Ocean Discharge Research Articles

The Flow from Fukushima

Ocean Science As engineers continue their efforts to stabilize the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, marine scientists are studying the amount and distribution of radioactive material released into the ocean. Sources include atmospheric fallout, release of contaminated freshwater and seawater used to cool the reactors, and contaminated groundwater discharges, but the overall magnitude of the contamination is not well documented. Buesseler et al. have analyzed ocean data from TEPCO (Tokyo Electric Power Company) and the Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) in comparison to data acquired before the accident. Ocean discharges peaked in early April, 1 month after the accident, but levels of cesium-137 remained more than 10,000 times higher than normal through the end of July, indicating continued release from the reactors or other sources. The impact on marine biota and humans through direct exposure is likely to be minimal, but further study is required to understand the full effects of bioaccumulation and associated implications for seafood and seaweed consumption by humans. Environ. Sci. Technol. 45 , 10.1021/es202816c (2011).

Impacts of the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plants on Marine Radioactivity

The impacts on the ocean of releases of radionuclides from the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plants remain unclear. However, information has been made public regarding the concentrations of radioactive isotopes of iodine and cesium in ocean water near the discharge point. These data allow us to draw some basic conclusions about the relative levels of radionuclides released which can be compared to prior ocean studies and be used to address dose consequences as discussed by Garnier-Laplace et al. in this journal. The data show peak ocean discharges in early April, one month after the earthquake and a factor of 1000 decrease in the month following. Interestingly, the concentrations through the end of July remain higher than expected implying continued releases from the reactors or other contaminated sources, such as groundwater or coastal sediments. By July, levels of (137)Cs are still more than 10,000 times higher than levels measured in 2010 in the coastal waters off Japan. Although some radionuclides are significantly elevated, dose calculations suggest minimal impact on marine biota or humans due to direct exposure in surrounding ocean waters, though considerations for biological uptake and consumption of seafood are discussed and further study is warranted.

LED with Ocean Battery

This article utilities ocean battery drive LED lamp which is a symbol of NTOU. One of the renewable green energy is sea water existing by the nature. The sea water battery has convenience of usage and storage. LEDs will be a great benefit to the saving-energy and environmental protection in the lighting lamps region. When we consider that the choice for providing power type, origin and green, the ocean battery may offer the electric power of Direct Current (D.C.) for a long time which causing it unexpected deficient and does not cause the marine pollution. There are two experiments respectively to analyze that how long time the ocean battery can consume and these characteristics. One is to have the loading resistance 2.95 KΩ in order to form the circuit, lets the ocean battery discharge continually, each process 10 minutes later, gauges its voltage; Another lets the ocean battery itself nature electric discharge, uses the tri-ammeter to gauge the ocean battery voltage. Then we design a LED chart for NTOU fonts having dimensions of 2000 x 10 x 5 mm3 composing the soft LED lamp strip which weld them on the aluminum based plate as indicative lamp in the night navigation. The starting minimum voltage is 5 V and the maximum voltage is 12 V. The results show that so long as the ocean battery vibrates light flipping, the voltage starts unstable, will draw steady-state value after a few time. In other words, the air bubble will affect the voltage value in the ocean battery; therefore we must pay attention to solve this question.

Environmental Reviews & Case Studies: Evaluation of Coastal Ocean Discharges and Environmental Impacts in Southeast Florida

This article outlines the current literature regarding anthropogenic inputs of nutrients and microorganisms into the coastal oceans. The concern about nutrients and microorganisms in coastal marine waters is that they may cause a shift in local populations of organisms and encourage invasive algae and coral diseases. The lack of baseline data on marine populations makes it difficult to determine the source of marine population shifts. This report focuses on the question of whether there is sufficient data to implicate coastal ocean outfall discharges of secondary treated wastewater effluent in southeast Florida as a causative agent in impacts to coastal communities. The literature does not appear to support evidence of population shifts from any particular source.Environmental Practice 12:285–303 (2010)

