The role of primary and secondary air pollutants in atmospheric pollution: Athens urban area as a case study

The question to what extent primary and secondary air pollutants are relevant to atmospheric pollution and their effects on human health and the quality of the environment can be answered in a straight-forward manner: atmospheric processes, including oxidation procedures, particle formation and equilibria, determine the fate of primary emissions and, in most cases, the secondary products of these processes are the more important ones concerning their effects on human health and the quality of the environment. The formation of secondary products represents the critical property determining the establishment of certain air standards, rather than the actually emitted substance, although there are notable exceptions. In this paper, a review concerning transformation of primary pollutants as studied in the atmosphere of Athens is used to enlighten matters that may need further attention by the responsible authorities and stakeholders for the control and reduction of atmospheric pollution.     

Enhancement of association of organic molecules on silica gel by surface water: surface photoreaction of stilbene

Here, we show that association of stilbene molecules is facilitated by water on silica gel because of hydrophobic interaction and photodimerization becomes the main photochemical process. Irradiation of trans-stilbene (t-1) on silica gel gives cis-stilbene (c-1), phenanthrene (2), benzaldehyde (3), and dimers r-ctt-4 and r-tct-4. The yields of the dimers increase and those of 2 and 3 decrease with an increase in the amount of t-1 loaded on silica gel. Atmospheric oxygen is responsible for the formation of 2 and 3. The yields of the dimers also increase with an increase in the water on a silica-gel surface and change drastically at the point where the percentage of water to silica gel is around 25 wt%. All active sites on a silica-gel surface would be covered completely with 25 wt% of water.     

Assessment of groundwater contamination caused by uncontrolled dumping in old gravel quarries in the Besòs aquifers (Barcelona,Spain)

The contamination of groundwater in the aquifer of the La Llagosta basin (Besòs river basin) due to waste disposal in quarries formerly used for the extraction of dry raw materials has led to the cessation of groundwater extraction for public water supply. The mobilization of pollutants was largely caused by fluctuations in piezometric levels, which led to the washing of buried waste. The hydrogeochemical processes associated with uncontrolled waste disposal in these landfilled areas of the La Llagosta basin aquifer were studied along a flow path that crosses the contaminated area. The PHREEQC code was used to establish the reactions associated with the different mineral phases through inverse modeling. This transport code, ionic exchange phenomena, surface reactions and balance (mineral phase) reactions were used to simulate the dilution phenomenon associated with the pollution after the potential removal of the sources of contamination. One-dimensional advective–dispersive modeling indicates a substantial reduction in Ca, Mg, Na and SO₄²⁻ within one year and stabilization within four years.     

Insights from complete-incomplete brood sex-ratio disparity

An assertion deeply rooted in the ornithological literature holds that sex-specific mortality causes a sex ratio disparity (SRD) between complete and incomplete broods. Complete broods are thought to reflect the primary sex ratio before any bias introduced by developmental mortality. Contrary to this view, however, complete and incomplete broods should exhibit identical sex ratio distributions even when the sexes experience differential mortality, as shown in the classic paper of Fiala (Am Nat 115: 442–444, 1980). Therefore, in partially unsexed samples, primary sex ratio biases cannot be distinguished from biases caused by differential mortality. In addition, complete broods do not represent primary sex ratio more accurately than incomplete ones and might even be misleading. Despite Fiala’s prediction, SRD does occur in some empirical studies. We show that this pattern could arise if (1) primary sex ratio affects chick mortality rates independently of sex (direct effect), (2) primary sex ratio covaries with a variable that also affects mortality rate, or (3) sex differential mortality covaries with overall mortality rate (indirect effects). Direct effects may cause stronger SRD than indirect ones with a smaller and opposite bias in the overall sex ratio and could also lead to highly inconsistent covariate effects on brood sex ratios. These features may help differentiate direct from indirect effects. Most interestingly, differences in covariate effects between complete and incomplete broods imply that influential variables are missing from the analysis.     

Strong variability in bacterioplankton abundance and production in central and western Bay of Bengal

With large influx of freshwater that decreases sea-surface salinities, weak wind forcing of <10 m s⁻¹ and almost always warm (>28°C) sea-surface temperature that stratifies and shallows the mixed layer leading to low or no nutrient injections into the surface, primary production in Bay of Bengal is reportedly low. As a consequence, the Bay of Bengal is considered as a region of low biological productivity. Along with many biological parameters, bacterioplankton abundance and production were measured in the Bay of Bengal during post monsoon (September–October 2002) along an open ocean transect, in the central Bay (CB, 88°E) and the other transect in the western Bay (WB). The latter representing the coastal influenced shelf/slope waters. Bacterioplankton abundances (<2 × 10⁹cells l⁻¹) were similar to those reported from the HNLC equatorial Pacific and the highly productive northern Arabian Sea. Yet, the thymidine uptake rates along CB (average of 1.46 pM h⁻¹) and WB (average of 1.40 pM h⁻¹) were less than those from the northwestern Indian Ocean. These abundances and uptake rates were higher than those in the oligotrophic northwestern Sargasso Sea (<7 × 10⁸ cells l⁻¹; av 1.0 pM h⁻¹). Concentrations of chlorophyll a (chl a), primary production rates and total organic carbon (TOC) were also measured for a comparison of heterotrophic and autotrophic production. In the WB, bacterioplankton carbon biomass equaled ∼ 95% of chl a carbon than just 31% in the CB. Average bacterial:primary production (BP:PP) ratios accounted for 29% in the CB and 31% in the WB. This is mainly due to lower primary productivity (PP) in the WB (281 mg C m⁻² d⁻¹) than in the CB (306 mg C m⁻² day⁻¹). This study indicates that bacteria–phytoplankton relationship differs in the open (CB) and coastal waters (WB). Higher abundance and contrastingly low bacterial production (BP) in WB may be because of the riverine bacteria, brought in through discharges, becoming dormant and unable to reproduce in salinities of 28 or more psu. Heterotrophic bacteria appear to utilize in situ DOC rather rapidly and their carbon demand is ∼50% of daily primary production. It is also apparent that allochthonous organic matter, in particular in the western Bay, is important for meeting their carbon demand.     

