Chemical Composition and Acidity of Rain at the Gulf of Iskenderun,North-East Mediterranean

The purpose of the present work was to investigate the chemistry of rain in the Gulf of Iskenderun, North East Mediterranean, Turkey. The Gulf region has a large number of industries. Main industries existing in the region are iron and steel works, fertilizer plants, a cement plant, and several medium and mini size steel mills in addition to the international pipe line terminals. This study aims to apportion the local sources contributing to the overall pollution of the region. To this end a precipitation sampling program was started in January 2000, and over 48 precipitation samples were collected from each of 5 stations located at Iskenderun city center, Iskenderun industrial zone, Payas city center, the campus of Iskenderun Technical College and the campus of Mustafa Kemal University. Samples were analysed for pH, NO₃ ⁺, Cl^-. Ca, Al, Ba, Na, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Pb, Li, Mg, Mn, Ni, Zn, Fe, K. Concentrations of metal ions were determined by ICP-AES. NO₃ ^- ions and pH were determined by using NO₃ ^- selective electrode and pH meter, respectively.pH values of the collected samples at the industrial zone and at Payas city center, ranged between 5.02 and 7.38, respectively. NO₃ ^- and metal ions concentrations were highly variable. Concentrations of Ca and Fe ions were higher in the industrial zone and Payas city center. In the other three stations, concentrations of metal ions and NO₃ ^- ion were lower than that of industrial zone and the values of pH ranged between 6 and 7.4. The average pH values at Iskenderun Gulf showed that the precipitation was not acidic, because of the high concentration of Ca. The highest concentrations of Na and Cl ions were recorded in the University campus because the campus is located by the Mediterranean Sea.     

A Quantitative Tool for Assessing the Integrity of Southern Coastal California Streams

We developed a benthic macroinvertebrate index of biological integrity (B-IBI) for the semiarid and populous southern California coastal region. Potential reference sites were screened from a pool of 275 sites, first with quantitative GIS landscape analysis at several spatial scales and then with local condition assessments (in-stream and riparian) that quantified stressors acting on study reaches. We screened 61 candidate metrics for inclusion in the B-IBI based on three criteria: sufficient range for scoring, responsiveness to watershed and reach-scale disturbance gradients, and minimal correlation with other responsive metrics. Final metrics included: percent collector-gatherer + collector-filterer individuals, percent noninsect taxa, percent tolerant taxa, Coleoptera richness, predator richness, percent intolerant individuals, and EPT richness. Three metrics had lower scores in chaparral reference sites than in mountain reference sites and were scored on separate scales in the B-IBI. Metrics were scored and assembled into a composite B-IBI, which was then divided into five roughly equal condition categories. PCA analysis was used to demonstrate that the B-IBI was sensitive to composite stressor gradients; we also confirmed that the B-IBI scores were not correlated with elevation, season, or watershed area. Application of the B-IBI to an independent validation dataset (69 sites) produced results congruent with the development dataset and a separate repeatability study at four sites in the region confirmed that the B-IBI scoring is precise. The SoCal B-IBI is an effective tool with strong performance characteristics and provides a practical means of evaluating biotic condition of streams in southern coastal California.     

黄、渤海滨海带大气颗粒物时空分布与来源特征

PM10作为大气污染物监测的主要指标之一,探究大气PM10浓度对大气环境质量和人体健康评价具有重要意义。黄、渤海滨海带包括京、津和辽、冀、鲁、苏等工、农业大省,区域大气PM10污染的时空分布和来源特征具有复杂性和典型性。在锦州、北京、天津、烟台、青岛、连云港和盐城7个城市布设10个采样点,含7个城市点和3个农村点,开展为期一年的大气颗粒物的采样;同时,于冬季1月和夏季7月在锦州、天津和烟台进行合计60 d的加密采样,藉以确定研究区域大气PM10的时空分布和来源特征。结果表明,黄、渤海滨海带大气年均PM10总浓度为(129’18)"g·m~(-3),单月最低值出现在2015年7月盐城农村样点15"g·m~(-3),最高值为2015年3月北京城市点307"g·m~(-3)。盐城大气PM10浓度(城市点(85’27)"g·m~(-3)和农村点(66’35)"g·m~(-3))显著低于其他样点大气PM10浓度。渤海滨海带中西部的京(140’68"g·m~(-3))、津(169’60"g·m~(-3))两市大气PM10年均浓度显著高于东部的锦州(125’41"g·m~(-3))和烟台(109’31"g·m~(-3));而且黄海滨海带大气PM10年均浓度(114"g·m~(-3))显著低于渤海滨海带年均浓度(136"g·m~(-3)),总体上表现出西高东低、北高南低的特征。黄、渤海滨海带城市点和农村点年均浓度分别为(129’18)"g·m~(-3)和(112’30)"g·m~(-3);农村点春冬季大气PM10浓度和城市点浓度相当,无显著差异,夏秋季大气PM10浓度略低于城市浓度,表明农村地区大气颗粒物污染情况也较为严重,需受到关注。区域内PM10浓度季节变化整体表现为春冬高、夏秋低。利用多元回归分析初步判断黄、渤海滨海带PM10属于复合来源,大气PM10浓度约30%的变化与降水、人均能耗和沙尘天气相关。黄、渤海滨海带大气PM10浓度的昼夜变化不大,大气PM10浓度与气温呈现正相关,与风速和降水呈现负相关,表现为受各种气象因素综合作用的影响。     

