Availability of disaggregated greenhouse gas emissions from beef cattle production: A systematic review

Agriculture is a significant source of anthropogenic greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and beef cattle are particularly emissions intensive. GHG emissions are typically expressed as a carbon dioxide equivalent (CO₂e) ‘carbon footprint’ per unit output. The 100-year Global Warming Potential (GWP₁₀₀) is the most commonly used CO₂e metric, but others have also been proposed, and there is no universal reason to prefer GWP₁₀₀ over alternative metrics. The weightings assigned to non-CO₂ GHGs can differ significantly depending on the metric used, and relying upon a single metric can obscure important differences in the climate impacts of different GHGs. This loss of detail is especially relevant to beef production systems, as the majority of GHG emissions (as conventionally reported) are in the form of methane (CH₄) and nitrous oxide (N₂O), rather than CO₂. This paper presents a systematic literature review of harmonised cradle to farm-gate beef carbon footprints from bottom-up studies on individual or representative systems, collecting the emissions data for each separate GHG, rather than a single CO₂e value. Disaggregated GHG emissions could not be obtained for the majority of studies, highlighting the loss of information resulting from the standard reporting of total GWP₁₀₀ CO₂e alone. Where individual GHG compositions were available, significant variation was found for all gases. A comparison of grass fed and non-grass fed beef production systems was used to illustrate dynamics that are not sufficiently captured through a single CO₂e footprint. Few clear trends emerged between the two dietary groups, but there was a non-significant indication that under GWP₁₀₀ non-grass fed systems generally appear more emissions efficient, but under an alternative metric, the 100-year global temperature potential (GTP₁₀₀), grass-fed beef had lower footprints. Despite recent focus on agricultural emissions, this review concludes there are insufficient data available to fully address important questions regarding the climate impacts of agricultural production, and calls for researchers to include separate GHG emissions in addition to aggregated CO₂e footprints.     

Impacts of ocean CO2 disposal on marine life: II. Probabilistic plume exposure model used with a time‐varying dose‐response analysis

A method to evaluate aquatic mortality given a pollutant distribution is presented and applied to several sample low pH plumes representing various ocean CO₂ disposal schemes. The method is an improvement over current analysis because it integrates the mortality due to timevarying exposure to low pH with the probabilistic experiences of passive organisms subject to turbulent lateral diffusion as they pass through the plume. For the examples presented, the plume was discretized laterally into lanes and longitudinally by time steps, and a random walk model accounting for the scaledependent nature of relative diffusion was used to simulate the organism pathways over one time step. From these simulations, the probability that an organism will be in a given lane, , one time step after it starts from an initial lane, , was determined for all combinations of and . These probabilities were used to find the number of organisms following each of the possible pathways, and the mortality to the organisms due to their time varying exposure to low pH was determined by using the toxicity model described in part I of this paper. The integrated method allows the impact of the plume to be described in terms of total organism mortality as well as spatial deficit of organisms.     

Emission and Performance Characteristics of a 2 Litre Toyota Diesel Van Operating on Esterified Waste Cooking Oil and Mineral Diesel Fuel

Exhaust emission and performance characteristics were evaluated in a Toyota van, powered by a 21 indirect injection (IDI) naturally aspirated diesel engine, operating on vegetable based waste cooking oil methyl ester (WCOME).Tests were performed on a chassis dynamometer and the data were compared with previous results conducted on the same vehicle using mineral diesel fuel. The data obtained includes smoke opacity, carbon monoxide (CO), carbon dioxide (CO₂), oxygen (O₂), nitrogen dioxide (NO₂), nitric oxide (NO), sulfur dioxide (SO₂) and brake power. Engine lubricating oil samples were also taken. Results from this study indicated a difference of approximately 9% in brake power between the two fuels. WCOME developed a significant lower smoke opacity level and reduced CO, CO₂, SO₂ emissions. However, O₂, NO₂ and NO levels were higher with the vegetable oil based fuel. Power values were comparable for both fuels. Lubricating oil analysis gave little change of viscosity and wear metal concentrations after 2887km were: Silicon 35ppm, Chromium 3.3ppm, Iron 33.8ppm, Copper 14.1ppm and lead 78.6ppm.     

