Bioaccessibility of trace elements as affected by soil parameters in smelter-contaminated agricultural soils: a statistical modeling approach

An investigation was undertaken to identify the most significant soil parameters that can be used to predict Cd, Pb, and Zn bioaccessibility in smelter-contaminated agricultural soils. A robust model was established from an extended database of soils by using: (i) a training set of 280 samples to select the main soil parameters, to define the best population to be taken into account for the model elaboration, and to construct multivariate regression models, and (ii) a test set of 110 samples to validate the ability of the regression models. Total carbonate, organic matter, sand, P(2)O(5), free Fe-Mn oxide, and pseudototal Al and trace element (TE) contents appeared as the main variables governing TE bioaccessibility. The statistical modeling approach was reasonably successful, indicating that the main soil factors influencing the bioaccessibility of TEs were taken into account and the predictions could be applicable for further risk evaluation in the studied area.     

Availability of 99Tc in undisturbed soil cores

Models for safety assessment of radioactive waste repositories need accurate values of the soil-to-plant transfer of radionuclides. In oxidizing environments, (99)Tc is expected to occur as pertechnetate ((99)TcO(4)(-)). Due to its high mobility, leaching of this element in the field might be important, potentially affecting the reliability of estimated transfer parameters of (99)Tc as measured in closed experimental systems such as hydroponics or pot experiments. The aim of this experiment was to measure the leaching of (99)Tc in undisturbed irrigated soil cores under cultivation as well as plant uptake and to study the possible competition between the two transfer pathways. Undisturbed soil cores (50 x 50 cm) were sampled from a Rendzic Leptosol (R), a colluvial Fluvic Cambisol (F) and a Dystric Cambisol (D) using PVC tubes (three cores sampled per soil type). Each core was equipped with a leachate collector at the bottom, allowing the monitoring of (99)Tc leaching through the cores. Cores were placed in a greenhouse and maize (Zea mays L., cv. DEA, Pioneer) was sown. After 135 d, maize was harvested and radioactivity determined in both plant and water samples. Results showed that during the growing period, leaching of (99)Tc was limited, due to the high evapotranspiration rate of maize. After harvest, leaching of (99)Tc went on because of the absence of evapotranspiration. Effective uptake (EU) of (99)Tc in leaves and grains was calculated. EU reached 70% of the input in the leaves and was not significantly different among soils. These results confirmed those obtained from pot experiments, even though leaching was allowed to occur in close-to-reality hydraulical conditions. As a consequence, it was concluded that pot experiments are an adequate surrogate for more complex "close-to-reality" experimental systems for measuring transfer factors.     

A harvest failure approach to assess the threat from an invasive species

We present the idea of using potential infringements on annual allowable harvest targets as an approach to estimate threats from invasive species to the forest products sector. The approach uses present-day harvest levels as a reference level to estimate when and where the impact of a nonnative forest pest could become economically damaging. We use a generic model that simulates spread and damage by nonnative invasive species, basic harvest and forest growth through time. The concept is illustrated with a case study of a new nonnative invasive pest, Sirex noctilio Fabricius on pine resources in eastern Canada. Impacts of invasion on wood supply, in particular, the point at which present-day harvest levels are not attainable, were identified for 77 non-overlapping geographical regions that delimit the primary wood supply areas around large mills and wood processing facilities in eastern Canada. The results identify the minimum area of a pest outbreak that could trigger harvest shortages (approximately 12.5–14 M ha of pine forests in Ontario and Quebec). Beyond this level, the amount of host resource available for harvesting in any given year declines rapidly. The failure to sustain broad-scale harvest targets may be an attractive and intuitive indicator for policy makers and regulators interested in developing control and “slow-the-spread” programs for non-native forest pests.     

