NOAA Technical Memorandum NOS OMA 56 STATUS and TRENDS IN
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NOAA Technical Memorandum NOS OMA 56 STATUS AND TRENDS IN CONCENTRATIONS OF SELECTED CONTAMINANTS IN BOSTON HARBOR SEDIMENTS AND BIOTA Seattle, Washington June 1991 National Ocean Service Office of Oceanography and Marine Assessment National Ocean Service National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration U.S. Department of Commerce The Office of Oceanography and Marine Assessment (OMA) provides decisionmakers comprehensive, scientific information on characteristics of the oceans, coastal areas, and estuaries of the United States of America. The information ranges from strategic, national assessments of coastal and estuarine environmental quality to real-time information for navigation or hazardous materials spill response. For example, OMA monitors the rise and fall of water levels at about 200 coastal locations of the USA (including the Great Lakes); predicts the times and heights of high and low tides; and provides information critical to national defense, safe navigation, marine boundary determination, environmental management, and coastal engineering. Currently, OMA is installing the Next Generation Water Level Measurement System that will replace by 1992 existing water level measurement and data processing technologies. Through its National Status and Trends (NS&T) Program, OMA uses uniform techniques to monitor toxic chemical contamination of bottom-feeding fish, mussels and oysters, and sediments at about 300 locations throughout the United States of America. A related NS&T program of directed research examines the relationships between contaminant exposure and indicators of biological responses in fish and shellfish. OMA uses computer-based circulation models and innovative measurement technologies to develop new information products, including real-time circulation data, circulation fore- casts under various meteorological conditions, and circulation data atlases. OMA provides critical scientific support to the U.S. Coast Guard during spills of oil or hazardous materials into marine or estuarine environments. This support includes spill trajectory predictions, chemical hazard analyses, and assessments of the sensitivity of marine and estuarine environments to spills. The program provides similar support to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Superfund Program during emergency responses at, and for the cleanup of, abandoned hazardous waste sites in coastal areas. To fulfill the responsibilities of the Secretary of Commerce as a trustee for living marine resources, OMA conducts comprehensive assessments of damages to coastal and marine resources from discharges of oil and hazardous materials. OMA collects, synthesizes, and distributes information on the use of the coastal and oceanic resources of the USA to identify compatibilities and conflicts and to determine research needs and priorities. It conducts comprehensive, strategic assessments of multiple resource uses in coastal, estuarine, and oceanic areas for decisionmaking by NOAA, other Federal agencies, state agencies, Congress, industry, and public interest groups. It publishes a series of thematic data atlases on major regions of the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone and on selected characteristics of major U.S. estuaries. It also manages, for the U.S. Department of the Interior, a program of environmental assessments of the effects of oil and gas development on the Alaskan outer continental shelf. OMA implements NOAA responsibilities under Title I1 of the M~neProtection, Research, and Sanctuaries Act of 1972; Section 6 of the National Ocean Pollution Planning Act of 1978; and other Federal laws. It has three major line organizations: The Physical Oceanography Division, the Ocean Assessments Division, and the Ocean Systems Division. NOAA Technical Memorandum 56 Errata Sheet Page 11-11 Table 11.8 and all references to Table 11.8 should read 11.7. Page 12-12 Tenth line of last paragraph: Table 12.8 should read Table 12.7. Page 12-13 Table 12.8 shouid be labelled Table 12.7 Page 15-9 First line of last paragraph: Table 15.3 should read Table 15.4. Page 15-12 Table 15.5 should be Table 15.6 and first line of second paragraph: Table 15.5 should read Table 15.6. NOAA Technical Memorandum NOS OMA 56 STATUS AND TRENDS IN CONCENTRATIONS OF SELECTED CONTAMINANTS IN BOSTON HARBOR SEDIMENTS AND BIOTA Donald A. MacDonald Seattle, Washington United States National Oceanic and National Ocean Service Department of Commerce Atmospheric Administration Virginia Tippie Robert A. Mosbacher John A. Knauss Assistant Administrator Secretary Assistant Secretary and for Ocean Services and Administrator Coastal Zone Management Ocean Assessments Division Office of Oceanography and Marine Assessment National Ocean Service National Oceanic