CO2 Capture and Storage with Leakage in an Energy-Climate Model

Geological CO₂ capture and storage (CCS) is among the main near-term contenders for addressing the problem of global climate change. Even in a baseline scenario, with no comprehensive international climate policy, a moderate level of CCS technology is expected to be deployed, given the economic benefits associated with enhanced oil and gas recovery. With stringent climate change control, CCS technologies will probably be installed on an industrial scale. Geologically stored CO₂, however, may leak back to the atmosphere, which could render CCS ineffective as climate change reduction option. This article presents a long-term energy scenario study for Europe, in which we assess the significance for climate policy making of leakage of CO₂ artificially stored in underground geological formations. A detailed sensitivity analysis is performed for the CO₂ leakage rate with the bottom-up energy systems model MARKAL, enriched for this purpose with a large set of CO₂ capture technologies (in the power sector, industry, and for the production of hydrogen) and storage options (among which enhanced oil and gas recovery, enhanced coal bed methane recovery, depleted fossil fuel fields, and aquifers). Through a series of model runs, we confirm that a leakage rate of 0.1%/year seems acceptable for CCS to constitute a meaningful climate change mitigation option, whereas one of 1%/year is not. CCS is essentially no option to achieve CO₂ emission reductions when the leakage rate is as high as 1%/year, so more reductions need to be achieved through the use of renewables or nuclear power, or in sectors like industry and transport. We calculate that under strict climate control policy, the cumulative captured and geologically stored CO₂ by 2100 in the electricity sector, when the leakage rate is 0.1%/year, amounts to about 45,000 MtCO₂. Only a little over 10,000 MtCO₂ cumulative power-generation-related emissions are captured and stored underground by the end of the century when the leakage rate is 1%/year. Overall marginal CO₂ abatement costs increase from a few €/tCO₂ today to well over 150 €/tCO₂ in 2100, under an atmospheric CO₂ concentration constraint of 550 ppmv. Carbon costs in 2100 turn out to be about 40 €/tCO₂ higher when the annual leakage rate is 1%/year in comparison to when there is no CO₂ leakage. Irrespective of whether CCS deployment is affected by gradual CO₂ seepage, the annual welfare loss in Europe induced by the implementation of policies preventing “dangerous anthropogenic interference with the climate system” (under our assumption, implying a climate stabilisation target of 550 ppmv CO₂ concentration) remains below 0.5% of GDP during the entire century.

Greenhouse gas emissions from vegetation fires in Southern Africa

Methane (CH₄), carbon monoxide (CO), nitrogen oxides (NO_x), volatile organic carbon, and aerosols emitted as a result of the deliberate or accidental burning of natural vegetation constitute a large component of the greenhouse gas emissions of many African countries, but the data needed for calculating these emissions by the IPCC methodology is sparse and subject to estimation errors. An improved procedure for estimating emissions from fires in southern Africa has been developed. The proposed procedure involves reclassifying existing vegetation maps into one of eleven broad, functional vegetation classes. Fuel loads are calculated within each 0.5 × 0.5° cell based on empirical relationships to climate data for each class. The fractional area of each class that burns is estimated by using daily low-resolution satellite fire detection, which is calibrated against a subsample of pre- and post-fire high-resolution satellite images. The emission factors that relate the quantity of gas released to the mass of fuel burned are based on recent field campaigns in Africa and are related to combustion efficiency, which is in turn related to the fuel mix. The emissions are summed over the 1989 fire season for Africa south of the equator. The estimated emissions from vegetation burning in the subcontinent are 0.5 Tg CH₄, 14.9 Tg CO, 1.05 Tg NO_x, and 1.08 Tg of particles smaller than 2.5µm. The 324 Tg CO₂ emitted is expected to be reabsorbed in subsequent years. These estimates are smaller than previous estimates.     

Biofuel use assessments in Africa: Implications for greenhouse gas emissions and mitigation strategies

The energy balances of most African countries suggest that biofuels (woodfuel, crop and wood residues, and dung) constitute the largest share of total energy consumption (up to 97% in some sub-Saharan Africa countries). There is, however, an increasing scarcity of woodfuel (fuelwood and charcoal), the major biofuel, and a feared increase in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions associated with biofuel combustion. The extent of GHG emissions is estimated from biofuel consumption levels that are in turn based on methodologies that might be inaccurate. A questionnaire, supplemented by informal interviews, are used to collect data, yielding information regarding end-uses, technologies used, scale of consumption, determinants of fuel consumption, and interfuel substitution (among other parameters). The survey revealed that cooking is the major end-use, with other common uses, such as space and water heating. Improved stoves that provide better combustion efficiency and, thus, reduce woodfuel consumption have not been widely disseminated and are associated with higher methane emissions than open fires. More than 90% of the households in Africa use open fires. Consumption is presented as per capita for households and as products and quantity of fuel in the small scale industries, commercial, and public sectors. Among the determinants for biofuel consumption are affordability, availability of the fuel, and interfuel substitutions. Flaws in estimating biofuel consumption yield large uncertainties in GHG emissions, with implications for the development of policies on energy planning and environmental protection. However, the application of scenarios can guide policy formulation.     