Effect of temperature on the molting,growth and maturation of the antarctic krill Euphausia superba (Crustacea: Euphausiacea) under laboratory conditions

The effect of temperature on molting, growth, and maturation rates was studied on laboratory-maintained Euphausia superba. The length of intermolt periods (IMP's) was inversely proportional to temperature (20.10 d, SD=1.60, at 0.12°C; 16.87 d, SD=1.68, at 0.97°C; and 12.48 d, SD=0.90, at 4.48°C), and directly proportional to krill size at 0.12°C and 0.97°C. For individually maintained krill the maximum growth rate at 4.48°C (0.068 mm d^-1) was nearly twice that at 0.68°C (0.037 mm d^-1). There was no observable temperature effect on maturation rates. The maturation changes of juveniles at all temperatures indicated that more than two years are probably required to reach maturity. Mature males and females regressed to immature forms, suggesting that E. superba may reproduce in successive years. These results and previously reported field and laboratory data for E. superba and other euphausiid species suggest a 4+ year life span for this species.This work was supported by NSF grant DPP 76-23437     

Assessing the fate of radioactive nickel in cultivated soil cores

Parameters regarding fate of ⁶³Ni in the soil–plant system (soil: solution distribution coefficient, K_d and soil plant concentration ratio, CR) are mostly determined in controlled pot experiments or from simple models involving a limited set of soil parameters. However, as migration of pollutants in soil is strongly linked to the water migration, variation of soil structure in the field and seasonal variation of evapotranspiration will affect these two parameters. The aim of this work was to explore to what extent the downward transfer of ⁶³Ni and its uptake by plants from surface-contaminated undisturbed soil cores under cultivation can be explained by isotopic dilution of this radionuclide in the pool of stable Ni of soils. Undisturbed soil cores (50 cm × 50 cm) were sampled from a brown rendzina (Rendzic Leptosol), a colluvial brown soil (Fluvic Cambisol) and an acidic brown soil (Dystric Cambisol) using PVC lysimeter tubes (three lysimeters sampled per soil type). Each core was equipped with a leachate collector. Cores were placed in a greenhouse and maize (DEA, Pioneer^®) was sown. After 44 days, an irrigation was simulated at the core surfaces to supply 10 000 Bq ⁶³NiCl₂. Maize was harvested 135 days after ⁶³Ni input and radioactivity determined in both vegetal and water samples. Effective uptake of ⁶³Ni by maize was calculated for leaves and kernels. Water drainage and leaching of ⁶³Ni were monitored over the course of the experiment. Values of K_d in surface soil samples were calculated from measured parameters of isotopic exchange kinetics. Results confirmed that ⁶³Ni was strongly retained at the soil surface. Prediction of the ⁶³Ni downward transfer could not be reliably assessed using the K_d values, since the soil structure, which controls local water fluxes, also affected both water and Ni transport. In terms of ⁶³Ni plant uptake, the effective uptake in undisturbed soil cores is controlled by isotope dilution as previously shown at the pot experiment scale.     

Mapping forest composition from the Canadian National Forest Inventory and land cover classification maps

Canada's National Forest Inventory (CanFI) provides coarse-grained, aggregated information on a large number of forest attributes. Though reasonably well suited for summary reporting on national forest resources, the coarse spatial nature of this data limits its usefulness in modeling applications that require information on forest composition at finer spatial resolutions. An alternative source of information is the land cover classification produced by the Canadian Forest Service as part of its Earth Observation for Sustainable Development of Forests (EOSD) initiative. This product, which is derived from Landsat satellite imagery, provides relatively high resolution coverage, but only very general information on forest composition (such as conifer, mixedwood, and deciduous). Here we link the CanFI and EOSD products using a spatial randomization technique to distribute the forest composition information in CanFI to the forest cover classes in EOSD. The resultant geospatial coverages provide randomized predictions of forest composition, which incorporate the fine-scale spatial detail of the EOSD product and agree in general terms with the species composition summaries from the original CanFI estimates. We describe the approach and provide illustrative results for selected major commercial tree species in Canada.     

