Atmospheric pollution in Beijing, China, as recorded in sediments of the Kunming Lake

The fluxes of heavy metals and magnetite, a fly-ash component, from coal burning, to sediments of the Kunming Lake in Beijing have increased measurably over the last fifty years. Ages were introduced to the sediment strata through Pb-210 geochronologies. Even with a doubling of coal usage by the year 2000, the anthropogenic metal fluxes will still be less than those recorded in metropolitan Tokyo and U.S. lakes.     

信息与资源共享是开展环境科学研究的关键—美国留学见闻录

介绍了美国国家环境保护局的情况,以及民间学会在学术交流、学科交叉、信息资源共享中的作用。提出只有加强政府部门、大学和不同机构之间的信息与资源共享、跨学科专家与学者之间的交流与合作,才能使我国的环境保护事业有较大的发展。     

Bioaccumulation of toxic hydrophobic organic compounds at the primary trophic level

The prevailing hypothesis, which states that the uptake of HOCs by phytoplankton is controlled by the compound's lipophilicity (Kow) was tested. The approach taken was to determine the factors that controlled the uptake of PCBs by phytoplankton under controlled laboratory conditions, and to develop a model that would describe bioaccumulation of PCBs in phytoplankton.The results demonstrate a relationship of BAF to Kow and to phytoplankton surface properties, as well as the data presented here, support the hypothesis that the mechanism of HOC uptake is a rapid surface sorption followed by a slower transfer into lipids in the cell matrix. The work on the kinetics of uptake indicates that equilibrium is reached slowly and that the rate of uptake is of similar magnitude as phytoplankton growth under normal field conditions.Thus a critical factor that controls the bioaccumulation of HOCs reach equilibrium in phytoplankton itself.     

Coping with the environmental effects of point-source discharges

Current methods for assessing the environmental impact of point source discharges in the United States are reviewed. The emphasis of many assessments of damage from pollution is shifting from chemical or technological standards to biological standards, i.e., the protection of biological integrity in the receiving system. The importance of integrating information from chemical measurements, toxicity tests, and field surveys in impact assessment is re-emphasized. Ways in which environmental professionals can improve methods for assessing damage from pollution and its control are discussed.