Indoor exposure to respirable particulate matter and particulate-phase PAHs in rural homes in North India

In order to evaluate the exposure of the northern India rural population to polyaromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) inhalation, indoor pollution was assessed by collecting and analyzing the respirable particulate matter PM_2.5 and PM₁₀ in several homes of the village Bhithauli near Lucknow, UP. The home selection was determined by a survey. Given the nature of biomass used for cooking, homes were divided into two groups, one using all kinds of biomass and the second type using plant materials only. Indoor mean concentrations of PM_2.5 and associated PAHs during cooking ranged from 1.19 ± 0.29 to 2.38 ± 0.35 and 6.21 ± 1.54 to 12.43 ± 1.15 μg/m³, respectively. Similarly, PM₁₀ and total PAHs were in the range of 3.95 ± 1.21 to 8.81 ± 0.78 and 7.75 ± 1.42 to 15.77 ± 1.05 μg/m³, respectively. The pollutant levels during cooking were significantly higher compared to the noncooking period. The study confirmed that indoor pollution depends on the kind of biomass fuel used for cooking.     

大气14CO2的加速器质谱分析技术研究进展

利用加速器质谱技术测定大气¹⁴CO₂以示踪大气化石源CO₂成为当前减污降碳工作的热点。该文从加速器质谱¹⁴C分析基础出发,系统介绍了加速器质谱的工作原理、大气样品的采集及纯化、石墨化样品的制备和测定,阐述了大气碳监测领域14 CO₂测试的研究进展。随着加速器质谱技术的不断发展,大气¹⁴CO₂的研究将会更加广泛和深入,有助于进一步认识大气化石源CO₂的来源,更有针对性地开展减污降碳工作。未来应统一制定¹⁴CO₂监测方法标准,规范操作流程和质控手段,完善实验仪器配套设施,加快提升监测能力和水平。     

Mesoscale ecohydrological modelling to analyse regional effects of climate change

Hydrological processes and crop growth were simulated for the state of Brandenburg (Germany) using the hydrological/vegetation/water quality model SWIM, which can be applied for mesoscale river basins or regions. Hydrological validation was carried out for three mesoscale river basins in the area. The crop growth module was validated regionally for winter wheat, winter barley and maize. After that the analysis of climate change impacts on hydrology and crop growth was performed, using a transient 1.5 K scenario of climate change for Brandenburg and restricting the crop spectrum to the three above mentioned crops. According to the scenario, precipitation is expected to increase. The impact study was done comparing simulation results for two scenario periods 2022–2030 and 2042–2050 with those for a reference period 1981–1992. The atmospheric CO₂ concentrations for the reference period and two scenario periods were set to 346, 406 and 436 ppm, respectively. Two different methods – an empirical one and a semi-mechanistic one – were used for adjustment of net photosynthesis to altered CO₂. With warming, the model simulates an increase of evapotranspiration (+9.5%, +15.4%) and runoff (+7.0%, +17.2%). The crop yield was only slightly altered under the climate change only scenario (no CO₂ fertilization effect) for barley and maize, and it was reduced for wheat (–6.2%, –10.3%). The impact of higher atmospheric CO₂ compensated for climate-related wheat yield losses, and resulted in an increased yield both for barley and maize compared to the reference scenario. The simulated combined effect of climate change and elevated CO₂ on crop yield was about 7% higher for the C₃ crops when the CO₂ and temperature interaction was ignored. The assumption that stomatal control of transpiration is taking place at the regional scale led to further increase in crop yield, which was larger for maize than for wheat and barley. The regional water balance was practically not affected by the partial stimulation of net photosynthesis due to higher CO₂, while the introduction of stomatal control of regional transpiration reduced evapotranspiration and enlarged notably runoff and ground water recharge.     

