1.0 Statement of Interest (Focus Area: Healthy Coastal Ecosystems and Habitats)
1.1 Development of baseline passive sampling method (PSM) criteria for sediment dispersal
or removal in Mississippi River coastal estuaries and littoral habitats.
Ralph J Portier, Ph.D, Laura B. Newell, MS and Hannah P. Rockett, MS
1.2 Problem Statement: The measurement of persistent organic pollutants (POP) and metals in
coastal habitats targeted for river diversion and/or dredging using passive monitoring approaches
is necessary to establish baseline risk assessments for potential threats to ecosystems and public
health. Significant disjointed datasets exist which suggest the application of national POP
standards should be applied to coastal Louisiana, but an assessment of major estuarine transects
using actual concentrations of POP and metals has not been attempted. The establishment of risk
criteria for deltaic soils/sediments/pore water is needed to provide state and federal agencies a
starting point for future decisions affecting coastal fisheries and communities.
1.3 Objectives: The assessment of abiotic and biotic POP from sediments collected and analyzed
to date in the major estuaries of the Mississippi will be used to assess existing and potential risk
to ecosystem and public health. The focus of the research would provide a set of specific data to
establish the groundwork needed to initiate a PSM program for freely-dissolved contaminant
predictors (Cfree) in food-web hierarchies in Louisiana coastal sediments.
1.4 Methods: Bulk sediment chemical concentrations (Ctotal) have traditionally been used by
NOAA, other federal agencies and some foreign governments to provide an initial assessment for
site characterization, risk assessment and risk management [1, 2, 3]. Datasets from pre-Katrina
and the post-Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill period have been generated by this laboratory for Ctotal
contamination, and can be used to generate site specific sediment quality guidelines (SQG).
Preliminary risk assessment values can then be ascertained for POP and metals in specific
geographical locations within the estuaries and littoral zone of the Mississippi River. Transects
with existing data generated for POP and metals analysis include inshore locations (Atchafalaya,
Terrebonne, Barataria, Breton Sound and Pontchartrain estuaries) and offshore locations (TigerTrinity Shoals, Ship Shoal, and St. Bernard Shoal).
Existing datasets for sediment, water and fish tissue will be used to generate a first effort SQG.
SQGs will also be used to identify and characterize contaminant concentration gradients and
phase distributions within major estuaries and shoal areas. Data will be assessed to determine if
it is viable for determining contaminant mobility, for relevant spatial and/or temporal scales [4].
This information can form the basis of a first generation or pre-wetland restoration PSM which
can, in turn, be used to indicate potential legacy issues of contaminants from river-sourced
dredged materials and water. This first effort will also form the basis of establishing preliminary
Mississippi Delta pore-water sediment PSMs.
Constituents tracked in this first data effort include alkanes, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons
(PAH) and metals including arsenic, zinc, lead, chromium and mercury. In Year 2, a proposed
PSM passive sampling approach developed for Hong Kong will be used in a targeted area in the
upper Barataria estuary. In addition, semipermeable membranes will also be deployed for PAHs
and related petroleum hydrocarbons in the estuary water column [5]. The effectiveness of the
SQGs derived in this study will be assessed using a method that elucidates the ability of the
SQGs to correctly classify a nontoxic sample as nontoxic (specificity) and a toxic sample as
toxic (sensitivity) [6].
1.5 Rationale and Anticipated Benefits: Conventional sampling methods for locations targeted
for possible deposition of sediments and water from the Mississippi River for coastal wetland
restoration may or may not provide adequate information for assessing toxicological
relevance/risk [9]. Also, site specific SQCs are not national or international guidelines but
specific tools useful for real time sediment quality analysis/assessment. SQCs and related PSMs
will be useful tools for the Costal Protection and Restoration Authority (CPRA), other Louisiana
state agencies, US Army Corps of Engineers and NOAA. The guidelines will help assess future
decision making in the use of dredged materials and other methods to accomplish coastal
restoration with an under-pining of public health including safety and predictable risk. In Year 1,
data from the past decade will be correctly interpreted from a toxicological risk perspective to
provide an initial baseline of data for future PSM development and implementation. Classic
sediment guidelines for risk-assessment will be derived from existing data bases providing initial
assessment tools for locations where future dredged material placement may be considered. In
Year 2, field measurements from one location in upper Barataria will be taken using the PSM
approached used in Hong Kong and by USEPA (Superfund) for a first effort to link the existing
C total and SQC datasets to C free data.
