Soil criteria to protect terrestrial wildlife and open-range livestock from metal toxicity at mining sites

Thousands of hard rock mines exist in the western USA and in other parts of the world as a result of historic and current gold, silver, lead, and mercury mining. Many of these sites in the USA are on public lands. Typical mine waste associated with these sites are tailings and waste rock dumps that may be used by wildlife and open-range livestock. This report provides wildlife screening criteria levels for metals in soil and mine waste to evaluate risk and to determine the need for site-specific risk assessment, remediation, or a change in management practices. The screening levels are calculated from toxicity reference values based on maximum tolerable levels of metals in feed, on soil and plant ingestion rates, and on soil to plant uptake factors for a variety of receptors. The metals chosen for this report are common toxic metals found at mining sites: arsenic, cadmium, copper, lead, mercury, and zinc. The resulting soil screening values are well above those developed by the US Environmental Protection Agency. The difference in values was mainly a result of using toxicity reference values that were more specific to the receptors addressed rather than the most sensitive receptor.     

The Dynamics of Justification in Policy Reform: Insights from Water Policy Debates in Ireland

Policy reform can be complex and fraught with contending arguments. Although much research has been conducted into the politics of coalition formation, less attention has been devoted to legitimating logics in policy reform. Drawing on the work of Boltanski and Thévenot, this exploratory study addresses this deficit by examining the influence of justifications deployed in policy debates. The paper analyses the role of shifting reasoning in contentious debates concerning attempts to reform water policy, including the introduction of domestic water charges in Ireland. Employing data from parliamentary deliberations, the paper traces the changing forms of justification used by those favouring and opposing the reforms. This examination suggests the importance of aligning an argument’s content with the shifting context into which it is introduced. The paper highlights the benefits of an investigative approach concerning policy justification for understanding policy reform dynamics at the intersection of politics and environmental communication.     

变温环境对典型石灰土有机碳矿化的影响

采用野外采样和室内培养试验,研究了不同土地利用类型(林地和旱地)下的石灰土表层土壤有机碳(SOC)矿化对变温环境的响应.两种供试土样分别采自贵州省普定县天龙山区域的典型林地和旱地的0~10 cm表层.在培养试验中,依据积温相同的原则,设置变温(范围:15~25℃,变温间隔12 h)和恒温(20℃)两个温度处理,培养时间为56 d.在整个培养期内,旱地石灰土变温处理的SOC累积矿化量(63.32 mg·kg-1)虽略低于恒温处理(63.96 mg·kg-1),但两者之间差异不显著,而森林石灰土变温处理的SOC累积矿化量(169.46 mg·kg-1)则显著低于恒温处理(209.52 mg·kg-1)(P<0.05),这表明不同土地利用类型的石灰土SOC矿化对变温环境的响应不同.受植被和土地利用类型的影响,森林石灰土和旱地石灰土表层的SOC含量和组成差异显著,这可能是导致其SOC矿化对变温环境响应差异的重要原因.另外,各温度处理中,土壤可溶性有机碳(DOC)含量与SOC日均矿化量之间均呈极显著正相关(P<0.01),表明制约土壤DOC生成是温度影响土壤有机碳矿化的一个重要途径.在培养过程中,土壤微生物量碳含量不能有效反映恒温和变温下的SOC矿化差异,结合矿化动力学分析可知,同恒温相比,变温虽然不能通过改变微生物数量来影响SOC矿化,但能通过改变微生物群落的总体活性来影响SOC矿化过程.     

水热变化对三峡水库消落带紫色土有机碳矿化的影响

通过野外采样和室内模拟培养试验,研究水热变化对三峡水库消落带紫色土有机碳(SOC)矿化的影响.试验共设3个培养温度(10、20和30℃)和4个水分梯度[40%田间持水量(WHC)、70%WHC、100%WHC和淹水].在66 d培养期内,SOC累积矿化量表现为100%WHC处理下的最大,但与淹水之间差异不显著(P0.05).10℃和20℃时,100%WHC和淹水下的SOC累积矿化量与70%WHC无明显差异,但要显著高于40%WHC,而30℃时100%WHC和淹水下的累积矿化量则要显著高于70%WHC和40%WHC(P0.05),这表明相较于70%WHC的水分处理,高水分(100%WHC和淹水)对SOC矿化无抑制效应甚至在高温(30℃)下有促进作用.在相同水分条件下,消落带紫色土SOC累积矿化量均随培养温度升高而增加.另外,方差分析可知,温度和水分均能显著影响消落带紫色土SOC的累积矿化量,且二者有明显交互效应(P0.05).双库一级矿化动力学模型拟合结果表明,水分和温度通过影响消落带紫色土易分解有机碳含量和难分解有机碳的矿化速率,致使各处理之间SOC累积矿化量存在差异,其中高温条件下水分影响最为突出.随着温度的升高,低水分(40%WHC)下消落带紫色土SOC矿化的温度敏感性显著下降,而在土壤含水量≥70%WHC下则无明显变化.     

