Carbon emission from global hydroelectric reservoirs revisited

Substantial greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from hydropower reservoirs have been of great concerns recently, yet the significant carbon emitters of drawdown area and reservoir downstream (including spillways and turbines as well as river reaches below dams) have not been included in global carbon budget. Here, we revisit GHG emission from hydropower reservoirs by considering reservoir surface area, drawdown zone and reservoir downstream. Our estimates demonstrate around 301.3 Tg carbon dioxide (CO₂)/year and 18.7 Tg methane (CH₄)/year from global hydroelectric reservoirs, which are much higher than recent observations. The sum of drawdown and downstream emission, which is generally overlooked, represents 42 % CO₂ and 67 % CH₄ of the total emissions from hydropower reservoirs. Accordingly, the global average emissions from hydropower are estimated to be 92 g CO₂/kWh and 5.7 g CH₄/kWh. Nonetheless, global hydroelectricity could currently reduce approximate 2,351 Tg CO₂eq/year with respect to fuel fossil plant alternative. The new findings show a substantial revision of carbon emission from the global hydropower reservoirs.     

Trace metals, anions and polybromodiphenyl ethers in settled indoor dust and their association

Contaminants in settled indoor dust are potentially health hazardous to human. Thus, identification and quantification of toxic chemicals in settled indoor dust is of great concern. In this study, the levels of major anions ( $ \mathrm{C}{{\mathrm{l}}^{-}},\mathrm{N}{{\mathrm{O}}_2}^{-},\mathrm{B}{{\mathrm{r}}^{-}},\mathrm{N}{{\mathrm{O}}_3}^{-},\mathrm{P}{{\mathrm{O}}_4}^{3-}\,\mathrm{and}\,\mathrm{S}{{\mathrm{O}}_4}^{2- } $ ), trace metals (Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, Cd, As and Pb) and polybromodiphenyl ethers (PBDEs) in settled office and home dust were determined and correlations between the contaminants investigated. Depending on the available materials in both microenvironments, the most possible sources were identified. The results showed that the settled office dusts (n?=?6 pooled samples from 85 offices) were more contaminated than home dusts (n?=?8 homes). For anions, $ \mathrm{S}{{\mathrm{O}}_4}^{2- } $ and Cl^– accounted for 87 and 97 % of the total office and home dust contaminants, respectively. For trace metals, Fe, Cu, Zn and Mn, accounted for 98 % of the contaminants in both office and home dust samples. Fe exhibited the highest percentage of 76.7 and 87.3 % in office and home dust samples, respectively. For PBDEs, the mean concentrations detected in office and home dust ranged between 5.8–86.3 and 1.5–20.6 ng?g^?1, respectively. The log-transformed correlation between the total concentrations of trace metals and major anions detected in offices and homes was positive for offices and negative for homes with a statistically significant values (r?=?0.73, p?<?0.01; r?= ?0.22, p?<?0.01, respectively). The daily exposure rates determined for the most hazardous such as As, Cd, Pb and PBDEs congeners, relative to the individual concentrations reported in the literature in settled indoor dust, were found very lower. Therefore, maybe it is possible to expect less potential health risk. Investigation of formation of coordination compounds between trace metals and PBDEs congeners is possible; however, this requires further study.     

Biogeochemical distinction of methane releases from two Amazon hydroreservoirs

Biogeochemical distinction of methane emissions to the atmosphere may essentially rely on the surface area and morphometry of Amazon hydroreservoirs. Tucuruí (deep) and Samuel (shallow) reservoirs released in average 13.82 ± 22.94 and 71.19 ± 107.4 mg CH₄ m⁻² d⁻¹, respectively. δ¹³C–CH₄ values from the sediments to the atmosphere indicate that the deep reservoir has extended methanotrophic layer, oxidizing large quantities of light isotope methane coming from the sediments, while sediment-generated methane can easily evade the shallow reservoir.     

