Effects of metal-contaminated soil on the performance of young trees growing in model ecosystems under field conditions

Young Populus tremula, Salix viminalis, Betula pendula and Picea abies trees were grown together in large open-top chambers. The treatments were: without or with (Cu/Zn/Cd/Pb=640/3000/10/90 mg kg-1) metal contamination in the topsoil, irrigation pH 3.5 or 5.5, and acidic or calcareous subsoil. Growth, metal allocation to foliage and wood, as well as leaf gas exchange were measured. Biomass was reduced in P. tremula and B. pendula by the metal-contaminated topsoil relative to uncontaminated topsoil, whereas in P. tremula photosynthesis and transpiration were decreased. These effects were related to the elevated foliar Zn accumulation in P. tremula. S. viminalis showed a significant reduction in growth and an increased Zn and Cd accumulation on acidic vs. calcareous subsoil. Acidic irrigation produced only a few significant effects. P. abies showed the lowest metal uptake and no growth response to metal contamination.     

Investigation on downwind short-range transport of pesticides after application in agricultural crops

For the assessment of potential risks from total exposure to both spray drift and volatilised pesticides, field experiments in barley were carried out with insecticide application in May and June 2000. Pesticide concentrations in the air at the edge of the treated plot and at various distances in downwind direction were determined. The concentrations at 10 m distance were 0.29 and 0.58 microg/m(3) (lindane), 0.07 and 0.12 microg/m(3) (parathion) or <0.02 and 0.04 microg/m(3) (pirimicarb) after 1 d. To quantify the exposure of aquatic ecosystems, water containers simulating surface waters were placed in downwind direction of the plot at distances of 10 and 50 m. Lindane as the most volatile and most persistent of the investigated active substances showed the highest entries in surface water with 35 and 153 microg/m(2) after 1 d at a distance of 10 m, attributable to a larger extent to deposition of volatilised compound than to spray drift when drift reducing nozzles were used. Similar results were obtained for parathion, but at a lower level. Mainly due to its photolytic instability in water, pirimicarb decayed in surface water, where a maximum deposition was measured 2 h after application.     

Toxic oxide deposits from the combustion of landfill gas and biogas

Oxide deposits found in combustion systems of landfill gas fired power stations contain relatively high concentrations of elements which form volatile species such as P, As, Sb and Sn. These deposits should be handled with care because of their potential toxicity. By contrast, deposits in biogas system engines were found to contain much lower levels of such elements. The enrichment of these elements can be attributed to a hypothetical multistage process. The elements form volatile species in the landfill body. They are selectively transported as part of the landfill gas into the gas-burning devices. Inside the burners, they are immobilized as nonvolatile oxides.     

The metabolization of lindane in a culture of mould and the degradation scheme of lindane

The metabolism of Lindane, gamma-Pentachlorcyclohexene and isomeric Tetrachlorobenzenes in a culture of Mould was investigated in this work. 1,2-, 1,4-Dichlorobenzene, 1,2,3-, 1,2,4-, 1,3,5-Trichlorobenzene, 1,2,3,4-, 1,2,4,5- and/or 1,2,3,5-Tetrachlorobenzene, Pentachlorobenzene, gamma-Pentachlorocyclohexene, Hexachlorobenzene, Tetrachlorocyclohexenol, 2,3,4-, 2,4,6-Trichlorophenol, 2,3,4,5-, 2,3,4,6- and/or 2,3,5,6-Tetrachlorophenol and Pentachlorophenol could be identified as metabolites of Lindane. A degradation scheme is proposed. It includes gamma-Pentachlorocyclohexene, Hexachlorocyclohexene, Pentachlorocyclohexenol, Tetrachlorocyclohexenol and Polychlorophenols as main metabolites. The pathway based on many earlier published experimental results of these and other authors so far as possible.In former papers we have already reported about the known literature concerning the metabolism of Lindane (1 – 4).Comprehensive studies about the metabolism of Lindane in cultures of mould (1, 5, 6), in rats (7 – 9), and in men (2, 3) are to contribute in explaining away any uncertainties about the degradation of Lindane. Many investigations contributed to work out degradation schemes of Lindane (10 – 21).     

Partielle Ordnung

Zusammenfassung  Sollen Chemikalien oder Umweltbelastungen ?kotoxikologisch beurteilt werden, so erfordert die Komplexit?t ?kosystemarer Zusammenh?nge, da? Bewertungsverfahren Informationen m?glichst nicht aggregieren soilten. Es gibt keine ?kologisch begründete, allgemein verwendbare Zielfunktion. Die Technik, dennoch beispielsweise Chemikalien miteinander vergleichen zu k?nnen, beruht auf der Verallgemeinerung des Ordnungsbegriffs und der Visualisierungsmethode durch Hasse-Diagramme. Am Beispiel von sechs Chemikalien wird das Verfahren erl?utert und gezeigt, da? ungünstige Einstufungen von Chemikalien verschiedene Ursachen haben k?nnen, die dann auch unterschiedliche ?kotoxikologische Konsequenzen bewirken.      

