A multibiomarker approach to assess lead toxicity on the black clam,Villorita cyprinoides (Gray, 1825), from Cochin estuarine system (CES), southwest coast,India

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - The southwest coast of India along the Cochin region is seriously affected by metal contamination from increasing industrial activities. This...     

A review of regulations and guidelines related to winter manure application

Winter manure application elevates nutrient losses and impairment of water quality as compared to manure applications in other seasons. In conjunction with reviewing global distribution of animal densities, we reviewed worldwide mandatory regulations and voluntary guidelines on efforts to reduce off-site nutrient losses associated with winter manure applications. Most of the developed countries implement regulations or guidelines to restrict winter manure application, which range from a regulative ban to guidelines based upon weather and field management conditions. In contrast, developing countries lack such official directives, despite an increasing animal production industry and concern over water quality. An analysis of five case studies reveals that directives are derived from a common rationale to reduce off-site manure nutrient losses, but they are also affected by local socio-economic and biophysical considerations. Successful programs combine site-specific management strategies along with expansion of manure storage to offer farmers greater flexibility in winter manure management.     

Recruitment of Hexagenia mayfly nymphs in western Lake Erie linked to environmental variability.

After a 40-year absence caused by pollution and eutrophication, burrowing mayflies (Hexagenia spp.) recolonized western Lake Erie in the mid 1990s as water quality improved. Mayflies are an important food resource for the economically valuable yellow perch fishery and are considered to be major indicator species of the ecological condition of the lake. Since their reappearance, however, mayfly populations have suffered occasional unexplained recruitment failures. In 2002, a failure of fall recruitment followed an unusually warm summer in which western Lake Erie became temporarily stratified, resulting in low dissolved oxygen levels near the lake floor. In the present study, we examined a possible link between Hexagenia recruitment and periods of intermittent stratification for the years 1997 2002. A simple model was developed using surface temperature, wind speed, and water column data from 2003 to predict stratification. The model was then used to detect episodes of stratification in past years for which water column data are unavailable. Low or undetectable mayfly recruitment occurred in 1997 and 2002, years in which there was frequent or extended stratification between June and September. Highest mayfly reproduction in 2000 corresponded to the fewest stratified periods. These results suggest that even relatively brief periods of stratification can result in loss of larval mayfly recruitment, probably through the effects of hypoxia. A trend toward increasing frequency of hot summers in the Great Lakes region could result in recurrent loss of mayfly larvae in western Lake Erie and other shallow areas in the Great Lakes.     

Evaluation of multisectional and two-section particulate matter photochemical grid models in the Western United States

Version 4.10s of the comprehensive air-quality model with extensions (CAMx) photochemical grid model has been developed, which includes two options for representing particulate matter (PM) size distribution: (1) a two-section representation that consists of fine (PM2.5) and coarse (PM2.5-10) modes that has no interactions between the sections and assumes all of the secondary PM is fine; and (2) a multisectional representation that divides the PM size distribution into N sections (e.g., N = 10) and simulates the mass transfer between sections because of coagulation, accumulation, evaporation, and other processes. The model was applied to Southern California using the two-section and multisection representation of PM size distribution, and we found that allowing secondary PM to grow into the coarse mode had a substantial effect on PM concentration estimates. CAMx was then applied to the Western United States for the 1996 annual period with a 36-km grid resolution using both the two-section and multisection PM representation. The Community Multiscale Air Quality (CMAQ) and Regional Modeling for Aerosol and Deposition (REMSAD) models were also applied to the 1996 annual period. Similar model performance was exhibited by the four models across the Interagency Monitoring of Protected Visual Environments (IMPROVE) and Clean Air Status and Trends Network monitoring networks. All four of the models exhibited fairly low annual bias for secondary PM sulfate and nitrate but with a winter overestimation and summer underestimation bias. The CAMx multisectional model estimated that coarse mode secondary sulfate and nitrate typically contribute <10% of the total sulfate and nitrate when averaged across the more rural IMPROVE monitoring network.     

Levels of polychlorinated biphenyls and organochlorine pesticides in serum samples of Egyptian Vulture (Neophron percnopterus) from Spain

Concentrations of 23 polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), p,p'-DDT and two of its metabolites, p,p'-DDE and p,p'-TDE have been measured in serum samples of up to 1 ml of Egyptian Vulture (Neophron percnopterus) gathered from five populations in Spain. SigmaPCB concentrations were found to be in the range 3.2-97 ng/ml, while those of SigmaDDTs ranged from 0.93 to 38 ng/ml. p,p'-DDT/p,p'-DDE ratios higher than one were only found in the Segovia population, which could be an indication of recent use of p,p'-DDT in the area. In all cases, PCB profiles were dominated by congeners 52, 132 + 105, 138, 153 and 180. However, some differences among the five populations studied became evident when their profiles were compared with those of technical PCB mixtures by principal components analysis. The DDT and PCB levels detected in the serums analysed were lower than those previously reported for similar avian species and those reported to have deleterious effects on survival or reproduction of birds.     