Mega-Development Trends in the Amazon: Implications for Global Change

This paper describes four global-change phenomena that are having major impacts on Amazonian forests. The first is accelerating deforestation and logging. Despite recent government initiatives to slow forest loss, deforestation rates in Brazilian Amazonia have increased from 1.1 million ha yr^–1 in the early 1990s, to nearly 1.5 million ha yr^–1 from 1992–1994, and to more than 1.9 million ha yr^–1 from 1995–1998. Deforestation is also occurring rapidly in some other parts of the Amazon Basin, such as in Bolivia and Ecuador, while industrialized logging is increasing dramatically in the Guianas and central Amazonia.The second phenomenon is that patterns of forest loss and fragmentation are rapidly changing. In recent decades, large-scale deforestation has mainly occurred in the southern and eastern portions of the Amazon — in the Brazilian states of Pará, Maranho, Rondônia, Acre, and Mato Grosso, and in northern Bolivia. While rates of forest loss remain very high in these areas, the development of major new highways is providing direct conduits into the heart of the Amazon. If future trends follow past patterns, land-hungry settlers and loggers may largely bisect the forests of the Amazon Basin.The third phenomenon is that climatic variability is interacting with human land uses, creating additional impacts on forest ecosystems. The 1997/98 El Niño drought, for example, led to a major increase in forest burning, with wildfires raging out of control in the northern Amazonian state of Roraima and other locations. Logging operations, which create labyrinths of roads and tracks in forsts, are increasing fuel loads, desiccation and ignition sources in forest interiors. Forest fragmentation also increases fire susceptibility by creating dry, fire-prone forest edges.Finally, recent evidence suggests that intact Amazonian forests are a globally significant carbon sink, quite possibly caused by higher forest growth rates in response to increasing atmospheric CO₂ fertilization. Evidence for a carbon sink comes from long-term forest mensuration plots, from whole-forest studies of carbon flux and from investigations of atmospheric CO₂ and oxygen isotopes. Unfortunately, intact Amazonian forests are rapidly diminishing. Hence, not only is the destruction of these forests a major source of greenhouse gases, but it is reducing their intrinsic capacity to help buffer the rapid anthropogenic rise in CO₂.     

Carbonation and CO2 uptake of concrete

This study developed a reliable procedure to assess the carbon dioxide (CO₂) uptake of concrete by carbonation during the service life of a structure and by the recycling of concrete after demolition. To generalize the amount of absorbable CO₂ per unit volume of concrete, the molar concentration of carbonatable constituents in hardened cement paste was simplified as a function of the unit content of cement, and the degree of hydration of the cement paste was formulated as a function of the water-to-cement ratio. The contribution of the relative humidity, type of finishing material for the concrete surface, and the substitution level of supplementary cementitious materials to the CO₂ diffusion coefficient in concrete was reflected using various correction factors. The following parameters varying with the recycling scenario were also considered: the carbonatable surface area of concrete crusher-runs and underground phenomena of the decreased CO₂ diffusion coefficient and increased CO₂ concentration. Based on the developed procedure, a case study was conducted for an apartment building with a principal wall system and an office building with a Rahmen system, with the aim of examining the CO₂ uptake of each structural element under different exposure environments during the service life and recycling of the building. As input data necessary for the case study, data collected from actual surveys conducted in 2012 in South Korea were used, which included data on the surrounding environments, lifecycle inventory database, life expectancy of structures, and recycling activity scenario. Ultimately, the CO₂ uptake of concrete during a 100-year lifecycle (life expectancy of 40 years and recycling span of 60 years) was estimated to be 15.5%–17% of the CO₂ emissions from concrete production, which roughly corresponds to 18%–21% of the CO₂ emissions from the production of ordinary Portland cement.     

Impacts of ocean CO2 disposal on marine life: I. A toxicological assessment integrating constant‐concentration laboratory assay data with variable‐concentration field exposure

Feasibility studies suggest that the concept of capturing CO₂ from fossil fuel power plants and discharging it to the deep ocean could help reduce atmospheric CO₂ concentrations. However, the local reduction in seawater pH near the point of injection is a potential environmental impact. Data from the literature reporting on toxicity of reduced pH to marine organisms potentially affected by such a plume were combined into a model expressing mortality as a function of pH and exposure time. Since organisms exposed to real plumes would experience a time‐varying pH, methods to account for a variable exposure were reviewed and a new method developed based on the concept of isomortality. In part II of this paper, the method is combined with a random‐walk model describing the transport of passive organisms through a low pH plume leading to a Monte‐Carlo‐like risk assessment which is applied to several candidate CO₂ injection scenarios.     

