Life and death of a sewage treatment plant recorded in a coral skeleton δ15N record

MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN

卷:120

Article

Duprey, Nicolas N.^1,2,3  Wang, Xingchen T.⁴  Thompson, Philip D.^1,2  Pleadwell, Jeffrey E.⁵  Raymundo, Laurie J.⁶  Kim, Kiho⁷  Sigman, Daniel M.⁴  Baker, David M.^1,2 

[1] Univ Hong Kong, Sch Biol Sci, Hong Kong, Hong Kong, Peoples R China

[2] Univ Hong Kong, Swire Inst Marine Sci, Hong Kong, Hong Kong, Peoples R China

[3] Max Planck Inst Chem, Otto Hahn Inst, Dept Climate Geochem, Hahn Meitner Weg 1, D-55128 Mainz, Germany

[4] Princeton Univ, Dept Geosci, Guyot Hall, Princeton, NJ 08540 USA

[5] Jeffs Pirates Cove, 111 Rt 4, Ipan Talofofo, GU 96915 USA

[6] Univ Guam, Marine Lab, UOG Stn, Mangilao, GU 96923 USA

[7] Amer Univ, Dept Environm Sci, Washington, DC 20016 USA

关键词: Coral reefs;    Sewage;    Stable nitrogen isotopes;    Porites sp.;    Eutrophication;   

DOI  :  10.1016/j.marpolbul.2017.04.023

来源: Elsevier

【 摘 要 】

We investigated the potential of coral skeleton delta N-15 (CS-delta N-15) records for tracking anthropogenic-N sources in coral reef ecosystems. We produced a 56 yr-long CS-delta N-15 record (1958-2014) from a reef flat in Guam that has been exposed to varying 1) levels of sewage treatment 2) population density, and 3) land use. Increasing population density (from < 30 to 300 ind.km(-2)) and land use changes in the watershed resulted in a similar to 1 parts per thousand enrichment of the CS-delta N-15 record until a sewage treatment plant (STP) started operation in 1975. Then, CS-delta N-15 stabilized, despite continued population density and land use changes. Based on population and other considerations, a continued increase in the sewage footprint might have been expected over this time. The stability of CS-delta N-15, either contradicts this expectation, or indicates that the impacts on the outer reef at the coring site were buffered by the mixing of reef water with the open ocean.

【 授权许可】

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