Preliminary assessment of surface soil lead concentrations in Melbourne,Australia

Urban soils in many cities have been found to be contaminated with lead from past usage of leaded petrol, deteriorating lead-based exterior paints and industrial sources. Currently, the spatial distribution of soil lead concentrations in the Melbourne metropolitan area is unknown. The objective of this study was to perform a preliminary assessment of the spatial distributions of the surface soil lead (Pb) concentrations in the Melbourne metropolitan area, Australia. Fifty-eight surface soil samples were collected at a depth of 0–2 cm along three linear transects oriented across the Melbourne metropolitan area. Surface soil samples were also collected at a higher density in five Melbourne suburbs. Soil cores (0–50 cm) were collected in four locations, soil transects were collected at intervals with distance away from the roadway (0–50 m) in two inner city parks, and one control soil sample was collected in a rural setting. The median soil Pb concentration of the soil transect samples was 173 mg/kg (range 32–710 mg/kg), and the median soil Pb concentration of the five suburbs was 69 mg/kg (range 9–1750 mg/kg). The suburb of Footscray had the highest soil Pb concentration with a median soil Pb concentration of 192 mg/kg (range 40–1750 mg/kg). Soil Pb concentrations were generally higher nearest the centre of the Melbourne metropolitan area and in the west of Melbourne and lower in the outer suburbs to the east and north of the city centre. Soil Pb concentrations decreased with distance from roadways in the two transects taken from urban parks, and soil lead decreased with depth in the four soil cores. The soil Pb concentrations in the Melbourne metropolitan area appear to be lower than soil lead concentrations observed in inner city areas of Sydney New South Wales (NSW) and Newcastle NSW. The spatial extent of the soil Pb hazard remains undefined in portions of the Melbourne metropolitan area.     

华南红壤坡面侵蚀水动力学机制试验研究

华南红壤区是我国发生潜在水土流失危害的重点区域之一,红壤坡地的水土流失现象较为严重。华南红壤地区气候温暖,雨量丰沛,降雨特点通常表现为强度大、历时长,暴雨或大暴雨事件频发,因此暴雨驱动因子影响作用更为显著,研究探讨华南红壤坡面侵蚀过程及动力特征有着重要的现实意义。通过室内35场不同雨强（30、60、90、120、180、210、270 mm·h-1）、不同坡度（5°、10°、15°、20°、25°）的人工模拟降雨试验,研究了华南红壤侵蚀的水动力学机制。主要取得以下研究结果：（1）红壤坡面侵蚀水流的流态大部分均处于＂层流—缓流区＂,除平均流速随着模拟雨强的增加而增加外,其他水动力参数（坡面侵蚀水流的阻力、曼宁糙率、径流剪切力、以及水流功）均会受到雨强和坡度改变的影响,但是不呈现特定的函数关系,规律不明显;（2）从水动力学角度解析了红壤坡面水蚀过程,得出了相对水深和曼宁糙率系数两种水动力因子共同组成的复合水动力特征参数,可作为表征不同雨强及坡度下的坡面水蚀侵蚀产沙的特征水动力参数指标。     

Long-term assessment of the environmental fate of heavy metals in agricultural soil after cessation of organic waste treatments

The current study examined the anthropogenic accumulation and natural decrease in metal concentrations in agricultural soils following organic waste application. Three common organic wastes, including municipal sewage sludge, alcohol fermentation processing sludge, and pig manure compost (PMC), were applied annually to an agricultural soil under field conditions over 7 years (1994–2000) at a rate of 12.5, 25, and 50 ton ha^?1 year^?1 and the soil accumulation of three metals of concern (Cu, Pb, and Zn) was monitored. Subsequently, organic waste amendments ceased and the experimental plots were managed using conventional fertilization for another 10 years (2001–2010) and the natural decrease in metal concentrations monitored. Although Cu and Zn concentrations in all experimental plots did not exceed the relevant guideline values (150 mg kg^?1 for Cu and 300 mg kg^?1 for Zn), significant increases in metal concentrations were observed from cumulative application of organic wastes over 7 years. For instance, PMC treatment resulted in an increase in Cu and Zn from 9.8 and 72 mg kg^?1 to 108.2 and 214.3 mg kg^?1, respectively. In addition, the natural decrease in Cu and Zn was not significant as soils amended with PMC showed only a 16 and 19 % decline in Cu and Zn concentrations, respectively, even 10 years after amendment ceased. This research suggested that more attention must be paid during production of organic waste-based amendments and at the application stage.     

