Dust and Sand Storms (DSS) originating in deserts in arid and semi-arid regions are events raising global public concern. An important component of atmospheric aerosols, dust aerosols play a key role in climatic and environmental changes at the regional and the global scale. Deserts and semi-deserts are the main source of dust and sand, but regions that undergo vegetation deterioration and desertification due to climate change and human activities also contribute significantly to DSS. Dust aerosols are mainly composed of dust particles with an average diameter of 2 mm, which can be transported over thousands of kilometers. Dust aerosols influence the radiation budget of the earthatmosphere system by scattering solar short-wave radiation and absorbing surface long-wave radiation. They can also change albedo and rainfall patterns because they can act as cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) or ice nuclei (IN). Dust deposition is an important source of both marine nutrients and contaminants. Dust aerosols that enter marine ecosystems after long-distance transport influence phytoplankton biomass in the oceans, and thus global climate by altering the amount of CO2 absorbed by phytoplankton. In addition, the carbonates carried by dust aerosols are an important source of carbon for the alkaline carbon pool, which can buffer atmospheric acidity and increase the alkalinity of seawater. DSS have both positive and negative impacts on human society: they can exert adverse impacts on human’s living environment, but can also contribute to the mitigation of global warming and the reduction of atmospheric acidity.
Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Risk assessing newly synthesized chemicals prior to their applications is extremely important, if we want to ensure substitution of risky chemicals... 相似文献
Inorganic urban solid waste (IUSW) is a serious problem in developing countries, and IUSW in the street that does not have adequate final disposal is responsible for serious environmental effects. The aim of this work was to determine the dynamics of the generation of IUSW in the streets of two neighborhoods of different socioeconomic strata in Mexico City during 5 weeks in 2006. The amount of IUSW was recorded every day from 9:00 to 12:00 h, separated, classified, and registered. It was found that plastic (50%) and paper (44.5%) wastes were found most frequently, whereas, textiles (0.4%) and glass (0.5%) wastes were present less frequently in all samples. The IUSWs without commercial brands were more abundant. Branded plastic wrappers of PepsiCo and Bimbo, as well as polyethylene terephthalate (PET) containers of Coca Cola, registered the highest values, while Gatorade, Barrilitos, and Peñafiel registered the lowest. The neighborhood with a higher income and more vegetation on sidewalks or in jardinières, which are used to hide solid waste, had more IUSW than the neighborhood with lower income, where IUSW was thrown out directly into the street. The knowledge of the real generation and composition of IUSW will contribute to the prevention of its negative environmental and social impacts, as well as guarantee the efficiency of its sustainable management. 相似文献
The influence of benzene concentration on the specific growth rate (mu), CO(2) and metabolite production, and cellular energetic content (i.e., ATP content), during benzene biodegradation by Pseudomonas putida F1 was investigated. Within the concentration range tested (5-130mg benzene l(-1)) the mu, the specific CO(2) production, and the ATP content remained constant at 0.42-0.48h(-1), 1.86+/-0.21g CO(2) g(-1) biomass, and 5.3+/-0.4x10(-6)mol ATP g(-1) biomass, respectively. Catechol accumulated during process start-up at all tested concentrations. Catechol specific production increased with increasing benzene inlet concentrations. This confirms that the transformation of this intermediate was the limiting step during benzene degradation. It was shown that catechol inhibited both the conversion of benzene to catechol and its further transformation. In addition, catechol concentrations higher than 10mgl(-1) significantly decreased both benzene and catechol associated respiration, confirming the highly inhibitory effect of this intermediate. This inhibitory threshold concentration was approximately two orders of magnitude lower than the concentrations present in the culture medium during process start-up, suggesting that cellular activity was always far below its maximum. Thus, due to its toxic and inhibitory nature and its tendency to accumulate at high benzene loading, catechol must be carefully monitored during process operation. 相似文献
