Amanda Reichelt-Brushett

Southern Cross University · Faculty of Science and Engineering

A new sublethal toxicity test was developed in this study to measure the effect of copper and lead on the motility of coral larvae. Larval motility was significantly affected by copper and lead doses immediately after dosing. The copper EC50 values for motility of Goniastrea aspera brain coral larvae (12 h, 21 microg/L; 24 h, 16 microg/L; 48 h, 22...

Manganese is an essential element and generally considered to be one of the least toxic metals to aquatic organisms, with chronic effects rarely seen at concentrations below 1000 µg/L. Anthropogenic activities lead to elevated concentrations of manganese in tropical marine waters. Limited data suggests that manganese is more acutely toxic to adult...

Deep-sea tailings placement (DSTP) involves the oceanic discharge of tailings at depth (usually >100 m), with the intent of ultimate deposition of tailings solids on the deep-sea bed (>1000 m), well below the euphotic zone. DSTP discharges consist of a slurry of mine tailings solids (finely crushed rock) and residual process liquor containing low c...

Deep‐sea mineral extraction is a fledgling industry whose guiding principles, legislation, protocols and regulations are still evolving. Responsible management of the industry is difficult when it is not clearly understood what biological and environmental diversity or ecosystem services may be at risk. But the industry’s infancy provides an opport...

The Artisanal and Small-scale Gold Mining (ASGM) sector is presently one of the largest global sources of anthropogenic mercury emissions. The risk of mercury pollution from ASGM in Indonesia challenges other important industries including fisheries and tourism. Environmental degradation and risks to food safety and human health are major concerns...

Monitoring pesticide run-off in the aquatic environment is ecologically important. Effective methods are required to detect the wide range of possible pesticides that enter estuaries from the surrounding catchment. Here, we investigate the occurrence of pesticides in the Richmond River estuary, Australia, and compare the effectiveness of using oyst...

Adult corals are among the most sensitive marine organisms to dissolved manganese and experience tissue sloughing without bleaching (i.e., no loss of Symbiodinium spp.) but there are no chronic toxicity data for this sensitive endpoint. We exposed adult Acropora millepora to manganese in 2-d acute and 14-d chronic experiments using tissue sloughing...

You have opened this book because you have an interest in the ocean and the impact of humans upon it. This is a serious issue that gains plenty of media attention, but prior to the early 1950s it was generally considered that oceans were so expansive that they could absorb waste inputs indefinitely.

Oil is a generic term that can cover a very wide range of natural hydrocarbon-based substances and also refined petrochemical products. Crude oil and petroleum products can have a range of physical properties on the basis of which their behaviour in the marine environment can differ widely. These properties range from viscosity (the rate at which l...

In accordance with Part XII of the United Nations Law of the Sea Convention (UNCLOS) and various other related international agreements, parties are obliged to prevent , reduce and control pollution of the marine environment. The responsibility to implement these agreements or other non-regulatory codes or standards rests primarily on national gove...

Many of the chemicals in the environment are naturally derived from compounds in plants, petroleum oils, or minerals in rocks. However, their chemical composition, concentration, and distribution through the environment have been altered by humans, usually as a result of an economic incentive (e.g., mining).

This chapter introduces you to metals and metalloids that are a concern to the health of marine ecosystems. It provides a general chemical understanding of important metals and metalloids, their sources, behaviour, impacts and management. Metals, metalloids and non-metals all make up the periodic table (Appendix II) and are classified into these ca...

“ Sorry! what did you say ?” Consider how easy it is to miss some conversation details when it is noisy.

Chapter 1 presented to you the problem of marine pollution and through the book we explored the wide range of polluting substances with many chapters highlighting specific management approaches. Chapter 1 also highlighted that we are all potentially part of the solution to marine pollution.

Pesticides are chemicals that have been specifically synthesised to “ kill pests, including insects, rodents, fungi and unwanted plants ” (WHO, WHO (World Health Organisation) (2020) The WHO recommended classification of pesticides by hazard and guidelines to classification, 2019 edition. Available at: https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/978924...

