title: Mussel Watch update: long-term trends in selected contaminants from coastal California, 1977-2010.
abstract: This study examined trends in contaminants measured during three decades of "Mussel Watch" monitoring on the California coast. Chlorinated organic contaminants and butyltins declined the most rapidly, with tissue concentrations in 2010 that were up to 75% lower than during the 1980s. Silver and lead declined at about half of the stations statewide, but generally exhibited slower rates of decline relative to the organic compounds. In contrast, copper increased at many stations, and PAHs showed little evidence for declines. Mussels from San Francisco Bay and the Southern California Bight were historically the most contaminated and have had the steepest declines. Overall, these data show that the "Mussel Watch" approach to monitoring contaminants in California has provided some of the best evidence of the effectiveness of actions to improve water quality over the past 30 years. These datasets also highlight challenges that remain in managing PAHs and copper.
authors.affiliation: San Francisco Estuary Institute, 4911 Central Ave., Richmond, CA 94804, USA. Electronic address: aroon.melwani@mq.edu.au.
authors.forename: Aroon R
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Melwani
authors.affiliation: Division of Water Quality, State Water Resources Control Board, P.O. Box 100, Sacramento, CA 95812, USA.
authors.forename: Dominic
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Gregorio
authors.affiliation: Division of Water Quality, State Water Resources Control Board, P.O. Box 100, Sacramento, CA 95812, USA.
authors.forename: Yujie
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Jin
authors.affiliation: Marine Pollution Studies Laboratory, Department of Fish and Game, 7544 Sandholdt Rd., Moss Landing, CA 95039, USA.
authors.forename: Mark
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Stephenson
authors.affiliation: Marine Pollution Studies Laboratory, Department of Fish and Game, 7544 Sandholdt Rd., Moss Landing, CA 95039, USA.
authors.forename: Gary
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Ichikawa
authors.affiliation: Division of Water Quality, State Water Resources Control Board, P.O. Box 100, Sacramento, CA 95812, USA.
authors.forename: Emily
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Siegel
authors.affiliation: Water Pollution Control Laboratory, 2005 Nimbus Rd., Rancho Cordova, CA 95670, USA.
authors.forename: Dave
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Crane
authors.affiliation: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, 1305 East West Highway, Silver Spring, MD 20910, USA.
authors.forename: Gunnar
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Lauenstein
authors.affiliation: San Francisco Estuary Institute, 4911 Central Ave., Richmond, CA 94804, USA.
authors.forename: Jay A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Davis
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D049872:Bivalvia / Q000378:metabolism*; D002140:California; D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D011084:Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons / Q000032:analysis / Q000378:metabolism*; D012495:San Francisco; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000032:analysis / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D011084:Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical
keywords: Bioaccumulation; Bivalves; California; Contaminants; Mussels; Trends