Overview of seawater concentrate disposal alternatives

This article discusses the available alternatives for ocean concentrate disposal, site specific factors involved in the selection of the most viable alternative for a given project, and the environmental permitting requirements and studies associated with their implementation. The article focuses on the three most widely used alternatives for ocean discharge of concentrate: direct discharge through new outfall; discharge through existing wastewater treatment plant outfall; and co-disposal with the cooling water of existing coastal power plant. Key advantages, disadvantages, environmental impact issues and possible solutions are presented for each discharge alternative. Results from recent salinity tolerance and toxicity study completed at the Carlsbad, California seawater desalination demonstration plant for a variety of sensitive marine organisms are presented. The practical implementation of this study along with other methods for analysis of the environmental impact of ocean discharges from large seawater reverse osmosis plants is illustrated with case study examples.

Evidence for a Novel Marine Harmful Algal Bloom: Cyanotoxin (Microcystin) Transfer from Land to Sea Otters

“Super-blooms” of cyanobacteria that produce potent and environmentally persistent biotoxins (microcystins) are an emerging global health issue in freshwater habitats. Monitoring of the marine environment for secondary impacts has been minimal, although microcystin-contaminated freshwater is known to be entering marine ecosystems. Here we confirm deaths of marine mammals from microcystin intoxication and provide evidence implicating land-sea flow with trophic transfer through marine invertebrates as the most likely route of exposure. This hypothesis was evaluated through environmental detection of potential freshwater and marine microcystin sources, sea otter necropsy with biochemical analysis of tissues and evaluation of bioaccumulation of freshwater microcystins by marine invertebrates. Ocean discharge of freshwater microcystins was confirmed for three nutrient-impaired rivers flowing into the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary, and microcystin concentrations up to 2,900 ppm (2.9 million ppb) were detected in a freshwater lake and downstream tributaries to within 1 km of the ocean. Deaths of 21 southern sea otters, a federally listed threatened species, were linked to microcystin intoxication. Finally, farmed and free-living marine clams, mussels and oysters of species that are often consumed by sea otters and humans exhibited significant biomagnification (to 107 times ambient water levels) and slow depuration of freshwater cyanotoxins, suggesting a potentially serious environmental and public health threat that extends from the lowest trophic levels of nutrient-impaired freshwater habitat to apex marine predators. Microcystin-poisoned sea otters were commonly recovered near river mouths and harbors and contaminated marine bivalves were implicated as the most likely source of this potent hepatotoxin for wild otters. This is the first report of deaths of marine mammals due to cyanotoxins and confirms the existence of a novel class of marine “harmful algal bloom” in the Pacific coastal environment; that of hepatotoxic shellfish poisoning (HSP), suggesting that animals and humans are at risk from microcystin poisoning when consuming shellfish harvested at the land-sea interface.

Water quality simulation of sewage impacts on the west coast of Mumbai, India

Most coastal cities use the ocean as a site of waste disposal where pollutant loading degrades the quality of coastal waters. Presently, the west coast of Mumbai receives partially treated effluent from wastewater treatment facilities through ocean outfalls and discharges into creeks as well as wastewater/sewage from various open drains and nallahs which affect the water quality of creek and coastal water. Therefore, the objective of this paper is to simulate and assess the hydrodynamic behaviour and water quality due to impact of sewage and wastewater discharges from the west coast of Mumbai. Hydrodynamics and water quality were simulated based on present conditions and validated by using measured tide, current data and observed DO, BOD and FC. Observed and simulated results indicated non compliance to standards in Malad, Mahim creeks and the impact zones of ocean outfalls. The developed model could be used for generating various conditions of hydrodynamics and water quality considering the improvement in wastewater collection systems, treatment levels and proper disposal for proper planning and management of creeks and coastal environment.

