Hostname: page-component-7bb8b95d7b-qxsvm Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-09-17T23:21:31.354Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

The Distribution of trace metals and fauna in the firth of clyde in relation to the Disposal of Sewage Sludge

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  11 May 2009

W. Halcrow ,
D. W. Mackay  and
I. Thornton
W. Halcrow
Affiliation:
Applied Geochemistry Research Group, Imperial College, London
D. W. Mackay
Affiliation:
Clyde River Purification Board, East Kilbride
I. Thornton
Affiliation:
Applied Geochemistry Research Group, Imperial College, London
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Summary

Trace metals have been determined in the sediments, waters and fauna of a sewagesludge disposal area in the Firth of Clyde. Enhanced values of organic carbon and several metals were found in the sediments of the immediate deposit area. The results are discussed in relation to local background variations and compared with data from the Solway Firth. Trace-metal concentrations in the waters of the deposit area were higher than those from further off shore in the Clyde.

Epifaunal species showed rather erratic variation in trace metal content, unrelated to total or readily extractable trace metals in the underlying sediment. The tracemetal content of demersal fish species was not significantly different from figures reported for elsewhere in the United Kingdom.

The distributions of some in-faunal and epifaunal species in the area are described.

It is concluded that the effects of sewage sludge disposal in this area are local, gross changes being limited to an area of about 20 km2 of sea-bed. However, little is known of the overall effects of toxic wastes particularly at threshold levels, and further monitoring is required.

Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom , Volume 53 , Issue 3 , August 1973 , pp. 721 - 739
Copyright
Copyright © Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom 1973

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Abdullah, M. I., Royle, L. G. & Morris, A. W., 1972. Heavy metal concentrations in coastal waters. Nature, London, 235, 158–60.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Allen, J. A., 1960. Manganese deposition on the shells of living molluscs. Nature, London, 185, 336–7.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Allen, J. A., 1960. Observations on the biology of Crangon allmani. Journal of the Marine Bio-logical Association of the United Kingdom, 39, 481–508.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Allen, J. A., 1963. Observations on the biology of Pandalus montagui. Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom, 43, 665–82.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Buchanan, J. B. & Longbottom, L. R., 1970. The determination of organic matter in marine muds. The effect of the presence of coal. Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology, 5(2), 158–69.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Burton, J. D. & Leatherland, T. M., 1971. Mercury in a coastal marine environment. Nature, London, 231, 440–1.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Butterworth, J., Lester, P. & Nickless, G., 1972. Distribution of heavy metals in the Severn Estuary. Marine Pollution Bulletin, 3 (5), 72–4.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Calvert, S. E. & Price, N. B., 1970. Composition of manganese nodules and manganese carbonates from Loch Fyne, Scotland. Contributions to Mineralogy and Petrology, 29, 215–33.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Deegan, C., Kirby, R. & Rae, J. 1973. Superficial deposits of the Firth of Clyde and the sea lochs. Report of the Institute of Geological Sciences. H.M.S.O. (In Press).Google Scholar
Department Of The Environment, Great Britain, 1972. Out of sight, out of mind. Report of Working Party on Sludge Disposal in Liverpool Bay, 1 and 2, 36 and 485 pp. H.M.S.O.Google Scholar
Drake, D. E., 1971. Suspended sediment and thermal stratification in Santa Barbara Channel. Deep-Sea Research, 18 (7), 763–71.Google Scholar
El Wakeel, S. K. & Riley, J. P., 1956. The determination of organic carbon in marine muds. Journal du Conseil, 22., 180–3.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gross, M. G., 1972. Marine waste deposits near New York. Marine Pollution Bulletin, 3 (4), 61–3.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gum, W., Clough, C. T. & Hill, J. B., 1897. Geology of Cowal, Explanation of Sheets 29, 37 and 38. Geological Survey, 333 pp.Google Scholar
Jenkinson, I. R., 1972. Sludge dumping and benthic communities. Marine Pollution Bulletin, 3, 102–5.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mackay, D. W., Halcrow, W. & Thornton, I., 1972. Sludge dumping in the Firth of Clyde. Marine Pollution Bulletin, 3 (2), 7–11.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mackay, D. W. & Topping, G., 1970. Preliminary report on the effects of sludge disposal at sea. Effluent and Water Treatment Journal, 641–9.Google Scholar
Pearce, J. B., 1972. The effects of waste disposal in the New York Bight. Summary Final Report by the National Marine Fisheries Service, Middle Atlantic Fisheries Centre, Sandy Hook, N.J., 70 pp.Google Scholar
Preston, A., Jeffries, D. F., Dutton, J., Harvey, B. & Steele, A. K., 1972. The concentrations of selected heavy metals in sea water. Environmental Pollution, 3, 69–82.Google Scholar
Shelton, R. G. J., 1971. Sludge dumping in the Thames Estuary. Marine Pollution Bulletin, 2, 24–7.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Smith, J. D., Nicholson, R. A. & Moore, P. J., 1971. Mercury in water of the tidal Thames. Nature, London, 232, 393–4.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Stanton, R., 1966. Rapid Methods of Trace Analysis. London: Edward Arnold.Google Scholar