Growth of the staghorn coral Acropora formosa at Houtman Abrolhos, Western Australia

The growth (extension rate, number of radial branches, skeletal mass, branch diameter) of the␣staghorn coral Acropora formosa (Dana, 1846) was examined at four sites on the Beacon Island platform at Houtman Abrolhos, in subtropical Western Australia (28°S). Sites were at depths of 7 to 11 m, with variable exposure to weather and swell conditions. Two sites on the western reef slope were partly exposed to the oceanic swell, and two sites in the lagoon were largely protected from wave action. Linear extension rate between 1994 and 1995 varied significantly between sites, with greater linear extension at the more protected lagoonal sites. However, accumulation of skeletal mass per branch and number of newly initiated radial branches did not vary significantly between the sites. Carbonate was deposited in similar amounts, but either as porous, rapidly extending branches, or as denser branches which extended more slowly. Branch extension rate over 11.5 mo ranged from a mean of 50.3 mm (range=13 to 93 mm) at a reef slope site to a mean of 76.0 mm (range=31 to 115 mm) at a sheltered lagoonal site. Mean extension rates were almost twice that previously reported for this species in Houtman Abrolhos (37 to 43 mm yr⁻¹) from a shallower site where environmental conditions were apparently sub-optimal. Growth was within the range reported for A. formosa from tropical sites, which is consistent with the relatively high calcification and reef-accretion rates recorded for Houtman Abrolhos in geological and metabolic studies. The role of reduced coral growth-rate in limiting coral reef formation at high latitudes remains equivocal. Received: 19 November 1997 / Accepted: 5 May 1998     

Native legume establishment on acidic coal mining overburden at Collie,Western Australia

Nitrogen is often provided to impoverished overburden dumps through the establishment of legumes. Low indigenous soil nutrient levels, summer drought conditions and an acidic mining overburden represent major obstacles to successful rehabilitation of open-cut coal mining at Collie in southwest Western Australia. In this study,Acacia pulchella, a native Western Australian species often used in rehabilitation of mined lands, was shown to nodulate and grow in coal mining overburden with pH values less than 4.0 under glasshouse conditions. Plant growth (both top and root dry weight), nodule fresh weight, and nodulation success was best at a pH near 5.0, a value only slightly lower than the typical soil pH of the native jarrah (Eucalyptus marginata) forest. Acetylene reduction rates were reduced by acidity and ranged from 8.2 m C₂H₄g^–1hr^–1 at pH 6.77 to 3.0 m C₂H₄g^–1hr^–1 at a pH of 3.98. Four additional plant species were found to occur and to nodulate on acid overburden material at Collie.     

Movements of whale sharks (Rhincodon typus) tagged at Ningaloo Reef, Western Australia

Whale sharks (Rhincodon typus Smith) aggregate seasonally (March–June) to feed in coastal waters off Ningaloo Reef, Western Australia. Pop-up archival tags were attached to 19 individuals (total lengths 4.5–11.0 m) at this location in early May of 2003 and 2004 to examine their horizontal and vertical movements. The long-term movement patterns of six whale sharks were documented, all of which travelled northeast into the Indian Ocean after departing Ningaloo Reef. They used both inshore and offshore habitats and made extensive vertical movements, occasionally to a depth of at least 980 m. Frequent up-and-down movements, diel vertical migration, and crepuscular descents were evident in the depth records. The sharks experienced ambient temperatures ranging between 4.2 and 28.7°C and encountered gradients of up to 20.8°C on dives.     

Non-random mating and population genetic subdivision of two broadcasting corals at Ningaloo Reef,Western Australia

Allozyme electrophoresis of two corals was used to assess whether populations at Ningaloo Reef, Western Australia are primarily self-seeding or whether recruitment is from a broader geographic pool. Significant genetic subdivision across a range of spatial scales (between 6.5 km and 155 km) was found for both Acropora digitifera and A. aspera, with mean F _ST values of 0.010 and 0.067 respectively. Large departures from Hardy-Weinberg expectations were found for both species. Without exception these were due to deficits of heterozygotes; mean D values were –0.341 for A. digitifera and –0.455 for A. aspera. The magnitude of the deficits was consistent both across loci for all sites and across all sites for each locus. Some loci were found to be in linkage disequilibrium but no consistent pattern was observed. Also, multi-locus genotypic diversity values were generally high (between 0.83 and 1.00) and so departures from equilibria cannot be attributed to asexual reproduction. The most plausible explanation for the patterns observed is restricted gene flow at both the planktonic and gametic stages, with mating between close relatives.Communicated by G.F. Humphrey, Sydney     