Quantity and biochemical composition of sedimentary organic matter around offshore gas extraction platforms of the Adriatic Sea

Gas platforms can exert relevant effects on various ecosystem properties of the hosting area, modifying patterns of productivity and particle sedimentation. We hypothesised that the presence of gas platforms is associated with higher organic matter (OM) contents and we tested the null hypothesis by which benthic trophic conditions do not vary significantly among gas structures with different architectural characteristics. To test these hypotheses, we investigated sedimentary OM contents and biochemical composition at increasing distance from two distinct structures: one subsea well-site and one four-leg platform (FLP). We found that sediments surrounding the structures were characterised by similar OM contents, but different biochemical compositions, and that sedimentary OM compositional change with increasing distance from the structure is confirmed only at the FLP. These results suggest that: (i) benthic eutrophication is not consistent among different structures; (ii) OM biochemical composition changes are more evident than those in OM quantity; and (iii) the effect, wherever present, disappears at a very narrow distance from the platform. As biochemical composition of OM reflects food availability for benthic organisms, our results suggest that the enrichment of macrozoobenthic communities around these structures could be the consequence of increased nutritional quality of resources.     

Transnational environmental collective action facing implementation constraints – the case of nutrient leakage in the Baltic Sea Action Plan

While scholars have showed a long-standing interest for how to design effective environmental treaties and other international agreements, less interest has been paid to implementation phases of these agreements. This article takes the Eutrophication Segment in the Baltic Sea Action Plan as an example of a regional effort to reduce nutrient leakages, where national reporting of adopted strategies has been a key mechanism to improve implementation effectiveness. It is shown that although transnational collective action theory is a powerful tool to analyse underlying drivers and priorities in state implementation policies, a deeper analysis of domestic and external constraints can shed additional light on observed implementation gaps. Varying views among countries on, for example, the role of stakeholder participation, legitimacy and top-down governing versus multi-stakeholder governance approaches may comprise domestic constraints that make effective and efficient implementation problematic. In terms of external constraints, states’ balancing of action plan objectives versus other international commitments, such as other environmental treaties and EU Directives, is shown to potentially reduce implementation efficiency as well.     

How effective are River Basin Management Plans in reaching the nutrient load reduction targets?

Riverine nutrient loads are among the major causes of eutrophication of the Baltic Sea. This study applied the Soil & Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) in three catchments flowing to the Baltic Sea, namely Vantaanjoki (Finland), Fyrisån (Sweden), and Słupia (Poland), to simulate the effectiveness of nutrient control measures included in the EU’s Water Framework Directive River Basin Management Plans (RBMPs). Moreover, we identified similar, coastal, middle-sized catchments to which conclusions from this study could be applicable. The first modelling scenario based on extrapolation of the existing trends affected the modelled nutrient loads by less than 5%. In the second scenario, measures included in RBMPs showed variable effectiveness, ranging from negligible for Słupia to 28% total P load reduction in Vantaanjoki. Adding spatially targeted measures to RBMPs (third scenario) would considerably improve their effectiveness in all three catchments for both total N and P, suggesting a need to adopt targeting more widely in the Baltic Sea countries.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (10.1007/s13280-020-01393-x) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.     

Nitrogen fixation estimates for the Baltic Sea indicate high rates for the previously overlooked Bothnian Sea

Dense blooms of diazotrophic filamentous cyanobacteria are formed every summer in the Baltic Sea. We estimated their contribution to nitrogen fixation by combining two decades of cyanobacterial biovolume monitoring data with recently measured genera-specific nitrogen fixation rates. In the Bothnian Sea, estimated nitrogen fixation rates were 80 kt N year⁻¹, which has doubled during recent decades and now exceeds external loading from rivers and atmospheric deposition of 69 kt year⁻¹. The estimated contribution to the Baltic Proper was 399 kt N year⁻¹, which agrees well with previous estimates using other approaches and is greater than the external input of 374 kt N year⁻¹. Our approach can potentially be applied to continuously estimate nitrogen loads via nitrogen fixation. Those estimates are crucial for ecosystem adaptive management since internal nitrogen loading may counteract the positive effects of decreased external nutrient loading.     

