Physical and chemical data from an evaluation of metal-contaminated sediments and pore water from the Upper Columbia River, Washington, 2013-2014

This data release contains chemistry and toxicity data from sediment toxicity tests conducted by the USGS Columbia Environmental Research Center (CERC) with 66 sediment samples collected from in and around the Upper Columbia River in the fall of 2013. Toxicity testing was conducted from fall 2013 through summer 2014 with the amphipod, Hyalella azteca, the midge Chironomus dilutus, and the mussel Lampsilis siliquoidea. Short-term toxicity endpoints (10-28 d) included survival, weight, and biomass of all test organisms. Long-term tests with amphipods (42 d) and midges (about 50 d) included reproduction endpoint. Sediments were analyzed for physical and chemical characteristics, including particle size distribution, total organic carbon, acid volatile sulfide, slag content, and concentrations of metals in total-recoverable and simultaneously-extracted fractions. Porewaters were separated by centrifugation and by peepers (diffusion samplers) and were analyzed for filterable metals, dissolved organic carbon, and major ions. These data are intended to be used to characterize concentration-response relationships between metals concentrations and toxicity endpoints and to estimate site-specific toxicity thresholds for select metals or metal mixtures. These thresholds will be used to evaluate risks or injuries to the benthic invertebrate community associated with exposure to contaminated sediments and to develop goals for remediation of sediments of the Upper Columbia River.

本数据集发布内容包含美国地质调查局（United States Geological Survey，USGS）哥伦比亚环境研究中心（Columbia Environmental Research Center，CERC）开展的沉积物毒性试验相关化学与毒性数据，试验所用66份沉积物样品采集于2013年秋季的哥伦比亚河上游流域及其周边区域。本次毒性试验于2013年秋季至2014年夏季间开展，受试生物包括端足类动物Hyalella azteca、长跗摇蚊Chironomus dilutus以及蚌类Lampsilis siliquoidea。短期毒性终点（试验周期10~28天）涵盖所有受试生物的存活率、体重与生物量。端足类（42天）与摇蚊（约50天）的长期毒性试验纳入了繁殖终点指标。对沉积物的理化特性开展分析，检测指标包括粒径分布、总有机碳、酸挥发性硫化物、炉渣含量，以及总可提取态与同步提取态金属的浓度。孔隙水经离心法与扩散采样器（peepers，diffusion samplers）分离，并对其中的可过滤态金属、溶解性有机碳及主要离子开展检测。本数据集旨在用于表征金属浓度与毒性终点之间的浓度-响应关系，并估算特定金属或金属混合物的场地特异性毒性阈值。这些阈值将用于评估受污染沉积物暴露对底栖无脊椎动物群落造成的风险与损害，并为哥伦比亚河上游流域沉积物的修复制定目标。