紫茎泽兰制备生物炭及其应用研究进展

紫茎泽兰作为世界性的有害入侵植物,因其适应能力强、扩散速度快、植株内含有有害物质而对农林牧业乃至人类健康产生不利影响。因此,如何对其有效防控和综合利用已成为国内外关注的热点问题。生物炭是有机物质在低氧或缺氧条件下热解碳化而形成的富碳固体物质,因其独特的性质和潜在的价值而被广泛用于农业土壤改良与环境修复等领域。将紫茎泽兰热解制备生物炭,既降低了生物炭生产成本,还实现了生态系统的保护和废弃物的高效利用。目前将紫茎泽兰作为原材料制备生物炭虽有一些相关的研究,但报道相对较少,且研究较分散、结论不一。因此,有必要对紫茎泽兰的利用现状和制备生物炭的应用潜力进行综述。本文结合目前紫茎泽兰应用研究现状,分析了紫茎泽兰制备生物炭的应用研究价值,综述了其在环境污染修复、农业土壤改良方面的应用,并在此基础上提出了今后的研究方向与展望,以期为今后开展相关研究工作提供参考和借鉴。     

中国中东部地区地表水环境锶元素地球化学特征研究

水环境中锶的含量及其变化、地理分布及其控制因素等特征的研究有助于认识区域水文地球化学特征及流域盆地岩石风化速率等地球化学行为,因此河流环境中锶的地球化学行为是地球化学研究的重要课题之一。对我国中东部地区部分河流水体中溶解态锶含量进行了分析研究发现,与世界上主要河流溶解态锶含量平均值0.078 mg/L相比,中国中东部地区河水中的锶含量(0.139 mg/L)明显偏高。分析研究表明,中国中东部地区河水中的锶主要源于蒸发盐岩和碳酸盐岩的风化作用,流域锶含量从南向北逐渐增加的现象主要受流域岩石或沉积物类型的控制,化学风化作用越强烈,河流锶含量越高。除了受区域岩性的影响外,气候条件对流域河水中的锶含量水平及地理分布起到一定的控制作用。     

海水中痕量元素测定及其在重金属污染源判别方面的应用

利用电感耦合等离子体质谱(ICP-MS)研究了胶州湾及莱州湾这两个海域中痕量元素污染水平,发展了ICP-MS海水环境中痕量元素的测定方法,同时找出海水环境中具有保守性的数种元素作为污染示踪元素.达到对于海水环境中痕量污染物被动示踪的目的.对18个真实样品进行了识别率试验,识别率可达90%以上,在选取3个海水样品及1个河水样品混合后的模拟分担率实验,也取得了满意的结果,其误差平均值仅有1.17%.     

贵州安顺雨季降水中低分子有机酸研究

为了解贵州安顺地区大气降水中低分子有机酸的化学组成特征, 2007年6～10月共采集降水40次,对降水样品进行了pH值、电导率、水溶性无机阴离子和低分子有机酸的测定.结果表明,安顺地区的大气降水的pH值在3.57～7.09之间,平均值为4.57.最主要的有机酸组成为乙酸、甲酸和草酸,它们的雨量平均浓度依次为6.75、 4.61和2.05 μmol·L^-1.有机酸在6月和7月的浓度明显高于其他月份,表明有机酸可能来源于植物生长释放或者其前驱物的光化学氧化.有机酸对降水自由酸的贡献率平均为32.2%,明显高于贵阳市.同时,甲酸与乙酸和草酸存在显著相关关系（p=0.01）,相关系数分别为0.663和0.503,表明甲酸与乙酸具有相似的来源或者不同来源的相似源强,而草酸的前驱物可能与甲酸具有相似的排放特征.观测期间,安顺地区有机酸的湿沉降通量为2.10 mmol/m²,主要集中在降雨频率和雨量相对较高的夏季,此时有机酸的浓度和有机酸对大气降水自由酸的贡献都较大,因此控制安顺地区夏季有机酸的排放对于此地区的酸雨防治工作显得尤为重要.     

中国西南喀斯特森林土壤有机碳空间变化及影响因素

喀斯特地区土壤碳储量及其影响因素的认识是评估我国陆地土壤生态系统碳汇能力不可或缺的内容。本文通过对中国西南北起秦岭北坡南至中越边境一条剖面上土壤有机碳的分析,研究了喀斯特森林0~10cm土壤有机碳空间变化及其控制因素。研究发现西南地区土壤有机碳含量和碳密度平均为32.3 g/kg和33.1t/hm2。无论是在整个西南区还是其省市范围内,二者均低于非喀斯特森林土壤。通径分析表明,影响喀斯特表层土壤碳含量和密度的主要因素有土壤容重、地形海拔和有机质C/N;粘粒含量和年平均气温的影响很小,而降水量仅在地处最北部的陕西省构成了土壤碳密度的影响因素。此现象与世界许多地区特别是高纬度地区形成鲜明对比。本研究结果表明,不同区域/气候带土壤碳库的主要影响因素会存在很大差异,这对认识气候变化背景下土壤碳库的反馈作用具有重要意义。