Phylogenetic analysis of the microbial community in hypersaline petroleum produced water from the Campos Basin

In this work the archaea and eubacteria community of a hypersaline produced water from the Campos Basin that had been transported and discharged to an onshore storage facility was evaluated by 16S recombinant RNA (rRNA) gene sequence analysis. The produced water had a hypersaline salt content of 10 (w/v), had a carbon oxygen demand (COD) of 4,300 mg/l and contains phenol and other aromatic compounds. The high salt and COD content and the presence of toxic phenolic compounds present a problem for conventional discharge to open seawater. In previous studies, we demonstrated that the COD and phenolic content could be largely removed under aerobic conditions, without dilution, by either addition of phenol degrading Haloarchaea or the addition of nutrients alone. In this study our goal was to characterize the microbial community to gain further insight into the persistence of reservoir community members in the produced water and the potential for bioremediation of COD and toxic contaminants. Members of the archaea community were consistent with previously identified communities from mesothermic reservoirs. All identified archaea were located within the phylum Euryarchaeota, with 98 % being identified as methanogens while 2 % could not be affiliated with any known genus. Of the identified archaea, 37 % were identified as members of the strictly carbon-dioxide-reducing genus Methanoplanus and 59 % as members of the acetoclastic genus Methanosaeta. No Haloarchaea were detected, consistent with the need to add these organisms for COD and aromatic removal. Marinobacter and Halomonas dominated the eubacterial community. The presence of these genera is consistent with the ability to stimulate COD and aromatic removal with nutrient addition. In addition, anaerobic members of the phyla Thermotogae, Firmicutes, and unclassified eubacteria were identified and may represent reservoir organisms associated with the conversion hydrocarbons to methane.     

Insights into real cotton-textile dyeing wastewater treatment using solar advanced oxidation processes

Different advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) were applied to the treatment of a real cotton-textile dyeing wastewater as a pre-oxidation step to enhance the biodegradability of the recalcitrant compounds, which can be further oxidized using a biological process. Tests were conducted on a lab-scale prototype using artificial solar radiation and at pilot scale with compound parabolic collectors using natural solar radiation. The cotton-textile dyeing wastewater presents a lilac color, with a maximum absorbance peak at 641 nm, alkaline pH (pH?=?8.2), moderate organic content (DOC?=?152 mg C L^?1, COD?=?684 mg O₂ L^?1) and low-moderate biodegradability (40 % after 28 days in Zahn–Wellens test). All the tested processes contributed to an effective decolorization and mineralization, but the most efficient process was the solar-photo-Fenton with an optimum catalyst concentration of 60 mg Fe²⁺ L^?1, leading to 98.5 % decolorization and 85.5 % mineralization after less than 0.1 and 5.8 kJ_UV L^?1, respectively. In order to achieve a final wastewater with a COD below 250 mg O₂ L^?1 (discharge limit into water bodies imposed by the Portuguese Legislation-Portaria no. 423/97 of 25 June 1997), considering the combination of a solar-photo-Fenton reaction with a biological process, the phototreatment energy required is 0.5 kJ_UV L^?1, consuming 7.5 mM hydrogen peroxide, resulting in 58.4 % of mineralization $ \left({t}_{30\mathrm{W}}=3.2\ \min; \overline{T}=30.7\ {}^{\circ}\mathrm{C};\overline{\mathrm{pH}}=2.80;{\overline{\mathrm{UV}}}_{G,n}={13\ \mathrm{W}\ \mathrm{m}}^{-2}\right). $      

Removal mechanisms and kinetics of trace tetracycline by two types of activated sludge treating freshwater sewage and saline sewage

Understanding the removal mechanisms and kinetics of trace tetracycline by activated sludge is critical to both evaluation of tetracycline elimination in sewage treatment plants and risk assessment/management of tetracycline released to soil environment due to the application of biosolids as fertilizer. Adsorption is found to be the primary removal mechanism while biodegradation, volatilization, and hydrolysis can be ignored in this study. Adsorption kinetics was well described by pseudo-second-order model. Faster adsorption rate (k ₂?=?2.04?×?10^?2?g?min^?1?μg^?1) and greater adsorption capacity (q _e?=?38.8 μg?g^?1) were found in activated sludge treating freshwater sewage. Different adsorption rate and adsorption capacity resulted from chemical properties of sewage matrix rather than activated sludge surface characteristics. The decrease of tetracycline adsorption in saline sewage was mainly due to Mg²⁺ which significantly reduced adsorption distribution coefficient (K _d) from 12,990?±?260 to 4,690?±?180 L?kg^?1. Species-specific adsorption distribution coefficients followed the order of $ K_{\mathrm{d}}^{{ + 00}} \gg K_{\mathrm{d}}^{{ + - 0}} > K_{\mathrm{d}}^{{ + - - }} $ . Contribution of zwitterionic tetracycline to the overall adsorption was >90 % in the actual pH range in aeration tank. Adsorption of tetracycline in a wide range of temperature (10 to 35 °C) followed the Freundlich adsorption isotherm well.     