Anyone interested in the history of environmental chemistry, and in particular the management and remediation of pollution, soon encounters the term POP along with the Stockholm Convention and the dirty dozen .

A large part of marine pollution studies is about collecting, analysing, and interpreting the concentrations of contaminants in the environment. This involves field and laboratory work to collect and analyse the samples. Some analyses are completed directly in the field (i.e., in situ). From the process of collection through to the final analyses,...

Context: The ability of ectothermic stream invertebrates to adapt to the predicted increases in mean and extreme stream temperatures is crucial to ensuring they continue to exist. Aims: To examine the plasticity of thermal limits of Australian Paratya spp. (Decapoda, Atyidae) from streams in eastern New South Wales (NSW). We hypothesised that the...

Water quality fluctuations are influenced by natural and artificial openings of ICOLLs. In this study artificial opening resulted in a greater degradation of water quality than natural openings. Artificial openings are commonly undertaken in response to flood risk to human assets but often cause fish kills. We assessed water quality (parameters: te...

This article is underpinned by the hypothesis that if Australia is to reassess and improve its relationship to and use of rivers and river systems, then more holistic ways of understanding rivers, and strategies for representing and communicating this understanding, must be developed and brought together. Held over two days in August 2019 at the Li...

The toxicity of iron(III) in fresh waters has been detected at concentrations above the iron solubility limit, indicating a contribution of colloidal and particulate forms of iron(III) to the toxicity response. Current water quality guideline values for iron in fresh water are based on analytical determinations of filterable or total iron. Filtrati...

This study investigated relationships between Sydney Rock Oyster (SRO) health and element concentrations in sediments and oysters from the Richmond River estuary. Six sites were sampled between November 2019 and May 2020. Multivariate permutational analysis of variance was used to compare oyster health parameters and element concentrations between...

Nickel (Ni) and manganese (Mn) are well known for the production of steel and alloys and are commonly found co-occurring in Ni ores. They are metals of environmental concern and contamination in the marine environment is problematic single exposures and in combination. Several studies have documented the effects of single metal exposure on the mode...

Manganese (Mn) is essential for global steel and Mn-iron (Fe) alloy production. The human health effects of elevated Mn concentrations have been well established, but studies on its impact on marine invertebrates are limited. This study is the first to investigate Mn uptake in the sea anemone Exaiptasia pallida after chronic exposure (0.5, 1, 10, a...

The broad utilisation of neonicotinoids in agriculture has led to the unplanned contamination of adjacent terrestrial and aquatic systems around the world. Environmental monitoring regularly detects neonicotinoids at concentrations that may cause negative impacts on molluscs. The toxicity of neonicotinoids to some non-target invertebrates has been...

Nickel laterite ore deposits are becoming increasingly important sources of nickel for the global marketplace and are mainly found in tropical and sub‐tropical regions including Indonesia, the Philippines, Papua New Guinea, Cuba, and New Caledonia. There are few legislatively derived standards or guidelines for the protection of aquatic life for ni...

The broad utilisation of neonicotinoids, particularly imidacloprid (IMI), in agriculture has led to unplanned contamination of aquatic systems around the world. The sublethal effects of individual pesticides on the immune system of oysters, as well as their combined effects with other environmental stressors that fluctuate in estuarine environments...

Aquatic ecosystem community dynamics are affected by anthropogenic pressures and subsequent environmental change. This study investigated the influence of land use in the Richmond River Catchment (New South Wales, Australia) on dietary sources for the freshwater Atyid shrimp Paratya australiensis. Carbon and nitrogen stable isotopes and Bayesian mo...

Exaiptasia pallida has been applied as a cnidarian model to assess the toxicity of various contaminants using endpoints related to growth, reproduction and mortality. However, increasingly accepted behavioural and biochemical endpoints are underrepresented in ecotoxicity testing with cnidarian species. The aim of this study was to assess the suitab...

