Contaminants reduce the richness and evenness of marine communities: A review and meta-analysis

Biodiversity of marine ecosystems is integral to their stability and function and is threatened by anthropogenic processes. We conducted a literature review and meta-analysis of 216 studies to understand the effects of common contaminants upon diversity in various marine communities. The most common diversity measures were species richness, the Shannon-Wiener index (H′) and Pielou evenness (J). Largest effect sizes were observed for species richness, which tended to be the most sensitive index. Pollution was associated with marine communities containing fewer species or taxa than their pristine counterparts. Marine habitats did not vary in their susceptibility to contamination, rather a ∼40% reduction in richness occurred across all habitats. No class of contaminant was associated with significantly greater impacts on diversity than any other. Survey studies identified larger effects than laboratory or field experiments. Anthropogenic contamination is strongly associated with reductions in the species richness and evenness of marine habitats.     

环境内分泌干扰物对河川沙塘鳢的雌激素效应检测

阐述了从河川沙塘鳢(Odontobutis potamophila)卵巢中提取卵黄磷脂蛋白,以及制备兔抗卵黄磷脂蛋白抗血清的过程,介绍了用此血清建立的河川沙塘鳢血清卵黄蛋白原间接竞争ELISA检测方法.以卵黄磷脂蛋白为参照,此法的最低检测质量浓度为40μg/L,最佳工作范围为160 μg/L-1 280 μg/L.使用此法检测雌二醇(E2)、壬基酚(NP)对雄性河川沙塘鳢的卵黄蛋白原诱导效果时,前者的最低有效质量浓度是0.001 mg/kg(E2/鱼质量),后者的最低有效质量浓度是50 mg/kg(NP/鱼质量).结果表明,200 mg/kg(NP/鱼质量)NP可引起雄性河川沙塘鳢血清卵黄蛋白原显著倍增.在太湖东山水域进行为期1年的生态调查时,发现3、4月份期间,曾有50%和35%样品呈阳性.     

Analysis of chemical contamination within a canal in a Mexican border colonia

This study examines urban pollution within Derechos Humanos, a colonia popular in Matamoros, Tamaulipas, Mexico. General water quality indicators (coliform bacteria, total dissolved solids, ecologically relevant cations and anions), heavy metals (copper, lead, nickel, zinc, iron and cadmium), and volatile organic compounds (benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, styrene, and dichlorobenzene and xylene isomers) were quantified within a wastewater canal running adjacent to the community. Water samples were collected at multiple sites along the banks of the canal and evidence of anthropogenic emissions existed at each sampling location. Sample site 2, approximately 10 m upstream of the colonia, contained both the widest range of hazardous pollutants and the greatest number exceeding US Environmental Protection Agency surface water standards. At each sampling location, high concentrations of total coliform (> 10(4) colonies/100 mL sample), lead (ranging from 0.05 to 0.40 mg/L), nickel (levels from 0.21 to 1.45 mg/L), and benzene (up to 9.80 mg/L) were noted.     

The Emergence of Black Carbon as a Super-Sorbent in Environmental Chemistry: The End of Octanol?

The distribution of aromatic contaminants between environmental solids and water solution reflects both absorption by the organic matrix (organic carbon, OC) and adsorption to black carbon (BC). In many instances, adsorption to BC dominates the interaction between aromatic contaminants and environmental solids. This holds especially true for the pyrogenically produced PAHs and PCDD/Fs, but also for the industrially produced PCBs and PCNs. In the future, research will need to surface-normalize the adsorption onto BC surfaces. One of the key questions to be addressed is the relative distribution and availability of contaminants associated with OC and BC fractions in environmental solids.     

The Monitoring of UK Sewage Sludge Disposal Sites

In recent years there has been an increase in the intensity and frequency of environmental monitoring surveys at UK sewage sludge disposal sites. These have been carried out by the regulatory authorities and by the licensees. in order to ensure maximum efficiency, a coordinated and harmonised programme of monitoring has been developed. the programme concentrates on sediment chemical and biological quality but also includes assessments of water and fish quality

In England and Wales the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food is the regulatory authority and the Water Authorities are the licensees. the Ministry's first priority is the collection of samples for temporal trend analysis but in addition, infrequent surveys are made to check the status of the disposal site and surrounding areas. in the periods between status surveys, regular spatial surveys designed to define the area of impact are carried out by the Water Authorities.     

