A model diagnostic study of age of river-borne sediment transport in the tidal York River Estuary

As nutrients and organic matters are transported preferentially in an adsorbed state and tend to bind to the sediments, sediment transport plays an important role on eutrophication processes in the estuaries. The timescale of sediment transport is of significance for studying the retention of pollutants and eutrophication processes in the estuaries. Unlike transport of dissolved substances that is mainly controlled by advection and diffusion processes, the sediment transport is significantly affected by the intermittent settling and resuspension processes. A three-dimensional model with suspended sediment transport was utilized to investigate the transport timescale of river-borne sediment in the tidal York River Estuary. The results indicate that river discharge dominantly determines the age of river-borne sediment in the estuary. High river discharge results in a low sediment age compared to that under mean flow. The intermittent effects of settling and resuspension events greatly affect the river-borne sediment age. Both settling velocity and critical shear stress are shown to be key parameters in determining the sediment transport timescale. The sediment age decreases as settling velocity and/or critical shear stress decrease, while it increases with the increase of settling velocity that prevents the sediment to be transported out of the estuary.     

It's a dirty job but someone has to do it: The role of marine benthic macrofauna in organic matter turnover and nutrient recycling to the water column

Benthic macrofaunal populations through their feeding, bioturbation, burrow construction and sediment irrigation activities have profound influences on organic matter inputs to marine sediments (biodeposition) and on the vertical distribution of deposited organic matter within the sediment. These effects in turn influence the rates and pathways of organic matter mineralisation, and element cycles. Similarly, bioturbation, burrow construction and burrow irrigation are major determinants of sediment-water column fluxes of oxygen and nutrients.

In this review, I discuss the influences of the different benthic macrofaunal feeding (functional) groups on mineralisation processes and sediment-water column fluxes of particulate and dissolved nutrients. How these effects influence diagenic processes, the balance between aerobic and anaerobic processes, and the redox status of the surficial sediments. Finally, I discuss some of the limitations of the predominantly laboratory techniques which have been used to study “macrofaunal effects” and how this hinders the inclusion of the effects in quantitative sediment biogeochemical models.     

It's a dirty job but someone has to do it: The role of marine benthic macrofauna in organic matter turnover and nutrient recycling to the water column

Benthic macrofaunal populations through their feeding, bioturbation, burrow construction and sediment irrigation activities have profound influences on organic matter inputs to marine sediments (biodeposition) and on the vertical distribution of deposited organic matter within the sediment. These effects in turn influence the rates and pathways of organic matter mineralisation, and element cycles. Similarly, bioturbation, burrow construction and burrow irrigation are major determinants of sediment-water column fluxes of oxygen and nutrients.

In this review, I discuss the influences of the different benthic macrofaunal feeding (functional) groups on mineralisation processes and sediment-water column fluxes of particulate and dissolved nutrients. How these effects influence diagenic processes, the balance between aerobic and anaerobic processes, and the redox status of the surficial sediments. Finally, I discuss some of the limitations of the predominantly laboratory techniques which have been used to study “macrofaunal effects” and how this hinders the inclusion of the effects in quantitative sediment biogeochemical models.     

污染水体沉积物营养盐释放过程

通过实验室模拟试验,以富营养化湖泊-乌梁素海沉积物为试验材料,模拟了在零外源污染状态下沉积物中营养盐的释放特征,揭示了沉积物中TN、TP的释放规律和过程,量化了营养盐的释放速率.试验结果显示,在无扰动的静态水力条件下,沉积物中营养盐在向上覆水体的释放过程中,伴随着解吸-平衡的动态过程,其中TP的释放量是调控水体富营养化...     