Assessing Coastal Plumes in a Region of Multiple Discharges: The U.S.−Mexico Border

The San Diego/Tijuana border region has several environmental challenges with regard to assessing water quality impacts resulting from local coastal ocean discharges for which transport is not hindered by political boundaries. While an understanding of the fate and transport of these discharged plumes has a broad audience, the spatial and temporal scales of the physical processes present numerous challenges in conducting assessment with any fidelity. To address these needs, a data-driven model of the transport of both shoreline and offshore discharges is developed and operated in a hindcast mode for a four-year period to analyze regional connectivity between the discharges and the receiving of waters and the coastline. The plume exposure hindcast model is driven by surface current data generated by a network of high-frequency radars. Observations provided by both boat-based CTD measurements and fixed oceanographic moorings are used with the Roberts-Snyder-Baumgartner model to predict the plume rise height. The surface transport model outputs are compared with shoreline samples of fecal indicator bacteria (FIB), and the skill of the model to assess low water quality is evaluated using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis.

Large eddy simulation of turbulent heat transport in the Strait of Gibraltar

We develop a numerical model for large eddy simulation of turbulent heat transport in the Strait of Gibraltar. The flow equations are the incompressible Navier–Stokes equations including Coriolis forces and density variation through the Boussinesq approximation. The turbulence effects are incorporated in the system by considering the Smagorinsky model. As a numerical solver we propose a finite element semi-Lagrangian method. The solution procedure consists of combining a non-oscillatory semi-Lagrangian scheme for time discretization with the finite element method for space discretization. Numerical results illustrate a buoyancy-driven circulations along the Strait of Gibraltar and the sea-surface temperature is flushed out and move to northeast coast. The Ocean discharge and the temperature difference are shown to control the plume structure.

Salinity tolerance evaluation methodology for desalination plant discharge

Seawater desalination plants generate concentrate (brine) which typically has 1.5 to 2 times higher total dissolved solids concentration (salinity) than that of the ambient seawater. When returned to the ocean without dilution, this concentrate may have a negative impact on the aquatic environment in the area of the discharge. The environmental impact of the desalination plant discharge is very site-specific and depends to a great extent on the salinity tolerance of the specific marine organisms inhabiting the water column and benthic environment influenced by the discharge. This work presents methodology that allows establishing the site-specific maximum level of salinity concentration (salinity tolerance threshold) at which marine organisms not only survive, but can also grow and reproduce normally. The described method was used successfully for the permitting of the concentrate ocean discharge of two large seawater desalination projects in California — the 189,000 m3/d (50 MGD) Carlsbad and Huntington Beach desalination plants.

Effect of the South Bay Ocean Outfall (SBOO) on ocean beach water quality near the USA–Mexico border

In early 1999, primary treatment and discharge of sewage from Tijuana, Mexico (approximately 95 million liters per day) began through South Bay Ocean Outfall (SBOO) into the ocean 4.3 km offshore. In this study, statistical comparisons were made of the bacterial water quality (total and fecal coliforms and enterococci densities) of the ocean, both before and after discharge of sewage to the SBOO began, so that the effect of this ocean discharge on nearshore ocean water quality could be quantitatively assessed. The frequency of exceedence of bacterial indicator thresholds was statistically analyzed for 11 shore (surfzone) stations throughout US and Mexico using the Fisher's exact test, for the years before (1995–1998) as compared to after the SBOO discharge began (1999–2003). Only four of the 11 shoreline stations (S2, S3, S11, and S12) showed significant improvement (decreased frequency of exceedence of bacterial indicator thresholds) after SBOO discharge began.

Lessons in Capital Program Delivery

Lessons in Capital Program DeliveryIn the 1980's and 1990's the City of Los Angeles' Bureau of Engineering (the Bureau) implemented two large wastewater capital programs, one to cease ocean discharge of sludge and one to achieve full secondary treatment of all wastewater. The former program experienced high change order costs during construction and the latter had several construction contracts end in protracted litigation. Based...Author(s)R. Tim HaugKen R. ReddWayne A. LawsonHarshad B. ShahSourceProceedings of the Water Environment FederationSubjectSession 53: Capital Improvement Programs: Using New Ways to Solve Old ProblemsDocument typeConference PaperPublisherWater Environment FederationPrint publication date Jan, 2008ISSN1938-6478SICI1938-6478(20080101)2008:12L.4140;1-DOI10.2175/193864708788752359Volume / Issue2008 / 12Content sourceWEFTECFirst / last page(s)4140 - 4153Copyright2008Word count144

