A submerged membrane filter apparatus for microbiological sampling

The sampler is operated by hydrostatic pressure and consists of a stainless steel cylinder to which is attached a membrane filter holder. A glass inlet tube is broken by a messenger and a predetermined volume of water is filtered. Valves protect the membrane from flow-back and release the pressure as the sampler returns to the surface. The sampler works satisfactorily at 15 m and is strong enough to be used down to 6000 m. The filling rate is controlled by a jet behind the filter holder.     

Hydrodynamic and towing characteristics of a modified model of the Clarke Jet Net

In a series of studies to develop an effective high speed plankton sampler, hydrodynamic research was carried out on a modified model of the Clarke Jet Net. A theoretical analysis of the motion of the sampler was made using an IBM 7040 computer, and test tows were made in an experimental ship tank and at sea. To maintain the roll angle of the sampler at approximately zero, a v-shape bridle was applied. A pair of towing holes should be selected for the particular range of towing velocity. The calculated longitudinal stability seemed good in all the cases examined. Towing tests in the ship tank at 2 to 3 m/sec revealed sufficient stability. The motion of the sampler at speeds higher than 3 m/sec can be assumed from hydrodynamic coefficients derived from the ship tank experiment. Towing-cable characteristics, assumed by computation, indicated that about 500 m at 6 kt and 1,000 m at 12 kt should be paid out to lower the sampler down to 100 m. The effect of the sampler on the cable is found only adjacent to it and is almost negligible beyond 50 m from it in depth. Results of sea tests at 6 and 9 kt confirmed the stability of the sampler. Examination of the catch suggested that the present model can be used, with some modifications, for the quantitative and qualitative sampling of large zooplankton.Contribution No. 231 from the Seikai Regional Fisheries Research Laboratory, Nagasaki.     

Design of a rapid-sampling vertical-tow net

Design and operation of a new sampler for zooplankton are described. The sampler facilitates reliable duplicate samples; it can be closed at a defined depth during vertical towing, and can be rapidly reloaded for repeated tows.     

Estimating the number of active and successful bald eagle nests:an application of the dual frame method

Monitoring the number of animals in a wildlife population is an important task. In this paper, we estimate the number of active and successful bald eagle nests in a specific region using dual frame sampling techniques. The dual frame method combines independent samples from an incomplete list frame and an area frame that is assumed to be complete. Hartley's screening estimator is used to combine sample information from both frames. This methodology will be useful for monitoring any wildlife population where the breeding individuals have highly visible nesting territories which tend to be stable over many years.     

Emploi du chalut pélagique Isaacs-Kidd 10 pieds dans les eaux équatoriales du Pacifique

This paper describes the use of the 10 foot Isaacs-Kidd midwater trawl as a quantitative sampler of the micronektonic standing crop. The use of this gear without an opening-closing mechanism made it necessary to sample by means of oblique hauls. This study, which includes not less than 1500 hauls, is directed towards introducing some degree of uniformity in operating this device so that valid comparisons can be made between catches from oblique hauls made at similar depths, as well as oblique hauls made at different depths. It is emphasized that information must be obtained on the tow path using depth-time and depth-distance recorders simultaneously. As the maximum depth depends largely upon variations in towing speed, it is important to be able to control ship speed carefully. As net speed is a significant factor in avoidance and escapement, care should be taken to sample each layer in an identical manner. The procedure defined here mainly involves (a) modifications of the depressor; (b) application of the winch brake after all the cable has been paid out, during the time required for the trawl to attain maximum depth; (c) paying out and hauling in at high speed by the winch. Resulting hauls show a nearly oblique tow path. Sampling velocities of the net are the same for all water layers: slow during descent, fast during ascent. This allows valid comparisons to be made between a series of hauls. Nevertheless, future progress in quantitative sampling depends largely upon technical improvements, and the evolution of new devices and approaches.     