1.6 Outreach Plan: Datasets generated will provide NOAA, CPRA and affected state agencies
new information on physiochemical impacts for addressing stakeholder concerns in efforts to
restore and initiate land building in coastal Louisiana. Information will be provided in a format
ready for incorporation into existing datasets. Additionally, a set of screening reference tables
similar to NOAA SQuiRTs will be generated for specific Louisiana coastal locations. A
variation of this information will be packaged into teaching units, called LA SQuiRTs, for use by
high school and community college and university faculty to present basic concepts in coastal
toxicology.
1.7 Personnel Description: Dr. Ralph J Portier as PI for the project will devote 4 months in YR
1 and in YR 2 match, respectively, to direct overall project/report management/coordination and
direction of the sediment analyses. Dr. Ralph Portier will be responsible for the toxicology
analyses and will participate in the overall analyses and report presentation/writing of the project.
Laura Basirico Newell, MS and PhD candidate, will be responsible for the archiving of our data
and overseeing chromatographic analysis of samples collected for baseline propriety pollutants
and metals. She will devote 6 man months per year to the project. A graduate research assistant,
Hannah Rocket, MS and PhD candidate, will provide additional support for sample preparation
of tissue and digestion of samples for ICP analysis of trace metals. She will devote 12 months
per year to the project in YR 1 and YR 2.
2. References
[1] Booij, K., J.R. Hoedemaker, and J.F. Bakker. 2003. Dissolved PCBs, PAHs and HCB in pore
waters and overlying waters of contaminated harbor sediments. Environ Sci Technol 34:51775183.
[2] Burgess, R.M., R. Lohmann, P. Luey, M. Charpentier, M. Noble, K.J. Rosenberger, C.R.
Sherwood, and C. White. 2011. Use of polyethylene passive samplers to estimate water column
PCB concentrations at the Palos Verdes Superfund prior to remediation. Platform presentation at
the Battelle Sixth International Conference on Remediation of Contaminated Sediments. New
Orleans, LA, USA.
[3] Burton, G.A., G. Rosen, D.B. Chadwick, M.S. Greenberg, W.K. Taulbee, G.R. Lotufo, and
D.D. Reible. 2012. A sediment ecotoxicity assessment platform for in situ measures of
chemistry, bioaccumulation and toxicity. Part 1: System description and proof of concept.
Environ Poll 162:449- 456.
[4] DiFilippo, E.L., and R.P. Eganhouse. 2010. Assessment of PDMS-water partition
coefficients: implications for passive environmental sampling of hydrophobic organic
compounds. Environ Sci Technol 44:6917-6925.
[5]Fernandez, L.A., J.K. MacFarlane, A.P. Tcaciuc, and P.M. Gschwend. 2009. Measurement of
freely dissolved PAH concentrations in sediment beds using passive sampling with low-density
polyethylene strips. Environ Sci Technol 43:1430-1436.
[6]J.P. Shine, C.J. Trapp, B.A. Coull, Use of receiver operating characteristic curves
to evaluate sediment quality guidelines for metals, Environ. Toxicol. Chem. 22
(2003) 1642–1648.
[7] Wu RSS, Lau TC, Fung WKM, Ko PH, Leung KMY. 2007. An 'artificial mussel' for
monitoring heavy metals in marine environments. Environ Pollut 145:
104–110.
[8] Hawthorne, S.B., C.B. Grabanski, D.J. Miller, and J.P. Kreitinger. 2005. Solid-phase
microextraction measurement of parent and alkyl polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in milliliter
sediment pore water samples and determination of KDOC values. Environ Sci Technol 39:27952803.