Avian Mortality at Oil Pits in the United States: A Review of the Problem and Efforts for Its Solution

Oil production operations produce waste fluids that may be stored in pits, open tanks, and other sites accessible to wildlife. Birds visit these fluid-filled pits and tanks (“oil pits”), which often resemble water sources, and may become trapped and die. The US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) has a program to reduce these impacts by locating problem pits, documenting mortality of protected wildlife species, and seeking cleanup or corrective action at problem pits with the help of state and federal agencies regulating the oil industry. Species identification and verification of protected status for birds recovered from oil pits are performed at the USFWS National Fish and Wildlife Forensics Laboratory. From 1992 to 2005, a minimum of 2060 individual birds were identified from remains recovered from oil pits, representing 172 species from 44 families. The taxonomic and ecological diversity of these birds indicates that oil pits pose a threat to virtually all species of birds that encounter them. Ninety-two percent of identified bird remains belonged to protected species. Most remains identified at the Forensics Laboratory were from passerines, particularly ground-foraging species. Based on Forensics Laboratory and USFWS field data, oil pits currently cause the deaths of 500,000–1 million birds per year. Although law enforcement and industry efforts have produced genuine progress on this issue, oil pits remain a significant source of mortality for birds in the United States.     

PRB技术对PCBs及重金属污染地下水的试验研究

可渗透反应墙(Permeable Reactive Barrier PRB)技术是原位修复污染土壤及地下水的新型技术。试验以多氯联苯(PCBs)及重金属为靶污染物,设计3个PRB反应装置:柱Ⅰ、柱Ⅱ、柱Ⅲ,分别以还原铁粉、废料生铁、废料生铁与活性炭的混合物为反应介质,对PRB技术治理PCBs及重金属污染的地下水的可行性进行试验研究。试验结果表明:进入稳定期,柱Ⅰ、柱Ⅱ、柱Ⅲ对PCBs的去除效率分别为98%,97%,96%;对重金属(Cr、Cd、Pb、As)的去除效率均在97%以上。通过各柱处理,出水水质均达到地下水水质Ⅲ标准。说明PRB技术治理PCBs及重金属污染的土壤及地下水是可行的。     

Geographic distribution of selected elements in the livers of polar bears from Greenland, Canada and the United States

To assess geographic distributions of elements in the Arctic we compared essential and non-essential elements in the livers of polar bears (Ursus maritimus) collected from five regions within Canada in 2002, in Alaska between 1994 and 1999 and from the northwest and east coasts of Greenland between 1988 and 2000. As, Hg, Pb and Se varied with age, and Co and Zn with gender, which limited spatial comparisons across all populations to Cd, which was highest in Greenland bears. Collectively, geographic relationships appeared similar to past studies with little change in concentration over time in Canada and Greenland for most elements; Hg and Se were higher in some Canadian populations in 2002 as compared to 1982 and 1984. Concentrations of most elements in the polar bears did not exceed toxicity thresholds, although Cd and Hg exceeded levels correlated with the formation of hepatic lesions in laboratory animals.     

Wastewater degradation by iron/copper nanoparticles and the microorganism growth rate

Nowadays, trends in wastewater treatment by zero-valent iron (ZVI) were turned to use bimetallic NZVI particles by planting another metal onto the ZVI surface to increase its reactivity. Nano size zero-valent iron/copper (NZVI/Cu⁰) bimetallic particles were synthesized in order to examine its toxicity effects on the wastewater microbial life, kinetics of phosphorus, ammonia stripping and the reduction of chemical oxygen demand (COD). Various concentrations of NZVI/Cu⁰ and operation conditions both aerobic and anaerobic were investigated and compared with pure NZVI experiment. The results showed that addition 10 mg/L of NZVI/Cu⁰ significantly increased the numbers of bacteria colonies under anaerobic condition, conversely it inhibited bacteria activity with the presence of oxygen. Furthermore, the impact of nanoparticles on ammonia stripping and phosphorus removal was also linked to the emitted iron ions electrons. It was found that dosing high concentration of bimetallic NZVI/Cu⁰ has a negative effect on ammonia stripping regardless of the aeration condition. In comparison to control, dosing only 10 mg/L NZVI/Cu⁰, the phosphorus removal increased sharply both under aerobic and anaerobic conditions, these outcomes were obtained as a result of complete dissolution of bimetallic nanoparticles which formed copper-iron oxides components that are attributed to increasing the phosphorus adsorption rate.     

Exploring the effects of multiple management objectives and exotic species on great lakes food webs and contaminant dynamics

A simulation model was developed to describe linkages among fish food web, nutrient cycling, and contaminant processes in the southern basin of Lake Michigan. The model was used to examine possible effects of management actions and an exotic zooplankter (Bythotrephes) on Lake Michigan food web and contaminant dynamics. The model predicts that contaminant concentrations in salmonines will decrease by nearly 20% ifBythotrephes successfully establishes itself in the lake. The model suggests that this decrease will result from lowered transfer efficiencies within the food web and increased flux of contaminants to the hypolimnion. The model also indicates that phosphorus management will have little effect on contaminant concentrations in salmonines. The modeling exercise helped identify weaknesses in the data base (e.g., incomplete information on contaminant loadings and on the biomass, production, and ecological efficiencies of dominant organisms) that should be corrected in order to make reliable management decisions.