Development of odorous gas sampler and investigation of its practicality

The existing gas sampler is deficient in regard to its efficiency, handling and ability. In order to solve these problems, a new gas sampler was developed and its function was investigated. The sampler is a vessel made of aluminium and contains a polyester bag inside the vessel. The vacuum method is employed for taking the gas. The maximum capacity of the gas volume that can be taken is about 15 liters and sampling time can be from 15 sec to 10 min per sample. In addition, many odor surveys were carried out and the practicality of the new sampler was investigated. It was concluded that the new sampler was easy to handle and was more efficient than the existing gas sampler.     

Precision of the mean and the design of benthos sampling programmes: caution advised

To calculate the number of samples required to estimate population density to a specified precision, a prior estimate of the sample variance is needed. Using data from the freshwater benthic literature, Downing (1979, 1980a) calculated a regression equation to predict sample variance from sampler size and population density. He used predicted sample variance to calculate the number of samples, of a range of sizes, required to estimate a range of population densities to a specified precision. He concludes that massive savings (1300 to 5000%) of total surface area sampled may be achieved by using sample units of small surface area. These conclusions are misleading. The data set used for the regression does not adequately cover the combination of a low-density population sampled by a device of small surface area. The benthic community of Belhaven Bay, East Lothian, Scotland was sampled in 1982 with a 0.1 m² grab and a 0.0018 m² corer, providing 112 sets of replicate data which were used to test the hypothesis that for a specified precision of the mean a considerable saving of total area sampled may be obtained by sampling with a device of small surface area. The benthos of Loch Creran, Argyll, Scotland was sampled with contiguous corer samples on four occasions in 1980 and 1981, providing 234 independent sets of replicate data. Contiguous samples were grouped to form several simulated series of samples of increasing surface area. A sampler of small surface area provided a saving of total area sampled of about 20%. Whether such a small saving is justifiable will depend on the extra field expenses incurred by taking many small samples.     

Analysis of volatile fatty acids by ion-exclusion chromatography,with special reference to marine pore water

A method for measuring volatile fatty acids using ion-exclusion chromatography is presented. The system was found to be applicable to samples with high salt concentrations (e.g. seawater and marine pore water) when coupled with a vacuum distillation procedure. The method is straightforward, with no sample preconcentration and no introduction of external contamination. Calibration was found to be linear, with good reproducibility (coefficient of variation normally less than 5%) and the system was sufficiently sensitive to operate at the sub-ppm level (minimum detection limit for acetate and propionate was approximately 0.02 and 0.05 ppm, respectively). This technique was used to investigate the distribution of volatile fatty acids with sediment depth at Station E70 in Loch Eil, Scotland (sample was collected in March, 1983) and the results were in good agreement with recent publications. Although the system, at present, is limited in marine pore water to acetate and propionate, it has certain advantages over alternative systems and these are described.     

Assessing the risk of soil contamination in the Swiss Jura using indicator geostatistics

The probability that the concentrations of toxic substances in soil or other medium exceed tolerablemaxima at any unsampled place can be estimated by indicator geostatistics. The method is developed and used to estimate and map the risk of contamination by cadmium, copper and lead in the topsoil of a 14.5 km 2 region in the Swiss Jura. It combines both direct measurements of metal concentrations and thecalibration of a geological map, and it shows that the risk of toxicity is least on Argovian rocks. Two approaches are proposed to divide a region into safe' and 'hazardous' zones on the basis of probability maps. The first declares as contaminated all places where the risk of contamination exceeds a given threshold. The second approach first evaluates the financial costs that might result from a wrongdeclaration, after which the site is allocated to a class so as to minimize that cost. The risk of exposure for humans and animals is generally greater for contaminated agricultural land than for forest soil, and so land use is taken into account in both procedures.     