Intensification of lateritic nickel mining in Southeast Asia and Melanesia potentially threatens coastal ecosystems from increased exposure to nickel and suspended sediment. This study investigated the response of Acropora muricata when exposed to either dissolved nickel, clean suspended sediment or nickel-contaminated suspended sediment for 7 days...

Bali, Indonesia, receives over 6 million tourists annually, placing demand on resources and infrastructure that competes with expectations of natural beauty. Strongly linked to tourism are highly productive small-scale crafts industries and intensive small-scale agriculture and aquaculture production. Concentrations of nutrients, trace metals and m...

Start Nickel (Ni) is common marine pollutant and derived from discharge of industries, mining and agriculture. Elevated Ni concentrations, could be harmful the organisms in marine environment such as corals reef. The sea anemones Exaiptasia pallida has been widely used for toxicity tests in the laboratory because it is easy to maintain and culture...

The use of imidacloprid (IMI) and its formulated products in agriculture is a risk to aquatic organisms due to deposition into waterways from runoff and aerial spraying. However, there is limited information on the potential effects of this pesticide on commercially important shellfish, such as oysters. We investigated the impacts of IMI and Spectr...

The broad utilisation of imidacloprid (IMI) in agriculture poses an increasing risk to aquatic organisms. However, the potential impacts on commercially important shellfish and chemical residues after exposure, are yet to be assessed. We investigated the levels of IMI in Sydney rock oyster (SRO) tissue during a three-day uptake and four-day depurat...

Ambient concentrations of many essential and non-essential trace elements in coastal waters off New South Wales (NSW), Australia are among the lowest reported anywhere in the Southern Hemisphere. Nevertheless, concentrations of various contaminants in regional and migratory marine biota have been recorded above existing , established thresholds, an...

In 2015 the threshold learning outcomes (TLOs) for Australian bachelor degree graduates in the discipline of Environment and Sustainability were released. This study road tested the Environment and Sustainability TLOs in the workplace via environmental science students’ internship placement. The study, which incorporated surveys of host-supervisors...

The potential impacts of mining activities on tropical coastal ecosystems are poorly understood. In particular, limited information is available on the effects of metals on scleractinian corals which are foundation species that form vital structural habitats supporting other biota. This study investigated the effects of dissolved nickel and copper...

Manganese (Mn) pollution in marine waters is increasing and sensitivities to this metal vary widely among marine species. The aims of this study were to characterise Mn chemistry in seawater, and evaluate the toxic effects of Mn on various life stages of two scleractinian corals – the branching sp. Acropora spathulata and massive sp. Platygyra daed...

To assess the effects of inorganic mercury ingestion on fish general behaviour and brain biochemical markers (acetylcholinesterase – AChE; lipid peroxidation – LPO; glutathione S-transferase – GST; catalase – CAT), juvenile yellowfin bream (Acanthopagrus australis) were fed mercury dosed food (low = 0.7 mg kg⁻¹, medium = 2.4 mg kg⁻¹ and high = 6 mg...

There is a lack of information regarding the effects on biochemical markers in invertebrates diet-exposed to inorganic mercury. In the present study, juvenile black tiger prawn (Penaeus monodon) were fed with food dosed with mercuric chloride (low: 0.2 mg kg⁻¹; medium: 0.77 mg kg⁻¹; high: 1.41 mg kg⁻¹; higher: 2.52 mg kg⁻¹) and control (0.03 mg kg⁻...

Phytocapping is increasingly regarded as an economical and environmentally sustainable post-closure landfill management strategy. During 2013, a phytocap comprised of koala habitat trees was established on a historic landfill site in Lismore as part of an Australian trial program (A-ACAP). This case study was conducted to determine trace element co...

Mercury is a known toxic metal, but studies on the effects of inorganic mercury ingestion in aquatic organisms are scarce. The present study aimed to investigate changes in feeding behaviour and biomarkers (lipid peroxidation, acetylcholinesterase, glutathione S-transferase and catalase activities) of yellowfin bream (Acanthopagrus australis) after...

