Developing successful mitigation strategies for emerging contaminants can be difficult due to inc... more Developing successful mitigation strategies for emerging contaminants can be difficult due to incomplete understanding of factors controlling their fate and transport. A variety of data analysis techniques can be used to assess the fate and transport behavior of pollutants in runoff water. Here, we use concentration-discharge, loaddischarge, and coefficient of variation relationships to examine how two methods of dairy manure application (surface broadcast and shallow disk injection) affect the transport dynamics of estrogens, total dissolved phosphorus (TDP), and dissolved organic carbon (DOC). Nine surface runoff events were sampled from Oct 2014-June 2015 from 12 research plots (six with each application method) in Central Pennsylvania after fall application. The plots received inorganic fertilizer for 15 years, but only four manure applications since 2012. Both TDP and DOC exhibited similar transport behavior under both manure application methods that indicate transport-limited control of export, potentially due to legacy sources in soils. However, estrogen loads exhibited dilution responses, a sign of source-limited controls. The strength of the dilution response for estrogens was greater for surface applied manure relative to the injected manure, suggesting that manure application methods can be used to control the mobilization potential of estrogens. Additionally, results suggest the longer-term application history of inorganic fertilizer led to the transport-limited dynamics exhibited by TDP, while the short-term application history of manure caused estrogen transport to be source-limited. Our findings provide insight into how anthropogenic drivers (application type, method, and history) and natural drivers (hydrology, biogeochemistry) are interconnected in agricultural fields, and point to opportunities for protecting downstream water quality.
ABSTRACT Humans use a large variety of chemicals in their everyday lives, including many of which... more ABSTRACT Humans use a large variety of chemicals in their everyday lives, including many of which are known or suspected endocrine disrupting compounds (EDCs). These chemicals are in pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) and agrochemicals, such as pesticides. The land-application of human and animal wastes and pesticides to agricultural fields introduces EDCs into the environment, which then become mobilized during rainfall events and may impact nearby receiving water bodies. These EDCs have the potential to cause endocrine disruption in amphibians that develop in impacted vernal ponds. In October 2013, we collected baseline water samples from seven vernal ponds in Centre County, Pennsylvania. Two of the vernal ponds were in natural forested landscapes, three were impacted by wastewater effluent irrigation, one was in a catchment receiving dairy manure applications, and one was near agricultural areas with unknown application practices. Water samples were analyzed for nutrients (nitrogen, phosphorus, and carbon), hormones (natural and synthetic), semi-volatile organic compounds, including pesticides, and pH. Our preliminary data showed a wide range of Total Kjeldahl Nitrogen concentrations (1.3 – 132 mg-N/L) across the seven ponds, total phosphorus values from 0.4 – 5.1 mg-P/L, and pH values between 5.5 and 6.8. One of the ponds affected by wastewater effluent irrigation had detectable levels of 17β-estradiol and estrone. These preliminary results suggest that further research is needed to better understand how anthropogenic activities impact the presence of EDCs in vernal ponds and how their presence may impact developing amphibians.
Humans use a large variety of chemicals in their everyday lives, including many of which are know... more Humans use a large variety of chemicals in their everyday lives, including many of which are known or suspected endocrine disrupting compounds (EDCs). These chemicals are in pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) and agrochemicals, such as pesticides. The land-application of human and animal wastes and pesticides to agricultural fields introduces EDCs into the environment, which then become mobilized during rainfall events and may impact nearby receiving water bodies. These EDCs have the potential to cause endocrine disruption in amphibians that develop in impacted vernal ponds. In October 2013, we collected baseline water samples from seven vernal ponds in Centre County, Pennsylvania. Two of the vernal ponds were in natural forested landscapes, three were impacted by wastewater effluent irrigation, one was in a catchment receiving dairy manure applications, and one was near agricultural areas with unknown application practices. Water samples were analyzed for nutrients (nitrogen, phosphorus, and carbon), hormones (natural and synthetic), semi-volatile organic compounds, including pesticides, and pH. Our preliminary data showed a wide range of Total Kjeldahl Nitrogen concentrations (1.3 -132 mg-N/L) across the seven ponds, total phosphorus values from 0.4 -5.1 mg-P/L, and pH values between 5.5 and 6.8. One of the ponds affected by wastewater effluent irrigation had detectable levels of 17β-estradiol and estrone. These preliminary results suggest that further research is needed to better understand how anthropogenic activities impact the presence of EDCs in vernal ponds and how their presence may impact developing amphibians.
