Andres H Arias | National Scientific and Technical Research Council (original) (raw)

Papers by Andres H Arias

Marine Pollution Bulletin

Environmental Assessment of Patagonia's Water Resources

Archives of environmental contamination and toxicology, Jan 3, 2018

The goal of this study was to improve an already established reference method, such as the one de... more The goal of this study was to improve an already established reference method, such as the one devoted to organotin compounds determination (Reference Method for Marine Pollution Studies, No. 59, UNEP). The proposed upgrade consists of replacing the mechanical shaking by ultrasound energy and applying low temperature throughout the whole procedure. The optimization of the new operational conditions was performed by using a factorial design. Quality control was performed using a certified sediment reference material (PACS-2) for sediments (82.5-97% of recovery) and recoveries on spiked samples for suspended particulate matter (SPM) and mussels (94-100%). The proposed procedure was applied to surface sediment samples, SPM, and native bivalve mollusks (Brachidontes rodriguezii) collected in Bahia Blanca estuary, a very industrialized zone. The relative standard deviation (RSD %) of the environmental samples were less than 7.9%. It is important to note that the proposed procedure reduce...

Hidrobiológica: [revista del Departamento de Hidrobiología]

This paper presents a comprehensive survey of PAHs in coastal sediments of Bahia Blanca, Argentin... more This paper presents a comprehensive survey of PAHs in coastal sediments of Bahia Blanca, Argentina and provides useful information of their levels of concentration, sources, ecotoxicological assessment and carcinogenic PAHs profile of local emissions. Sediments were analyzed following Environmental Protection Agency (EPA, USA) protocols by means of Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry, showing total concentrations of PAHs in a range from 103 to more than 2,000 ng.g-1 (mean: 527 ± 114 ng.g-1; median: 507 ng.g-1). A dynamic state of PAHs pollution was demonstrated for the area which was defined by widespread low to moderate levels, but including punctual zones with high pollution processes. Molecular ratios calculations determined a generalized overimposition of pyrolitic PAHs over the petrogenic input. The pyrolitic pattern moved to a biomass burning origin during summer, the period of highest recorded fires. In addition, the ecotoxicological guidelines approach for PAHs chemical con...

ABSTRACT With contributions from an impressive group of Argentinean and German oceanographers, th... more ABSTRACT With contributions from an impressive group of Argentinean and German oceanographers, this book examines classical ecological issues relating to marine ecosystems in the context of climate change. It paints a picture of marine ecology at the crossroads of global warming. The book examines the fundamentals of marine ecology: ecosystem stability, water quality, and biodiversity in the context of the changes taking place globally. It then reviews the major marine ecosystems in the same context, from the primary producers to the big marine mammals. The chapters cover primary consumers level, benthic communities, seaweeds assemblages and wetlands ecology, fisheries, and seabirds.

Chemistry and Ecology, 2009

Page 1. Chemistry and Ecology Vol. 25, No. 6, December 2009, 453465 Tidal time-scale variation o... more Page 1. Chemistry and Ecology Vol. 25, No. 6, December 2009, 453465 Tidal time-scale variation of inorganic nutrients and organic matter in Bahía Blanca mesotidal estuary, Argentina Jorge Marcovecchioa,b,c*, Carla Spettera ...

The Bahía Blanca Estuary, located at the Atlantic coast of Argentina, includes a governmental nat... more The Bahía Blanca Estuary, located at the Atlantic coast of Argentina, includes a governmental nature reserve to protect biodiversity, lands and water; however, as the process of industrialization and urbanization is stepping rapidly at the neighbouring area, the potential increase in contaminant loads is a serious concern. After several contaminants surveys at the estuary, no single study has been yet performed in order to study the native mussels population assemblages vs. the chemical environment; then, to test the ability of Brachidontes rodriguezii assemblages as pollution indicators, native populations were chosen at three different sites from the Bahía Blanca Estuary. After quadrants sampling, the populations were assessed for size classification , density, sex rate, surrounding sediment and body burden of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) as chemical pollution markers. Soxhlet extracted samples were measured through Capillary Gas Chromatography (Hewlett-Packard P68906C)...

ABSTRACT: Both climate change and anthropogenic impact are creating a dynamic of continuous chang... more ABSTRACT: Both climate change and anthropogenic impact are creating a dynamic of continuous changes in ecosystems. While the expected consequences of these changes are global, the occurrence of extreme events and specific environmental problems are usually local or regional phenomenon. In particular, the coastal ecosystems are among the first vulnerable areas to show those changes; in spite of this, are the least studied. The Bahia Blanca estuary, Argentina, is located at 38º 40´ S and 62º 09´ W with an area of 2300 km 2 . Along the northern shore of the estuary it is found the most important deepwater harbor of the country, where most of the agricultural and industrial products are exported. For the first time, based on multi decadal oceanographic monitoring and meteorological data of this ecosystem, a co-relational analysis approach was outlined considering several documented changes at various trophic levels; namely, phytoplankton and zooplankton assemblages, commercial crustacea...