Deep-sea tailings disposal (DSTD) and its shallow water counterpart, submarine tailings disposal (STD), are practiced in many areas of the world, whereby mining industries discharge processed mud- and rock-waste slurries (tailings) directly into the marine environment. Pipeline discharges and other land-based sources of marine pollution fall beyond...

The present work investigated the spatial distribution and ecological risk assessment of total and mild acid-leachable trace elements in surface sediments (top 0–10 cm; grain size ≤ 63 μm) along the Hooghly (Ganges) River Estuary and Sundarban Mangrove Wetland, India. The trace elements, analyzed by ICPMS, showed wide range of variations with the f...

Dimethylsulfoniopropionate (DMSP) is a biogenic compound that could be involved in metal detoxification in both the host and endosymbionts of symbiotic corals. Acropora aspera, a common reef-building coral of the Great Barrier Reef, was exposed to zinc doses from 10 to 1000 μg/L over 96 h, with zinc being a low-toxic trace metal commonly used in th...

Riverine landscapes are studied at varying scales, investigating the complex cause-effect pathways between rivers and their physical, chemical and biological attributes. Policy development, management and planning are often formulated and applied at the regional or catchment scale, however the ecological evidence required to inform at this scale is...

Currently toxicity data for iron (Fe) in seawater is limited; furthermore these data are of poor quality due to the importance of Fe solubility in test solutions being overlooked. This study characterised the solubility and lability of Fe(III) in seawater and then examined the effects of Fe(III) on the fertilisation success and larval survival of t...

The mining and production of Ni is increasing in tropical regions. The potential impacts of these activities on the valuable coastal ecosystems are poorly understood. Specifically, there is little information available on the effects of Ni to corals. Scleractinian corals are keystone species for coral reefs forming vital structural habitats that su...

The mining and production of nickel in tropical regions have the potential to impact on ecologically valuable tropical marine ecosystems. Currently, few data exist to assess the risks of nickel exposure to tropical ecosystems and to derive ecologically relevant water quality guidelines. In particular, data are lacking for keystone species such as s...

Artisanal small-scale gold mining (ASGM) using mercury (Hg) amalgamation commenced on Buru Island, Indonesia, in 2012, but was halted in 2015 due to concerns of widespread Hg contamination. Much of the Hg used in the mining process is lost to trommel waste which is disposed of in settlement ponds that drain into adjacent waterways and into Kayeli B...

Effective ecotoxicological risk assessments for herbicides in tropical marine environments are restricted by a lack of toxicity data, sensitive test methods and endpoints for relevant species, and this requires rectification. The symbiotic sea anemone Exaiptasia pallida is a suitable test species, representing the phylum Cnidaria and allowing for a...

Understanding the history of contamination at a site may provide useful information to interpret past conditions. While organic compounds, such as pesticides, may behave quite differently in the environment compared to inorganic substances, such as metals, one common feature is that for different reasons, sediments often act as a common sink. In th...

Bio-accessibility and bioavailability of arsenic (As) in historically As-contaminated soils (cattle tick pesticide), and pristine soils were assessed using 3 different approaches. These approaches included human bio-accessibility using an extraction test replicating gastric conditions (in vitro physiologically-based extraction test); an operational...

Significant amounts of trace metals have been released into both nearshore and deep sea environments in recent years, resulting in increased concentrations that can be toxic to marine organisms. Trace metals can negatively affect external fertilization processes in marine broadcast spawners and may cause a reduction in fertilization success at elev...

The risk of a major marine fuel spill in Antarctic waters is increasing, yet there are currently no standard or suitable response methods under extreme Antarctic conditions. Fuel dispersants may present a possible solution, however little data exist on the toxicity of dispersants or fuels to Antarctic species, thereby preventing informed management...

Excessive macrophyte biomass and cyanobacterial blooms associated with eutrophication and possibly exotic fish frequently compromise freshwater systems. In this study, 20 large (∼3.2 m³), replicated enclosures were used to investigate the effects of piscivorous Australian bass (Macquaria novemaculeata), planktivorous gambusia (Gambusia holbrooki (G...