A Bayesian approach for incorporating uncertainty and data worth in environmental projects

A data worth model is presented for the analysis of alternative sampling schemes in a special project where decisions have to be made under uncertainty. This model is part of a comprehensive risk analysis algorthm with the acronym BUDA. The statistical framework in BUDA is Bayesian in nature and incorporates both parameter uncertainty and natural variability. In BUDA a project iterates among the analyst, the decision maker, and the field work. As part of the analysis, a data worth model calculates the value of a data campaign before the actual field work, thereby allowing the identification of an optimum data collection scheme. A goal function which depicts the objectives of a project is used to discriminate among different alternatives. A Latin hypercube sampling scheme is used to propagate parameter uncertainties to the goal function. In our example the uncertain parameters are the parameters which describe the geostatistical properties of saturated hydraulic conductivity in a Molasse environment. Our results indicated that failing to account for parameter uncertainty produces unrealistically optimistic results, while ignoring the spatial structure can lead to an inefficient use of the existing data.     

Inspection of non-CO2 greenhouse gases from emission sources and in ambient air by Fourier-transform-infrared-spectrometry: Measurements with FTIS-MAPS

Infrared spectrometry is a versatile basis to analyse greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. A multicomponent air pollution software (MAPS) was developed for retrieval of gas concentrations from radiation emission as well as absorption measurements. Concentrations of CO, CH₄, N₂O, and H₂O as well as CO₂, NO, NO₂, NH₃, SO₂, HCl, HCHO, and the temperature of warm gases are determined on-line. The analyses of greenhouse gases in gaseous emission sources and in ambient air are performed by a mobile remote sensing system using the double-pendulum interferometer K300 of the Munich company Kayser-Threde. Passive radiation measurements are performed to retrieve CO, N₂O, and H₂O as well as CO₂, NO, SO₂, and HCl concentrations in smoke stack effluents of thermal power plants and municipal incinerators and CO and H₂O as well as CO₂ and NO in exhausts of aircraft engines. Open-path radiation measurements are used to determine greenhouse gas concentrations at different ambient air conditions and greenhouse gas emission rates of diffusive sources as garbage deposits, open coal mining, stock farming together with additional compounds (e.g. NH₃), and from road traffic together with HCHO. Some results of measurements are shown. A future task is the verification of emission cadastres by these inspection measurements.     

Einsatz der Hasse-Diagrammtechnik zur vergleichenden Bewertung von aquatischen Wirkungstests

In eine ?kotoxikologische Bewertung von Schadstoffen müssen die Ergebnisse von Wirkungstests einflie?en. Die Qualit?t der Bewertung im ?kosystemaren Kontext steht und f?llt mit der ?kosystemaren Qualit?t der Tests. In der vorliegenden Arbeit wird eine Bestandsaufnahme aquatischer Wirkungstests (unabh?ngig von bestehenden legislativen Vorgaben) vorgenommen, und es werden die Ergebnisse in einer Tabelle zusammengestellt, die Einsatzbereiche, Anwendbarkeit für mathematische Wirkungsmodellierung und ?kosystemare Relevanz enth?lt. Die hieraus resultierende Tabelle ist schwer zu überblicken und Zusammenh?nge zwischen bestimmten Wirkungstests sind kaum überschaubar. So ist auch eine Einstufung der aquatischen Wirkungstests ohne zus?tzliche mathematische Hilfsmittel schwierig. Hier wird gezeigt, wie anhand der Technik derHasse-Diagramme die Einstufung der Wirkungstests nach ihrer Qualit?t erleichtert wird. Es zeigt sich u.a., da? es keinen Test gibt, der alle Anforderungen gleichzeitig erfüllt. Einerseits gibt es sechs Tests, die — nach ihren Einsatzbereichen und nach ihrer Umsetzbarkeit für die mathematische Modellierung beurteilt — zwar optimal sind, aber keine ?kosystemare Relevanz aufweisen. Andererseits gibt es zwei Tests, die besonders ausgezeichnet sind: Einer (Test 8), der drei Einsatzbereiche aufweist und gleichzeitig sowohl für die mathematische Modellierung geeignet, als auch ?kosystemar relevant ist, und einer, der in zwei anderen Einsatzbereichen positiv beurteilt wurde und noch ?kosystemar interessant ist (Test 54). Es zeigt sich, da? zwischen Tests mit breitem Einsatzbereich und solchen, die ?kosystemar relevant sind, eine Lücke klafft. An evaluation of pollutants depends on the ecotoxicological quality of the effect tests carried out. In this paper a compilation of aquatic tests is given independently on administration needs. The results are summarized in a table listing fields of application, importance for mathematical modelling and ecological relevance. The table includes 55 tests and 8 attributes characterizing each tests The interpretation of the results listed in this table is hardly feasible. An appropriate tool to rank the tests is the technique ofHasse-diagrams. Using this tool it can be deduced that no test fulfills all demands. There are six tests which are optimal with respect to applicability and mathematical modelling. However, they have no relevance for ecosystems. Only two tests are optimal with respect to ecotoxicology, There is still a gap between tests with a wide field of applications and those tests which are relevant with respect to ecotoxicology.