THE EFFECT OF EL NIÑO-RELATED DROUGHT ON THE RECOVERY OF ACIDIFIED LAKES

Although SO₂ emissions and deposition rates havedeclined substantially since the implementation of sulphuremission control programmes in North America [1], recovery(measured as decreases in concentrations) of affected lakes in central Ontario has been much less substantial thananticipated based on the decrease in deposition. The slowrecovery is attributed to the reoxidation and release of storedsulphur in catchments. Reduced sulphur retained in previousyears when sulphur deposition was higher is exposed to air andoxidized during severe droughts, then exported duringsubsequent wet periods. Elevated stream concentrations and export rates occur in the autumns of yearswith prolonged severe droughts, particularly in catchments withextensive wetlands. Drought in our study catchments occurred inyears following strong El Niño events. When the SouthernOscillation Index (SOI) was strongly negative (1976–77, 1982–83,1986–87, 1991–92, 1993–94) the frequency of occurrence ofdrought the following summer in small catchments with shallowoverburden was extremely high. A lakes rate of recovery fromacidification depends upon the amount of excess reduced Sthat has been stored in anoxic zones in the catchment (largely afunction of the extent of wetlands) during years of elevated Sdeposition rates, and the frequency and severity of droughts. Iflong-term changes in global or regional climate alter thefrequency or magnitude of El Niño-related droughts, therecovery of acidified lakes will be affected.     

Ground level volume mixing ratio of methane in a tropical coastal city

Urban regions are hotspots of greenhouse gas emissions which include CO₂, CH₄, N₂O, etc. Methane is a strong greenhouse gas which is produced from a number of sources including fossil fuel combustion, municipal waste, and sewage processing, etc. Ground level mixing ratio of methane in the tropical coastal city of Thiruvananthapuram in South India, during calm early morning period was measured. Measurements were done during both winter and summer seasons. Concentrations were significantly higher than global average value. Intra-city variation in ground level mixing ratio was also significant. Ground level methane concentration at Thiruvananthapuram urban area showed maximum value of 3.16 ppmV. Under stable atmospheric conditions in early morning, ground level mixing ratio of methane was 2.79 ppmV in winter and 2.54 ppmV during summer. The spatial distribution of methane concentration shows correlation with urban heat island.     

Fuel characteristics and emissions from biomass burning and land-use change in Nigeria

Nigeria is one of the 13 low-latitude countries that have significant biomass burning activities. Biomass burning occurs in moist savanna, dry forests, and forest plantations. Fires in the forest zone are associated with slash-and-burn agriculture; the areal extent of burning is estimated to be 80% of the natural savanna. In forest plantations, close to 100% of litter is burned. Current estimates of emissions from land-use change are based on a 1976 national study and extrapolations from it. The following non-carbon dioxide (CO₂) trace gas emissions were calculated from savanna burning: methane (CH₄), 145 gigagrams (Gg); carbon monoxide (CO), 3831 Gg; nitrous oxide (N₂O), 2 Gg; and nitrogen oxides (NO_x), 49 Gg. Deforestation rates in forests and woodlands are 300 × 10³ ha (kilohectare, or kha) and 200 × kha per year, respectively. Trace gas emissions from deforestation were estimated to be 300 Gg CH₄, 2.4 Gg N₂O, and 24 Gg NO_x. CO₂ emissions from burning, decay of biomass, and long-term emissions from soil totaled 125 561 Gg. These estimates should be viewed as preliminary, because greenhouse gas emission inventories from burning, deforestation, and land-use change require two components: fuel load and emission factors. Fuel load is dependent on the areal extent of various land uses, and the biomass stocking and some of these data in Nigeria are highly uncertain.     

Development of environmental impact monitoring protocol for offshore carbon capture and storage (CCS): A biological perspective

Offshore geologic storage of carbon dioxide (CO₂), known as offshore carbon capture and sequestration (CCS), has been under active investigation as a safe, effective mitigation option for reducing CO₂ levels from anthropogenic fossil fuel burning and climate change. Along with increasing trends in implementation plans and related logistics on offshore CCS, thorough risk assessment (i.e. environmental impact monitoring) needs to be conducted to evaluate potential risks, such as CO₂ gas leakage at injection sites. Gas leaks from offshore CCS may affect the physiology of marine organisms and disrupt certain ecosystem functions, thereby posing an environmental risk. Here, we synthesize current knowledge on environmental impact monitoring of offshore CCS with an emphasis on biological aspects and provide suggestions for better practice. Based on our critical review of preexisting literatures, this paper: 1) discusses key variables sensitive to or indicative of gas leakage by summarizing physico-chemical and ecological variables measured from previous monitoring cruises on offshore CCS; 2) lists ecosystem and organism responses to a similar environmental condition to CO₂ leakage and associated impacts, such as ocean acidification and hypercapnia, to predict how they serve as responsive indicators of short- and long-term gas exposure, and 3) discusses the designs of the artificial gas release experiments in fields and the best model simulation to produce realistic leakage scenarios in marine ecosystems. Based on our analysis, we suggest that proper incorporation of biological aspects will provide successful and robust long-term monitoring strategies with earlier detection of gas leakage, thus reducing the risks associated with offshore CCS.     

