The role of research in coastal westlands management: Salt Marshes of Santoña and Noja (Spain)

Coastal environments, such as marshes, dunes, or estuaries, are characterized by their high natural values that usually cause them to be subjected to high protection levels, affecting activities taking place within them. This is why the action in these spaces must be based on the use of proper techniques and approaches, which integrate ecology with practical engineering necessities. In this context, the Department of Sciences and Techniques of the Water and Environment of the University of Cantabria, through methods developed in the natural reserve of the Salt Marshes of Santoña and Noja, proposes the use of a working methodology based on the discipline of “ecosystem management” combined with the “adaptive management” methodologies; the application of mathematical, statistical, and specific predictive instruments; and the utilization of an “ecologic niche” as a union between the scientific knowledge of the littoral environments and the true actuation scale of the projects and activities carried out within them.     

Effects of past sewage sludge additions on heavy metal availability in light textured soils: implications for crop yields and metal uptakes

The effect of heavy metal additions in past sewage sludge applications on soil metal availability and the growth and yield of crops was evaluated at two sites in the UK. At Gleadthorpe, sewage sludges enriched with salts of zinc (Zn), copper (Cu) and nickel (Ni) had been applied to a loamy sand in 1982 and additionally naturally contaminated Zn and Cu sludge cakes in 1986. At Rosemaund, sewage sludges naturally contaminated with Zn, Cu, Ni and chromium (Cr) had been applied in 1968-1971 to a sandy loam. From 1994 to 1997, the yields of both cereals and legumes at Gleadthorpe were up to 3 t/ha lower than the no-sludge control where total topsoil Zn and Cu concentrations exceeded 200 and 120 mg/kg, respectively, but only when topsoil ammonium nitrate extractable metal levels also exceeded 40 mg/kg Zn and 0.9 mg/kg Cu. At Rosemaund, yields were only decreased where total topsoil Cu concentrations exceeded 220 mg/kg or 0.7 mg/kg ammonium nitrate extractable Cu. These results demonstrate the importance of measuring extractable as well as total heavy metal concentrations in topsoils when assessing likely effects on plant yields and metal uptakes, and setting soil quality criteria.     

Profiles of enzymatic activity in earthworms from zinc, lead and cadmium polluted areas near Olkusz (Poland)

The aim of the study was to determine whether there are signs of adaptation of soil fauna to a gradient of heavy metal contamination. Earthworms Aporrectodea caliginosa, Lumbricus terrestris and Eisenia fetida were collected during the spring and summer of 2000 and 2001 from meadow sites situated between 2 and 32 km from the Bukowno-Olkusz complex of zinc-lead ore mines and smelters. The heavy metal content in the soil near smelters reaches 10,500 mg/kg (d.w.) for Zn, 2600 mg/kg for Pb and 81.9 mg/kg for Cd. The sites differ with respect to species composition of earthworm community, with A. caliginosa being dominant. Complete data was obtained only for A. caliginosa, since other species were not abundant at all investigated sites during the whole period of investigation. The body burdens of Zn, Pb, Cd and Cu in A. caliginosa reached 1500, 100, 220 and 10 microg/g, respectively, in the vicinity of the smelter (2-4 km), and decreased to 400, 2, 36 and 6 microg/g at the most distant site (32 km). Cadmium and lead content was significantly elevated in the whole body of L. terrestris collected at the site 2.5 km distant from the smelters when compared to more distant sites, while in E. fetida only the body burden of cadmium was elevated at the nearest site compared to the next site of transect. Activities of glutathione peroxidase (GPX; EC 1.11.1.9) against hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) or cumene hydroperoxide (cumOOH), glutathione reductase (GR; EC 1.6.4.2), glutathione S-transferase (GST; EC 2.5.1.18) and catalase (CAT; EC 1.11.1.6) were assayed in postmitochondrial supernatant obtained from whole body homogenates. Seasonal and annual variations of enzyme activity were reflected by higher GPX activity in the late summer of 2001 in comparison with the spring and summer of 2000. This may reflect severe drought in the spring and summer of 2000. The activity of both GPX isozymes, GR and GST in A. caliginosa and L. terrestris increased with increasing distance from the smelters and reached maximum at sites III and IV (4 and 8 km from the smelters, respectively) and then it decreased in the animals from site V (32 km). These may be the effects of antagonism between the enzyme inducing and enzyme inhibiting action of smelter emissions, a phenomenon known as a hormetic effect. It is postulated here that this effect is of diagnostic value for metal pollution biomonitoring.     