[9] Greenberg, Marc S, Peter M Chapman, Ian J Allan, Kim A Anderson, Sabine E Apitz, Chris
Beegan, Todd S Bridges, Steve S Brown, John G Cargill IV, Megan C McCulloch, Charles A
Menzie, James P Shine, and Thomas F Parke. 2014 Passive Sampling Methods for Contaminated
Sediments: Risk Assessment and Management Integrated Environmental Assessment and
Management — Volume 10, Number 2—pp. 224–236
3. Preliminary Budget Estimates
4. Curriculum Vitae
Ralph J. Portier, Ph.D.
Department of Environmental Sciences, SC&E
Louisiana State University
Baton Rouge, LA 70803
225-578-4287
rportier@lsu.edu
A. Education
Ph.D. (Marine Sciences) Louisiana State University (1982)
M.S. (Marine Sciences) Louisiana State University (1979)
B.S. (Science/Math Education) Nicholls State University (1974)
B. Academic Positions
Distinguished Professor of Louisiana Environmental Science Department of Environmental
Sciences, LSU 2005- present
Chair: Department of Environmental Sciences, Jan 2001- March 2005
Professor of Environmental Sciences at LSU, 1994 - present
Director, Aquatic/Industrial Toxicology Laboratory, School of the Coast & Environment,
1984 - present
Adjunct Professor, Department of Oceanography and Coastal Sciences, 1988 - present
Adjunct Professor, Department of Food Sciences, 1989 - present
C. Selected Honors, Awards and Distinctions
Goethals Medal, 1988 Recipient, The Society of American Military Engineers
Best Innovative Technology in Pollution Engineering Award, 1988: By Pollution Engineering,
Construction Man of The Year Award Finalist. 1992. Engineering News Record
Governor's Award, 1992. Developing environmental education programs for high school
teachers. The Louisiana Systemic Initiatives Program (School Science Education)
Innovator of the Year Award, 1992. The Louisiana Partnership for Technology and Innovation
American Forest & Paper Assoc. Environmental & Energy Achievement Award, 1996
Tiger Athletic Foundation Excellence in Teaching Award 2007
LSU Distinguished Faculty Award 2010
The Joseph Lipsey, Jr and Richard Lipsey Outstanding Teacher Award 2011
D. Selected Referred Publications (of >144)
Goktepe, I. And R.J. Portier, 2004. Ecological risk assessment of Neem-based pesticides. J.
Environmental Science & Health. Vol B29, No. 2, pp 311-320.
Millward RN, Carman KR, Fleeger JW, Gambrell RP, Portier R. 2004. Mixtures of metals and
hydrocarbons elicit complex responses by a benthic invertebrate community. J Exp Mar Biol
Ecol 310:115-130.
J.W. Fleeger, G. Tita, K.R. Carman, R.N. Millward, E.B. Moser , R.J. Portier,
and R.P. Gambrell 2006 . “Does bioturbation by a benthic fish modify the effects of sediment
contamination on salt marsh benthic microalgae and meiofauna?” J. Exp. Marine Biol. Ecol. Vol.
330, pp 180-194
Igbal, J.I., Metosh-Dickey, C.M., and R.J. Portier, 2007 Temperature effects on bioremediation
of PAHs and PCP contaminated South Louisiana soils: A laboratory mesocosm study. J. Soils &
Sediments (7), 03, 5A, 2007, pages 153-158.
Igbal, J.I., R.J. Portier , and David Gisclair , 2007 Aspects of petrochemical pollution in coastal
Louisiana, USA. Marine Pollution Bulletin 4(6), pp 792-797.
Igbal, J., Gisclair, D, McMillin , D. and Portier , R.J. 2007. Aspects of petrochemical pollution in
southeastern Louisiana (USA): Pre-Katrina background and source characterization.
Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry. Vol. 26, No .9, pp 2001-2009.
K.A. Parker, D.P. Dickey, C.A. Metosh-Dickey and R.J. Portier, 2008. Application of current
risk-based remediation criteria for the post-closure assessment of a former National Priorities
List(NPL) site. Int. J. Environmental and Waste Management, Vol. 2, No.3, pp 292-308.
