Impact Of A Coastal Dump In A Tropical Lagoon On Trace Metal Concentrations In Surrounding Marine Biota: A Case Study From Saipan, Commonwealth Of The Northern Mariana Islands (cnmi)

摘要

Solid waste disposal facilities (dumps/landfills) have long been known as sites of potential environmental problems, unless they are very well managed (Lisk, 1991). This is particularly true if such facilities are located near water bodies. In the Pacific Islands, many past urban solid waste disposal sites were situated on the coast and, in most cases, were little more than open dumps (Morrison and Munro, 1999). These operations usually were ineffectively managed, with minimal control on the materials dumped and no impervious lining or leachate control (SPREP, 2006). The Puerto Rico Dump in Saipan, CNMI, is one such example and served as the island's primary waste disposal site for over 50 years before its closure in February, 2003. This 8 ha site sits directly on the coast at the southern end of Tanapag Lagoon, a typical high-island barrier reef lagoon bordering the western shore of Saipan (Fig. 1) and is rumoured to contain a plethora of toxic chemicals of both military and civilian origin (Ogden Environmental and Energy Services, 1994). Trace metal enrichment of subtidal sediments from around the base of the dump has previously been identified (Denton et al., 2001, 2006). The preliminary study described herein examines the metal status of dominant ecological representatives collected close to the dump and other known or suspected sources of trace element contamination in the lagoon including two marinas, a sea port (Port of Saipan) and dry dock area, and a power plant.