Geology topics

Daniel F. Woodward

Publications and source records attributed to Daniel F. Woodward.

9 recordsLinked to original sources

USGS1999

Behavioral avoidance: Possible mechanism for explaining abundanc and distribution of trout species in a metal-impacted river

Behavioral avoidance of metal mixtures by rainbow trout ( Oncorhynchus mykiss ) was determined in the laboratory under water quality conditions that simulated the upper Clark Fork River, Montana, USA. A metal mixture with a fixed ratio of observed ambient metal concentrations (12 μg/L Cu:1.1 μg/L Cd:3.2 μg/L Pb:50 μg/L Zn) was used to determine avoidance in a countercurrent avoidance chamber. Rainbow trout avoided all metal concentrations tested from 10 to 1,000% of the simulated ambient metal mixture. The behavioral response of rainbow trout to the metal mixture was more sensitive than the response of brown trout ( Salmo trutta ) previously reported from the same laboratory under the same experimental conditions. Additionally, rainbow trout that were acclimated to the simulated ambient metal mixture for 45 d preferred clean water and avoided higher metal concentrations. Therefore, our laboratory experiments on the behavioral avoidance responses of rainbow trout, as well as previously reported experiments on brown trout, show that both species will avoid typical metal concentrations observed on the Clark Fork River. And the greater sensitivity of rainbow trout to the metal mixture may explain, in part, why rainbow trout populations appear to be more severely affected, compared to brown trout populations, in the upper Clark Fork River.

Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry↗

USGS1997

Cutthroat trout avoidance of metals and conditions characteristic of a mining waste site: Coeur d'Alene River, Idaho

The South Fork basin of the Coeur d'Alene River, Idaho has been an area of heavy mining activity since the 1880s. The mining operations have resulted in elevated concentrations of metals in surface water, most notably cadmium, lead, zinc, and, to a lesser extent, copper. The metals affected surface water quality downstream in the Coeur d'Alene basin and are suspected to be one of the primary reasons for the reduction in populations of native westslope cutthroat trout Oncorhynchus clarki lewisi. The avoidance response of a surrogate species, Snake River cutthroat trout O. clarki (unnamed subspecies), was evaluated against conditions simulating those in the Coeur d'Alene River basin. Cutthroat trout avoided a metals mixture of these concentrations: Cd (0.30 ??g/L), Cu (6.0 ??g/L), Pb (0.6 ??g/L), and Zn (28 ??g/L). The avoidance response to either Cu or Zn alone was similar to the avoidance response to the mixture, suggesting that avoidance to the mixture was due to these metals. After acclimation to Zn at 55 ??g/L for 90 d, cutthroat trout detected and preferred a lower Zn concentration of 28 ??g/L. The lowest Zn concentrations avoided (28 ??g/L) were 1/6 to 1/78 the Zn concentrations measured in the South Fork and lower Coeur d'Alene River basins. Avoidance of metals-contaminated habitats by cutthroat trout may be, in part, responsible for reduced fish populations.

Transactions of the American Fisheries Society↗

USGS1997

A science-based, watershed strategy to support effective remediation of abandoned mine lands

A U.S. Geological Survey Abandoned Mine Lands Initiative will develop a strategy for gathering and communicating the scientific information needed to formulate effective and cost-efficient remediation of abandoned mine lands. A watershed approach will identify, characterize, and remediate contaminated sites that have the most profound effect on water and ecosystem quality within a watershed. The Initiative will be conducted during 1997 through 2001 in two pilot watersheds, the Upper Animas River watershed in Colorado and the Boulder River watershed in Montana. Initiative efforts are being coordinated with the U.S. Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, National Park Service, and other stakeholders which are using the resulting scientific information to design and implement remediation activities. The Initiative has the following eight objective-oriented components: estimate background (pre-mining) conditions; define baseline (current) conditions; identify target sites (major contaminant sources); characterize target sites and processes affecting contaminant dispersal; characterize ecosystem health and controlling processes at target sites; develop remediation goals and monitoring network; provide an integrated, quality-assured and accessible data network; and document lessons learned for future applications of the watershed approach.

Colorado;Montana↗

USGS1995

Metals-contaminated benthic invertebrates in the Clark Fork River, Montana: Effects on age-0 brown trout and rainbow trout

Benthic organisms in the upper Clark Fork River have recently been implicated as a dietary source of metals that may be a chronic problem for young-of-the-year rainbow trout ( Oncorhynchus mykiss ). In this present study, early life stage brown trout ( Salmo trutta ) and rainbow trout were exposed for 88&ensp;d to simulated Clark Fork River water and a diet of benthic invertebrates collected from the river. These exposures resulted in reduced growth and elevated levels of metals in the whole body of both species. Concentrations of As, Cd, Cu, and Pb increased in whole brown trout; in rainbow trout, As and Cd increased in whole fish, and As also increased in liver. Brown trout on the metals-contaminated diets exhibited constipation, gut impaction, increased cell membrane damage (lipid peroxidation), decreased digestive enzyme production (zymogen), and a sloughing of intestinal mucosal epithelial cells. Rainbow trout fed the contaminated diets exhibited constipation and reduced feeding activity. We believe that the reduced standing crop of trout in the Clark Fork River results partly from chronic effects of metals contamination in benthic invertebrates that are important as food for young-of-the-year fish.

Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences↗

USGS1995

Brown trout avoidance of metals in water characteristic of the Clark Fork River, Montana

The avoidance response of brown trout ( Salmo trutta ) to mixtures of cadmium, copper, lead, and zinc was determined in water simulating the Clark Fork River, Montana. Effects of acidification on the avoidance response were also evaluated. Tests were conducted in a cylindrical chamber that received reference water at one end and metal-contaminated water at the other; a distinct boundary formed at the center where the chamber drained. A 1 × mixture of the four metals (Cd, 1.1&ensp;μg/L; Cu, 12&ensp;μg/L; Pb, 3.2&ensp;μg/L; and Zn, 55&ensp;μg/L) that was representative of the ambient metals concentrations of the Clark Fork River resulted in avoidance by brown trout. Brown trout also avoided 0.5×, 2×, 4×, and 10× mixtures but not a 0.1 × mixture. A reduction in pH from 8.0 to either 7.0, 6.0, or 5.0 resulted in significant avoidance. Avoidance reactions to metals, similar to those observed in our laboratory experiments, may contribute to the depression of brown trout populations in the Clark Fork River.

Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences↗

USGS1994

Toxicity of metal-contaminated sediments from the upper Clark Fork River, Montana, to aquatic invertebrates and fish in laboratory exposures

Sediments of the upper Clark Fork River, from the Butte and Anaconda area to Milltown Reservoir (230 km downstream), are contaminated with As, Cd, Cu, Pb, Mn, and Zn primarily from mining activities. The toxicity of pore water from these sediments was determined using Daphnia magna (48-h exposure), rainbow trout (96-h exposure), and Microtox®. However, pore-water data from these exposures were questionable because of changes in the toxicity of pore-water samples after 5 to 7 d of storage. Whole-sediment tests were conducted with Hyalella azteca (28-d exposure), Chironomus riparius (14-d exposure), rainbow trout ( Oncorhynchus mykiss ) 21- to 28-d exposure and Daphnia magna (2- to 22-d exposure). Sediment samples from Milltown Reservoir and the Clark Fork River were not generally lethal to test organisms. However, both reduced growth and delayed sexual maturation of amphipods were associated with exposure to elevated concentrations of metals in sediments from the reservoir and river. Relative sensitivity (most sensitive to least sensitive) of organisms in whole-sediment toxicity tests was: Hyalella azteca > Chironomus riparius > rainbow trout > Daphnia magna . Relative sensitivity (most sensitive to least sensitive) of the three end points evaluated with Hyalella azteca was: length > sexual maturation > survival. The lack of lethal effects on organisms may be related to temporal differences in sediment, acid-volatile sulfide, or organic carbon.

Montana↗

USGS1993

Sensitivity of early-life stage golden trout to low pH and elevated aluminum

Early-life-stage golden trout ( Oncorhynchus aguabonita aguabonita ) were exposed to acid and Al to examine the response and determine the sensitivity of a western, alpine salmonid to conditions simulating an episodic pH depression. Freshly fertilized eggs, alevins, and swim-up larvae were exposed for 7 d to one of 12 combinations of pH and Al, and surviving fish were held to 40 d post-hatch to determine the effect of exposure on subsequent survival and recovery. Golden trout are sensitive to conditions simulating episodic acidification events typically observed in the field. Significant mortality occurred when the pH of test waters was below 5.0 in the absence of Al or when pH was 5.5 in the presence of 100 μg/L total Al. Behavioral impairments were sensitive indicators of low pH and Al stress. Impaired locomotory and feeding behavior occurred at pH 5.5 without Al and at Al concentrations > 50 μg/L. In contrast, growth, RNA-to-DNA ratio, and whole-body ion concentration were relatively less sensitive indicators of sublethal acid and Al stress.

Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry↗

USGS1993

The effects of low pH and elevated aluminum on yellowstone cutthroat trout (Oncorhynchus clarki bouvieri)

Although acid deposition is not considered a problem in the western United States, surface waters in high elevations and fish inhabiting these waters may be vulnerable to acidification. This study examined the sensitivity of a western salmonid to acid and aluminum stress. Yellowstone cutthroat trout ( Oncorhynchus clarki bouvieri ; YSC) were exposed for 7 d during each of four early life stages, or continuously from fertilization to 40 d post-hatch, to decreased pH and elevated Al. We monitored survival, growth, whole-body ion content, and behavior of the exposed fish. Sensitivity of early life stages of YSC may be expressed by survival or by survival and sublethal effects. In our study, eggs were the most sensitive life stage of YSC to low pH if survival alone was considered. However, the sublethal effects on growth, tissue ion content, and behavior revealed the alevins and swim-up larvae were more sensitive to reduced pH and increased Al than eggs or eyed embryos. We also observed that survival was significantly decreased if YSC were exposed to pH 6.0 and 50 μg Al per liter continuously from fertilization to 40 d post-hatch.

Wyoming↗

USGS1993

Chronic toxicity of Pydraul 50E to lake trout

Industrial phosphate esters, both triaryl and alkyl aryl phosphate esters, are used as fire resistant hydraulic fluids and as fire retardant plasticizers (Lapp 1976). Hydraulic fluids probably represent the largest contribution of phosphate ester compounds released into the environment. Lapp (1976) estimated that 65 to 70 percent of all phosphate ester hydraulic fluids were utilized in automotive and steel industries. He also estimated that 80 percent of the annual consumption of hydraulic fluids in 1976 was the result of leaks in industrial hydraulic systems. These data suggest phosphate esters are likely to be constituents of industrial effluents and, consequently, could be in point source discharges.

Bulletin of Environmental Contamination and Toxico↗