A.Wood, M. Ogawa, R.J.Portier, M. Scexnader, M. Shirly and J.N Losso. 2008. Bochemical
properties of alligator(Alligator mississippiensis) bone collagen. Comparative Biochemistry and
Physiology, Part B 151(2008) 246-249
R.J. Portier, G.P Curole, R.M. Conger, L.M. Basirico , and C. Metosh-Dickey, 2010 In situ
bioremediation of an aniline spill in an industrial setting. Remediation Vol. 20, Number 4,
pp105-117.
R.J. Portier, 2011. Book Chapter “Bioremediation and Mitigation” Encyclopedia of
Sustainability Science and Technology. Springer, 34 pages In press
E. Summary of Relevant Research, Professional and Administrative Experience.
Dr Portier's research has focused on alleviating the problems associated with industrial and oil
production activity in coastal estuarine environments. Current research areas include evaluation
of fate and effect of potential carcinogens in aquatic and marine environments, the evaluation of
microorganisms for detoxification of contaminated soils and sediments and the development of
new technologies using immobilized bacteria for the continuous detoxification of trace
contaminants in typical coastal industrial effluents. He has also worked extensively in the area
of seafood microbiology focusing on wastewater treatment and waste food grade product usage.
Laura Basirico Newell, MS
Research Associate IV, Environmental Sciences
A. Education
Ph. D. Candidate in Oceanography, Louisiana State University, December 2007 – present
M.S. Environmental Sciences, Louisiana State University, December 2007
B.S. Biology, Southeastern Louisiana University, May 2006
D. Publications and Papers
Portier, R.J. and L.M. Basirico. 2011. Laboratory Screening of Commercial Bioremediation
Agents for the Deepwater Horizon Spill Response. 48 pages. Final Report to British
Petroleum.
Portier, R.J., Curole, G.P., Conger, R.M., Basirico, L.M., Metosh-Dickey, C. 2010. In
situ bioremedation of an aniline spill in an industrial setting. Remediation 20(4) 105-117.
Portier, R.J. and L.M. Basirico. 2009. Continuous Bioproduction of Ethanol Using an
IMBR System. 89 pages. Final Report to TMD, LLC.
Ralph Portier, F.C. Wootten and L.M. Basirico. 2009. Development of Risk Based
Protocols for Removal of Flowline and Pipeline. 137 pages. Final Report to American
Petroleum Institute.
Basirico, L.M., R.J. Portier and M.Hugh-Jones. 2007. Veterinary Clinic and Hospital
Emergency Preparedness and Response Manual. 301 pages. Final Report to Louisiana
Veterinary Association/Master’s Thesis.
Portier, R.J., K.M Schmidt and L.M. Basirico, 2007. Refinery Oil Spill Bioremediation.
112 pages. Final Report to ABS/CITGO Oil Refinery.
Hannah P. Rockett, MS
Graduate Research Assistant, Environmental Sciences
A. Education
Ph. D. Candidate in Environmental Sciences, Louisiana State University, August 2013 – present
M.S. Environmental Sciences, Louisiana State University, August 2013
B.S. Biology, Louisiana State University, December 2010
D. Publications and Papers
Rockett, Hannah P. “ICP-OES Analysis of Heavy Metal Concentrations in Gulf Menhaden
(Brevoortia patronus) Populations in the Northern Gulf of Mexico from 2011 to 2012. Thesis.
Louisiana State University, 2013. Print.
5. List of Current and Pending Support
Ralph J. Portier “Evaluation of Petroleum-­‐Derived Hydrocarbons Accumulation in Menhaden and Potential for Trophic Transfer” La. Department of Wildlife and Fisheries. Continuation : Years 2 and 3. 1/01/2012-­‐ 6/30/2015. $302,795. (Sub-­‐contract: J. Sowa, C. Benteiquenia, Seton Hall, Keith Cooper, Rutgers) Ralph J Portier, Cary Gelpi and Laura Basirico. “An assessment of the effects of the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill on the condition and fecundity of the Louisiana Blue Crab spawning stock.” La. Department of Wildlife and Fisheries. Continuation : Years 1 and 2. 7/01/2012-­‐ 6/30/2015. $794,366