Investigating the relationship between air pollution, health and social deprivation in Leeds, UK

This study examines the relationship between air pollution, social deprivation and health in the city of Leeds, UK under a baseline and three distance-based road user charging (RUC) scenarios set at 2 pence, 10 pence and 20 pence/km. Through application of a series of linked models of traffic, emission and pollutant dispersion, air quality was modelled in response to RUC scenarios. The pollutant modelled were NO(2), PM(10), CO, benzene and 1,3-butadiene, though results of NO(2) are used in this study. The RUC scenarios were compared with the 'base' scenario, all set for the year 2005. The RUC initiatives result in the differences in ambient concentrations of NO(2). The study correlates NO(2) concentrations with derived indices of social deprivation and health. The study concludes that positive but weak relationship exists between air quality and social deprivation, and indicates that deprived population groups are disproportionately exposed to higher NO(2) levels. The relationship between air quality and health status of the population is weak. There is a strong relationship between social deprivation and health status of the population. The study concludes that RUC scenarios result in reducing disparity between affluent and deprived populations.     

Nonylphenol in the environment: a critical review on occurrence, fate, toxicity and treatment in wastewaters

Nonylphenol is a toxic xenobiotic compound classified as an endocrine disrupter capable of interfering with the hormonal system of numerous organisms. It originates principally from the degradation of nonylphenol ethoxylates which are widely used as industrial surfactants. Nonylphenol ethoxylates reach sewage treatment works in substantial quantities where they biodegrade into several by-products including nonylphenol. Due to its physical-chemical characteristics, such as low solubility and high hydrophobicity, nonylphenol accumulates in environmental compartments that are characterised by high organic content, typically sewage sludge and river sediments, where it persists. The occurrence of nonylphenol in the environment is clearly correlated with anthropogenic activities such as wastewater treatment, landfilling and sewage sludge recycling. Nonylphenol is found often in matrices such as sewage sludge, effluents from sewage treatment works, river water and sediments, soil and groundwater. The impacts of nonylphenol in the environment include feminization of aquatic organisms, decrease in male fertility and the survival of juveniles at concentrations as low as 8.2 mug/l. Due to the harmful effects of the degradation products of nonylphenol ethoxylates in the environment, the use and production of such compounds have been banned in EU countries and strictly monitored in many other countries such as Canada and Japan. Although it has been shown that the concentration of nonylphenol in the environment is decreasing, it is still found at concentrations of 4.1 mug/l in river waters and 1 mg/kg in sediments. Nonylphenol has been referred to in the list of priority substances in the Water Frame Directive and in the 3rd draft Working Document on Sludge of the EU. Consequently there is currently a concern within some industries about the possibility of future regulations that may impose the removal of trace contaminants from contaminated effluents. The significance of upgrading sewage treatment works with advanced treatment technologies for removal of trace contaminants is discussed.     

Principles and issues in radiological ecological risk assessment

This paper provides a bridge between the fields of ecological risk assessment (ERA) and radioecology by presenting key biota dose assessment issues identified in the US Department of Energy's Graded Approach for Evaluating Radiation Doses to Aquatic and Terrestrial Biota in a manner consistent with the US Environmental Protection Agency's framework for ERA. Current radiological ERA methods and data are intended for use in protecting natural populations of biota, rather than individual members of a population. Potentially susceptible receptors include vertebrates and terrestrial plants. One must ensure that all media, radionuclides (including short-lived radioactive decay products), types of radiations (i.e., alpha particles, electrons, and photons), and pathways (i.e., internal and external contamination) are combined in each exposure scenario. The relative biological effectiveness of alpha particles with respect to deterministic effects must also be considered. Expected safe levels of exposure are available for the protection of natural populations of aquatic biota (10 mGy d(-1)) and terrestrial plants (10 mGy d(-1)) and animals (1 mGy d(-1)) and are appropriate for use in all radiological ERA tiers, provided that appropriate exposure assumptions are used. Caution must be exercised (and a thorough justification provided) if more restrictive limits are selected, to ensure that the supporting data are of high quality, reproducible, and clearly relevant to the protection of natural populations.     