Long-term movements of tiger sharks satellite-tagged in Shark Bay,Western Australia

Tiger sharks are important predators in the seagrass ecosystem of Shark Bay, Australia. Although sharks appear to return to a long-term study site within the Eastern Gulf periodically, the extent of their long-term movements is not known. Five sharks fitted with satellite transmitters showed variable movement patterns. Three sharks remained within the Shark Bay region and another made a 500 km round-trip excursion to oceanic waters northwest of the bay. These four sharks showed relatively low displacement rates relative to sharks tracked over shorter time periods, suggesting that sharks move through large home ranges that include Shark Bay. Although no reliable position fixes were obtained for the fifth shark, we were able to use the timing of satellite uplinks and the position of the satellite to determine that it had moved at least 8,000 km to the coastal waters of southeast Africa in 99 days—the longest recorded movement by a tiger shark. This movement and previously documented trans-Atlantic movements suggest that tiger shark populations may mix across ocean basins and that tiger sharks are subject to anthropogenic effects at great distances from protected waters. Finally, our method for using single satellite uplinks may be useful in estimating movements for wide-ranging species that rarely provide high quality location estimates.     

Seasonality of coral reproduction in the Dampier Archipelago,northern Western Australia

Coral spawning in Western Australia (WA) occurs predominantly in the austral autumn in contrast to the Great Barrier Reef (GBR) on Australia’s east coast where most spawning occurs in spring. Recent work, however, suggests a second spawning period in northern WA with at least 16 Acropora spp spawning in spring or early summer. This discovery has initiated a re-examination of reproductive seasonality in northern WA, particularly on inshore reefs adjacent to large development projects, such as the site of this study in Mermaid Sound, in the Dampier Archipelago. Three locally abundant taxa, Porites spp, Pavona decussata and Turbinaria mesenterina were sampled monthly from September 2006 to May 2007 to determine sexuality, the mode of reproduction and the time of gamete maturity. All three taxa were gonochoric broadcast spawners. Porites spp. colonies were mature in November and December, P. decussata in March and April. In contrast, most colonies of T. mesenterina contained mature gametes for up to 5 months beginning in November, suggesting either individuals are releasing gametes on multiple occasions, or they retain mature gametes for more than 1 month. Field surveys to determine the reproductive status of the remaining coral assemblage were conducted prior to the full moon in October 2006 and March 2007. Only four species contained mature gametes in October 2006. In contrast, 55 species contained mature gametes in March 2007. We conclude that the major spawning season of corals on shallow-inshore reefs in the Dampier Archipelago is autumn, although taxa that spawn in spring and summer include Porites spp., Acropora spp. and possibly T. mesenterina that are numerically dominant at many of these sites. Consequently, management initiatives to limit the exposure of coral spawn to stressors associated with coastal development may be required in up to five months per year.     

Observations on the short-term movements and behaviour of whale sharks (Rhincodon typus) at Ningaloo Reef, Western Australia

The short-term movements and behaviour of whale sharks (Rhincodon typus Smith, 1828) during March 1994 and April 1997 are reported from data collected by acoustic tracking and archival tags at Ningaloo Reef on the north west coast of Western Australia. Sharks were tracked for up to 26 h and generally swam slowly at ≃0.7 m s⁻¹ parallel to the reef edge; occasionally they swam in a wide arc adjacent to passes in the reef. All tracked sharks made regular dives through the water column, mostly from the surface to near the bottom. These dives did not appear to be related to hydrographic features, and the sharks were probably searching the water column for food. Most sharks were accompanied by other fishes, usually the golden trevally Gnathanodon speciosus. Received: 19 January 1999 / Accepted: 22 June 1999     

农牧交错带退耕还草地土壤风蚀影响因子分析

使用对比、回归分析和主成分分析的方法，研究影响农牧交错带退耕还草地土壤风蚀的因子。结果认为，试验地区土壤在3月-5月间潜在风蚀最强，相同气候条件下，退耕还草地比农田受风力侵蚀的几率低；被试范围内随土壤体积质量、植物基盖度、留茬高度、地表粗糙度和土壤非侵蚀性团聚体含量的增加，风蚀强度均呈下降趋势；构建的2个相互对立的土壤风蚀影响因子中，对土壤风蚀的影响最大的是留茬高度因子，其次为地表粗糙度因子。     