二氧化硫被动采样器的研制和应用

本文叙述了一个灵敏、轻便的被动式二氧化硫采样装置,将此装置与主动采样方法对比用于大气中SO_2含量的测定,被动方法测得的SO_2浓度对主动方法测得的SO_2浓度的相关系数为0.9904;用五个相同的被动采样器在相同时间、相同地点测得的SO_2浓度的相对标准偏差为2.8％;采样周期可长达一个月或一个月以上。     

Multivariate bootstrap confidence regions for abundance vector using

Abundance vector estimation is a well investigated problem in statistical ecology. The use of simple random sampling with replacement or replicated sampling ensures good asymptotic properties of the abundance vector estimators. However, real surveys are based on small sample sizes, and assuming any specific distribution of the abundance vector estimator may be hazardous.In this paper we focus our attention on situations where the population is not too large and the sample size is small. We propose bootstrap multivariate confidence regions based on data depth. Data depth is a geometrical concept of ordering data from the center outwardly in higher dimensions. The Simplicial depth, the Tukey's depth and the Mahalanobis depth are presented. In order to build confidence regions in the presence of a skewed distribution of the abundance vector estimator, the use of Tukey's depth is suggested. The proposed method has been applied to the benthic community of Lake Lesina. A comparison with Mahalanobis depth and standard existing methods is reported.     

Scientific Gear as a Vector for Non-Native Species at Deep-Sea Hydrothermal Vents

The fauna of deep-sea hydrothermal vents are among the most isolated and inaccessible biological communities on Earth. Most vent sites can only be visited by subsea vehicles, which can and do move freely among these communities. Researchers assume individuals of the regionally homogeneous vent fauna are killed by the change in hydrostatic pressure the animals experience when the subsea vehicles, which collected them, rise to the surface. After an Alvin dive, we found 38 apparently healthy individuals of a vent limpet in a sample from a hydrothermally inactive area. Prompted by our identification of these specimens as Lepetodrilus gordensis, a species restricted to vents 635 km to the south of our dive site, we tested whether they were from a novel population or were contaminants from the dive made 36 h earlier. The 16S gene sequences, morphology, sex ratio, bacterial colonies, and stable isotopes uniformly indicated the specimens came from the previous dive. We cleaned the sampler, but assumed pressure changes would kill any organisms we did not remove and that the faunas of the 2 areas were nearly identical and disease-free. Our failure to completely clean the gear on the subsea vehicle meant we could have introduced the species and any diseases it carried to a novel location. Our findings suggest that the nearly inaccessible biological communities at deep-sea vents may be vulnerable to anthropogenic alteration, despite their extreme physical conditions.     

A hydrodynamic study of a modified model of the Clarke Jet Net

A hydrodynamic study of a modified model of the Clarke Jet Net, a high speed plankton sampler, was made using a wind tunnel and an IBM 7040. Modifications allowed a somewhat larger amount of water filtered than in the original model. By adjusting the size of the net chamber exhaust (water control aperture), an average net chamber velocity of about 100 cm/sec could be obtained at any cruising speed. The curvature of the towing cable of the deep tow of a high speed sampler seemed to be determined mainly by the cable characteristics. The stability, vertical and horizontal, of the modified model was satisfactory.Contribution No. 218 from the Seikai Regional Fisheries Research Laboratory, Nagasaki.     

