Physicochemical variations in atmospheric aerosols recorded at sea onboard the Atlantic–Mediterranean 2008 Scholar Ship cruise (Part II): Natural versus anthropogenic influences revealed by PM10 trace element geochemistry

The geochemistry of PM₁₀ filter samples collected at sea during the Scholar Ship Atlantic–Mediterranean 2008 research cruise reveals a constantly changing compositional mix of pollutants into the marine atmosphere. Source apportionment modelling using Positive Matrix Factorization identifies North African desert dust, sea spray, secondary inorganic aerosols, metalliferous carbon, and V–Ni-bearing combustion particles as the main PM₁₀ factors/sources. The least contaminated samples show an upper continental crust composition (UCC)-normalised geochemistry influenced by seawater chemistry, with marked depletions in Rb, Th and the lighter lanthanoid elements, whereas the arrival of desert dust intrusions imposes a more upper crustal signature enriched in “geological” elements such as Si, Al, Ti, Rb, Li and Sc. Superimposed on these natural background aerosol loadings are anthropogenic metal aerosols (e.g. Cu, Zn, Pb, V, and Mn) which allow identification of pollution sources such as fossil fuel combustion, biomass burning, metalliferous industries, and urban–industrial ports. A particularly sensitive tracer is La/Ce, which rises in response to contamination from coastal FCC oil refineries. The Scholar Ship database allows us to recognise seaborne pollution sourced from NW Africa, the Cape Verde and Canary islands, and European cities and industrial complexes, plumes which in extreme cases can produce a downwind deterioration in marine air quality comparable to that seen in many cities, and can persist hundreds of kilometres from land.     

Atmospheric trace element concentrations in total suspended particles near Paris,France

To evaluate today’s trace element atmospheric concentrations in large urban areas, an atmospheric survey was carried out for 18 months, from March 2002 to September 2003, in Saclay, nearby Paris. The total suspended particulate matter (TSP) was collected continuously on quartz fibre filters. The TSP contents were determined for 36 elements (including Ag, Bi, Mo and Sb) using two analytical methods: Instrumental Neutron Activation Analysis (INAA) and Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS). The measured concentrations were in agreement within the uncertainties with the certified values for the polycarbonate reference material filter SRM-2783 (National Institute for Standard Technology NIST, USA). The measured concentrations were significantly lower than the recommended atmospheric concentrations. In 2003, the Pb atmospheric level at Saclay was 15 ng/m³, compared to the 500 ng/m³ guideline level and to the 200 ng/m³ observed value in 1994. The typical urban background TSP values of 1–2, 0.2–1, 4–6, 10–30 and 3–5 ng/m³ for As, Co, Cr, Cu and Sb, respectively, were inferred from this study and were compared with the literature data. The typical urban background TSP concentrations could not be realised for Cd, Pb and Zn, since these air concentrations are highly influenced by local features. The Zn concentrations and Zn/Pb ratio observed in Saclay represented a characteristic fingerprint of the exceptionally large extent of zinc-made roofs in Paris and its suburbs. The traffic-related origin of Ba, Cr, Cu, Pb and Sb was demonstrated, while the atmospheric source(s) of Ag was not identified.     

Mainstreaming sustainability into biodiversity conservation in Lesotho

Biodiversity conservation is critical for the continued supply of ecosystem services to secure the sustainability of livelihoods, especially for poor rural people in developing countries. Current rates of biodiversity loss need to be curbed by using effective interventions and decision-making that again require timely information. Undertaking a community sustainability assessment to generate and structure this information for grassroots levels is critical for decision-making and actions. This paper presents insights from a community sustainability assessment initiative undertaken in Lesotho within a trans-boundary project area known as the Maloti-Drakensberg Transfrontier Project. A qualitative case study approach was employed through a combination of several data collection techniques, including a literature review, field observations, key informant interviews, group discussions and key informant workshops. Study participants consisted of members of the community conservation forums from three districts that had been established by the project. Regarding progress towards the sustainability of biodiversity in the study area, the results indicated that current practices are unsustainable, more from the point of view of the socio-ecological components than the socio-cultural and spiritual or the socio-economic components. Consequently, there is a need to raise awareness at the community level and implement action plans to realize changes that support the sustainability of biodiversity in the long term.     

