Smith, A.J. and Barber, J. and Davis, S. and Jones, C. and Kotra, Krishna K. and Losada, S. and Lyons, B.P. and Mataki, M. and Potter, K.D. and Devlin, Michelle J. (2021) Aquatic contaminants in Solomon Islands and Vanuatu: evidence from passive samplers and Microtox toxicity assessment. Marine Pollution Bulletin, 165 . NA. ISSN 0025-326X
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Abstract
Water Quality issues in many Pacifc countries are rising, with the increase in coastal populations and associated
urban runoff but management requires contamination issues in the aquatic environment to be identifed and prioritised. In Vanuatu and Solomon Islands there are few laboratories and resources to assess for the presence or impact of complex chemical contaminants. The extent and impact of chemical contamination of the marine and coastal environment is poorly described.
Passive chemical samplers were used to measure a range of aquatic pollutants around the capital cities, Honiara (Solomon Islands) and Port Vila (Vanuatu). We detected a range of chemicals indicative of agricultural and industrial contamination and a few sites had concerning concentrations of specifc hydrocarbons and pesticides. The rapid ecotoxicology test, Microtox, indicated toxic impacts in rivers, coastal sites and urban drains. This work provides new data on chemical contamination and possible impacts of that contamination for both countries. The techniques could be applied widely across the region to generate critical data for environmental management, guide monitoring efforts and measure the impact of policy or land-use changes.
| Item Type: | Journal Article |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | Vanuatu, Solomon Islands, Contaminants, Ecotoxicology, Passive Samplers, South Pacific |
| Subjects: | G Geography. Anthropology. Recreation > GE Environmental Sciences T Technology > TD Environmental technology. Sanitary engineering |
| Divisions: | School of Agriculture, Geography, Environment, Ocean and Natural Sciences (SAGEONS) |
| Depositing User: | Krishna Kotra |
| Date Deposited: | 01 Mar 2021 03:31 |
| Last Modified: | 01 Mar 2021 03:31 |
| URI: | https://repository.usp.ac.fj/id/eprint/12607 |
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