Fil: Girones, Lautaro. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Cientificas y Tecnicas. Centro Cientif... more Fil: Girones, Lautaro. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Cientificas y Tecnicas. Centro Cientifico Tecnologico Conicet - Bahia Blanca. Instituto Argentino de Oceanografia. Universidad Nacional del Sur. Instituto Argentino de Oceanografia; Argentina

Hidrobiologica, 2010

Current Environmental Health Reports

Purpose of Review Organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) have been intensely used and produced in South... more Purpose of Review Organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) have been intensely used and produced in South America. Although they were banned before the year 2000 (excepting endosulfan, which has been recently banned in several countries), OCPs remain detectable in marine environments of this continent, sometimes at risky levels for biota. This manuscript summarizes studies on OCP levels in the air, water, sediment, bivalves, fish, and marine mammals of the South American coasts and open waters over the last 20 years, tackling their spatial distribution and analyzing their associated ecotoxicological risk. Recent Findings To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study integrating all available information on current levels of OCPs in South American marine environments. The 63 researches reviewed studied punctual sites or environmental compartments. Summary The OCP levels were higher in semi-enclosed environments such as bays and estuaries, close to large cities. In terms of individual OCPs, dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) and its degradation products were more abundant than other OCPs in all the environmental compartments, excepting air, for which the most abundant OCP was endosulfan. Depending on the location and the environmental matrix, hexachlorocyclohexanes (HCHs), heptachlors, mirex, and endosulfans followed DDTs. Aldrin, dieldrin and endrin, hexachlorobenzene (HCB), and chlordanes were found at very low levels in most matrices and sites, with some exceptions. Considering their potential ecotoxicological risk, most sites would be safe for biota; however, the levels of some OCPs could damage the structure and function of the communities of several coastal sites in a short or long term, mainly in southeastern Brazil and on the coast of the Argentine Pampas. Moreover, it remains to evaluate many sites potentially contaminated by OCPs.

Pure and Applied Chemistry

Lakes, rivers, estuaries and ocean waters control many important natural functions at the regiona... more Lakes, rivers, estuaries and ocean waters control many important natural functions at the regional-global level. Hence, integrative and frequent long-term water monitoring is required globally. This paper describes the main features and innovations of a low-cost monitoring buoys network (MBN) deployed in a temperate region of Argentina. The MBN was designed to record extended time series at high-frequency, which is of great value for the scientific community, as well as for decision-makers. In addition, two innovative designs belonging to two versions of moored buoys (i.e. shallow waters and coastal marine waters) were presented. It was shown that the cost of either of two versions of the buoy is low, which can be considered as the main advantage.

Ecotoxicology and environmental safety, Jan 4, 2017

Levels of tributyltin and its breakdown compounds, including the first record of monobutyltin (MB... more Levels of tributyltin and its breakdown compounds, including the first record of monobutyltin (MBT) in history for Latin America, were determined in native mussels (Brachidontes rodriguezii) by means of CG-MS, after extraction/derivatization assisted by ultrasound. The samples were collected in 2013 in Bahía Blanca Estuary (Argentina) at 6 sites, which reflect different levels of maritime activities. Total butyltins (TBts = TBT+ DBT+ MBT) levels ranged from 19.64 to 180.57ng Sn g(-1) dry weight. According to the Oslo-Paris commission, the results indicated that 73.9% of mussels could be under biological effects risks associated with TBT pollution. In accordance with the calculated bioaccumulation factors, approximately 56% of samples appeared to have accumulated TBT through the sediments. All sampling sites were shown to be impacted by organotin compounds (OTCs) showing variable levels through seasons, which could be related with the variation of the water temperature. Degradation i...

Environmental science and pollution research international, Jan 28, 2017

The aim of this study is to assess-for the first time-the concentration of the 16 polycyclic arom... more The aim of this study is to assess-for the first time-the concentration of the 16 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in the muscle tissues of four fish species (Micropogonias furnieri, Cynoscion guatucupa, Ramnogaster arcuata, and Mustelus schmitti) from Bahía Blanca estuary, Argentina and to evaluate their sources, distribution, and the human health risks implicated. Considering the four species under study, mean total PAH concentrations showed the following decreasing accumulation trend: M. schmitti, R. arcuata, C. guatucupa, and M. furnieri. Low molecular weight PAHs, such as naphthalene and phenanthrene, were generally predominant, displaying properties of PAH mixtures generated from petrogenic pollution. Of the four fish species analyzed, M. furnieri was the only one that did not raise any human consumption warning. In the case of the other species, exceeding values were found above the safety human consumption guidelines. Nevertheless, the screening criteria for carcinoge...

