Ice phase as an important factor on the seasonal variation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in the Tumen River,Northeastern of China

Background, aim and scope  

The climatic characteristic is a major parameter affecting on the distribution variation of organic pollutants such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). The Tumen River is located in Northeastern of China. The winter era lasts for more than 5 months in a year, and the river water was frozen and covered by ice phase. Coal combustion is an essential heating source in the Tumen River Basin. The objective of this research is to study ice phase effect on the seasonal variation of PAHs in the Tumen River environment.     

PAH desorption from sediments with different contents of organic carbon from wastewater receiving rivers

Background and aim  

Many rivers have to receive treated or untreated wastewater as the main water sources in the world, especially in the countries facing with water shortage. For instance, the Haihe and Huaihe River Basin, which are among areas facing crises for water resources in China, receive 33,400 million tons of wastewater per year. As the sediment has large capacity for sorbing hydrophobic organic pollutants such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), it can act as a natural repository for the contaminants. This means pollutants can release into water phase again under some conditions, such as resuspension, sediment dredging, etc. The objective of this research was to study the trends of PAH release from sediments in rivers receiving much wastewater, such as Yongding New River (YD), Northsewer (NS), and Southsewer (SS) from Haihe River Basin. These rivers received most of the wastewater from Tianjin, China and merge into Bohai Bay finally.     

Carbon/nitrogen ratio as a major factor for predicting the effects of organic wastes on soil bacterial communities assessed by DNA-based molecular techniques

Background, aim, and scope  

Current Australian legislation permits the beneficial application of grease trap waste (GTW) to agricultural soil, viewing it as a beneficial source of organic matter and soil conditioner containing no/low amounts of metals or pathogenic organisms. However, little is known about the influence of GTW on soil bacterial community. A field experiment was established at Menangle in south western Sydney in Australia to quantitatively assess the impacts of different types (GTW CO and GTW CL) and amounts of GTW application on the soil bacterial community and diversity. Furthermore, a municipal solid waste (MSW) compost was simultaneously examined to compare against the other organic wastes. Knowledge about the shifts in microbial community structure and diversity following the applications of organic wastes could help to evaluate the ecological consequences on the soil and thus to develop sound regulatory guidelines for the beneficial reuse of organic wastes in agricultural lands.     

Pt and Pd in sediments from the Pearl River Estuary,South China: background levels,distribution, and source

Purpose  

This study assessed the concentrations of platinum (Pt) and palladium (Pd) in surface sediments and sedimentary cores collected from the Pearl River Estuary with a view of evaluating the distribution, background levels, possible sources, and contamination level of anthropogenic Pt and Pd.     

Distribution of mono- through hexa-chlorobenzenes in floodplain soils and sediments of the Tittabawassee and Saginaw Rivers,Michigan

Introduction  

Chlorobenzenes are used as solvents or as feedstocks in the production of pesticide formulations, dyes, room deodorizers, moth-proofing agents, and de-inking solvents. Chlorobenzenes were produced by the Dow Chemical Company in Midland, Michigan, for several decades. In this study, concentrations of 12 chlorobenzene (CBz) congeners, from mono- to hexachlorobenzenes, were measured in more than 150 floodplain soil (FPS), surface sediment, and sediment core (SC) samples collected during 2002–2004 from the Pine River, Tittabawassee River, Shiawassee River, Saginaw River, and Saginaw Bay, Michigan.     

Distribution and sources of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in sediment from the upper reach of Huaihe River,East China

Introduction  

To assess the status of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) contamination in sediments from the upper reach of Huaihe River, East China, 16 surface sediment samples were collected in March 2007 and analyzed for 16 USEPA priority PAHs.     

Effect of oxic/anoxic switches on bacterial communities and PAH biodegradation in an oil-contaminated sludge

Purpose  

We studied the effect of alternations of aeration on both the autochthonous bacterial communities from an oily sludge to the endogenous polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) biodegradation compared to a permanent oxic condition.     

Assessing the effects of tertiary treated wastewater reuse on the presence emerging contaminants in a Mediterranean river (Llobregat,NE Spain)

Purpose  

The Llobregat River, which is characterized by important fluctuations of the flow rates, receives treated waters from WWTPs. During the years 2007 and 2008, the Llobregat River basin suffered from a severe drought which affected the supply of drinking water facilities (DWF) that rely on the exploitation of the river water. The Catalan Water Agency implemented a water reuse experiment with the objective of maintaining the river flow rate at sufficiently high level so as to ensure the supply of raw water to Barcelona’s major DWF.     

Polybrominated diphenyl ethers in background surface soils from the Yangtze River Delta (YRD), China: occurrence,sources, and inventory

Purposes  

Very few data for polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) were available in the Yangtze River Delta (YRD), one of the most developed and urbanized region in China. In this study, Chongming Island, located at the estuary of the Yangtze River, was selected as background area to investigate the occurrence, sources, and inventory of PBDEs.     