矿粮复合区土壤-作物系统重金属污染风险性评价

为分析矿区污染农田农作物生产的生态安全性,以焦作市中马村矿区的典型农田为例,对矿区农田土壤及植物中Zn、Cr、Cd、Cu和Pb等重金属的质量分数进行了测定,并对重金属污染风险进行了评价。结果表明,根据重金属的单项污染指数,在矿井水污灌农田（F1样地）土壤中Zn和Cd的质量分数达到中度污染水平,Cr的质量分数达到轻微污染水平,Cu和Pb元素质量分数未达到污染水平。在煤矸石污染农田（F2样地）土壤中Zn、Cr和Cd的质量分数达到轻度污染水平,Cu和Pb元素质量分数未达到污染水平。在矿区公路侧农田（F3样地）土壤中各元素质量分数均未达到污染水平。采用潜在生态风险指数法对土壤重金属污染的生态风险进行评价,F1和F2样地综合生态风险指数分别为239．60和178．42,达到中等水平,F3样地土壤达到轻微生态风险水平。采用单项污染指数和综合污染指数法对小麦（Triticumaestivum）籽粒中重金属风险进行评价,在F1和F2样地中,小麦籽粒中Cu质量分数均未达到污染水平,Pb、Cd和Cr质量分数均达到重度污染水平。Zn质量分数在Fl样地中达到轻度污染水平,在F2样地中达到中度污染水平。在F3样地中,小麦籽粒中Cd和Cu质量分数未达到污染水平,Zn质量分数达到轻度污染水平,Pb、Cr质量分数达到重度污染水平。从综合污染指数评价来看,F1、F2和F33个样地小麦籽粒中重金属污染综合指数均达到重度污染水平。评价结果对科学治理矿区污染土壤,确保矿区农田生态安全、粮食生产安全具有重要意义。     

Efficacité et sélectivité faunistique comparée de quatre appareils de prélèvements endo-, épi- et suprabenthiques sur deux types de fonds

Using data from 6 cruises from May to October 1972, we have compared the efficiency and selectivity of a double-scoop Holme bottom sampler, a Spatangue anchor dredge, a Hessler-Sanders epibenthic sled and a Macer-GIROQ suprabenthic sled, at comparable time intervals, on muddy sand at a depth of 18 to 26 m and on silty clay at 329 to 355 m in the Lower St. Lawrence Estuary, Quebec, Canada. Estimates of density and species proportions of most taxa except polychaetes allow an assessment of the stratification of autecological forms at the bottom-water interface. Estimates of species percentages are similar for the Holme sampler and the dredge, but only the former yields reliable density estimates. The dredge underdigs and overestimates density on harder ground, and overdigs and underestimates it on soft mud. Both types of estimates are comparable among suprabenthic samples not contaminated with mud, and the fauna therein (Crustacea account for 97% of individuals and 79% of species, excluding copepods) at both stations is markedly different from that of other sample types. Epibenthic and contaminated suprabenthic samples yield estimates somewhat transitional between those of endobenthic and non-contaminated suprabenthic samples. The Hessler-Sanders sled behaves somewhat like a dredge, depending on substrate firmness, and many mobile Crustacea can apparently evade it. No instrument adequately samples the 28 cm layer closest to the bottom.

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Contribution au programme du GIROQ (Groupe interuniversitaire de Recherches océanographiques du Québec)     

Der Einsatz von Pflanzentests bei der Sedimentbewertung

Up to now, sediment studies have mainly used standardized aquatic bioassays with organisms of the three trophic levels. Among these, algae are the only representatives of the entire plant kingdom. Bioassays with higher plants have hardly been used for the assessment of sediments. The aim of the present study is to demonstrate that the use of higher plants in biotests for analyses of anthropogenically contaminated sediments yields valuable results, which may be included in a concept for the integrated assessment of waters. The contamination by environmental chemicals was determined in the River Elbe by means of samples taken at the Fahlberg-List industrial site at Magdeburg in combination with studies in a reference area on the Müritz-Elde Waterway (Eldenburger Kanal). Sediment extracts and pore waters were tested with the aquatic lemna test. For comparison, first sediment contact tests withLemna minor were tried out. The whole extract of the sediment from Fahlberg-List Magdeburg and one fraction F5 caused distinct damages of the plants. Obviously, the phytotoxic substances of the whole extract are preferentially concentrated in the highly polar fraction F5. A comparison with chemical analytical data proved that the whole fraction F0 and the fraction F5 were heavily contaminated with chemicals. Assays with pore water from this sediment and with the whole sediment also caused a strong inhibition of growth. These results confirm the high contamination of the sediment from Magdeburg. The tests with the reference sediment suggested only a moderate toxic contamination. The results of this study prove that the selected aquatic plant,Lemna minor, is basically able to indicate contamination. In the aquatic test of the sediment extracts, it showed weak, but very selective, responses to certain classes of contaminants. Fractionating of the sample and subsequent chemical analysis combined with toxicity tests allow to narrow down the groups of substances causing toxic effects. This toxicity was confirmed by analyses of the pore waters and whole sediment samples. Together with other toxicity tests (e.g. standardized bioassays) and combined with biological benthos examinations, an overall judgment can be given for the integrated assessment of waters.     