Archives of environmental contamination and toxicology, Jan 18, 2017

Bivalves, especially mussels, have been pointed as putative species to monitor polycyclic aromati... more Bivalves, especially mussels, have been pointed as putative species to monitor polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in marine environment. After several environmental PAHs baseline reports, the present study was conducted to assess for the first time the levels of PAHs in native mussels (Brachidontes rodriguezii) collected from a critical industrialized estuary of Argentina. Under this objective, after an 18-month sampling period, 34 pools of mussels were assessed for 17 PAHs, including the 16 compounds prioritized by United States Environmental Protection Agency. By means of gas chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis, results showed total PAHs concentrations in mussel's tissue ranged from under laboratory detection limits to 482.4 ng/g dry weight. Mussel body burdens were dominated by lower molecular weight PAHs, such as phenanthrene, naphthalene, and pyrene, whereas the overall PAHs profile suggested the predominance of petrogenic sources. Finally, the potential ecotoxic...

Bulletin of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology, 2016

This study is focused on the removal, accumulation and degradation of three environmental ubiquit... more This study is focused on the removal, accumulation and degradation of three environmental ubiquitous polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), phenanthrene (PHE), fluoranthene (FLA) and pyrene (PYR), by the marine alga Rhodomonas baltica enriched from the English Channel. After separation, purification and culture in several phases, R. baltica was exposed to PAH concentrations that are frequently encountered in the field in several anthropized environments. The results showed that R. baltica can grow under PAH stress, efficiently remove up to 70% of these compounds from the medium by 216 h of culture and selectively bioaccumulate PAHs by their hydrophobicity. Between PHE, FLA and PYR, phenanthrene was the compound with higher degradation rates throughout incubation. The equilibrium partitioning theoretical approach showed that physico-chemical partitioning, rather than active bioconcentration, was the major factor governing the bioaccumulation, outlying a potential application in decontamination processes for this species.

Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom, 2015

Including a multi-year collection of samples (2004–2011) the present research fills 20 years of a... more Including a multi-year collection of samples (2004–2011) the present research fills 20 years of an information gap regarding the PCB burden in south-west Atlantic franciscana dolphins (Pontoporia blainvillei) while aiming to test the null hypothesis that PCBs congeners are increasingly bioaccumulating in south-west Atlantic specimens in relation to northern hemisphere records. In addition, the present survey analyses indicators of potential biological impairment associated to PCBs tissue burden. The results could associate each sampling area group of dolphins to one or two Aroclor® patterns and point to dominant regional diffuse sources entering PCBs mixtures to the marine environment with a possible regional/long-range atmospheric contribution. In addition, total PCB levels were from four to seven times lower than the closer precedents for the area (18–26 years ago) indicating a progress in the environmental release and biota exposure of PCBs and posing an objective indicator of su...

Bulletin of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology, 2009

The organophosphorous pesticides (OPPs) contaminations have been reported to occur in some Chines... more The organophosphorous pesticides (OPPs) contaminations have been reported to occur in some Chinese waters. To describe the contamination status and the spatial distribution of OPPs in the surface water throughout China, samples were collected from over 600 sites located in the surface water of seven major river basins and three main internal rivers drainage areas during 2003 and 2004. The surface water samples were analyzed for the representative OPPs including dichlorvos, demeton, dimethoate, methyl parathion, malathion and parathion. In general, the most frequently detected compound was dichlorvos and demeton, being detected in 89.1% of samples (mean = 17.8 ng/L; range \1.4-1,552.0 ng/L) for dichlorvos, and 78.2% of samples (mean = 35.4 ng/L; range \1.5-2,560.0 ng/L) for demeton. While the detection frequencies of the dimethoate, methyl parathion, malathion, and parathion were all less than 50% in all the surface water samples. Measured concentrations for the six compounds were low and rarely exceed the environment quality standard for surface water of China. The six OPPs compounds were more frequently detected at much higher concentrations in the rivers of north China compared with those of south China. The results of this investigation indicate that OPPs contamination in the Yellow River, Huaihe River, Liaohe River, and Haihe River basins of north China should be of particular concern. When compared with other regions of the world, it appears that the Chinese surface water is some moderately polluted by dimethoate, methyl parathion, malathion, parathion and contaminated by dichlorvos and demeton in certain degree.