and Amsspheric Administration U.S. Department of Go Rockville, Maryland NOTICE This report has been reviewed by the National mean Service of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and approved for publication. Such approval does not signify that the contents of this report necessarily represent the official position of NOMor of the Government of the United States, nor does mention of trade names or commercial products constitute endorsement or recommendation for their use. CONTENTS CHAPTER PAGE INTRODUCTION METHODS Approach Sources of Data Sources of Varibility in Data MERCURY Sediments Geoeravhic Trends ~empoialTrends Biota Geogravhic Trends Temporal Trends Summary CADMIUM Sediments Geoeravhic Trends ~empoialTrends Biota Geoeravhic Trends Temporal Trends Summary LEAD Sediments Georrravhic Trends em-poral Trends Biota Geoeravhic Trends em-poial Trends Summary COPPER Sediments Geoeravhic Trends Tem-poial Trends Biota Geomavhic Trends Temvoral Trends Summary TABLE OF CONTENTS BOSTON HARBOR CHAPTER PAGE 7 CHROMIUM Sediments Geonauhic Trends Temporal Trends Biota Geomauhic- - Trends Temuoral Trends Summary SILVER Sediments Geonaphic Trends Temuoral Trends Biota Geoerauhic Trends Temporal Trends Summary NICKEL Sediments Geomauhic- - Trends Temuoral Trends Biota Geonrauhic Trends Temporal Trends Summary ZINC Sediments Geographic Trends Temporal Trends Biota Geomauhic Trends ~emporalTrends Summary ARSENIC Sediments Geomauhic Trends Temuoral Trends BOSTON HARBOR TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER PAGE 11 ARSENIC Biota Geowavhic Trends Temmral Trends Summary DDT Sediments Geoeravhic Trends em-poral Trends Biota Geoeravhic Trends em-poral Trends Summary PCB Sediments Geoeravhic Trends ~em>oialTrends Biota Geoeravhic Trends em-poral Trends Summary PAH Sediments Geographic Trends em-mral Trends Biota Geogravhic Trends Temporal Trends Summary DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS Geographic Trends Temporal Trends Representativeness of NS&T Program Sites Relationships between Sediment Physical-Chemical and Contamination Conclusion REFERENCES INTRODUCTION Under the National Status and Trends (NS&T) Program, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) monitors the occurrence of certain contaminants and indicators of biological stress at approximately 300 sites in the United States. This program was initiated in 1984 to provide an internally consistent data base for assessing the condition of parts of the nation's coastal and estuarine environments. The program thus far has focused largely upon generating chemical contaminant data for sediments, fish, and bivalves, and analyzing certain of these data. The results of the initial analyses are summarized in progress reports (NOAA, 1987,1988a, 1988b, and 19899. The objectives of this report are to: (1) portray geographic trends in the concentrations of contaminants in sediment and biota, (2) portray temporal trends in concentrations of contaminants in sediment and biota, and (3) compare the trends observed in available historical data to compatible recent measurements made by NOAA in Boston Harbor. These objectives will be met through evaluation of data collected by NOAA and the many others who have studied the conditions in Boston Harbor. Some of the data from the NOAA NS&T Program will be reported for the first time in this report. The intent of this report is to document certain conditions in Boston Harbor as they were determined through surveys and research performed by many organizations, including NOAA. The intent is not to attribute the status and trends in conditions of the system to causes or sources. The report focuses upon contaminants thought to be toxic to marine organisms. The chemical analytes for which the data are evaluated are among those that are quantified in the NS&T Program and known to be potentially toxic to marine and estuarine organisms. Specifically, they include selected trace metals (mercury [Hg], cadmium [Cdl, lead [Pbl, copper [Cu], chromium [Cr], silver [Ag], nickel [Nil, and zinc [Znl), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), dichlorodiphenyltrichloroehtane (DDT) and its breakdown products (DDD, DDE), and total polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). The report summarizes the results of analyses of surficial sediments and biota (specifically, bivalves, crustaceans, and fish). One chapter of the report is devoted to each of the chemicals. The report addresses the Boston Harbor system (referred to hereafter as "the Harbor"), the largest seaport in New England and the eleventh largest in the United States. It is a relatively shallow complex of bays and tidal estuaries covering approximately 47 square miles and includes the inner harbor; Winthrop, Dorchester, Quincy, Hingham and Hull bays; President Roads and Nantasket Roads channels; and the lower reaches of the Mystic, Chelsea,