Aliphatic hydrocarbons, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, polychlorinated biphenyls, organochlorine, and organophosphorous pesticides in surface sediments from the Arc river and the Berre lagoon, France

Introduction  

The Arc River and Berre lagoon are one of important river basin hydrosystem in the South of France that receives industrial and municipal wastewaters from the adjacent area.     

Mercury human exposure through fish consumption in a reservoir contaminated by a chlor-alkali plant: Babeni reservoir (Romania)

Purpose  

Chlor-alkali plants are one of the most important point sources of mercury to aquatic environment. The problem of Hg contamination has been studied in a region, Rm Valcea (Romania), impacted by the wastewater discharge of a chlor-alkali plant. The purpose of the present study is to evaluate the current status of mercury pollution in the Babeni reservoir (Olt River) and the exposure of local population via fish consumption to mercury originating from the chlor-alkali plant.     

Analytical improvements of hybrid LC-MS/MS techniques for the efficient evaluation of emerging contaminants in river waters: a case study of the Henares River (Madrid, Spain)

Purpose  

Instrumental capabilities and software tools of modern hybrid mass spectrometry (MS) instruments such as high-resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS), quadrupole time-of-flight (QTOF), and quadrupole linear ion trap (QLIT) were experimentally investigated for the study of emerging contaminants in Henares River water samples.     

A concurrent neuro-fuzzy inference system for screening the ecological risk in rivers

Purpose  

A conceptual model to assess water quality in river basins was developed here. The model was based on ecological risk assessment principles, and incorporated a novel ranking and scoring system, based on self-organizing maps, to account for the likely ecological hazards posed by the presence of chemical substances in freshwater. This approach was used to study the chemical pollution in the Ebro River basin (Spain), whose currently applied environmental indices must be revised in terms of scientific accuracy.     

Spatial distribution and speciation of mercury and methyl mercury in the surface water of East River (Dongjiang) tributary of Pearl River Delta, South China

Purpose  

The distribution and speciation of mercury in surface water of East River, Guangdong province, China were investigated.     

The International Association for Danube Research (IAD)—portrait of a transboundary scientific NGO

Introduction  

The International Association for Danube Research (IAD), a legal association (Verein) according to Austrian law, presently consists of 13 member countries and 12 expert groups covering all water-relevant scientific disciplines. IAD, founded in 1956, represents a traditional and significant stakeholder in the Danube River Basin, fulfilling an important task towards an integrative water and river basin management requested by the EU Water Framework Directive.     

Historical record of mercury contamination in sediments from the Babeni Reservoir in the Olt River, Romania

Background, aim and scope  

Mercury (Hg) is a ubiquitous and hazardous contaminant in the aquatic environment showing a strong biomagnification effect along the food chain. The most common transfer path of Hg to humans is contaminated fish consumption. In severely exposed humans, Hg poisoning may lead to damage in the central nervous system. Thus, it is important to examine current and past contamination levels of Hg in aquatic milieu. The Olt River is the largest Romanian tributary of the Danube River. The use of Hg as an electrode in a chlor-alkali plant contributed to the contamination of the aquatic environment in the Rm Valcea region. The purpose of this study was to compare the current state of Hg contamination with the past contamination using a historical record obtained from a dated sediment core from one of the Olt River reservoirs (Babeni) located downstream from the chlor-alkali plant. To our knowledge, no published data on Hg contamination in this region are available. The Babeni Reservoir was selected for this study because it is situated downstream from the chlor-alkali plant, whilst the other reservoirs only retain the pollutants coming from the upstream part of the watershed. Preliminary analyses (unpublished) showed high Hg concentrations in the surface sediment of the Babeni Reservoir. One core was taken in the upstream Valcea Reservoir to provide a local background level of Hg concentrations in sediments.     

The endocrine disrupting potential of sediments from the Upper Danube River (Germany) as revealed by in vitro bioassays and chemical analysis

Introduction  

The present study was part of a comprehensive weight-of-evidence approach with the goal of identifying potential causes for the declines in fish populations, which have been observed during the past decades in the Upper Danube River.     

Abundance and diversity of Sphingomonas in Shenfu petroleum-wastewater irrigation zone, China

Introduction  

Members of the genus Sphingomonas have raised increasing attention due to their ability for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) degradation and their ubiquity in the environment. However, few studies have revealed the ecological information on the abundance and diversity of Sphingomonas in the environment.     

On the relationship between ozone and its precursors in the Pearl River Delta: application of an observation-based model (OBM)

Background, aim, and scope  

Photochemical smog, characterized by high concentrations of O₃ and fine particles, is of great concern in the urban areas, in particular megacities and city clusters like the Pearl River Delta.     

Contribution of anthropogenic aerosols in direct radiative forcing and atmospheric heating rate over Delhi in the Indo-Gangetic Basin

Introduction  

The present work is aimed to understand direct radiation effects due to aerosols over Delhi in the Indo-Gangetic Basin (IGB) region, using detailed chemical analysis of surface measured aerosols during the year 2007.