Design,Modelling and Assessment of Emission Scenarios Resulting from a Network of Wood Biomass Boilers

The use of wood biomass as a fuel for domestic and industrial heating systems allows for a reduction of CO₂ emissions at a global scale, but it may also result in worse local air quality conditions, due to their emissions of particulate matter. The aim of this study is to assess the actual trend of atmospheric pollution in a study area, assuming that all heating systems are replaced by small size biomass boilers linked to the buildings through district heating network. Ground level concentrations of particulate matter, emitted by different heating systems, are therefore evaluated through numerical simulations performed by means of an atmospheric dispersion model (Sirane). As a first step, we have compared the environmental impact of a woodchip boilers network with that given by the use of traditional heating systems, i.e. wood stoves and natural gas boilers. As a second step, we have analysed the impact of such a network taking into account different emission scenarios, related to different boilers operating conditions. Results show that the environmental performances of a woodchip boilers network can be optimized by combining it with other renewable sources of energy devoted to the supply of hot water. The adopted analysis methodology can be applied to other real or hypothetic punctual sources on the territory.     

Estimation of green house gas emissions from Koteshwar hydropower reservoir,India

The emissions of greenhouse gas (GHG) from soils are of significant importance for global warming. The biological and physico-chemical characteristics of soil affect the GHG emissions from soils of different land use types. Methane (CH₄), nitrous oxide (N₂O), and carbon dioxide (CO₂) production rates from six forest and agricultural soil types in the Koteshwar hydropower reservoir catchments located in the Uttarakhand, India, were estimated and their relations with physico-chemical characteristics of soils were examined. The samples of different land use types were flooded and incubated under anaerobic condition at 30 °C for 60 days. The cumulative GHG production rates in reservoir catchment are found as 1.52 ± 0.26, 0.13 ± 0.02, and 0.0004 ± 0.0001 μg g soil^?1 day^?1 for CO₂, CH₄, and N₂O, respectively, which is lower than global reservoirs located in the same eco-region. The significant positive correlation between CO₂ productions and labile organic carbon (LOC), CH₄ and C/N ratio, while N₂O and N/P ratio, while pH of soils is negatively correlated, conforms their key role in GHG emissions. Carbon available as LOC in the reservoir catchment is found as 3–14% of the total ?C” available in soils and 0–23% is retained in the soil after the completion of incubation. The key objective of this study to signify the C, N, and P ratios, LOC, and pH with GHG production rate by creating an incubation experiment (as in the case of benthic soil/sediment) in the lab for 60 days. In summary, the results suggest that carbon, as LOC were more sensitive indicators for CO₂ emissions and significant C, N, and P ratios, affects the GHG emissions. This study is useful for the hydropower industry to know the GHG production rates after the construction of reservoir so that its effect could be minimized by taking care of catchment area treatment plan.     

Heavy Metal Content in Xylem Sap (Vitis Vinifera) from Mining and Smelting Areas

No data are available on the content of heavy metals in the xylem sap of grapevines growing in contaminated areas. The aim of this work was to obtain data on the concentration of Pb, Zn, Cd and Cu in the xylem sap of grapevine (Vitis vinifera) cultivar Monica (ungrafted), growing near contaminated sites: a smelter, an abandoned and an active mine, and to investigate relationships between xylem sap mineral composition and the heavy metal content of the soil. The concentrations of Pb, Zn, Cd and Cu in the sap were enhanced compared to that of the soil, ranging from 4.3 to 611.4 µg Pb , 801 to 6176 µg Zn , 2.5 to 45 µg Cd and 19.8 to 161 µg Cu . Dry matter of xylem sap was significantly related to the heavy metals content in xylem saps, but no significant relationship between the metals in sap and total and DTPA/TEA extractable metal fraction in soil was found.