MOE法在土壤侵蚀危险评价中的应用

影响土壤侵蚀的因索很多,有自然因素(如地形、植被、土壤、降雨等)和人为因素,这些因素中既有量化指标如坡度、降雨等自然因素,也有土地利用、土壤母质等不可量化的指标.这些因素的共同作用,使得单纯在GIS下利用叠加的方法对土壤侵蚀潜在危险进行判别带来一定的困难(如人为因素的最化问题等).多标准评价法(Multi-Criteria Evaluation,MCE)可以将难以量化的指标进行量化处理,并综合考虑多种囚素埘口标的影响,通过加权线性合并及布尔叠加的方法,在众多因素或是相互矛盾的客观实际中确定一种折中的优化方案,来对目标作出客观的评价.主要介绍了多标准评价法的概念及其方法原理,并以江西兴国县为例,介绍了该方法在土壤侵蚀评价中的实现过程.在土壤侵蚀评价因子的选用上,先取了植被指数(LAI)、土地利用、坡度、土壤母质、高程、道路、降雨及人口密度八个因子,根据实际情况确定单个因子在不同指标水平下可能造成的潜在土壤侵蚀危险等级;然后将因子组成矩阵,通过两两比较,来判断各因子的权重;把权重与相应的因子图相乘得到带权重值因子的栅格图,这些栅格图再进行统一的标准化处理,最后将标准化处理的栅格图通过叠加生成潜在侵蚀危险分布图.结果表明,兴国县大部分是微度侵蚀危险地区,呈连片分布,中、低度侵蚀危险主要分布在平原及沟谷地带,呈零星态,二者呈相互交错.微度危险、低度危险及中度危险区域分别占兴国县总面积的37.9%、29.2%及30.4%.三者之和为97.5%,高侵蚀危险及极高侵蚀危险的面积只占2.5%,且呈零星分布.这与兴国县的土壤侵蚀分布现状基本一致,多标准评价法应用在土壤侵蚀危险评价上是切实可行的.     

红壤丘陵区LAI与土壤侵蚀分布特征的关系

叶面积指数(LAI)是常用的一个用于描述植被覆盖的方面指数,土壤侵蚀的分布又与植被的覆盖状况息息相关,这就意味着LAI与土壤侵蚀有一定的相关性,目前有关这二者的相关性研究还鲜有文献报道。基于这此,本研究首先利用2000年的遥感影像(TM)解释出该年度的土壤侵蚀强度图,再利用该遥感影像通过图像的代数运算得出该地区的NDVI栅格图,通过实测该县不同典型植被条件的LAI值,得出实测的LAI与图像NDVI值之间的函数关系式,由图像的代数运算把NDVI图转换成LAI图,即实现了遥感图像的实测LAI纠正。在GIS软件的帮助下,通过将LAI栅格图与土壤侵蚀强度图的空间叠加分析,得到不同LAI条件下的土壤侵蚀分布。结果表明,LAI与土壤侵蚀的分布表现为:大致以LAI=2为分界线,当LAI<2时,土壤侵蚀并未随LAI的增加而迅速减少,LAI>2时,土壤侵蚀的分布随植被指数的增加而减少,当LAI=2左右时,土壤侵蚀的面积最大。这种情况对于轻度、中度及强度土壤侵蚀的影响是类似的,都呈类正态分布的曲线形式,但在曲线的两侧土壤侵蚀类型是有本质区别的,在曲线的左侧土壤侵蚀类型的分布是中度和强度为主,而在曲线右侧则以轻度为主。表明LAI这个指标与土壤侵蚀有很好的相关性,可以用于土壤侵蚀方面的相关研究工作。     

Elemental composition of a tusk of a dugong, Dugong dugon, from Exmouth, Western Australia

Element analysis of the annual increments in a longitudinal section from the tusk of a female dugong Dugong dugon (Müller) from Exmouth, Western Australia, was carried out by X-ray fluorescence-imaging, inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectrometry (ICP-AES) and inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). Nine elements (Ba, Ca, Fe, Li, Mg, Na, P, Sr and Zn) were present in concentrations amenable to determination by these techniques. Most elements revealed both long-term trends and shorter, year-to-year, variations. For example, sodium concentrations increased from 0.55 to 0.72% with the age of the dugong. Strontium concentrations (mean 0.17%) were closely correlated (r = 0.86) with those of barium (mean 4.5 mg kg⁻¹). Zinc concentrations increased from ∼70 to 170 mg kg⁻¹ with dugong age, but also showed shorter-term fluctuations of ∼30 mg kg⁻¹ that were correlated (r = 0.41) with mean annual Fremantle sea level (a measure of the Southern Oscillation Index and strength of the Leeuwin Current). The concentrations of the elements and correlations with year and between pairs of elements are discussed. Received: 10 January 1997 / Accepted: 21 April 1997     