The demand for nickel and cobalt as important commodities has increased significantly over the past decade and a decline in the global nickel sulphide reserves has resulted in a shift toward the exploitation of the less favourable nickel laterite ores. These deposits, which are found associated with cobalt, are located predominantly in the tropical...

The after | image project is an inquiry into notions of material memory and forgetting and their intersection with archival preservation and dissolution. The project involves the intentional destruction by the authors of a photographic archive using various acids, chemical compounds and oxidizing agents; this destruction is recorded using time-laps...

Plastic pollution is a significant problem in all oceans of the world and accounts for up to 90% of marine debris. Ingestion of plastic by seabirds and its effects are well documented, particularly in the Northern Hemisphere. However, fewer data exist for levels of plastic in seabird and coastal bird species in Australian waters or the southwestern...

Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are ubiquitous pollutants in the marine environment that are known to accumulate in apex predators such as sharks. Liver samples from dusky Carcharhinus obscurus, sandbar Carcharhinus plumbeus, and white Carcharodon carcharias sharks from south-eastern Australian waters were analysed for the seven indicator PCBs 28,...

Fishing and resource use continues to be an essential aspect of life for many Aboriginal communities throughout Australia. It is important for dietary sustenance, and also retains deep social, cultural and economic significance, playing a fundamental role in maintaining group cohesion, transferring cultural knowledge and affirming Indigenous identi...

Coral skeletons record historical trace metal levels in the environment, however, the use of coral skeletal records for biomonitoring studies mostly fail to consider the influence of metal regulation by the living components of coral and subsequent incorporation into the skeleton. This study presents Exaiptasia pallida as a representative of the li...

The sea anemone Exaiptasia pallida (formally Aiptasia pulchella) has been identified as a valuable test species for tropical marine ecotoxicology. Here, the sensitivities of newly developed endpoints for E. pallida to two unidentified whole effluents were compared to a standard suite of temperate toxicity test species and endpoints that are commonl...

Shark fisheries have expanded due to increased demand for shark products. As long-lived apex predators, sharks are susceptible to bioaccumulation of metals and metalloids, and biomagnification of some such as Hg, primarily through diet. This may have negative health implications for human consumers. Concentrations of Hg, As, Cd, Cu, Fe, Se and Zn w...

Bauxite refinery residues (BRR) remain the single largest environmental problem for the alumina industry, because of the fine-grained nature (> 90% at < 10 μm), high pH (>13), high sodicity (>50 g/kg), and high alkalinity (typically ≈30 g/kg as equivalent CaCO3). However, neutralisation of BRR provides a geochemically engineered solution, with pote...

The effects of aging on the pH-dependence and reversibility of uranium and thorium binding by a modified bauxite refinery residue (MBRR) were studied in laboratory uptake/leaching experiments. Natural uranium and thorium isotopes (predominantly 238UVI and 232ThIV) of 0.4, and 0.2 mM were loaded for an 8-day period at the natural equilibrium pH of t...

The limited availability of test organisms that represent tropical and deeper water environments is a significant concern when assessing the risk of contaminants in these environments. Amphipholis squamata (Delle Chiaje 1828) is a widely distributed brittle star with many phylogenetic clades reported from different latitudes, and it also occurs fro...

Optimizing the utility of constructed waterways as residential development with water-frontage, along with a productive and functional habitat for wildlife is of considerable interest to managers. This study examines Lake Hugh Muntz, a large (17 ha) freshwater lake built in Gold Coast City, Australia. A ten year water quality monitoring programme s...

Currently few studies present sub-lethal toxicity data for tropical marine species, and there are no routine toxicity tests using marine cnidarians. The symbiotic sea anemone Aiptasia pulchella has been identified as a useful species for ecotoxicological risk assessment, and would provide a tropical marine cnidarian representative. Chronic sub-leth...

We are surrounded by archives, archives personal and national; our externalized memories and their material placeholders line our shelves and attics, just as they crowd the vaults of our national repositories. But how do we relate to archives as material memories? What do we gain in their preservation, and what, paradoxically, might we lose? For go...