Geochemical stability of phosphorus solids below septic system infiltration beds

Review of 10 mature septic system plumes in Ontario, revealed that phosphorus (P) attenuation commonly occurred close to the infiltration pipes, resulting in discrete narrow intervals enriched in P by a factor of 2-4 (. MSc thesis, Dept. Earth Sci., University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ont.; Ground Water 36 (1995) 1000; J. Contam. Hydrol. 33 (1998) 405). Although these attenuation reactions appeared to be sustainable under present conditions, the potential for remobilization of this P mass, should geochemical conditions change, is unknown. To test the stability of these P solids, dynamic flow column tests were carried out using sediments from three of the previously studied sites (Cambridge, Langton and Muskoka) focusing on sediments from the 'High-P' and underlying (Below) zones. Tests were continued for 166-266 pore volumes (PVs), during which time varying degrees of water saturation were maintained. During saturated flow conditions, relatively high concentrations of PO4 were eluted from the Cambridge and Langton High-P zones (up to 4 and 9 mg/l P, respectively), accompanied by elevated concentrations of Fe (up to 1.4 mg/l) and Mn (up to 4 mg/l) and lower values of Eh (<150 mV). The Below zones from Cambridge and Langton, however, maintained lower concentrations of P (generally<2 mg/l), Fe (<0.2 mg/l) and Mn (<1 mg/l) and maintained higher Eh (>250 mV) during saturated flow conditions. During unsaturated flow, P and Fe declined dramatically in the High-P zones (P<1 mg/l, Fe<0.2 mg/l), whereas concentrations remained about the same during saturated and unsaturated flow in the Below zones. This behavior is at least partly attributed to the development of reducing conditions during saturated flow in the High-P zones, leading to reductive dissolution of Fe (III)-P solids present in the sediments. Reducing conditions did not develop in the Below zones apparently because of lower sediment organic carbon (OC) contents (0.03-0.04 wt.%) compared to the High-P zones (0.2-0.65 wt.%). At the Muskoka site, where the sediments were noncalcareous, low values of P (<0.2 mg/l) were maintained in both the High-P and Below columns and reducing conditions did not develop. Results indicate the possibility of remobilizing P accumulated below septic system infiltration beds should conditions become more reducing. This could occur if sewage loading patterns change, for example when a seasonal use, lakeshore cottage is converted to a permanent dwelling.     

Projected Climate Change Effects on Winterkill in Shallow Lakes in the Northern United States

2 was obtained from the output of the Canadian Climate Center General Circulation Model. To illustrate the effect of projected climate change on lake DO characteristics, we present herein DO information simulated, respectively, with inputs of past climate conditions (1961–1979) and with a projected 2 × CO₂ climate scenario, as well as differences of those values. Specific parameters obtained were minimum under-ice and lake bottom DO concentration in winter, duration of under-ice anoxic conditions (<0.1 mg/liter) and low DO conditions (<3 mg/liter), and percentage of anoxic and low DO lake volumes during the ice cover period. Under current climate conditions winterkill occurs typically in shallow eutrophic lakes of the northern contiguous United States. Climate warming is projected to eliminate winterkill in these lakes. This would be a positive effect of climate warming. Fish species under ice may still experience periods of stress and zero growth due to low DO (<3 mg/liter) conditions under projected climate warming.     

Effect of temperature and moisture on soil organic carbon mineralization of predominantly permafrost peatland in the Great Hing’an Mountains, Northeastern China