青岛近海及黄渤海大气气溶胶中不同形态氮磷质量浓度及组成特征

于2016年6~7月采集了青岛近岸以及黄渤海大气气溶胶样品,并于8月6~15日连续采集了青岛近岸气溶胶昼夜样品,分别测定了不同形态的氮磷(溶解无机氮、溶解无机磷、溶解态总氮、溶解态总磷、总氮和总磷)质量浓度,并分析了气溶胶中这些不同形态氮磷的组成特征.结果表明,青岛近岸大气气溶胶中不同形态氮磷的浓度明显高于同时期黄渤海气溶胶中氮磷浓度.青岛近岸气溶胶总氮中溶解态占比为56%,溶解态与不溶态差别不大;黄渤海气溶胶总氮中溶解态为主要部分,所占比例达72%.青岛以及黄渤海气溶胶中,无机氮是溶解态总氮的主要贡献者,分别占溶解总氮的67%和75%.青岛以及黄渤海气溶胶总磷中,溶解态与不溶态磷的贡献相近,溶解态分别占总磷的49%和58%;气溶胶溶解总磷中无机磷的贡献略高于有机磷,青岛以及黄渤海占比分别为56%和59%.气团来源对青岛以及黄渤海气溶胶中不同形态氮磷的浓度和组成特征有一定程度的影响,南方气团来源气溶胶中溶解无机氮(DIN)、溶解有机氮(DON)、总氮(TN)、溶解无机磷(DIP)和溶解有机磷(DOP)的浓度均高于北方和海上气团来源.青岛近岸气溶胶中溶解有机氮浓度昼夜差别不大,而溶解无机氮和总氮浓度则白天相对较高.白天和夜间气溶胶总氮中溶解态氮占主要部分,所占比例达到79%,且无昼夜变化;无机氮是溶解总氮的主要贡献者,且晚上无机氮所占比例(61%)较白天(70%)略有降低.青岛近岸气溶胶中的溶解无机磷和有机磷昼夜浓度差别不大,而总磷浓度则白天明显高于晚上.昼夜气溶胶样品中不溶态磷是总磷的主要组成部分,占比分别为83%、62%,夜间气溶胶中溶解态磷的贡献远高于白天;不论昼夜,无机磷均是溶解总磷的主要部分,所占比例在71%~77%.     

钦州湾内湾茅尾海营养状况分析与评价研究

根据2011年-2012年茅尾海水质监测调查资料分析其营养特征,结果显示:茅尾海总体处于中度富营养状态,时空差异较为明显,以夏季最为严重,从湾顶河口往南部湾口减轻.有机污染等级为轻至中度,空间分布与富营养状况相似.水体盐度以湾顶河口区域向中南部呈梯度递增,与富营养化指数(EI)、有机污染指数(AI)、化学需氧量(COD)、亚硝酸盐(NH2-N)、硝酸盐(NO3-N)、铵盐(NH4-N)、溶解态无机氮(DIN)呈显著负相关,表明湾顶钦江、茅岭江的入海污染是茅尾海富营养和有机污染的主要物质来源,其径流输入与外湾潮流运动综合作用对茅尾海营养分布特征具有控制作用.茅尾海丰、枯水期氮磷比分别为60、18,丰、平水期均以磷营养限制为主,茅岭江是该海湾溶解态无机磷(DIP)的主要贡献者.DIP与盐度、EI、AI相关性不显著,对富营养和有机污染程度的贡献相比COD、DIN较为有限.     

南海北部大气气相多溴联苯醚的含量及来源

通过"实验三号"开放航次在南海北部采集了32个大气样品,用气相色谱/质谱联用仪分析了样品中的多溴联苯醚(PBDEs)同系物,并对其含量、组成特征、空间分布及主要来源进行了研究.结果表明,南海北部大气中7种PBDEs总浓度为0.07～35.9 pg.m-3,四溴(BDE-47)和五溴(BDE-99和-100)化合物为主要组成,分别约占PBDEs总量的51.5%和36.9%,显示工业五溴联苯醚的使用是其主要来源;中国东南沿海和菲律宾附近PBDEs浓度较高,南海靠近越南中部海域大气PBDEs含量较低.后推气流轨迹分析指出:我国东南沿海,特别是珠江三角洲,以及我国台湾和菲律宾等地区陆源污染物的外溢是引起南海北部地区PBDEs浓度较高的主要原因.