Troubleshooting and Optimisation of a Large Lamella and High Rate BAF Plant for Ocean Discharge

Troubleshooting and Optimisation of a Large Lamella and High Rate BAF Plant for Ocean Discharge

Simulations of Dye Releases off the Coast of New Jersey: Development and Validation of an Ocean Outfall Mixing Model

A kinematic mixing model has been developed to predict far field effluent distributions for ocean discharges. The model allows for complex outfall configurations and time varying discharge rates to be simulated. The model can use field observations or the output from a proven near field mixing model as input to this far field mixing model. The model uses observed or simulated horizontal currents at one location to advect the effluent plume and a scale-dependent “diffusion velocity” submodel to account for horizontal diffusive processes. To collect data to calibrate and verify the model, long-term continuous dye release experiments were conducted at two New Jersey ocean outfalls. Based upon the results of the dye release experiments, appropriate values for the diffusion velocity were determined for each outfall. Simulations using these diffusion velocities provided reasonable predictions of plume width and of average dye concentration at each transect for each outfall. This work demonstrates that an Euleri...

Surface CO 2 measurements in the English Channel and Southern Bight of North Sea using voluntary observing ships

Ships of opportunity have been used to investigate ocean–atmosphere CO 2 fluxes in the English Channel and Southern Bight of the North Sea. Continuous underway measurements of the fugacity of seawater carbon dioxide ( fCO 2 sw), chlorophyll, temperature and salinity have been performed along 26 transects during the spring and autumn periods. The spatial fCO 2 sw distribution along the Channel and Southern Bight is modulated by the photosynthetic activity, temperature changes and water mixing between inputs from the North Atlantic Ocean and riverine discharges. The seasonal variability of fCO 2 sw is assessed and discussed in terms of the biology and temperature effects, these having similar impacts. The variation of fCO 2 sw shows similar interannual patterns, with lower values in spring. The annual average of air–sea CO 2 fluxes places the English Channel as neutral area of CO 2 uptake. The spring and autumn data allow differentiating between distal and proximal continental areas. The Southern Bight shows a tendency towards net CO 2 uptake on the distal continental shelf, whereas the Scheldt and Thames Plumes show a CO 2 source behaviour on the proximal continental shelves.

Farfield Tracing of a Point Source Discharge Plume in the Coastal Ocean Using Sulfur Hexafluoride

Pathways and dilution of a point source ocean discharge in the farfield (approximately to 10-66 km) were measured using the deliberate tracer sulfur hexafluoride (SF6). The injection of SF6 was performed by bubbling the gas over a period of 6 days into an ocean outfall pipe discharging into the southeast Florida coastal ocean. The surface SF6 concentrations show that the discharged water flowed northward parallel to the coast with a broadening of the width of the plume to about 3 km at the farthest point sampled, 66 km from the outfall. The discharge was fully mixed throughout the water column within 13 km of the outfall terminus. In the first 20 km from the outfall, SF6 surface concentrations were highly variable, while beyond this the SF6 concentrations decreased monotonically going northward. The currents were measured during the study with a bottom-mounted acoustic Doppler current profiler (ADCP) located 5.5 km from the outfall. Velocities were variable in magnitude and direction but showed a net northward flow during the 6-day study. Maximum concentrations decreased by about 200-fold per kilometer from the outfall to the northern end of the study area. The study shows that SF6 is an effective method to trace point source releases far from their origin.