Boreal peatlands represent a large global carbon pool.The relationships between carbon mineralization,soil temperature and moisture in the permafrost peatlands of the Great Hing'an Mountains,China,were examined.The CO2 emissions were measured during laboratory incubations of samples from four sites under different temperatures(5,10,15,and 20°C) and moisture contents(0%,30%,60%,100% water holding capacity(WHC) and completely water saturated).Total carbon mineralization ranged from 15.51 to 112.92 mg C under the treatments for all sites.Carbon mineralization rates decreased with soil depth,increased with temperature,and reached the highest at 60% WHC at the same temperature.The calculated temperature coefficient(Q10) values ranged from 1.84 to 2.51 with the soil depths and moisture.However,the values were not significantly affected by soil moisture and depth for all sites due to the different peat properties(P 0.05).We found that the carbon mineralization could be successfully predicted as a two-compartment function with temperature and moisture(R2 0.96) and total carbon mineralization was significantly affected by temperature and moisture(P 0.05).Thus,temperature and moisture would play important roles in carbon mineralization of permafrost peatlands in the Great Hing'an Mountains,indicating that the permafrost peatlands would be sensitive to the environment change,and the permafrost peatlands would be potentially mineralized under future climate change.     

Environmental impacts of irrigated sugarcane production: Nitrogen lost through runoff and leaching

There is concern about environmental impacts of cropping in catchments of Australia's Great Barrier Reef, especially losses of nitrogen (N) from cropping systems. Sugarcane production in the Burdekin region in the dry tropics stands out from other crops/regions because it is grown with the highest applications of irrigation water and N fertiliser rates of any sugarcane producing region in Australia, attributes which may enhance losses of N. Little is known about N losses from sugarcane production systems, especially irrigated systems. We measured parts of the water and N balance over three sugarcane crops at three contrasting sites in different parts of the Burdekin region, covering a range of soil types/textures and irrigation managements. The experimental data were used to parameterise the APSIM-Sugarcane cropping systems model, and the model then used to ‘infill’ missing data and develop more complete water and N balances for each of the crops at the three sites. The model was also used to simulate long-term yields and N losses through runoff and leaching below the root zone at the sites under a range of N fertiliser and irrigation management practices. Unlike the experience in other cropping systems, N losses through runoff and leaching below the root zone were not higher at our sites than measured in rainfed sugarcane production systems. The long-term simulations showed there were clear opportunities for reducing N losses while maintaining yields through reducing N fertiliser application rates. Simulations results suggested that long-term N surpluses of 50 kg ha⁻¹ yr⁻¹, considerably less than those during the experiment or common in the study region, were sufficient to maintain yields but reduce N losses by 50-57%. So, N fertiliser management should aim to keep surpluses to that level. Improved irrigation management could also help reduce N losses but generally to a much lesser extent than reduced N fertiliser applications. Research is required to confirm these predicted benefits, and investigate potential interaction between N fertiliser and irrigation management practices, and impacts of other management practices.     

Environmentally stratified sampling design for the development of Great Lakes environmental indicators

Understanding the relationship between human disturbance and ecological response is essential to the process of indicator development. For large-scale observational studies, sites should be selected across gradients of anthropogenic stress, but such gradients are often unknown for a population of sites prior to site selection. Stress data available from public sources can be used in a geographic information system (GIS) to partially characterize environmental conditions for large geographic areas without visiting the sites. We divided the U.S. Great Lakes coastal region into 762 units consisting of a shoreline reach and drainage-shed and then summarized over 200 environmental variables in seven categories for the units using a GIS. Redundancy within the categories of environmental variables was reduced using principal components analysis. Environmental strata were generated from cluster analysis using principal component scores as input. To protect against site selection bias, sites were selected in random order from clusters. The site selection process allowed us to exclude sites that were inaccessible and was shown to successfully distribute sites across the range of environmental variation in our GIS data. This design has broad applicability when the goal is to develop ecological indicators using observational data from large-scale surveys.     

