Assessing the land use type and environment factors affecting groundwater nitrogen in an arid oasis in northwestern China

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Identifying the magnitude and seasonal variability of groundwater nitrogen (N) under various land use types and quantifying the contribution of their...     

Anthropogenic and natural CO2 emission sources in an arid urban environment

Recent research has shown the Phoenix, AZ metropolitan region to be characterized by a CO2 dome that peaks near the urban center. The CO2 levels, 50% greater than the surrounding non-urban areas, have been attributed to anthropogenic sources and the physical geography of the area. We quantified sources of CO2 emissions across the metropolitan region. Anthropogenic CO2 emission data were obtained from a variety of government and NGO sources. Soil CO2 efflux from the dominant land-use types was measured over the year. Humans and automobile activity produced more than 80% input of CO2 into the urban environment. Soil CO2 efflux from the natural desert ecosystems showed minimal emissions during hot and dry periods, but responded rapidly to moisture. Conversely, human maintained vegetation types (e.g. golf courses, lawns, irrigated agriculture) have greater efflux and are both temperature and soil moisture dependent. Landfills exhibited the most consistent rates, but were temperature and moisture independent. We estimate the annual CO2 released from the predominant land-use types in the Phoenix region and present a graphical portrayal of soil CO2 emissions and the total natural and anthropogenic CO2 emissions in the metropolitan region using a GIS-based approach. The results presented here do not mimic the spatial pattern shown in previous studies. Only, with sophisticated mixing models will we be able to address the total effect of urbanization on CO2 levels and the contribution to regional patterns.     

The use of air quality forecasts to assess impacts of air pollution on crops: Methodology and case study

It has been reported that ambient ozone (O₃), either alone or in concurrence with acid rain precursors, accounts for up to 90% of US crop losses resulting from exposure to all major air pollutants. Crop damage due to O₃ exposure is of particular concern as ambient O₃ concentrations remain high in many major food-producing regions. Assessing O₃ damage to crops is challenging due to the difficulties in determining the reduction in crop yield that results from exposure to surface O₃, for which monitors are limited and mostly deployed in non-rural areas. This work explores the potential benefits of using operational air quality forecast (AQF) data to estimate rural O₃ exposure. Using the results from the first nationwide AQF as a case study, we demonstrate how the O₃ data provided by AQF can be combined with concurrent crop information to assess O₃ damages to soybeans in the United States. We estimate that exposure to ambient O₃ reduces the US soybean production by 10% in 2005.     

Contribution of dust storms to PM10 levels in an urban arid environment

Quantitative information on the contribution of dust storms to atmospheric PM₁₀ (particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter ≤10 µm) levels is still lacking, especially in urban environments with close proximity to dust sources. The main objective of this study was to quantify the contribution of dust storms to PM₁₀ concentrations in a desert urban center, the city of Beer-Sheva, Negev, Israel, during the period of 2001–2012. Toward this end, a background value based on the “dust-free” season was used as a threshold value to identify potentially “dust days.” Subsequently, the net contribution of dust storms to PM₁₀ was assessed. During the study period, daily PM₁₀ concentrations ranged from 6 to over 2000 µg/m³. In each year, over 10% of the daily concentrations exceeded the calculated threshold (BV_t) of 71 µg/m³. An average daily net contribution of dust to PM₁₀ of 122 µg/m³ was calculated for the entire study period based on this background value. Furthermore, a dust storm intensity parameter (Ai) was used to analyze several storms with very high PM₁₀ contributions (hourly averages of 1000–5197 μg/m³). This analysis revealed that the strongest storms occurred mainly in the last 3 yr of the study. Finally, these findings indicate that this arid urban environment experiences high PM₁₀ levels whose origin lies in both local and regional dust events.

Implications:The findings indicate that over time, the urban arid environment experiences high PM₁₀ levels whose origin lies in local and regional dust events. It was noticed that the strongest storms have occurred mainly in the last 3 yr. It is believed that environmental changes such as global warming and desertification may lead to an increased air pollution and risk exposure to human health.     