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.

Results and discussion

Sediment texture was uniform in the cores from both reservoirs. Laminated sediment structure, without any obvious discontinuities, was observed. Hg concentrations in the sediment core from the Valcea Reservoir were low and constant (0.01–0.08 mg/kg). In Babeni Reservoir sediments, Hg concentrations were very high in the deeper core section (up to 45 mg/kg in the longest core) and decreased to lower concentrations toward the top of the cores (1.3–2.4 mg/kg). This decrease probably reflects technological progress in control of emissions from the Hg-cell-based chlor-alkali industry. Two strong peaks could be distinguished in older sediments. The mean rate of sedimentation (5.9 cm/year) was calculated from the depth of the ¹³⁷Cs Chernobyl peak. This was in good agreement with the sedimentation rate estimated at this site from a bathymetric study. Assuming a constant sedimentation rate, the two Hg peaks would reflect two contamination events in 1987 and 1991, respectively. However, it is also possible that the two peaks belong to the same contamination event in 1987 but were separated by a sediment layer richer in sand and silt. This layer had a low Hg concentration, which can be interpreted as a mass deposition event related to a major flood bringing Hg-free sediments.

Conclusions

Whilst the chlor-alkali plant partly switched to a cleaner technology in 1999, no obvious decrease of Hg concentrations was observed in recent decade. Results from the sediment core reflected the historical trend of Hg release from the chlor-alkali plant, revealed important contamination episodes and confirmed a legacy of contamination of Hg in recent sediments even if the concentrations of Hg decreased toward the surface due to a more efficient emission control.

Recommendations and perspectives

Although the Hg concentrations in Babeni Reservoir sediments were extremely high in the late eighties and they remain one order of magnitude higher in the surface sediments than in sediments from the upstream reservoir, little is known about the transfer of Hg to the biota and human population. Our initial measurements indicate the presence of monomethyl-Hg (MMHg) in pore water, but further studies are necessary to evaluate fluxes of MMHg at the sediment–water interface. Samples of fish and hair from various groups of the local population were recently collected to evaluate the potential hazard of Hg contamination to human health in the Rm Valcea region.

     

Modeling landfill gas potential and potential energy recovery from Thohoyandou landfill site,South Africa

ABSTRACT

The increase in solid waste generation has been a major contributor to the amount of Greenhouse gases (GHGs) present in the atmosphere. To some extent, a great chunk of these GHGs in the atmosphere is from landfill. This study assesses two theoretical models (LandGEM and Afvalzorg models) to estimate the amount of landfill gas (LFG) emitted from Thohoyandou landfill site. Also, the LFGcost Web model was used to estimate the cost and benefits of the implementation of an LFG utilization technology. The Thohoyandou landfill started operations in the year 2005 and it is proposed to reach its peak at approximately in the year 2026. The LandGEM calculates the mass of landfill gas emission using methane generation capacity, mass of deposited waste, methane generation constant and methane generation rate. Meanwhile, the Afvalzorg model determines the LFG emissions using the Methane correction factor, yearly waste mass disposal, waste composition, Degradation Organic Carbon, methane generation rate constant, LFG recovery efficiency. The study findings indicate that the methane (CH₄) and carbon dioxide (CO₂) emitted from the landfill estimated from LandGEM will peak in the year 2026 with values of 3517 Mg/year and 9649 Mg/year, respectively. Results from the Afvalzorg model show that CH₄ emission will peak in the year 2026 (3336 Mg/year). The LandGEM model showed that the total LFG, CH₄ and CO₂ emitted from the landfill between 2005 and 2040 are 293239.3 Mg/year, 78325.7 Mg/year and 214908.6 Mg/year, respectively. The simulation from the Afvalzorg model found that the CH₄ emitted from the years 2005– 2040 is 74302 Mg/year. The implementation of an LFG utilization technology was economically feasible from consideration of the sales of electricity generated and Certified Emission Reductions (CER) (carbon credits).     