Developing successful mitigation strategies for emerging contaminants can be difficult due to inc... more Developing successful mitigation strategies for emerging contaminants can be difficult due to incomplete understanding of factors controlling their fate and transport. A variety of data analysis techniques can be used to assess the fate and transport behavior of pollutants in runoff water. Here, we use concentration-discharge, loaddischarge, and coefficient of variation relationships to examine how two methods of dairy manure application (surface broadcast and shallow disk injection) affect the transport dynamics of estrogens, total dissolved phosphorus (TDP), and dissolved organic carbon (DOC). Nine surface runoff events were sampled from Oct 2014-June 2015 from 12 research plots (six with each application method) in Central Pennsylvania after fall application. The plots received inorganic fertilizer for 15 years, but only four manure applications since 2012. Both TDP and DOC exhibited similar transport behavior under both manure application methods that indicate transport-limited control of export, potentially due to legacy sources in soils. However, estrogen loads exhibited dilution responses, a sign of source-limited controls. The strength of the dilution response for estrogens was greater for surface applied manure relative to the injected manure, suggesting that manure application methods can be used to control the mobilization potential of estrogens. Additionally, results suggest the longer-term application history of inorganic fertilizer led to the transport-limited dynamics exhibited by TDP, while the short-term application history of manure caused estrogen transport to be source-limited. Our findings provide insight into how anthropogenic drivers (application type, method, and history) and natural drivers (hydrology, biogeochemistry) are interconnected in agricultural fields, and point to opportunities for protecting downstream water quality.
ABSTRACT Humans use a large variety of chemicals in their everyday lives, including many of which... more ABSTRACT Humans use a large variety of chemicals in their everyday lives, including many of which are known or suspected endocrine disrupting compounds (EDCs). These chemicals are in pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) and agrochemicals, such as pesticides. The land-application of human and animal wastes and pesticides to agricultural fields introduces EDCs into the environment, which then become mobilized during rainfall events and may impact nearby receiving water bodies. These EDCs have the potential to cause endocrine disruption in amphibians that develop in impacted vernal ponds. In October 2013, we collected baseline water samples from seven vernal ponds in Centre County, Pennsylvania. Two of the vernal ponds were in natural forested landscapes, three were impacted by wastewater effluent irrigation, one was in a catchment receiving dairy manure applications, and one was near agricultural areas with unknown application practices. Water samples were analyzed for nutrients (nitrogen, phosphorus, and carbon), hormones (natural and synthetic), semi-volatile organic compounds, including pesticides, and pH. Our preliminary data showed a wide range of Total Kjeldahl Nitrogen concentrations (1.3 – 132 mg-N/L) across the seven ponds, total phosphorus values from 0.4 – 5.1 mg-P/L, and pH values between 5.5 and 6.8. One of the ponds affected by wastewater effluent irrigation had detectable levels of 17β-estradiol and estrone. These preliminary results suggest that further research is needed to better understand how anthropogenic activities impact the presence of EDCs in vernal ponds and how their presence may impact developing amphibians.
Humans use a large variety of chemicals in their everyday lives, including many of which are know... more Humans use a large variety of chemicals in their everyday lives, including many of which are known or suspected endocrine disrupting compounds (EDCs). These chemicals are in pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) and agrochemicals, such as pesticides. The land-application of human and animal wastes and pesticides to agricultural fields introduces EDCs into the environment, which then become mobilized during rainfall events and may impact nearby receiving water bodies. These EDCs have the potential to cause endocrine disruption in amphibians that develop in impacted vernal ponds. In October 2013, we collected baseline water samples from seven vernal ponds in Centre County, Pennsylvania. Two of the vernal ponds were in natural forested landscapes, three were impacted by wastewater effluent irrigation, one was in a catchment receiving dairy manure applications, and one was near agricultural areas with unknown application practices. Water samples were analyzed for nutrients (nitrogen, phosphorus, and carbon), hormones (natural and synthetic), semi-volatile organic compounds, including pesticides, and pH. Our preliminary data showed a wide range of Total Kjeldahl Nitrogen concentrations (1.3 -132 mg-N/L) across the seven ponds, total phosphorus values from 0.4 -5.1 mg-P/L, and pH values between 5.5 and 6.8. One of the ponds affected by wastewater effluent irrigation had detectable levels of 17β-estradiol and estrone. These preliminary results suggest that further research is needed to better understand how anthropogenic activities impact the presence of EDCs in vernal ponds and how their presence may impact developing amphibians.
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