A transgenic approach to enhance phosphorus use efficiency in crops as part of a comprehensive strategy for sustainable agriculture

Concerns about phosphorus (P) sustainability in agriculture arise not only from the potential of P scarcity but also from the known effects of agricultural P use beyond the field, i.e., eutrophication leading to dead zones in lakes, rivers and coastal oceans due to runoffs from fertilized fields. Plants possess a large number of adaptive responses to P_i (orthophosphate) limitation that provide potential raw materials to enhance P_i scavenging abilities of crop plants. Understanding and engineering these adaptive responses to increase the efficiency of crop capture of natural and fertilizer P_i in soils is one way to optimize P_i use efficiency (PUE) and, together with other approaches, help to meet the P sustainability challenge in agriculture. Research on the molecular and physiological basis of P_i uptake is facilitating the generation of plants with enhanced P_i use efficiency by genetic engineering. Here we describe work done in this direction with emphasis on the up-regulation of plant proton-translocating pyrophosphatases (H⁺-PPases).     

城市污水处理系统进水水质对曝气池微生物种群结构的影响

以芜湖市天门山污水处理厂为例,研究城市污水处理系统进水水质对曝气池活性污泥微生物种群结构的影响。采集多个曝气池活性污泥样品进行DNA提取和聚合酶链式反应(PCR)扩增,对采样期间进水主要水质指标进行测定,运用变性梯度凝胶电泳(DGGE)技术分析各活性污泥样品DNA的PCR扩增产物,采用非加权组平均(UPGMA)聚类法分析活性污泥样品的DGGE图谱,选择基于线性模型的冗余分析(RDA)对影响微生物种群结构的水质理化因子进行排序。分析结果表明,污水处理系统处理效果整体比较稳定,COD的去除率在62.3%～97.0%,NH3-N的去除率在81.6%～96.4%,TP的去除率在95.3%～99.7%,系统出水均能达到设计要求。微生物种群结构不稳定,随着进水水质的变化呈现出动态变化过程。其中,BOD5与微生物种群结构的关联度最高。由此得出,系统功能稳定的污水处理厂污泥中微生物的种群结构仍会存在一定变化。     

某电子垃圾拆解园周边农田土壤中多环芳烃的污染特征及风险评估

研究了某电子垃圾拆解园周边151个农田土壤样品中16种多环芳烃(PAHs)的污染特征和环境风险。结果表明,125个表层土壤样品中PAHs总质量浓度在149.0~2.0×104μg/kg,均值为1 805.5μg/kg,随着剖面土壤深度增加,PAHs含量总体呈递减趋势。通过来源解析,电子拆解园周围土壤中PAHs污染主要由废弃的电子电器元件的粗放燃烧和汽车尾气排放共同引起。土壤风险评估表明,7种类二噁英毒性PAHs的毒性当量(TEQPAH)在6.000×10-5~0.689pg TEQ/g,平均值为0.015pg TEQ/g;苯并(a)芘、二苯并(a,h)蒽、苯并(a)蒽、苯并(b)荧蒽、茚并(1,2,3-cd)芘致癌风险率超出百万分之一的样本比例分别为20.53%、6.62%、1.99%、2.65%、2.65%,其中采样点1、68两个点位表层土壤的苯并(b)荧蒽致癌风险率超过了万分之一。     

Ecological aspects of transformation in Poland's agriculture based on the Wielkopolska Region

Transformation in Polish agriculture initiated by political changes in the 1990s brought about essential variations in the structure of agricultural land use. The share of cereals in cropping patterns increased, while fodder plants decreased. In addition, the level of mineral fertilization was reduced. In livestock production animal stock showed a sharp fall, which led to a decreased load of organic fertilization. The changes in cropping pattern and lower fertilization rates resulted in a decrease in the organic matter level in soils, which may impair soil quality status. These phenomena were strongly manifested in the Wielkopolska Region mainly because of the prevalence of light soils in this area, from which nutrients are readily washed out to groundwaters. It was found that many of the negative aspects of these changes in the agricultural landscape can be mitigated by establishing shelterbelts. We conclude that shelterbeds are especially effective in the control of nutrient output from a watershed.     

Impact of treated urban wastewater for reuse in agriculture on crop response and soil ecotoxicity

The scarcity of freshwater resources is a serious problem in arid regions, such as Tunisia, and marginal quality water is gradually being used in agriculture. This study aims to study the impact of treated urban wastewater for reuse in agriculture on the health of soil and food crops. The key findings are that the effluents of Sfax wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) did not meet the relevant guidelines, therefore emitting a range of organic (e.g., up to 90 mg L^?1 COD and 30 mg L^?1 BOD₅) and inorganic pollutants (e.g., up to 0.5 mg L^?1 Cu and 0.1 mg L^?1 Cd) in the receiving aquatic environments. Greenhouse experiments examining the effects of wastewater reuse on food plants such as tomato, lettuce, and radish showed that the treated effluent adversely affected plant growth, photosynthesis, and antioxidant enzyme contents. However, the pollution burden and biological effects on plants were substantially reduced by using a 50 % dilution of treated sewage effluent, suggesting the potential of reusing treated effluent in agriculture so long as appropriate monitoring and control is in place.     