Seagrass metabolism and carbon dynamics in a tropical coastal embayment

Net ecosystem metabolism and subsequent changes in environmental variables were studied seasonally in the seagrass-dominated Palk Bay, located along the southeast coast of India. The results showed that although the water column was typically net heterotrophic, the ecosystem as a whole displayed autotrophic characteristics. The mean net community production from the seagrass meadows was 99.31 ± 45.13 mM C m^?2 d^?1, while the P/R ratio varied between 1.49 and 1.56. Oxygen produced through in situ photosynthesis, exhibited higher dependence over dissolved CO₂ and available light. Apportionment of carbon stores in biomass indicated that nearly three-fourths were available belowground compared to aboveground. However, the sediment horizon accumulated nearly 40 times more carbon than live biomass. The carbon storage capacities of the sediments and seagrass biomass were comparable with the global mean for seagrass meadows. The results of this study highlight the major role of seagrass meadows in modification of seawater chemistry. Though the seagrass meadows of Palk Bay are increasingly subject to human impacts, with coupled regulatory and management efforts focused on improved water quality and habitat conservation, these key coastal ecosystems will continue to be valuable for climate change mitigation, considering their vital role in C dynamics and interactions with the overlying water column.     

Adsorption and photodegradation of microcystin-LR onto sediments collected from reservoirs and rivers in Taiwan: a laboratory study to investigate the fate, transfer, and degradation of microcystin-LR

Background, aim, and scope

This study demonstrated the adsorption capacity of microcystin-LR (MC-LR) onto sediment samples collected from different reservoirs (Emerald and Jade reservoirs) and rivers (Dongshan, Erhjen, and Wukai rivers) in Taiwan to investigate the fate, transport behavior, and photodegradation of MC-LR.

Main features

Langmuir adsorption and photodegradation studies were carried out in the laboratory and tested the capability of sediments for MC-LR adsorption. These data suggested that sediments play a crucial role in microcystins degradation in aquatic systems.

Results and discussion

The results of batch experiments revealed that the adsorption of MC-LR varied significantly with texture, pH, and organic matter content of sediments. Silty and clay textures of the samples were associated with larger content of organic matter, and they displayed the enhanced MC-LR adsorption. Low pH sediment showed increased adsorption of MC-LR. The effective photodegradation of MC-LR (1.6 ??g/mL) was achieved within 60 min under 254 nm light irradiation.

Conclusion

A comparative study of adsorption capacity of all sediment samples was carried out and discussed with respect to different aspects. Among all, sediments collected from Jade reservoir showed enhanced MC-LR adsorption (11.86 ??g/g) due to favored textural properties (BET surface area = 20.24 m2/g and pore volume = 80.70 nm).

Perspectives

These data provide important information that may be applied to management strategies for improvement of water quality in reservoirs and rivers and other water bodies in Taiwan.     

Chromium (VI) remediation by a native strain: effect of environmental conditions and removal mechanisms involved

A native bacterial strain with high capability for Cr (VI) removal was isolated from tannery sediments located in Elena (Córdoba Province, Argentina). The strain was characterized by amplification of 16S rRNA gene and identified as Serratia sp. C8. It was able to efficiently remove different Cr (VI) concentrations in a wide range of pHs and temperatures. The addition of different carbon sources as well as initial inoculum concentration were analyzed, demonstrating that Serratia sp. C8 could reduce 80 % of 20 mg/L Cr (VI) in a medium containing glucose 1 g/L, at pH 6–7 and 28 °C as optimal conditions, using 5 % inoculum concentration. The mechanisms involved in Cr (VI) removal were also evaluated. The strain was capable of biosorpting around 7.5–8.5 % of 20 mg/L Cr on its cell surface and to reduce Cr (VI). In addition, approximately a 54 and 46 % of total Cr was detected in the biomass and in the culture medium, respectively, and in the culture medium, Cr (III) was the predominant species. In conclusion, Serratia sp. C8 removed Cr (VI) and the mechanisms involved in decreasing order of contribution were as follows: reduction catalyzed by intracellular enzymes, accumulation into the cells, and biosorption to the microbial biomass. This strain could be a suitable microorganism for Cr (VI) bioremediation of tannery sediments and effluents or even for other environments contaminated with Cr.     