Modeling carbon sequestration under zero tillage at the regional scale. I. The effect of soil erosion

Zero tillage is recognized as a potential measure to sequester carbon dioxide in soils and to reduce CO₂ emissions from arable lands. An up-scaling approach of the output of the Environmental Policy Integrated Climate (EPIC) model with the information system SLISYS-BW has been used to estimate the CO₂-mitigation potential in the state of Baden-Württemberg (SW-Germany). The state territory of 35,742 km² is subdivided into eight agro-ecological zones (AEZ), which have been further subdivided into a total of 3976 spatial response units. Annual CO₂-mitigation rates where estimated from the changes in soil organic carbon content comparing 30 years simulations under conventional and zero tillage. Special attention was given to the influence of tillage practices on the losses of organic carbon through soil erosion, and consequently on the calculation of CO₂-mitigation rates. Under conventional tillage, mean carbon losses through erosion in the AEZ were estimated to be up to 0.45 Mg C ha⁻¹ a⁻¹. The apparent CO₂-mitigation rate for the conversion from conventional to zero tillage ranges from 0.08 to 1.82 Mg C ha⁻¹ a⁻¹ in the eight AEZ, if the carbon losses through soil erosion are included in the calculations. However, the higher carbon losses under conventional tillage compared to zero tillage are composed of both, losses through enhanced CO₂ emissions, and losses through intensified soil erosion. The adjusted net CO₂-mitigation rates of zero tillage, subtracting the reduced carbon losses through soil erosion, are between 0.07 and 1.27 Mg C ha⁻¹ a⁻¹ and the estimated net mitigation rate for the entire state amounts to 285 Gg C a⁻¹. This equals to 1045 Gg CO₂-equivalents per year with the cropping patterns in the reference year 2000. The results call attention to the necessity to revise those estimation methods for CO₂-mitigation which are exclusively or predominantly based on the measurements of differential changes in total soil organic carbon without taking into account the tillage effects on carbon losses through soil erosion.     

Characterization of soil erosion and its implication to forest management

Forests have traditionally been managed to maximize timber production or economic profit, completely neglecting other forest values. Nowadays, however, forests are being managed for multiple uses. The basic requirement of multiple use forestry is to identify and quantify forest values and to determine management objectives. The priorities of management objectives, however, must be decided. In this study, a model predicting the soil loss for multi objective forest management was developed. The model was based on data from remeasurement of permanent sample plots. The data were gathered from 132 sample plots. Approximately 80% of the observations were used for model development and 20% for validation. The model was designed for even aged and uneven aged forests, as well as for forests with mixed and pure species composition. The explicatory variables in the model were mean diameter and number of trees. All parameter estimates were found highly significant (p < 0.001) in predicting soil loss. The model fit and validation tests were fairly good. The soil loss model presented in this paper was considered to have an appropriate level of reliability. It can be used in the overall multi-objective forest management planning, but, it should be limited to the conditions for which the data were gathered.     

Characterization and assessment of contaminated soil and groundwater at an organic chemical plant site in Chongqing,Southwest China

Environmental Geochemistry and Health - Contamination from organic chemical plants can cause serious pollution of soil and groundwater ecosystems. To characterize soil contamination and to evaluate...     

Leaching of copper,chromium and arsenic in a soil of south west Victoria,Australia

The movement of copper, chromium and arsenic originating from samples of the wood preservative Tanalith® through mildly acidic, sandy loam soil was investigated. Small, undisturbed soil cores (of dimensions 15 × 15 × 15 cm) were removed from the topsoil of a paddock adjacent to the Glenelg River in the Western District of Victoria, Australia. The paddock soils were thin (<30cm) greyish brown, mildly acidic, sandy loams with a moderate organic carbon content (2–5%) overlying a limestone cap. Tanalith® was applied to the surface of the cores which were then irrigated with deionised water at approximately 30 mm day^‐1. Copper concentrations in all leachate remained at background levels throughout the experiment, and this element was found to be immobilised in the top 4 cm of the soil. Up to 29% of the applied dose of chromium was detected in the leachate, with breakthrough occurring within 20 days of Tanalith® application. Up to 13% ofthe applied dose ofarsenic was detected in the leachate, although in this case breakthrough was not observed until 25 days after Tanalith® application and leachate concentrations were still rising when the experiment came to a close. Significant concentrations of arsenic and chromium were found in the top 6 cm of the soil profile.