Ecological effects of imidacloprid on arthropod communities in and around a vegetable crop

To elucidate the ecological impacts of imidacloprid [1-(6-chloro-3-pyridylmethyl)-N-nitroimidazolidin-2-ylideneamine] on vegetable crops and their surrounding areas, arthropods on eggplant patches treated with this insecticide were monitored throughout two cultivation seasons, spring and autumn, and the results compared with those of control crops. Residues of imidacloprid in soil accounted for 4-8% of total applied, and concentrations outside the crop were always below 5 micro g/kg. Communities of the crop vegetation experienced significant density reductions, mostly of aphids, and had fewer species diversity during the first month. Those in the surrounding pasture were similarly affected though with less intensity, while non-target ground arthropods both inside and outside the crop only showed significant impacts in the two weeks after planting.     

Twentieth century droughts and agriculture: Examples from impacts on soybean production in Kentucky,USA

Drought is a significant natural hazard that slowly evolves over time. Because of its character, drought is difficult to monitor and impacts are often poorly documented. Agriculture is one of the most sensitive sectors that are prone to drought. The objective of this research is to assess the impacts of drought on soybean production and revenue in Kentucky. Soybeans are one of Kentucky’s most important commodities. In this study, impacts of 1930–1931, 1940–1942, 1952–1955, 1987–1988, 1999–2000, and 2007 droughts were considered. It was found that over the recent years, up to 56 % of the revenue from soybeans was lost due to drought. During the first half of the twentieth century, revenue loss reached up to 77 %. This research is valuable to the general public as well as planners and policy makers. Proper documentation of impacts of past droughts will help identify drought vulnerabilities and results in better risk management and mitigation.     

Slow-release nitrogen fertilizers enhance growth,yield, NUE in wheat crop and reduce nitrogen losses under an arid environment

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Higher demands of food led to higher nitrogen application to promote cropping intensification and produce more which may have negative effects on the...     

Health risks of heavy metals in contaminated soils and food crops irrigated with wastewater in Beijing, China

Consumption of food crops contaminated with heavy metals is a major food chain route for human exposure. We studied the health risks of heavy metals in contaminated food crops irrigated with wastewater. Results indicate that there is a substantial buildup of heavy metals in wastewater-irrigated soils, collected from Beijing, China. Heavy metal concentrations in plants grown in wastewater-irrigated soils were significantly higher (P相似文献   

Ranking potential impacts of priority and emerging pollutants in urban wastewater through life cycle impact assessment

Life cycle impact assessment (LCIA), a feature of the Life cycle assessment (LCA) methodology, is used in this work outside the LCA framework, as a means to quantify the potential environmental impacts on ecotoxicity and human toxicity of wastewater containing priority and emerging pollutants. In order to do this, so-called characterisation factors are obtained for 98 frequently detected pollutants, using two characterisation models, EDIP97 and USES-LCA. The applicability of this methodology is shown in a case study in which wastewater influent and effluent samples from a Spanish wastewater treatment plant located in the Mediterranean coast were analysed. Characterisation factors were applied to the average concentration of each pollutant, obtaining impact scores for different scenarios: discharging wastewater to aquatic recipient, and using it for crop irrigation. The results show that treated wastewater involves a substantially lower environmental impact when compared to the influent, and pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) are very important contributors to toxicity in this wastewater. Ciprofloxacin, fluoxetine, and nicotine constitute the main PPCPs of concern in this case study, while 2,3,7,8-TCDD, Nickel, and hexachlorobenzene are the priority pollutants with highest contribution. Nevertheless, it must be stressed that the new characterisation factors are based on very limited data, especially with regard to toxicology, and therefore they must be seen as a first screening to be improved in the future when more and higher quality data is available.     