Soil bioassays as tools for sludge compost quality assessment

Composting is a waste management technology that is becoming more widespread as a response to the increasing production of sewage sludge and the pressure for its reuse in soil. In this study, different bioassays (plant germination, earthworm survival, biomass and reproduction, and collembolan survival and reproduction) were assessed for their usefulness in the compost quality assessment.Compost samples, from two different composting plants, were taken along the composting process, which were characterized and submitted to bioassays (plant germination and collembolan and earthworm performance). Results from our study indicate that the noxious effects of some of the compost samples observed in bioassays are related to the low organic matter stability of composts and the enhanced release of decomposition endproducts, with the exception of earthworms, which are favored. Plant germination and collembolan reproduction inhibition was generally associated with uncomposted sludge, while earthworm total biomass and reproduction were enhanced by these materials. On the other hand, earthworm and collembolan survival were unaffected by the degree of composting of the wastes. However, this pattern was clear in one of the composting procedures assessed, but less in the other, where the release of decomposition endproducts was lower due to its higher stability, indicating the sensitivity and usefulness of bioassays for the quality assessment of composts.     

Aktuelle und künftige Emissionen treibhauswirksamer fluorierter Verbindungen in Deutschland

The fluorinated compounds sulphur hexafluoride (SF₆), perfluorocarbons (CF₄, C₂F₆) and hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) are atmospheric trace gases with extremely high global warming potentials (GWP). The study examines the real emissions of these compounds in Germany between 1990 and 1995, and develops projections for the years up to 2020. These projections indicate that annual perfluorocarbon releases will drop between the years 1990 and 2000 from 335 t/34 t to 100 t/10 t due to automation measures at the main source (aluminium smelting). Sulphur hexafluoride emissions, however, will remain in the range between 200 and 300 t per annum until the year 2020. By far the largest emitters are car tyres and sound-insulation glazing, non-electrical swithgear, the latter being relatively well sealed and linked to management and reprocessing concepts for used gas. As concerns hydrofluorocarbons which have only been used since 1990 with the specific intention of substituting chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), an increasing degree of CFC substitution in stationary and mobile refrigeration technology, in canned PUR foams and in asthma sprays must be expected to lead to steeply rising emissions to levels exceeding 9,700 t/a from the year 2007 onwards, if halogen-free alternatives are not used more strongly. Assuming these trends, the cumulative emissions of the stated fluorinated compounds will correspond to a global warming impact of 25 million t CO₂ (GWP time horizon: 100 years) by the year 2020.     

Serial polygyny and colony genetic structure in the monogynous queenless ant Diacamma cyaneiventre

Serial polygyny, defined as the temporal succession of several reproductive females in a colony, occurs in some monogynous social insects and has so far attracted little attention. Diacamma cyaneiventre is a queenless ponerine ant found in the south of India. Colonies are headed by one singly mated worker, the gamergate. After the death of the gamergate or her absence following colony fission, the gamergate is replaced by a newly eclosed nestmate worker. After a replacement, colonies go through short-lived periods in which two matrilines of sisters co-occur. This is a situation which can be described as serial polygyny. To measure the consequences of serial polygyny, a genetic analysis was performed on 449 workers from 46 colonies of D. cyaneiventre using five microsatellite loci. The presence of more than one matriline among workers of the same nest was detected in 19% of colonies, indicating a recent change of gamergate. The average genetic relatedness among nestmate workers was 0.751 and did not significantly differ from the theoretical expectation under strict monogyny and monandry (0.75). A simple analytical model of the temporal dynamics of serial polygyny was developed in order to interpret these results. We show that the rate of gamergate turnover relative to the rate of worker turnover is the crucial parameter determining the level of serial polygyny and its effect on the genetic structure of colonies. This parameter, estimated from our data, confirms that serial polygyny occurs in D. cyaneiventre but is not strong enough to influence significantly the average genetic relatedness among workers.     

