AQUATOX: Modeling Fate of Toxic Organics in the Galveston Bay Ecosystem

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dc.acquisition-srcen_US
dc.call-noen_US
dc.contract-noen_US
dc.contributor.authorPark, RAen_US
dc.contributor.authorClough, JSen_US
dc.contributor.authorCoombs-Wellman, Men_US
dc.contributor.otherProceedings of the Eighth Biennial State of the Bay Symposium January 23-25, 2007en_US
dc.date.accessioned2010-02-15T16:46:49Z
dc.date.available2010-02-15T16:46:49Z
dc.date.issuedJan. 24, 2007en_US
dc.degreeen_US
dc.description[np]en_US
dc.description-otheren_US
dc.description.abstractAQUATOX is a process-based, time-varying, fate and effects simulation model that integrates aquatic ecology, chemical dynamics, bioaccumulation, and ecotoxicology. It can be used to predict the environmental fate and both direct and indirect simultaneous effects of nutrients, sediments, and up to 20 toxic chemicals in aquatic ecosystems. It provides Latin hypercube uncertainty analysis and nominal sensitivity analysis for any and all loadings and chemical and biotic parameters. Results are given in tabular and graphical forms, including concentrations, rates, mass balances, probabilistic risk graphs, and tornado diagrams (for sensitivity analysis). The model has been peer reviewed and released for use by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The model also has been favorably reviewed in the open literature. One review stated: "AQUATOX fully closes the loop between eutrophication, contaminant fate and effects and, as such, is the most complete model described in the literature." Release 2.2 can represent as few or as many biotic groups as desired (up to 34 algal, macrophyte, invertebrate, and fish groups plus up to 15 age classes of one game fish). It has been validated for a variety of environments including ponds, lakes, reservoirs, small streams, and rivers. The model is a part of the BASINS modeling system and has linkages to the HSPF and SWAT runoff models to represent an integrated watershed. Recently an estuarine mode was incorporated in Release 3, which is in beta test. Application to Galveston Bay, Texas, exemplifies the analysis of bioaccumulation of toxicants in commercial fish and sea gulls. Representative published ecosystem data from Galveston Bay were used to calibrate the estuarine model. Because the model is intended to be exploratory in nature, and Galveston Bay was used only as an illustrative estuary, the objective was to obtain approximate, reasonable behavior without spending significant time on the calibration. Published PCB data from Barnstable Harbor, Massachusetts, were used to verify the generality of the estuarine ecosystem bioaccumulation model. The observed concentrations of total PCBs in the water and bottom sediments in the Massachusetts site were set as constant values in a simulation of Galveston Bay. The predicted concentrations in the various biotic compartments at the end of the simulation were similar to those observed in Barnstable Harbor, even though the sites are different. The model then was used to analyze the biomagnification potential of PFOS, a persistent surfactant, in Galveston Bay. The PFOS concentration was kept constant at 1 microgram/L in the water column. Over the course of the year's simulation, PFOS reached an approximate steady state in the various biotic compartments. Catfish, sea bass, and redfish have similar predicted body burdens, according to the simulations. Shrimp and oysters have somewhat lower predicted body burdens. The concentration in gulls reflects the weighted exposure in their various prey species, including dead organisms. In another simulation experiment a nominal concentration of 1 Ýg/L of PFOS was used as an initial condition with no additional loadings of PFOS to the estuary. Initially the PFOS was shown to mix into the lower layer. However, over a year the normal flushing of the Bay was predicted to remove 94% of the PFOS through washout. Of the remaining PFOS, 9% was predicted to be in fish and 5% in invertebrates.en_US
dc.description.urien_US
dc.geo-codeGalveston Bayen_US
dc.history1-21-09 kswen_US
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/1969.3/18634
dc.latitudeen_US
dc.locationNot available in house - Please contact GBIC for assistanceen_US
dc.longitudeen_US
dc.notesen_US
dc.placeen_US
dc.publisherGalveston Bay Estuary Programen_US
dc.relation.ispartofseries10149.00en_US
dc.relation.urihttp://gbic.tamug.edu/gbeppubs/sobviii/sobviii_rpr.htm#Parken_US
dc.scaleen_US
dc.seriesen_US
dc.subjectaquatic ecologyen_US
dc.subjectAQUATOXen_US
dc.subjectbioaccumulationen_US
dc.subjectchemical dynamicsen_US
dc.subjectecotoxicologyen_US
dc.subjectmodelsen_US
dc.subjectsimulationen_US
dc.titleAQUATOX: Modeling Fate of Toxic Organics in the Galveston Bay Ecosystemen_US
dc.typeCONFen_US
dc.universityen_US
dc.vol-issueen_US

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