Hydrogen production using thermocatalytic decomposition of methane on Ni<Subscript>30</Subscript>/activated carbon and Ni<Subscript>30</Subscript>/carbon black

Hydrogen is an energy carrier of the future need. It could be produced from different sources and used for power generation or as a transport fuel which mainly in association with fuel cells. The primary challenge for hydrogen production is reducing the cost of production technologies to make the resulting hydrogen cost competitive with conventional fuels. Thermocatalytic decomposition (TCD) of methane is one of the most advantageous processes, which will meet the future demand, hence an attractive route for CO_x free environment. The present study deals with the production of hydrogen with 30 wt% of Ni impregnated in commercially available activated carbon and carbon black catalysts (samples coded as Ni₃₀/AC and Ni₃₀/CB, respectively). These combined catalysts were not attempted by previous studies. Pure form of hydrogen is produced at 850 °C and volume hourly space velocity (VHSV) of 1.62 L/h g on the activity of both the catalysts. The analysis (X-ray diffraction (XRD)) of the catalysts reveals moderately crystalline peaks of Ni, which might be responsible for the increase in catalytic life along with formation of carbon fibers. The activity of carbon black is sustainable for a longer time compared to that of activated carbon which has been confirmed by life time studies (850 °C and 54 sccm of methane).     

On the successful use of a simplified model to simulate the succession of toxic cyanobacteria in a hypereutrophic reservoir with a highly fluctuating water level

Many freshwater bodies worldwide that suffer from harmful algal blooms would benefit for their management from a simple ecological model that requires few field data, e.g. for early warning systems. Beyond a certain degree, adding processes to ecological models can reduce model predictive capabilities. In this work, we assess whether a simple ecological model without nutrients is able to describe the succession of cyanobacterial blooms of different species in a hypereutrophic reservoir and help understand the factors that determine these blooms. In our study site, Karaoun Reservoir, Lebanon, cyanobacteria Aphanizomenon ovalisporum and Microcystis aeruginosa alternatively bloom. A simple configuration of the model DYRESM-CAEDYM was used; both cyanobacteria were simulated, with constant vertical migration velocity for A. ovalisporum, with vertical migration velocity dependent on light for M. aeruginosa and with growth limited by light and temperature and not by nutrients for both species. The model was calibrated on two successive years with contrasted bloom patterns and high variations in water level. It was able to reproduce the measurements; it showed a good performance for the water level (root-mean-square error (RMSE) lower than 1 m, annual variation of 25 m), water temperature profiles (RMSE of 0.22–1.41 °C, range 13–28 °C) and cyanobacteria biomass (RMSE of 1–57 μg Chl a L^?1, range 0–206 μg Chl a L^?1). The model also helped understand the succession of blooms in both years. The model results suggest that the higher growth rate of M. aeruginosa during favourable temperature and light conditions allowed it to outgrow A. ovalisporum. Our results show that simple model configurations can be sufficient not only for theoretical works when few major processes can be identified but also for operational applications. This approach could be transposed on other hypereutrophic lakes and reservoirs to describe the competition between dominant phytoplankton species, contribute to early warning systems or be used for management scenarios.     

Distribution characteristics of organochlorine pesticides in surface and vertical sediments from the Zha Long Wetland, China

Introduction

The Zha Long Wetland, the first water bird conservation area in China, lies on the northern bank of the Song Nen Plain with an area of 2,100 km². In many areas of the Zha Long Wetland, water pollution has led to a decrease in the wetland??s ecological function, vegetation degradation, a decrease in the number of bird species, and the depletion of fish resources.

Materials and methods

The sediments used in this study were collected from the surface sediment of seven sites and from different depths in three types of marshes in the Zha Long Wetland in northeast China in late October 2006. The levels and distribution patterns of 17 organochlorine pesticides (OCPs; ??-HCH, ??-HCH, ??-HCH, ??-HCH, p,p??-DDE, p,p??-DDD, p,p??-DDT, endosulfan I, endosulfan II, endosulfan sulfate, heptachlor, heptachlor epoxide, aldrin, dieldrin, endrin, endrin aldehyde, and methoxychlor) in surface sediments as well as hexachlorocyclohexane (HCH) and 1,1,1-trichloro-2,2-bis(4-chlorophenyl)ethane (DDT) in vertical sediments were investigated.