Transport of fecal bacteria by boots and vehicle tires in a rural Alaskan community

People living without piped water and sewer can be at increased risk for diseases transmitted via the fecal-oral route. One rural Alaskan community that relies on hauling water into homes and sewage from homes was studied to determine the pathways of fecal contamination of drinking water and the human environment so that barriers can be established to protect health. Samples were tested for the fecal indicator, Escherichia coli, and the less specific indicator group, total coliforms. Shoes transported fecal contamination from outside to floor material inside buildings. Contamination in puddles on the road, in conjunction with contamination found on all-terrain vehicle (ATV) tires, supports vehicle traffic as a mechanism for transporting contamination from the dumpsite or other source areas to the rest of the community. The abundance of fecal bacteria transported around the community on shoes and ATV tires suggests that centralized measures for waste disposal as well as shoe removal in buildings could improve sanitation and health in the community.     

造纸废水厌氧处理产沼气发电研究

以浙江某纸业企业利用造纸废水厌氧处理所产沼气发电工程为例,研究造纸废水厌氧处理产沼气发电系统工艺运行的稳定性和经济可行性。结果表明:(1)厌氧内循环(IC)反应器运行稳定,产沼气量基本在3000m3/d左右(测定点压强约为2×105Pa),平均产气率为0.38m3/kg,基本达到产气率设计要求。(2)经处理后沼气中硫化氢质量浓度始终处于20～50mg/m3,平均固体颗粒物质量浓度约为15mg/m3,平均湿度为66%,达到发电系统的要求。(3)运行期间平均日发电量为8600kW.h,回用的蒸汽量平均约为1.1t/d。(4)整个沼气发电系统总收支为6.0万元/a,实现收支平衡且略有盈余。(5)假设以煤炭替换沼气发电,以年发电258万kW.h计算,理论上沼气发电系统每年节省煤炭928.8t,减少2118t二氧化碳排放,节能减排成效显著。     

Effects of a complex archipelago on genetic subdivision of the intertidal limpet Siphonaria kurracheensis

Allozyme variation in the intertidal limpet Siphonaria kurracheensis was examined in 11 populations from the Houtman Abrolhos Islands, Western Australia, and four from the adjacent mainland, to test if the effects of these islands on genetic subdivision should include species with high dispersal. Consistent with extensive planktonic dispersal, genetic subdivision was low, with an average standardized variance in allelic frequencies (F_ST) of 0.010 over 400 km along the mainland, and 0.009 over 70 km in the Abrolhos Islands. Nevertheless, subdivision was statistically significant at the smallest scale examined (about 10 km), showing a pattern of local heterogeneity and large-scale homogeneity, which is common in planktonic dispersers. Among the island populations, heterozygosity was positively correlated with a multivariate index of exposure. The level of heterozygosity at the most exposed island sites is equivalent to that at the (also exposed) mainland sites, whereas it is lower in the most sheltered island sites. Although this indicates that some island populations are less well connected to the major pool of larvae, the overall effect of the archipelago on genetic subdivision is no greater than occurs on the mainland coast. This is contrary to findings in previously studied species with less potential for dispersal, suggesting that the local impediments to dispersal are selective in their effects, and are unlikely to be broadly important for genetic divergence in widely dispersing species.     

Endosulfan transport: I. Integrative assessment of airborne and waterborne pathways

To reduce endosulfan (C9H6O3Cl6S; 6,7,8,9,10,10-hexachloro-1,5, 5a,6,9,9a-hexahydro-6,9-methano-2,4,3-benzodioxathiepin 3-oxide) contamination in rivers and waterways, it is important to know the relative significances of airborne transport pathways (including spray drift, vapor transport, and dust transport) and waterborne transport pathways (including overland and stream runoff). This work uses an integrated modeling approach to assess the absolute and relative contributions of these pathways to riverine endosulfan concentrations. The modeling framework involves two parts: a set of simple models for each transport pathway, and a model for the physical and chemical processes acting on endosulfan in river water. An averaging process is used to calculate the effects of transport pathways at the regional scale. The results show that spray drift, vapor transport, and runoff are all significant pathways. Dust transport is found to be insignificant. Spray drift and vapor transport both contribute low-level but nearly continuous inputs to the riverine endosulfan load during spraying season in a large cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.)-growing area, whereas runoff provides occasional but higher inputs. These findings are supported by broad agreement between model predictions and observed typical riverine endosulfan concentrations in two rivers.