沉积物对菲和五氯酚的吸附性能

研究了菲和五氯酚（PCP）在五种沉积物的吸附解吸行为，菲和PCP在各沉积物上的吸附和解吸都是较快的过程。均能在8h内达到平衡，吸附和解吸结果表明，高有机质含量的沉积物对菲和PCP的吸附和持留能力都较强，菲和PCP在各沉积物中的吸附系数跟沉积物的有机质含量呈线性正相关。等温吸附结果表明，低有机质含量的三种沉积物比有机质含量较高的两种沉积物呈更好的线性关系。不同沉积物对菲和PCP的吸附性能差异跟沉积物的有机质含量密切相关。     

Correlation of the methylating capacity of river and marine sediments to their organic sediment index

Methylation experiments of the metals Sn, Pb and Hg were carried out using representative terrestrial and marine sediment samples from the Axios river and Thermaikos Gulf in northern Greece. GC-FID, GC-TCD and GC-MS were used. The experiments were carried out on sterilised and bioactive samples by adding pure metals and metal salts (chloride, nitrate, oxalate, acetic, penicillaminic, methioninic and cysteinic). Except for sterilised HgCl2, methylated derivatives of Sn, Pb and Hg were produced only from bioactive sediments, and therefore higher yields were measured when nutrients were added to the sediments. Volatile products (CH4, CO2, H2S) of biological activity range between 35 and 250 mg l-. The correlation of methylation yield with organic sediment index (OSI), determined as the wt% product of [organic carbon] × [organic nitrogen], is positive for all the metals and metal salts added in the sediments. Methylation yields for Hg are found to be four orders of magnitude higher than those of Pb and Sn. In low OSI (terrestrial) sediments, the rate of Hg-methylation is higher than those of Pb and Sn. In high OSI (marine) sediments, where methylation of most of the contained Hg has taken place, methylation of Pb is slightly faster than Sn.     

上海市河网水体中As的分布特征及其生态风险评价

2012年4月,在上海市河网采集表层水和沉积物样品各53个,测定其As含量,并采用潜在生态风险指数法对沉积物As的污染状况进行了评价。研究结果表明,上海市河网表层水和沉积物中As的含量分别为0.47～8.84μg·L-1和3.72～12.65μg·g-1,其中表层水中As的浓度处于中国地表水环境质量标准Ⅰ类水平,沉积物中As的浓度有15个样点超过了上海市土壤背景值,但均低于欧盟标准推荐值;表层水中As的浓度与pH呈显著正相关,说明pH值影响河水中As的迁移和转化;沉积物中As的浓度与总有机碳含量呈显著性正相关,说明沉积物中的As主要与总有机碳结合在一起;潜在生态风险评价结果显示,上海市河网沉积物中的As属于低生态风险。     

Biochemical composition and early diagenesis of organic matter in coastal sediments of the NW Adriatic Sea influenced by riverine inputs

River inputs influence trophodynamic and biogeochemical processes of adjacent continental shelves. In order to provide new insights on the influence of continental inputs on the benthic trophic state and early diagenesis of sediment organic matter we collected surface sediments in the NW Adriatic Sea at three stations located at increasing distance from the Po River. Sediment samples were collected in four periods characterized by different river outflows and analysed for chloropigment content (chlorophyll-a and phaeopygments), protein, carbohydrate and lipid concentrations, prokaryote abundance and aminopeptidase activity. Sediments of the NW Adriatic Sea displayed high organic loads, tightly coupled with the outflow dynamics of the Po River. A major flooding event was responsible of an enhanced accumulation of organic material on the sea bottom. The resulting increased nutrient load in the sediment impaired organic matter degradation processes. The results of the present study suggest that the enhanced trophic state of marine coastal sediments subjected to riverine inputs are related not only to the increased nutrient inputs, but that they may be amplified by impaired degradation processes.     

Kohäsive Feinpartikel in fluvialen Systemen: einige Gedanken zu Erkenntnissen und Forschungsdefiziten

Fluvial cohesive sediment is of fundamental environmental and multidisciplinary concern owing to its significant impact on energy, nutrient and trace element fluxes, river sediment budgets as well as habitat quality. Consequently, numerous studies in geomorphology, hydraulics, hydrology and river ecology accentuate the importance of fluvial fine grained sediment. Increased deposition of fine grained particles for instance can negatively effect benthic habitats. Settling velocity and deposition rates of fines are key terms in sediment transport models. Thus, the knowledge of transport and quantitative deposition dynamics are necessary prerequisites for a sustainable sediment and habitat management as well as a reliable, physically based modelling of fine sediment conveyance and contaminant transfer in streams. However, it is generally a challenging task to characterise and trace fine-grained particle transport, deposition and resuspension dynamics in a fluvial environment. One inherent complexity of fluvial cohesive sediment dynamics is for instance the relevance of interparticle forces and flocculation/aggregation processes. Owing to this complexity and the lack of standardized methods cohesive particle transport mechanisms are hardly predictable in a specific field situation. Consequently, interdisciplinary research approaches are needed. This article discusses specific findings and research gaps in the field of cohesive sediment research.     