Precision of the mean and the design of benthos sampling programmes: caution revised

Normative variance functions can be used to accurately predict sampling exigencies, but such empirically derived formulae are continuous functions that can predict levels of sampling precision that cannot logically occur in discrete population samples. General formulae are presented that allow calculation of upper and lower boundary constraints on levels of sampling precision. These boundary constraints would only have a significant influence on sampling design where populations are so sparse that samples consist mainly of presence-absence data. A previously published empirical equation for the prediction of requisite sample number for the estimation of a freshwater benthos population correctly shows that using a small sampler can result in an up to 50-fold reduction in the amount of sediment processed, regardless of these constraints. A previously published empirical equation for the prediction of sampling variance, based on over 3000 sets of replicate samples of marine benthos populations, suggests that the use of small samplers over large ones requires the processing of between one-half and one-twentieth of the sediment for the same level of precision. It is concluded that discussions of sampling optimization should be based on knowledge of real sampling costs.     

An effective dietary survey framework for the assessment of total dietary arsenic intake in Bangladesh: Part-A—FFQ design

Groundwater contaminated with arsenic (As), when extensively used for irrigation, causes potentially long term detrimental effects to the landscape. Such contamination can also directly affect human health when irrigated crops are primarily used for human consumption. Therefore, a large number of humans are potentially at risk worldwide due to daily As exposure. Numerous previous studies have been severely limited by small sample sizes which are not reliably extrapolated to large populations or landscapes. Human As exposure and risk assessment are no longer simple assessments limited to a few food samples from a small area. The focus of more recent studies has been to perform risk assessment at the landscape level involving the use of biomarkers to identify and quantify appropriate health problems and large surveys of human dietary patterns, supported by analytical testing of food, to quantify exposure. This approach generates large amounts of data from a wide variety of sources and geographic information system (GIS) techniques have been used widely to integrate the various spatial, demographic, social, field, and laboratory measured datasets. With the current worldwide shift in emphasis from qualitative to quantitative risk assessment, it is likely that future research efforts will be directed towards the integration of GIS, statistics, chemistry, and other dynamic models within a common platform to quantify human health risk at the landscape level. In this paper we review the present and likely future trends of human As exposure and GIS application in risk assessment at the landscape level.     

Ein neuer „Meiofaunastecher” zur quantitativen Probennahme in Weichböden

During 1972 and 1973, quantitative meiofauna samples were taken by subsampling out of a bottom sampler from some parts of the Kiel Bight. A new method has been developed to operate in very soft and muddy sediments with high organic and water contents. The construction of the new instrument is described. It consists of a bottomless plexiglass box, the cover and front of which may easily be removed. It does not cause compression of the sampled sediment, and hardly disturbs it. The semi-liquid surface of the sediment is kept in place by the use of a “sledge” and a strip of cellophane tape inside the sampler. Some preliminary results from one station show a meiofauna maximum (mainly nematodes) in the subsurface layer of the sediment, but this varied from one month to the next. The water content of the sediment at another station was as high as 300%.     

An ecological model for heavy metal contamination of crops and ground water

A model for heavy metal contamination of crops and ground water was set up and tested. It was found possible to use the model to predict the heavy metal concentration in crops.The model indicates that Pb is limiting the use of sludge as a soil conditioner, and that in most cases, contamination of crops seems to be a greater danger than contamination of ground water. However, when soil with a high humus or clay content is used at a pH close to 7.00, municipal sludge can be used in considerable quantities without danger.