Seabed Effects of Synthetic-Based-Drilling-Mud Cuttings in the Gulf of Mexico

This article, written by Technology Editor Dennis Denney, contains highlights of paper SPE 94086, "An Assessment of Seabed Impacts of Synthetic-Based-Drilling-Mud Cuttings in the Gulf of Mexico," by J.M. Neff, SPE, Battelle; A.D. Hart, Continental Shelf Assocs. Inc.; J.P. Ray, SPE, Oceanic Environmental Solutions LLC; J.M. Limia, SPE, Baker Hughes Drilling Fluids; and T.W. Purcell, American Petroleum Inst., prepared for the 2005 SPE/EPA/DOE Exploration and Production Environmental Conference, Galveston, Texas, 7-9 March. The U.S. Gulf of Mexico (GOM) Comprehensive Synthetic-Based-Muds (SBMs) Monitoring Program used a combination of physical, chemical, and biological measurements to survey 14 drillsites on the continental shelf and continental slope of the GOM where cuttings generated while drilling with SBMs had been discharged. Three continental shelf and three continental slope sites were selected for more intensive investigation. The objective was to document the distribution of cuttings in drillsite sediments and to characterize the areal and temporal extent of chemical and biological changes resulting from cuttings discharges. Introduction The largest volume of waste generated during drilling is drilling mud and drill cuttings. There are three basic types of drilling muds: water-based mud (WBM), oil-based mud (OBM), and SBM. Most wells in U.S. waters have been drilled with WBM. WBM and associated cuttings usually are permitted for discharge in federal waters. OBM offers several technical advantages over WBM for difficult drilling operations; however, OBM and OBM cuttings have never been permitted for ocean discharge in U.S. waters. The need to drill increasingly difficult deepwater and deviated wells, coupled with the economic and safety advantages of ocean discharge of cuttings, has led to development of SBM. SBM is designed to be less toxic and to biodegrade in marine sediments faster than OBM, while providing the technical advantages of OBM when drilling difficult wells. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) defines SBM as drilling mud in which a synthetic-based-fluid (SBF) chemical is the continuous phase with water as the dispersed phase.

Pollutant Trapping at a Coastal Headland

A study of flow behavior, namely, pollutant dispersion and trapping near a headland recirculation zone adjacent to it was undertaken experimentally in the Manchester Tidal Facility for steady flows. The planar laser-induced fluorescent technique was used to visualize the flow patterns both horizontally and vertically. Dye was released using a preburied dye diffuser in the bed to simulate trapped pollutant released from the rough bed, and also through a tube placed at middepth to simulate the case of ocean outfall discharges. The discharge points chosen were within the recirculation zone, between the recirculation zone and the main current, and at a point near the main current where the flow changes. For middepth discharges the dye tended to stay near the surface, whereas for dye diffuser discharges the dye stayed near the boundary layer, and also exhibited a three-dimensional plume structure. Trapping was significant especially for certain discharge points in the recirculation zone due to the slower velocities.

A dynamically coupled outfall plume-circulation model for effluent dispersion in Burrard Inlet, British Columbia

A circulation-water quality model, coupled with an outfall plume model, has been developed, to predict three-dimensional circulation and effluent dispersion as functions of circulation forcing, ocean turbulent mixing, discharge rate and diffuser parameters. The coupled model was applied to the Lions Gate outfall discharging sewage into Burrard Inlet, British Columbia; in this case, the circulation was driven by the tides and density variations. The model results have good agreement with dye survey data and acoustic Doppler current profiler (ADCP) measurements from the inlet. Under typical oceanographic conditions for the area, the model predicts submerged plumes below 8 m depth at most times. Short-lived surfacing occurs for a few minutes at slack tide. The near-field trapping level and initial dilution are controlled by tidal flows through First Narrows and the effluent discharge rate. Key words: outfall, diffuser, numerical model, dispersion, circulation, dilution, plume, Burrard Inlet.

Source Control Enhancements to Foster Indirect Potable Reuse

Source Control Enhancements to Foster Indirect Potable ReuseSource control programs have historically been developed to control toxic pollutants from industrial facilities to address issues related to meeting ocean discharge requirements, preventing harm to physical facilities and the biological treatment processes within treatment plants, minimizing hazards to workers, and protecting aquatic resources in the river or ocean where discharges occur. With...Author(s)Greg WoodsideMahin TalebiSourceProceedings of the Water Environment FederationSubjectSession 70 Water Reclamation and Reuse: Water Recycling and Regulatory Issues in CaliforniaDocument typeConference PaperPublisherWater Environment FederationPrint publication date Jan, 2003ISSN1938-6478SICI1938-6478(20030101)2003:6L.807;1-DOI10.2175/193864703784641630Volume / Issue2003 / 6Content sourceWEFTECFirst / last page(s)807 - 817Copyright2003Word count490