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Do freshwater mussel shells record road-salt pollution?
Dane D O'Neil1, David P Gillikin1
1Department of Geology, Union College, Schenectady, NY, USA.
Scientific Reports
|November 25, 2014
Summary
Freshwater bivalve shells can archive road-salt pollution in Northeastern streams. Shell sodium-calcium ratios ([Na/Ca]shell) indicate historical salt levels, though subannual patterns are not recorded.
Area of Science:
- Environmental Science
- Ecology
- Geochemistry
Background:
- Road-salt pollution is a growing environmental concern in Northeastern US streams.
- Historical data on stream salinity are limited, hindering long-term impact assessments.
- Freshwater bivalve shells offer a potential method for reconstructing past environmental conditions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the utility of freshwater bivalve shells as archives of road-salt pollution.
- To assess historical sodium concentrations in streams using bivalve shell chemistry.
- To determine if shell chemistry reflects seasonal variations in road-salt pollution.
Main Methods:
- Collection of modern and historical (1877) Elliptio complanata shells from four streams.
- Analysis of shell chemistry, specifically sodium and calcium concentrations ([Na/Ca]shell).
- High-resolution analysis of shell growth axes to examine subannual patterns.
Main Results:
- Average [Na/Ca]shell was highest in modern shells from the most polluted stream.
- Historical shells and shells from less polluted streams showed lower [Na/Ca]shell values.
- High-resolution analysis did not reveal clear subannual [Na/Ca]shell patterns, possibly due to growth cessation.
Conclusions:
- Bulk [Na/Ca]shell analysis is a reliable proxy for significant changes in stream sodium concentrations.
- Freshwater bivalve shells effectively archive long-term trends in road-salt pollution.
- High-resolution shell chemistry may not accurately record short-term or seasonal fluctuations in stream salinity.
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