Results and discussion

The concentrations of HCHs, DDTs, endosulfans, heptachlors, aldrin, and methoxychlor in surface sediments ranged from 10.44 to 41.97 ng/g, nd (undetectable levels) to 211.88 ng/g, nd to 69.89 ng/g, nd to 28.10 ng/g, 9.81 to 623.83 ng/g, and from nd to 3.99 ng/g, respectively. The highest levels of OCPs were detected in Tangtugangzi at a total concentration of 727.72 ng/g, where the dominant compound was endrin at a concentration of 483.04 ng/g. In the vertical sediments, the HCHs and DDTs were in the ranges of nd?C136.00 and nd?C214.06 ng/g, respectively.

Conclusions

Different distributions of HCHs, DDTs, and other OCPs indicated that they originated from different contamination sources. Composition analyses in surface sediments indicated recent OCP usage or discharge at some sample sites in the Zha Long Wetland.     

The size distribution of organic carbon in headwater streams in the Amazon basin

Despite the strong representativeness of streams in the Amazon basin, their role in the accumulation of coarse particulate organic carbon (CPOC), fine particulate organic carbon (FPOC), and dissolved organic carbon (DOC) in transport, an important energy source in these environments, is poorly known. It is known that the arboreal vegetation in the Amazon basin is influenced by soil fertility and rainfall gradients, but would these gradients promote local differences in organic matter in headwater streams? To answer this question, 14 low-order streams were selected within these gradients along the Amazon basin, with extensions that varied between 4 and 8 km. The efficiency of the transformation of particulate into dissolved carbon fractions was assessed for each stream. The mean monthly benthic organic matter storage ranged between 1.58 and 9.40 t ha^?1 month^?1. In all locations, CPOC was the most abundant fraction in biomass, followed by FPOC and DOC. Rainfall and soil fertility influenced the distribution of the C fraction (p?=?0.01), showing differentiated particulate organic carbon (POC) storage and DOC transportation along the basin. Furthermore, the results revealed that carbon quantification at the basin level could be underestimated, ultimately influencing the global carbon calculations for the region. This is especially due to the fact that the majority of studies consider only fine particulate organic matter and dissolved organic matter, which represent less than 50 % of the stored and transported carbon in streambeds.     

Diversity of active microbial communities subjected to long-term exposure to chemical contaminants along a 40-year-old sediment core

In estuarine ecosystems, metallic and organic contaminants are mainly associated with fine grain sediments which settle on mudflats. Over time, the layers of sediment accumulate and are then transformed by diagenetic processes mainly controlled by microbial activity, recording the history of the estuary’s chemical contamination. In an environment of this specific type, we investigated the evolution of the chemical contamination and the structure of both total and active microbial communities, based on PhyloChip analysis of a 4.6-m core corresponding to a 40-year sedimentary record. While the archaeal abundance remained constant along the core, a decrease by one order of magnitude in the bacterial abundance was observed with depth. Both total and active microbial communities were dominated by Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria, and Firmicutes in all sediment samples. Among Proteobacteria, alpha-Proteobacteria dominated both total (from 37 to 60 %) and metabolically active (from 19.7 to 34.6 %) communities, including the Rhizobiales, Rhodobacter, Caulobacterales, and Sphingomonadales orders. Co-inertia analysis revealed a relationship between polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, zinc and some polychlorobiphenyls concentrations, and the structure of total and active microbial communities in the oldest and most contaminated sediments (from 1970 to 1975), suggesting that long-term exposure to chemicals shaped the structure of the microbial community.     