Effects of river sediment addition to the beach microbial communities

During the processes of claiming land from the sea, river sediments are used to fill and transform the sea area along the margin of islands and lands into new lands. These activities would probably affect microbial ecosystems of the beach sediment. However, little is known about these effects. In this study, a simulation test was conducted to evaluate these effects. Pyrosequencing technique was employed to assess the effects of river sediment addition to the beach bacterial communities. The used river sediments were collected from different rivers. The results indicated that river sediment addition greatly impacted microbial ecosystems of the beach and caused a clear shift in the beach bacterial community composition. These processes remarkably increased toxic metals and decreased the bacterial diversity in the beach sediment, mainly including the phyla of Bacteroidetes, Cyanobacteria, Proteobacteria, and Spirochaetes. River sediment addition caused an increase in potentially pathogenic bacterial genera of the beach sediment. Bacterial phylotype richness in the beach without river sediment addition was higher than that in the beach with river sediment input. There were significant differences in bacterial communities between beach sediments with and without river sediment addition, and the most dominant classes were Gammaproteobacteria and Flavobacteria.     

Effects of previous drying of sediment on root functional traits and rhizoperformance of emerged macrophytes

• Sediment desiccation alters morphological characteristics of aquatic sediment. • Alternation in morphological properties of sediment limiting root characteristics. • Fibrous-rooted macrophytes root properties extra favor nutrients removal. • Thick-rooted macrophytes exhibit higher life-span in two sediment types. Purpose of the current study was to investigate the effects of constantly wet and dried-rewetted sediments on root functional traits of emerged macrophytes and their nutrients removal abilities. It is based on the hypothesis that root characteristics and nutrients removal abilities of plants will be altered in the course of sediment desiccation. Four emerged macrophytes including two fibrous-root plants (Canna indica and Acorus calamus) and two thick-root plants (Alocasia cucullata and Aglaonema commutatum) were investigated for their root functional traits and rhizoperformance in both wet and dried-rewetted sediments. Results showed that sediment desiccation followed by rewetting substantially altered the root functional traits (root surface area, radial oxygen loss, and root activity) of plants due to adverse changes in morphological characteristics (porosity, bulk density, particle density) of dried-rewetted sediments than by wet sediments. Consequently, limited plants growth and removal of nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P) and dissolved organic carbon (DOC) were recorded in dried-rewetted sediments and their pore water than in wet sediments. Radial oxygen loss from plant roots correlated positively with root functional traits, plants growth, and removal of N, P and DOC from pore water and sediment in both sediment types. Among the macrophyte species, the fibrous-root plants having advantages root functional traits, greatly influenced the rhizospheric conditions (pH, dissolved oxygen and redox potential), and demonstrated higher N, P and DOC reduction from both sediment types. While, the thick-rooted plants with thick diameter roots (D > 1 mm) and higher rhizome exhibited longer life-span in both sediment types.     

Heavy Metals in the Bed and Suspended Sediments of Anyang River, Korea: Implications for Water Quality