Analysis and Modeling on the Spatial Structure of Urban Land Use: A Case of Jinan, China

Based on the data of urban land use obtained by remote sensing interpretation from aero images in 1986 and 2004, the spatial structure of Jinan is studied in this paper with the method of Geographic Information System (GIS). According to the proportion of land for residence, industry and commerce, the urban district can be distinguished into three rings. Compared with the traditional theory of the ring structure in Western coun- tries, they have many distinctive characteristics. The main func- tions of the inner ring include residence, business and banking, but the proportion of residential land (more than 50%) is considerably higher than that of the cities in Western countries. The land proportion for residence and industry in the intermediate ring is equal on the whole. The main land of the outside ring is for industrial use. From 1986 to 2004, great changes have taken place on the land proportion of different types of use. In the inner ring, the land for residential and industrial use has shrunk much while the land for commercial use has increased. In the intermediate ring, the changes of the three types of land use were not very much and the temporal variation was relatively stable. On the contrary, the structure in the outside ring varies acutely. Though most of it is also for industrial use, the proportion of residential land has in- creased much. The three rings can also be divided into several sectors respectively, according to the function of land use clusters. New trends and mechanisms of the changes of land use impacting the urban structure were proposed in the end of the paper.     

Distribution and possible source of trace elements in the sediment cores of a tropical macrotidal estuary and their ecotoxicological significance

The paper presents the first document regarding concentration, distribution and possible sources of selected trace elements (Cu, Fe, Mn, Zn, Cr, Co, Ni, Pb, Al, B and Ba) in core sediments (<63 micro particle size) from the lower stretch of Hugli (Ganges) estuary, northeast coast of Bay of Bengal by ICP-AES and EDXRF to evaluate geochemical processes influencing their distribution and possible environmental consequences. The levels of elements showed a wide range of variations in different core depths, in upper and lower intertidal zones as well as among three sampling stations. The most interesting feature of the study is the downward increase of concentrations of majority of the elements reaching overall maximum values at a depth of 20-28 cm in upper littoral zone of the site located in the extreme downstream stretch of the estuary. Values of organic carbon showed very strong positive correlations with most of the elements as revealed by correlation matrix (r) values. The interelemental relationship revealed the identical behavior of element during its transport in the estuarine environment. The overall variation in concentration can be attributed to differential discharge of untreated effluents originating from industrial, agricultural, and aquacultural sources as well as from domestic sewage along with the fishing and boating activities. The resulting compositional dataset was tested by principal component analyses and cluster analyses. Pollution load index (PLI) and index of Geoaccumulation (Igeo) revealed overall low values but the enrichment factors (EFs) for Pb were typically high for all the stations. The mean concentrations of Zn and to some extent Cu exceeded the Effects Range-Low (ER-L) values in the majority of the cases indicating that there may be some ecotoxicological risk to organisms living in sediments. The concentration of the trace elements reported in this work is useful as baselines for comparison in future sediment quality studies.     

Supporting breastfeeding in emergencies: protecting women's reproductive rights and maternal and infant health

Women have the right to support that enables them to breastfeed. Supporting breastfeeding in emergencies is important because artificial feeding places mothers and children at risk. In emergencies, artificial feeding is dangerous to the infant, difficult and requires substantial resources. In contrast, breastfeeding guards infant health. It is also protective against postpartum haemorrhage, maternal depletion, maternal anaemia and closely spaced births and should therefore concern not only nutritionists, but also those involved in reproductive health. However, it is common for women's ability to breastfeed to be undermined in emergencies by the indiscriminate distribution of breast-milk substitutes and the absence of breastfeeding support. Controlling the distribution of breast-milk substitutes, providing supportive environments, and appropriate medical and practical assistance to breastfeeding women safeguards the health and well-being of mothers and babies. Greater collaboration between the nutrition and reproductive health sectors is required to promote best practice in protecting breastfeeding women and their children in emergencies.     

Cypress tree (Cupressus semervirens L.) bark as an indicator for heavy metal pollution in the atmosphere of Amman City,Jordan

Bio-monitoring of air quality in Amman City was investigated by analyzing 36 cypress tree (Cupressus semervirens L.) bark samples from three sites of different anthropogenic activities at the end of summer season 2001. Cypress barks were found to be a good bio-indicator for air pollution in arid regions. Variation in Pb, Zn, Mn, Cr, Ni, Cd, and Cu contents between sites was observed due to different types of activities. Traffic emissions were found to be the main source of heavy metal pollution in the atmosphere of Amman. Lead content was found to be the highest in highly traffic density areas. The industrial part of the city was characterized by high Zn, Mn, Cr, Ni, and Co contents. No significance variations were found in pH values of the bark between the sites. This was attributed to buffering effect of carbonate in the atmosphere originated from soil of the area.