Chemical and microbial hypotheses explaining the effect of wastewater treatment plant discharges on the nitrifying communities in freshwater sediment

Nitrification is a microbial key step of the nitrogen cycle, which performs the oxidation of ammonium to nitrate, via nitrite. In aquatic environments, it mainly takes place in the sediment or is associated with suspended particles. Wastewater treatment plant (WTP) discharges in rivers may disrupt sediment nitrification: this impact is related to nitrogen inputs (mainly NH(4)(+) and organic nitrogen) but could also depend on the nitrifying bacteria inputs which have been proved to survive downstream WTP discharge points. The aim of the present study was to assess the effect of NH(4)(+) and nitrifying bacteria inputs on the two steps of nitrification in freshwater sediments.To avoid natural sites constraints and to control the main environmental parameters, we used microcosms to simulate a river receiving different types of WTP discharges. These microcosms were composed of five glass dual-walls reactors (6 l) containing sediment and continuously filled (controlled flow) with river water and WTP effluent. Two types of effluents were tested: a non-nitrified one (high NH(4)(+) input, very few nitrifying bacteria) and a nitrified one (low NH(4)(+) input, more nitrifying bacteria), at different effluent/freshwater ratios (0/100, 20/80, 40/60 and 80/20). Changes in the ammonium- and nitrite-oxidizing communities were assessed by the Most Probable Number method, and changes in potential ammonium-oxidizing activity and potential nitrite-oxidizing activity were determined by incubations with specific inhibitors (sodium chlorate and allylthiourea).In most of the cases the presence of effluent induced significant changes of the nitrifying bacteria densities and potential activities in the sediment. This effect indicates generally a loss of specific potential activity and in most of the time is significant for a high effluent/river water ratio (40% to 80%). In our experimental conditions and in the case of a large WTP discharge, the nitrifying potential in freshwater sediments could thus be significantly modified.     

放电等离子体与饲养酵母联合处理味精废水的初步研究

对采用放电等离子体与饲养酵母联合处理味精废水进行了初步研究。结果表明，放电等离子体预处理后废水的CODcr值普遍升高，但经假丝酵母联合处理后CODCr去除率增加了38．3％，效果明显优于仅采用饲养酵母法处理的味精废水，说明放电等离子体预处理可使味精废水中的有机大分子破坏成小分子，有利于生物降解，为味精废水治理提供了一条新的途径。实验初步研究了联合处理后的CODcr去除率与预处理电压、预处理电流、预处理次数的关系，结果表明存在相应的最优值。     

酵母菌产乳化剂能力及其对含油废水降解性能的影响研究

研究了3株酵母菌（Candida lipolytica、Candida tropicalis和Candida halophila）产乳化剂能力与废水降解性能的关系。研究结果表明,3株酵母菌在含油废水中生长良好,且均可产生乳化剂。培养5 d后,菌株Candida lipolytica和Candida tropicalis的油脂去除率达到了94%以上;培养第3天时废水溶液中的乳化剂含量最高,分别为21 g/L和34 g/L;菌体细胞产乳化剂最高量出现在培养的第1天,分别为17(ng?mL-1）/100 cfu和13.5（ng?mL-1）/100 cfu;Candida halophila产乳化剂能力较弱,溶液中乳化剂量和菌体细胞产乳化剂量最高分别为12 g/L、0.45（ng?mL-1）/100 cfu,油脂去除率最大为66%。研究表明,酵母菌株产乳化剂量及乳化能力直接影响到酵母菌对废水中油脂的降解效果。3株酵母菌对废水COD去除率均达到80%以上,差异不明显,可能与不同菌株对不同种类基质的利用效率有关。     

Illicit drugs in Canadian municipal wastewater and estimates of community drug use

In this study of wastewater treatment plants in three Canadian cities, selected illicit drugs, including cocaine and its major metabolite, benzoylecgonine (BE), amphetamine, methamphetamine and ecstasy (i.e. MDMA) were detected in untreated wastewater. Cocaine was the most widely used illicit drug at a median level for the 3 cities of 15.7 doses per day per 1000 people. For the other drugs, the median doses per day per 1000 people were 1.8 for amphetamine, 4.5 for methamphetamine and 0.4 for ecstasy. Methamphetamine use was highest in the largest city and cocaine use was lowest in the smallest city. Removal of the illicit drugs by wastewater treatment was generally >50%, except in a WWTP that uses primary treatment. The community consumption estimate for ecstasy in the present study is far below published estimates of the prevalence of ecstasy use among the Canadian population, which may be due to only occasional use of ecstasy.