Using a macroalgal δ15N bioassay to detect cruise ship waste water effluent inputs

Green macroalgae bioassays were used to determine if the δ15N signature of cruise ship waste water effluent (CSWWE) could be detected in a small harbor. Opportunistic green macroalgae (Ulva spp.) were collected, cultured under nutrient depleted conditions and characterized with regard to N content and δ15N. Samples of algae were used in controlled incubations to evaluate the direction of isotope shift from exposure to CSWWE. Algae samples exposed to CSWWE exhibited an increase of 1–2.5‰ in δ15N values indicating that the CSWWE had an enriched isotope signature. In contrast, algae samples exposed to field conditions exhibited a significant decrease in the observed δ15N indicating that a light N source was used. Isotopically light, riverine nitrogen derived from N2-fixing trees in the watershed may be a N source utilized by algae. These experiments indicate that the δ15N CSWWE signature was not detectable under the CSWWE loading conditions of this experiment.