June 27, 2019 Print ISSN: 1863-5407; Online ISSN: 1613-4796 Copyright © 2019 Inter-Research.

Potentials of Sugarcane Bagasse and Poultry Manure in the Remediation of Spent Motor Oil Contaminated Soil

This study sought to investigate the potential of sugarcane bagasse, poultry manure and their combination in the remediation of spent motor oil contaminated soil. About 1.5 L of spent motor oil was sprinkled on plots measuring 0.5 m x 0.5 m dimension in 12 replicate plots to simulate a major spill. Poultry dung (PD), Sugarcane bagasse (SB) and hybrid of bagasse and Poultry dung (SB - PD) were applied as organic amendments and bulking agents. The amendments were randomly administered twice within two weeks to treatment plots except the control at rate of 24tons/ha. The soil was tilled to enhance aeration and watered twice a week for 56 days. A significant decrease in Total Petroleum Hydrocarbon, TPH of 61, 53, 46 and 23% for PD, SB - PD, SB and Control plots respectively was observed. TOC and TN decreased in all the plots except the control. Soil moisture contents between 21 and 24% while soil pH within the range of 6.9 to 7.5 enhanced biodegradation process. The Total Heterotrophic Bacterial Counts (THBC) varied in all the plots while heavy metals content remained unchanged during the study. The application of these biostimulants gave promising results on hydrocarbons removal from contaminated soil.

The effects of a stressed inshore urban reef on coral recruitment in Suva Harbour, Fiji.

A relic inshore reef ecosystem adjacent to the Fijian capital of Suva and another remote inshore reef were monitored monthly from July 2014 to July 2015 for coral recruitment, sedimentation rates, coral cover, temperature, and light intensity. Despite a major sewage spill in Suva Harbour in December 2014, the municipal inshore site exposed to constant anthropogenic activity, recorded no significant differences in coral spat abundance (except for the family Poritidae) on artificial substrata compared to the remote inshore site. Total yearly spat abundance was 106 on municipal reef and 132 on remote reef, while average daily sediment trap collection rates (g cm2/day) were significantly higher in the municipal site for the entire duration of monitoring. Total annual particulate organic matter content in sediment was also significantly higher in the municipal site (107.51 g cm2), compared to the remote site (43.37 g cm2). Mean light intensity was significantly lower for the municipal site (69.81 lum/ft2) compared to the remote site (239.26 lum/ft2), with Photosynthetically Active Radiation also lower for the former (800–1,066.66 µmol m−2 s−1) compared to the latter (3,266.66–3,600 µmol m−2 s−1). The lack of significant differences in coral spat recruitment rates suggests that settling larvae may be unable to distinguish between sub‐optimal and optimal sites probably as a consequence of interference with coral settlement cues arising from anthropogenic development.

Community Perceptions of Industrial Risks Before and After a Toxic Flood: The Case of Houston and Hurricane Harvey

The present study examines risk perceptions before and after a recent natural-technological event. The aim is to improve understanding of how long-time residents understand chronic and acute industrial risks, including hazardous industrial releases triggered by natural disasters. Thirty-two interviews were conducted in Channelview, Texas: 19 in February 2017, six months before Hurricane Harvey’s landfall, and 13 with those same residents in December 2017, four months after Harvey’s landfall. Results indicate that long-time residents normalized chronic risks of industrial pollution before the storm, but they were either unaware or incredulous that major industrial spills might result from a hurricane. After such an event, residents strengthened their normalization of industrial risks and became even more inclined to frame them as coming from external forces rather than from local facilities that continue to put their community at risk.

Spread of Water-Borne Pollutants at Traffic Accidents on Roads

Traffic accidents sometimes lead to the spread of hazardous compounds to the environment. Accidental spills of hazardous compounds on roads in the vicinity of vulnerable objects such as water supplies pose a serious threat to water quality and have to be assessed. This study compared three different assessment methods, electrical resistivity measurements, analytical flow calculations, and 1D and 2D dynamic flow modeling, to describe rapid transport processes in the road shoulder and roadside verge after a major spill. The infiltration and flow paths of water-borne substances were described during simulated discharge of pollutants on different road types. Full-scale tracer tests using sodium chloride were carried out at nine different road locations in Sweden. Analysis of grain size distribution and infiltrometer tests were carried out at the road shoulder and verges. The pathways and travel times were traced using resistivity measurements and 3D inverse modeling. The resistivity measurements were compared to analytical flow calculations and 1D and 2D dynamic modeling. All measurement sites were highly heterogeneous, which caused preferential flow. Vertical flow velocities of 1.4–8.6 × 10−4 m/s were measured. The results of the analytical calculations and flow modeling were of the same order of magnitude. The measurements showed that almost all infiltration goes directly into the road embankment, hence the composition and structure of the built-up road must be considered. The non-destructive resistivity measurements and 3D modeling provided useful information for clarifying the infiltration and flow pattern of water-borne compounds from road runoff.