The objective of this study is to compare Anyang River bed sediments with water chemical composition and to assess the anthropogenic chemical inputs into the river system. Eight sampling locations were chosen along the river channel. Bed and suspended river sediments and water samples were collected, and analyzed for their chemical and physical composition. Data revealed that trace element concentrations in the river water were generally below world average, except for As, Mn, Ni and Cr. Among the three phases: water, bed and suspended sediment, more than 99% of the trace elements was associated with the bed sediment. Concentrations of trace elements in the sediment were a function a particle size distribution and organic content. The calculated degrees of enrichment based on the least influenced sample (ASD 1) indicated the river sediments were enriched with respect to background. The enrichment factors for Pb, Zn and As were relatively lower than for Cr, Co, Ni and Zn. The difference in the enrichment seems to reflect the human activities influence in the basin, and specially for Cd. Speciation of the elements in the five different chemical forms in the sediment by sequential extraction indicated that the reducible fraction was predominant for Fe, Zinc and Cu showed an irregular variation among the different fractions; whereas, Cd and Pb were more regular. Zinc and Cu highly existed mostly in exchangeable forms. Acid soluble and reducible forms were also important for most metals. The speciation implies that the metals associated with the sediment are subject to release into water bodies as goechemical variables (pH and Eh) change. Currently, the introduced metals are deposited near the source area and are mostly associated with the sediment, implying that the river bed sediment acts mainly as a sink, rather than a pool. The accumulated and enriched toxic trace elements can pose a potential pollution of river water.     

镇江内江湿地植物群落演替过程中土壤养分动态研究

镇江内江湿地是由长江携带的泥沙在镇江内江特有的水文条件下淤积而成,形成于江滩裸地上的植物群落开始了群落的原生演替过程。在此过程中,湿地的土壤养分状况随着植被的演替更迭,发生着协同演化的过程。为了进一步丰富群落演替理论,通过研究群落演替过程中不同阶段以及同一演替阶段不同层次土壤养分状况的时空变化,探索演替过程中的不同植被类型和土壤养分变化的内在联系及其互作效应。结果表明,随着演替进行,土壤的养分状况趋于改善,土壤有机质、全氮和速效磷含量呈上升趋势,只有速效钾的含量在后期芦苇阶段明显降低,这主要是由于收割芦苇将富含钾素的芦苇植株带出湿地系统所致。由于植物根系分布及枯落物多少的差异,使得各营养成分的垂直分布各异。     

PAHs in surface sediments from coastal and estuarine areas of the northern Bohai and Yellow Seas, China

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) concentrations and their risks in surface sediments (n = 35) collected from coastal and estuarine areas of the northern Bohai and Yellow Seas, China, were investigated in 2008. Total concentrations of PAHs ranged from 52.3 to 1,870.6 ng/g dry weight. The greatest concentrations were observed in the Dou River of Tangshan where waste water from small factories is discharged into the river without treatment. At other locations, municipal sewage was the primary contributor of PAHs. Regional differences in concentrations of PAHs in sediments are related to human activities. Concentrations of PAHs were significantly correlated with concentrations of organic carbon in sediments. The patterns of relative concentrations and types of PAHs observed and knowledge of the potential sources, as well as the results of a principal component analysis, are consistent with the primary sources of PAHs in sediments of the northern Bohai Sea and Yellow Sea, being derived from the high-temperature pyrolytic processes such as combustion of fossil fuel. While concentrations of PAHs at most locations did not exceed the effects range median stated by the numerical effect-based sediment quality guidelines of the United States, concentrations of PAHs at some locations were similar to or greater than the effects range low.     

Different response of bacterial community to the changes of nutrients and pollutants in sediments from an urban river network

• Bacterial community varied spatially in sediments from the urban river network. • Key environmental factors shaping bacterial community were detected by RDA. • Bacterial co-occurrence networks changed at different levels of nutrient and metal. • Potential indicator species were selected to predict pollution risk in sediment. Microbial communities in sediment are an important indicator linking to environmental pollution in urban river systems. However, how the diversity and structure of bacterial communities in sediments from an urban river network respond to different environmental factors has not been well studied. The goal of this study was to understand the patterns of bacterial communities in sediments from a highly dense urbanized river network in the lower Yangtze River Delta by Illumina MiSeq sequencing. The correlations between bacterial communities, the environmental gradient and geographical distance were analyzed by redundancy analysis (RDA) and network methods. The diversity and richness of bacterial community in sediments increased from upstream to downstream consistently with the accumulation of nutrient in the urban river network. Bacterial community composition and structure showed obvious spatial changes, leading to two distinct groups, which were significantly related to the characteristics of nutrient and heavy metal in sediments. Humic substance, available nitrogen, available phosphorus, Zn, Cu, Hg and As were selected as the key environmental factors shaping the bacterial community in sediments based on RDA. The co-occurrence patterns of bacterial networks showed that positive interaction between bacterial communities increased but the connectivity among bacterial genera and stability of sediment ecosystem reduced under a higher content of nutrient and heavy metal in average. The sensitive and ubiquitous taxa with an overproportional response to key environmental factors were detected as indicator species, which provided a novel method for the prediction of the pollution risk of sediment in an urban river network.     