高宝湖区4个湖泊浮游植物和底栖动物群落特征和生物评价

于2018年12月—2019年8月对高宝湖区4个湖泊的浮游植物及大型底栖动物的群落结构和多样性进行了调查。结果表明，各湖泊浮游植物和大型底栖动物的密度、生物量、优势种及多样性存在显著的时空差异（P<0.05），浮游植物和底栖动物的密度和生物量均表现为丰水期最大，2类水生生物的Margalef丰富度指数和Shannon Wiener多样性指数变化趋势一致。浮游植物种群组成上主要以绿藻门为主，丰水期高邮湖和白马湖的藻密度已达到轻度水华的级别，且各湖泊浮游植物优势种主要为蓝藻门易引起水华的藻类，各湖泊浮游植物物种多样性评价等级为“一般”至“较丰富”；底栖动物群落主要由摇蚊科幼虫、双壳类和软甲类动物构成，优势种主要为摇蚊科幼虫和寡毛类动物，物种多样性评价等级为“贫乏”至“一般”。各湖泊浮游植物藻密度增加，底栖动物敏感物种减少。水质的生物评价结果为4个湖泊均受到不同程度的污染，表明湖泊受到的环境压力增大，水生生物群落结构发生变化，多样性降低。     

Restoring the Great Basin Desert, U.S.A.: Integrating Science, Management, and People

The Great Basin Desert lies between the Sierra Nevada Mountains to the west and the Rocky Mountains to the east. Nearly 60% of the area’s deserts and mountains (roughly 30 million ha) are managed by the U. S. Department of Interior’s Bureau of Land Management. This area is characterized by low annual precipitation, diverse desert plant communities, and local economies that depend on the products (livestock grazing, recreation, mining, etc.) produced by these lands. The ecological and economic stability of the Great Basin is increasingly at risk due to the expansion of fire-prone invasive species and increase in wildfires. To stem this loss of productivity and diversity in the Great Basin, the BLM initiated the “Great Basin Restoration Initiative” in 1999 after nearly 0.7 million ha of the Great Basin burned in wildfires. The objective of the Great Basin Restoration Initiative is to restore plant community diversity and structure by improving resiliency to disturbance and resistance to invasive species over the long-term. To accomplish this objective, a strategic plan has been developed that emphasizes local participation and reliance on appropriate science to ensure that restoration is accomplished in an economical and ecologically appropriate manner. If restoration in the Great Basin is not successful, desertification and the associated loss of economic stability and ecological integrity will continue to threaten the sustainability of natural resources and people in the Great Basin.     

Of Small Streams and Great Lakes: Integrating Tributaries to Understand the Ecology and Biogeochemistry of Lake Superior

Lake Superior receives inputs from approximately 2,800 tributaries that provide nutrients and dissolved organic matter (DOM) to the nearshore zone of this oligotrophic lake. Here, we review the magnitude and timing of tributary export and plume formation in Lake Superior, how these patterns and interactions may shift with global change, and how emerging technologies can be used to better characterize tributary–lake linkages. Peak tributary export occurs during snowmelt‐driven spring freshets, with additional pulses during rain‐driven storms. Instream processing and transformation of nitrogen, phosphorus, and dissolved organic carbon (DOC) can be rapid but varies seasonally in magnitude. Tributary plumes with elevated DOC concentration, higher turbidity, and distinct DOM character can be detected in the nearshore during times of high runoff, but plumes can be quickly transported and diluted by in‐lake currents and mixing. Understanding the variability in size and load of these tributary plumes, how they are transported within the lake, and how long they persist may be best addressed with environmental sensors and remote sensing using autonomous and unmanned vehicles. The connections between Lake Superior and its tributaries are vulnerable to climate change, and understanding and predicting future changes to these valuable freshwater resources will require a nuanced and detailed consideration of tributary inputs and interactions in time and space.     

西部大开发中的生态安全问题

正确处理区域发展与生态安全是西部开发战略的关键。以可持续发展为目标的区域空间结构理论 ,分析了在新一轮科技革命和产业革命的新形势下推动区域发展和区域空间结构演变的决定性因素 ,以及实行效益原则与社会公平原则相统一的必要性 ,从中引出西部大开发中确保生态安全的极端重要性。并就实现区域发展与生态安全的双赢目标所必须建立的能力体系和制度体系提出了建议。