Steel mill waste application in soil: dynamics of potentially toxic elements in rice and health risk perspectives

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Potentially toxic elements (PTEs) are of great concern in steel mill wastes. Therefore, in order to use them as potential fertilizers in soil, risk...     

Impact of municipal solid waste dumpsites on trace metal contamination levels in the surrounding area: a case study in West Africa,Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - The impact of uncontrolled municipal dumping sites on metal contamination in the surrounding waters, sediments, and soils are of great concern in many...     

Effect of cobalt sorption on metal fractionation in anaerobic granular sludge

A sequential extraction procedure was applied to two anaerobic methanogenic sludges (Eerbeek and Nedalco) to examine the speciation of micro- and macronutrients in the sludges after cobalt sorption by exposing the sludge to a 1 mM Co solution for 4 d at pH 7 and 30 degrees C. The effect of different physicochemical conditions on cobalt sorption was studied as well: effect of pH (6-8), effect of competition by a second trace element (Ni or Fe), modification of the granular matrix by glutaraldehyde or heat treatment, and EDTA (ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid) addition. Sorbed Co was found to distribute between the carbonates, organic matter + sulfides, and residual fractions. Cobalt adsorption resulted in an antagonistic interaction with other metals present in the granular matrix, evidenced by the solubilization of other trace elements (e.g., Ni, Cu, and Zn) as well as macronutrients (especially Ca and Fe). Modification of the sludge matrix by glutaraldehyde or heat treatment, or exposure to EDTA, led to serious modifications of the Co sorption capacity and strong interactions with multivalent cations (i.e., Ca(2+) and Fe(2+)).     

Assessment of spatial variation of cesium-137 in small catchments

Surface contamination by bomb-derived and Chernobyl-derived 137Cs has been subject to changes due to physical decay and lateral transport of contaminated soil particles, which have resulted in an on-going transfer of radionuclides from terrestrial ecosystems to surface water, river bed sediments, and flood plains. Knowledge of the different sources of spatial variation of 137Cs is particularly essential for estimating 137Cs transfer to fluvial systems and for successfully applying 137Cs as an environmental tracer in soil erosion studies. This study combined a straightforward sediment redistribution model and geostatistical interpolation of point samples of 137Cs activities in soil to distinguish the effects of sediment erosion and deposition from other sources of variation in 137Cs in the small Mochovce catchment in Slovakia. These other sources of variation could then be interpreted. Besides erosion and deposition processes, the initial pattern of 137Cs deposition, floodplain sedimentation, and short-range spatial variation were identified as the major sources of spatial variation of the 137Cs inventory.     

Factors influencing the acceptance of nature conservation measures--a qualitative study in Switzerland

Landscapes fulfil a multitude of ecological and social functions. Due to the fact that both traditional and everyday landscapes today face many different threats, regulatory measures have been undertaken in many countries to protect and further sustainable landscape development. They include legislation as well as economic incentives. In recent years, however, it has become clear that just to have a few laws and to spend money on subsidies is not enough. Factors other than legislation are also essential to further the sustainable development of landscapes. One of the basic factors affecting the success or failure of landscape conservation measures is public acceptance of these measures. Our project took this as its starting point. The objective was to determine which conditions and factors influence acceptance positively or negatively. To this end 22 Swiss who are directly affected by nature conservation measures, in particular by mire landscape and dry meadow conservation measures, were interviewed using qualitative interview techniques. It is shown that perception, communication, and possibilities to participate are the most decisive driving factors influencing the formation of a long-lasting acceptance. Furthermore, acceptance may be based mainly on economic criteria, on usefulness, on ecological or even aesthetic aspects. It can be shown that not all of these motivations lead to a long-lasting acceptance. Ecologically based acceptance seems the most promising because it is founded on general convictions. Economic incentives--though important--seem to generate only superficial acceptance and do not seem to be as important as is usually assumed.     

FACE试验对土壤有机质库组分及其激发效应的影响

以意大利的FACE(Free atmospheric CO2 enrichment)长期定位试验区和大气环境控制装置为研究对象,用化学分步酸提法将土壤有机质分离为活性库、慢库和惰性库,并培养测定土壤有机氮的矿化率,研究人工模拟大气CO2富集、施氮肥及植株类型对土壤有机质库及激发效应的影响.第一茬(POP FACE)试验产生了激发效应.但第二茬(Euro FACE)试验CO2处理区的总碳增加最显著高于对照处理区.即激发效应终止.主成分分析显示,有效氮的矿化水平已成为有机质降解的制约因素.据此推断,试验区巾活性碳和有效氮控制的激发效应阶段转变为氮利用受限所引起的碳积累阶段.CO2富集对N矿化率、慢库和惰性库均无显著性影响.研究结果表明,土壤的激发效应不仅受有机碳的活性库制约,氮的矿化率也是影响其发生的关键因子之一.     

Evaluating the long-term metacommunity dynamics of tree hole mosquitoes

Four different conceptual models of metacommunities have been proposed, termed "patch dynamics," "species sorting", "mass effect", and "neutral". These models simplify thinking about metacommunities and improve our understanding of the role of spatial dynamics both in structuring communities and in determining local and regional diversity. We tested whether mosquito communities inhabiting water-filled tree holes in southeastern Florida, U.S.A., displayed any of the characteristics and dynamics predicted by the four models. The densities of the five most common species in 3-8 tree holes were monitored every two weeks during 1978-2003. We tested relationships between habitat variables and species densities, spatial synchrony, the presence of life history trade-offs, and species turnover. Dynamics showed strong elements of species sorting, but with considerable turnover, as predicted by the patch dynamics model. Consistent with patch dynamics, there was substantial asynchrony in dynamics for different tree holes, substantial species turnover in space and time, and an occupancy/colonization trade-off. Substantial correlations of density and occupancy with tree hole volume were consistent with the species-sorting model, but unlike this model, species did not have permanent refuges. No evidence of mass effects was found, and correlations between habitat variables and dynamics were inconsistent with neutral models. Our results did not match a single model and therefore caution against overly simplifying metacommunity dynamics by using one dynamical characteristic to select a particular metacommunity perspective.