重金属对药物和个人护理品在土壤/沉积物中吸附的影响机制:现状与展望

药物和个人护理品简称(PPCPs)是一类具有潜在累积效果的环境污染物,其广泛分布于水体与土壤环境中.在土壤/沉积物中,PPCPs将发生一系列的物理、化学和生物作用,其中吸附是PPCPs在土壤/沉积物中极为关键的环境行为,将影响PPCPs在环境中的迁移转化及其对生物体的危害程度.重金属作为一类常见的无机污染物,它们的存在...     

Phosphate enrichment in the northern Gulf of Aqaba: Regulation by carbonate sediments and impact on nitrogen elevation

The effect of carbonate sediment in regulating phosphate concentrations in sea water was investigated by laboratory incubation experiments using different sediment types. Incubation experiments were made with two types of sediments: uncontaminated sediment from a marine reserve and contaminated sediment with deposited phosphate powders. Fluxes of inorganic nitrogen and phosphate were estimated from linear regressions of solute concentrations over incubation periods. Ammonium and phosphate fluxes were about twofold higher in the uncontaminated sediment that had significantly lower organic carbon and total phosphate concentrations than in the phosphate-contaminated sediment. To test the effect of dissolved phosphate on increasing nitrogen fixation, additional incubation experiments were carried out using treated carbonate and silicate sediments with added dissolved phosphate (20 μM). Incubations were made under sterile conditions with HgCl₂ added to distinguish between biologically enhanced processes and pure physicochemical processes. The adsorption rate of phosphate onto carbonate sediment was about twice that onto silicate sediments. No nitrogen elevation either as ammonium or as nitrate was observed in the soluble phosphate enrichment incubations. In conclusion, this study demonstrates the importance of the regulation of soluble phosphate concentrations in carbonate sediment environments where the carbonate sediment acts as a buffering system keeping soluble phosphate concentrations at certain steady-state levels. The study also demonstrates the lack of evidence on enhancement of nitrogen concentrations due to the increase phosphate concentrations.     

长江沉积物中痕量氯代酚类化合物的测定

本文利用同位素稀释质谱法对长江南京段沉积物中１８种氯代酚进行了分离鉴定，结果表明，沉积物中ＣＰｓ的含量以五氯苯酚为主，     

Methane Production in River and Lake Sediments in Taiwan

To investigate the relationship between methane production in the sediments and pollution of the river and lake, biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) and chemical oxygen demand (COD) of the water sample, organic matter content and methane production of the sediment were measured. Experimental results indicated that BOD, COD and organic matter contents were low in Bei-tan Lake, the I-lan River and reservoirs; and methane production of these sediments ranged from 0.24 to 1.06 mg L- 1. However, BOD, COD and organic matter contents were high in the Hsin-dan River, Keelung River, drainage river of Taoyuan County, park pond and fishery pond. Methane production of these sediments was between 11.75 and 54.54 mg L-1. Sediments of drain river and fishery pond had high methane production, at 25.41 to 54.54 mg methane L. Methane production of sediments had a good correlation with BOD, COD and organic matter contents. Methane production was proportional to the increment in incubation temperature from 12 to 40C.     

香港河流沉积物中有机碳对铜的吸附特性

采用厌氧序列分批滴定装置（ＡＳＢＴ）研究了香港青山湾避风塘和屯门河、城门河、林村河感潮河段沉积物中有机碳对铜的吸附特性。结果表明，在ｐＨ１６和ｐＨ７的条件下，沉积物中有机碳对铜的吸附特性可用Ｌａｎｇｍｕｉｒ等温式描述，铜在不同河流沉积物有机碳中的分配系数差别较大，吸附容量差别较小，Ｈ＾＋可以结合沉积物有机碳的重金属结合位点，导致吸附容量和分配系数随ｐＨ增大而增大。