Fate and transport of perfluoro- and polyfluoroalkyl substances including perfluorooctane sulfonamides in a managed urban water body

Transport and fate of perfluoro- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) in an urban water body that receives mainly urban runoff was investigated. Water, suspended solids, and sediment samples were collected during the monsoon (wet) and inter-monsoon (dry) season at different sites and depths. Samples were analyzed for C7 to C12 perfluoroalkyl carboxylate homologues (PFCAs) (PFHpA, PFOA, PFNA, PFDA, PFUnA, PFDoA), perfluorohexane, perfluorooctane, and 6:2-fluorotelomer sulfonate (PFHxS, PFOS, and 6:2FtS, respectively), perfluorooctane sulfonamide (FOSA), N-ethyl FOSA (sulfluramid), N-ethyl sulfonamidoethanol (N-EtFOSE), and N-methyl and N-ethyl sulfonamidoacetic acid (N-EtFOSAA and N-MeFOSAA, respectively). Concentrations in wet samples were only slightly higher. The sum total PFAS (ΣPFAS) concentrations dissolved in the aqueous phase and sorbed to suspended solids (SS) ranged from 107 to 253 ng/L and 11 to 158 ng/L, respectively. PFOA, PFOS, PFNA, PFHxS, and PFDA contributed most (approximately 90 %) to the dissolved ΣPFASs. N-EtFOSA dominated the particulate PFAS burden in wet samples. K _D values of PFOA and PFOS calculated from paired SS and water concentrations varied widely (1.4 to 13.7 and 1.9 to 98.9 for PFOA and PFOS, respectively). Field derived K _D was significantly higher than laboratory K _D suggesting hydrophobic PFASs sorbed to SS resist desorption. The ΣPFAS concentrations in the top sedimentary layer ranged from 8 to 42 μg/kg and indicated preferential accumulation of the strongly sorbing long-chain PFASs. The occurrence of the metabolites N-MeFOSAA, N-EtFOSAA and FOSA in the water column and sediments may have resulted from biological or photochemical transformations of perfluorooctane sulfonamide precursors while the absence of FOSA, N-EtFOSA and 6:2FtS in sediments was consistent with biotransformation.     

Fluxes of carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide in two contrastive fringing zones of coastal lagoon, Lake Nakaumi, Japan

We measured fluxes of carbon dioxide (CO(2)), methane (CH(4)), and nitrous oxide (N(2)O) simultaneously in two typical fringing zones, sandy shore and salt marsh, of coastal lagoon, Lake Nakaumi, Japan, in mid-summer 2003. Our aim was to quantify net the greenhouse gases (GHGs) fluxes and examine key factors, which control variation of the GHGs fluxes in the two sites. Net CO(2) and CH(4) fluxes were markedly different between the two sites; magnitudes and variations of the both fluxes in sandy shore were lower than those of salt marsh. Meanwhile, magnitude and variation of net N(2)O flux in the two sites were similar. In sandy shore, temporal and spatial variation of the three GHGs fluxes were highly controlled by water level fluctuation derived from astronomic tide. In salt marsh, spatial variation of the three GHGs fluxes were correlated with aboveground biomass, and temporal variation of CO(2) and CH(4) fluxes were correlated with soil temperature. The sum of global warming potential, which was roughly estimated using the observed GHGs fluxes, was ca. 174-fold higher in salt marsh than in sandy shore.     

Estimating Gas Emissions from Multiple Sources Using a Backward Lagrangian Stochastic Model

Abstract

Manure storage tanks and animals in barns are important agricultural sources of methane. To examine the possibility of using an inverse dispersion technique based on a backward Lagrangian Stochastic (bLS) model to quantify methane (CH₄) emissions from multiple on-farm sources, a series of tests were carried out with four possible source configurations and three controlled area sources. The simulated configurations were: (C1) three spatially separate ground-level sources, (C2) three spatially separate sources with wind-flow disturbance, (C3) three adjacent ground-level sources to simulate a group of adjacent sources with different emission rates, and (C4) a configuration with a ground level and two elevated sources. For multiple ground-level sources without flow obstructions (C1 and C3), we can use the condition number (k, the ratio of the uncertainty in the calculated emission rate to the uncertainty in the predicted ratio of concentration to emission rate) to evaluate the applicability of this inverse dispersion technique and a preliminary threshold of k < 10 is recommended. For multiple sources with wind disturbance (C2) or an even more complex configuration including ground level and elevated sources (C4), a low k is not sufficient to provide reasonable discrete and total emission rates. The effect of flow obstructions can be neglected as long as the distance between the source and the measurement location is greater than approximately 10 times the height of the flow obstructions. This study shows that the bLS model has the potential to provide accurate discrete emission rates from multiple on-farm emissions of gases provided that certain conditions are met.