Measuring regional trends in ozone

We model maximum daily ozone concentration at a number of sites in Ontario in terms of weather classes, temperature, season and a moving average error term. In an effort to detect a regional trend in the remaining residuals, we develop a method related to principal components which obtains the linear combination of sites with greatest autocorrelation. We apply this method to data from sites in Southern Ontario and conclude that there was a regional trend in ozone during the period 1980–1992. A similar treatment does not find a general trend in temperature data but does reveal a widening gap in temperature between northern and southern sites.     

The role of metadata and strategies to detect and control temporal data bias in environmental monitoring of soil contamination

It is crucial for environmental monitoring to fully control temporal bias, which is the distortion of real data evolution by varying bias through time. Temporal bias cannot be fully controlled by statistics alone but requires appropriate and sufficient metadata, which should be under rigorous and continuous quality assurance and control (QA/QC) to reliably document the degree of consistency of the monitoring system. All presented strategies to detect and control temporal data bias (QA/QC, harmonisation/homogenisation/standardisation, mass balance approach, use of tracers and analogues and control of changing boundary conditions) rely on metadata. The Will Rogers phenomenon, due to subsequent reclassification, is a particular source of temporal data bias introduced to environmental monitoring here. Sources and effects of temporal data bias are illustrated by examples from the Swiss soil monitoring network. The attempt to make a comprehensive compilation and assessment of required metadata for soil contamination monitoring reveals that most metadata are still far from being reliable. This leads to the conclusion that progress in environmental monitoring means further development of the concept of environmental metadata for the sake of temporal data bias control as a prerequisite for reliable interpretations and decisions.     

Water quality in Lis river, Portugal

In the past 30?years, the Lis river basin has been subjected to constant ecological disasters mainly due to piggery untreated wastewater discharges. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of existing domestic, agricultural, and industrial activities on the water quality, and to propose a watershed plan to protect and manage surface water resources within the Lis river basin. For this purpose, 16 monitoring stations have been strategically selected along the Lis river stretch and its main tributaries to evaluate the water quality in six different sampling periods (2003–2006). All samples were characterized in terms of organic material, nutrients, chlorophyll, and pathogenic bacteria. Generally, the Lis river presents poor water quality, according to environmental quality standards for surface water, principally in terms of dissolved oxygen, biochemical oxygen demand, total nitrogen, and fecal coliform, which can be associated mainly with the contamination source from pig-breeding farms.     

Hydrogeological definition and applicability of abandoned coal mines as water reservoirs

Hydrogeologically, the Central Coal Basin (Asturias, Spain) is characterized by predominantly low-permeability materials that make up a multilayer aquifer with very low porosity and permeability values, where the sandstones act as limited aquifers, and wackes, mudstones, shales and coal seams act as confining levels. Preferential groundwater flow paths are open fractures and zones of decompression associated with them, so the hydraulic behaviour of the system is more associated with fracturing than lithology. Thus, abandoned and flooded mines in the area acquire an important role in the management of water resources, setting up an artificial "pseudo-karst" aquifer. This paper evaluates the potential application of the abandoned mines as underground reservoirs, both for water supply and energetic use, mainly through heat pumps and small hydropower plants. In particular, the groundwater reservoir shaped by the connected shafts Barredo and Figaredo has been chosen, and a detailed and multifaceted study has been undertaken in the area. The exposed applications fit with an integrated management of water resources and contribute to improve economic and social conditions of a traditional mining area in gradual decline due to the cessation of such activity.