Marine Sediment Testing


	Back to Services Page Available Marine Sediment Tests


	NAS has been providing a wide range of marine sediment testing--including whole sediment, pore water, elutriate, water column, and bioaccumulation testing--since 1979. Marine sediment testing projects have ranged from as few as one to more than 120 samples, with samples from locations as diverse as Puget Sound, Texas, and Hong Kong.

NAS has been involved in marine sediment test development and assessment:

Participant in an interlaboratory comparison of the Neanthes 20-day bioassay.

Major participant in the West Coast Marine Species Chronic Protocol Variability Study to evaluate bivalve larval development, echinoderm sperm fertilization, topsmelt larval survival and growth, and Laminaria reproduction bioassays.

NAS' marine sediments project manager instrumental in development of Ampelisca protocols, and contributor to Leptocheirus test development.

Test protocols and guidelines used include the following:

U.S. EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) and U.S. ACE (Army Corps of Engineers) Sediment Toxicity Testing Manuals:

EPA/503/8-91/001 Evaluation of Dredged Material Proposed for Ocean Disposal - Testing Manual ("Green Book"). EPA/ACE, February 1991.

EPA/823/B-98/004 Evaluation of Dredged Material Proposed for Discharge in Waters of the U.S. - Testing Manual: Inland Testing Manual. EPA/ACE, February 1998.

EPA/600/R-94/025 Methods for Assessing the Toxicity of Sediment-Associated Contaminants with Estuarine and Marine Amphipods, June 1994.

EPA/620/R-95/008 Environmental Monitoring and Assessment Program (EMAP): Laboratory Methods Manual - Estuaries, Volume 1: Biological and Physical analyses. USEPA ORD, Narragansett, RI, August 1995.

Regional Guidance Manuals:

Recommended Guidelines for Conducting Laboratory Bioassays on Puget Sound Sediments. July 1995.

Dredged Material Evaluation and Disposal Procedures: A User's Manual for the Puget Sound Dredged Disposal Analysis (PSDDA) Program. February 2000.

Regional Implementation Manual: Requirements and Procedures for Evaluation of the Ocean Disposal of Dredged Material in Southeastern Atlantic and Gulf Coastal Waters, US ACE South Atlantic Division/EPA Region 4, May 1993.

ASTM (American Society for Testing and Materials) Sediment Testing Methods:

E 1611-94 Standard Guide for Conducting Sediment Toxicity Tests with Marine and Estuarine Polychaetous Annelids.

E 1367-92 Standard Guide for Conducting 10-day Static Sediment Toxicity Tests with Marine and Estuarine Amphipods.

E 1688-97a Standard Guide for Determination of the Bioaccumulation of Sediment-Associated Contaminants by Benthic Invertebrates.