Tissue distribution of antimony (Sb) in piglets orally given graded levels of Sb (V)

The potential risks from oral intake of soil antimony (Sb) depends mainly on the amount of metal ingested and its bioavailability. Relative bioavailability may be determined by comparing Sb present in soil to a reference compound, taking into account accumulation in different target tissues or excretion. However, due to the lack of scientific knowledge concerning the fate of Sb in the organism, there is a need to study the absorption and distribution of Sb in order to select target tissues for assessment of bioavailability of Sb in soils. Thus, 45 piglets were exposed to a soluble pentavalent antimony salt (KSb(OH)₆), for 15 days at concentrations ranging from 0–1600 µg Sb/kg body weight (BW) per day. Following the exposure period, blood, plasma, liver, spleen, kidneys, hair, bone, bile and urine were obtained to measure Sb concentrations by ICP-MS. Results showed that tissue Sb levels were dose-related. Higher Sb concentrations were found in urine, kidneys, hair, bone and liver. Sb(V) was not detectable in blood and plasma. In the case of highly contaminated soil with soluble forms of Sb in concentrations ranging from 200–1600 µg Sb/kg BW, kidneys, liver and spleen are the most reliable compartments to determine Sb bioavailability from soil. However, for the soils with lower levels of contamination and a low Sb bioaccessibility, urine may serve as a relevant compartment.     

Detection capacity,information gaps and the design of surveillance programs for invasive forest pests

Integrated pest risk maps and their underlying assessments provide broad guidance for establishing surveillance programs for invasive species, but they rarely account for knowledge gaps regarding the pest of interest or how these can be reduced. In this study we demonstrate how the somewhat competing notions of robustness to uncertainty and potential knowledge gains could be used in prioritizing large-scale surveillance activities. We illustrate this approach with the example of an invasive pest recently detected in North America, Sirex noctilio Fabricius. First, we formulate existing knowledge about the pest into a stochastic model and use the model to estimate the expected utility of surveillance efforts across the landscape. The expected utility accounts for the distribution, abundance and susceptibility of the host resource as well as the value of timely S. noctilio detections. Next, we make use of the info-gap decision theory framework to explore two alternative pest surveillance strategies. The first strategy aims for timely, certain detections and attempts to maximize the robustness to uncertainty about S. noctilio behavior; the second strategy aims to maximize the potential knowledge gain about the pest via unanticipated (i.e., opportune) detections. The results include a set of spatial outputs for each strategy that can be used independently to prioritize surveillance efforts. However, we demonstrate an alternative approach in which these outputs are combined via the Pareto ranking technique into a single priority map that outlines the survey regions with the best trade-offs between both surveillance strategies.     

Effects of combustion and operating conditions on PCDD/PCDF emissions from power boilers burning salt-laden wood waste

This paper discusses the effects of combustion conditions on PCDD/PCDF emissions from pulp and paper power boilers burning salt-laden wood waste. We found no correlation between PCDD/PCDF emissions and carbon monoxide emissions. A good correlation was, however, observed between PCDD/PCDF emissions and the concentration of stack polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in the absence of TDF addition. Thus, poor combustion conditions responsible for the formation of products of incomplete combustion (PICs), such as PAHs and PCDD/PCDF precursors, increase PCDD/PCDF emissions. PAH concentrations increased with higher boiler load and/or low oxygen concentrations at the boiler exit, probably because of lower available residence times and insufficient excess air. Our findings are consistent with the current understanding that high ash carbon content generally favours heterogeneous reactions leading to either de novo synthesis of PCDD/PCDFs or their direct formation from precursors. We also found that, in grate-fired boilers, a linear increase in the grate/lower furnace temperature produces an exponential decrease in PCDD/PCDF emissions. Although the extent of this effect appears to be mill-specific, particularly at low temperatures, the results indicate that increasing the combustion temperature may decrease PCDD/PCDF emissions. It must be noted, however, that there are other variables, such as elevated ESP and stack temperatures, a high hog salt content, the presence of large amounts of PICs and a high Cl/S ratio, which contribute to higher PCDD/PCDFs emissions. Therefore, higher combustion temperatures, by themselves, will not necessarily result in low PCDD/PCDFs emissions.