Analysis and decomposition of condensed tannins in tree leaves

The decomposition of leaf litter is controlled by several factors. One factor that may play an important role is the content of condensed tannins (proanthocyanidins). Here we designed a combined method to isolate proanthocyanidins from leaf extracts, to convert them to anthocyanidins, and to quantify individual anthocyanidins exactly with a new, simple, but sensitive high-performance liquid chromatography method. We used this method to show composition of proanthocyanidins and to monitor degradation of proanthocyanidins and individual constituents in leaf litter in an aquatic environment over time. Despite the rapid decrease in the initial concentrations, a fraction of the proanthocyanidins remained detectable for several weeks.     

Nutrient transfer in a marine mutualism: patterns of ammonia excretion by anemonefish and uptake by giant sea anemones

Many symbioses involve multiple partners in complex, multi-level associations, yet little is known concerning patterns of nutrient transfer in multi-level marine mutualisms. We used the anemonefish symbiosis as a model system to create a balance sheet for nitrogen production and transfer within a three-way symbiotic system. We quantified diel patterns in excretion of ammonia by anemonefish and subsequent absorption by host sea anemones and zooxanthellae under laboratory conditions. Rates of ammonia excretion by the anemonefish Amphiprion bicinctus varied from a high of 1.84 μmole g⁻¹ h⁻¹ at 2 h after feeding, to a basal rate of 0.50 μmole g⁻¹ h⁻¹ at 24–36 h since the last meal. Conversely, host sea anemones Entacmaea quadricolor absorbed ammonia at a rate of 0.10 μmole g⁻¹ h⁻¹ during the daytime in ammonia-enriched seawater, but during the night reduced their absorption rate to near zero, indicating that ammonia uptake was driven by zooxanthella photosynthesis. When incubated together, net ammonia excretion was virturally zero, indicating that host anemones absorbed most of the ammonia produced by resident fish. Adult anemonefish weighed about 11 g under laboratory conditions, but on the coral reef may reach up to 64 g, resulting in a maximal potential ammonia load of >200 μmole h⁻¹ produced by two adult fish during daylight hours. In contrast, host sea anemones weighed about 47 g in the laboratory, but under field conditions, large individuals may reach 680 g, so their maximal ammonia clearance rates may reach about 70 μmole h⁻¹ during the daytime. As such, the ammonia load produced by adult anemonefish far exceeds the clearance rate of host anemones and zooxanthellae. Ammonia transfer likely occurs mainly during the daytime, when anemonefish consume zooplankton and excrete rapidly, and in turn the zooxanthellae are photosynthetically active and drive rapid ammonia uptake. We conclude that zooplanktivorous fishes that form mutualisms with coral reef cnidarians may serve as an important link between open water and benthic ecosystems, through the transfer of large quantities of nutrients to zooxanthellate hosts, thus enhancing coral reef productivity.     

放置平衡法分析污染砂土样品中~(90)Sr

研究了放置平衡法分析污染砂土样品中90Sr的适用性,结果表明,参标样的相对误差≤12.4%,平行样的RSD≤10.8%,样品除杂效果良好,回收率稳定,实际样品比对分析表明测量结果可靠,适用于大批量砂土样品的流水作业分析。     

江苏省环境监测现代化建设的设想

从环境监测现代化建设的目标、原则、内容、资源配置及保证措施等方面,阐述了江苏省环境监测现代化建设的具体设想.提出用3年～5年的时间,实现该省环境监测实时监控系统的自动化、实验室分析技术的现代化、环境监测信息技术的网络化及环境监测体制的多元化和管理机制的市场化,建成能适应市场经济体制,满足科学管理需要,具备国际先进技术和国际间互认能力的环境监测网络体系.     

Modelling Tracer Dispersion from Landfills

Several wind tunnel experiments of tracer dispersion from reduced-scale landfill models are presented in this paper. Different experimental set-ups, hot-wire anemometry, particle image velocimetry and tracer concentration measurements were used for the characterisation of flow and dispersion phenomena nearby the models. The main aim of these experiments is to build an extensive experimental data set useful for model validation purposes. To demonstrate the potentiality of the experimental data set, a validation exercise on several mathematical models was performed by means of a statistical technique. The experiments highlighted an increase in pollutant ground level concentrations immediately downwind from the landfill because of induced turbulence and mean flow deflection. This phenomenon turns out to be predominant for the dispersion process. Tests with a different set-up showed an important dependence of the dispersion phenomena from the landfill height and highlighted how complex orographic conditions downwind of the landfill do not affect significantly the dispersion behaviour. Validation exercises were useful for model calibration, improving code reliability, as well as evaluating performances. The Van Ulden model proved to give the most encouraging results.