High frequency monitoring of the coastal marine environment using the MAREL buoy

The MAREL Iroise data buoy provides physico-chemical measurements acquired in surface marine water in continuous and autonomous mode. The water is pumped 1.5 m from below the surface through a sampling pipe and flows through the measuring cell located in the floating structure. Technological innovations implemented inside the measuring cell atop the buoy allow a continuous cleaning of the sensor, while injection of chloride ions into the circuit prevents biological fouling. Specific sensors for temperature, salinity, oxygen and fluorescence investigated in this paper have been evaluated to guarantee measurement precision over a 3 month period. A bi-directional link under Internet TCP-IP protocols is used for data, alarms and remote-control transmissions with the land-based data centre. Herein, we present a 29 month record for 4 parameters measured using a MAREL buoy moored in a coastal environment (Iroise Sea, Brest, France). The accuracy of the data provided by the buoy is assessed by comparison with measurements of sea water weekly sampled at the same site as part of SOMLIT (Service d'Observation du Milieu LIToral), the French network for monitoring of the coastal environment. Some particular events (impact of intensive fresh water discharges, dynamics of a fast phytoplankton bloom) are also presented, demonstrating the worth of monitoring a highly variable environment with a high frequency continuous reliable system.     

Organochlorine Pesticide Residues in Wheat and Drinking Water Samples from Jaipur, Rajasthan, India

The organochlorine pesticide contamination in dietary sources has caused serious threat to the human progeny. The present study was therefore conducted to evaluate the pesticide contamination in wheat flour and drinking water from Jaipur City, Rajasthan, India using Gas Chromatograph. All the wheat and water samples were found to be contaminated with various organochlorine pesticide residues of DDT and its metabolites, HCH and its isomers, heptachlor and its expoxide and aldrin. The amount of pesticide detected in wheat flour was higher than the permissible limits prescribed by WHO/FAO. In drinking water only a few pesticides exceeded the permissible limits. Seasonal variations of pesticides residues were also observed during the study period.     

Evaluation of forest nutrition based on large-scale foliar surveys: are nutrition profiles the way of the future?

This paper introduces the use of nutrition profiles as a first step in the development of a concept that is suitable for evaluating forest nutrition on the basis of large-scale foliar surveys. Nutrition profiles of a tree or stand were defined as the nutrient status, which accounts for all element concentrations, contents and interactions between two or more elements. Therefore a nutrition profile overcomes the shortcomings associated with the commonly used concepts for evaluating forest nutrition. Nutrition profiles can be calculated by means of a neural network, i.e. a self-organizing map, and an agglomerative clustering algorithm with pruning. As an example, nutrition profiles were calculated to describe the temporal variation in the mineral composition of Scots pine and Norway spruce needles in Finland between 1987 and 2000. The temporal trends in the frequency distribution of the nutrition profiles of Scots pine indicated that, between 1987 and 2000, the N, S, P, K, Ca, Mg and Al decreased, whereas the needle mass (NM) increased or remained unchanged. As there were no temporal trends in the frequency distribution of the nutrition profiles of Norway spruce, the mineral composition of the needles of Norway spruce needles subsequently did not change. Interpretation of the (lack of) temporal trends was outside the scope of this example. However, nutrition profiles prove to be a new and better concept for the evaluation of the mineral composition of large-scale surveys only when a biological interpretation of the nutrition profiles can be provided.     

Selection and Calibration of Numerical Modeling in Flow and Water Quality

Numerical modeling is frequently used in coastal engineering research and application. One possible issue associated with using this method however, is that initial outcomes might differ from expectation. Modeling manipulation addresses this issue by changing the initial parameters which in turn affects the final output results. The advancement of modeling techniques in recent years has seen a gradual but steady accruement of knowledge regarding the relationship between input parameters and possible outputs, which has resulted in improved accuracy and efficiency methods. The advancements within this field have predominantly occurred on an individual basis and as such lack standardisation. An expert numerical modeler may use this knowledge subconsciously, yet may not know how to convey it to the model users. This paper has been written to introduce a systematic intelligent coding schema designed to organise current coastal engineering modeling manipulation knowledge into a standardised format. This system is relevant to the development of appropriate strategies for improved accuracy and efficiency as well as model modification to simulate specific real phenomena in prototype application cases.     

膜、柱串联固相萃取-高效液相色谱法测定水中多环芳烃(PAHs)的研究

建立了用膜-柱串联固相萃取(SPE)技术,甲醇和水作为流动相进行梯度洗脱,紫外和荧光检测器串联的高效液相色谱法(HPLC)分析水中EPA优先监控的16种PAHs的方法.     

How and why is Aquatic Quality Changing at Nahanni National Park Reserve, nwt, Canada?

Nahanni National Park Reserve is located at southwestern NWT-Yukon border. One of the first UNESCO World Heritage sites, Nahanni lies within Taiga Cordillera and Taiga Shield Ecozones. Base and precious metal mining occurred upstream of Nahanni prior to park establishment. Nahanni waters, sediments, fish, and caribou have naturally elevated metals levels. Baseline water, sediment and fish tissue quality data were collected and analyzed throughout Nahanni during 1988–91 and 1992–97. These two programs characterized how aquatic quality variables are naturally varying in space and time, affected by geology, stream flow, seasonality, and extreme meteorological and geological events. Possible anthropogenic causes of aquatic quality change were examined. Measured values were compared to existing Guidelines and site-specific objectives were established.     

Conservation and management applications of the REEF volunteer fish monitoring program

The REEF Fish Survey Project is a volunteer fish monitoring program developed by the Reef Environmental Education Foundation (REEF). REEF volunteers collect fish distribution and abundance data using a standardized visual method during regular diving and snorkeling activities. Survey data are recorded on preprinted data sheets that are returned to REEF and optically digitized. Data are housed in a publicly accessible database on REEF's Web site (http: //www.reef.org). Since the project's inception in 1993, over 40,000 surveys have been conducted in the coastal waters of North America, tropical western Atlantic, Gulf of California and Hawaii. The Fish Survey Project has been incorporated into existing monitoring programs through partnerships with government agencies, scientists, conservation organizations, and private institutions. REEF's partners benefit from the educational value and increased stewardship resulting from volunteer data collection. Applications of the data include an evaluation of fish/habitat interactions in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary, the development of a multi-species trend analysis method to identify sites of management concern, assessment of the current distribution of species, status reports on fish assemblages of marine parks, and the evaluation of no-take zones in the Florida Keys. REEF's collaboration with a variety of partners, combined with the Fish Survey Project's standardized census method and database management system, has resulted in a successful citizen science monitoring program.     

Trihalomethanes in Drinking Water of Greater Québec Region (Canada): Occurrence, Variations and Modelling

The levels of trihalomethanes (THMs) – the main species of by-product from water chlorination – were monitored in thedistribution systems of the five major drinking water utilitiesof the greater area of Québec City in order to investigate andmodel their occurrence on a spatial and seasonal basis. Data forTHMs and other water quality and operational parametersassociated with their formation were generated through a 16 monthsampling program involving several sites representing variablewater residence times, from the plant to the system extremity.The results demonstrate that the differences in measured THMlevels between the five utilities are mainly due to the variablequality of raw waters, the type of water treatment process beingused and the type and levels of applied disinfectant. Dependingon the utility, average THM levels were from 1.3 to 2.5 timeshigher in the system extremities than in the water leaving thetreatment plant. Also, average levels of THMs measured in summerat the distribution system extremities were, depending on theutility, from 2.5 to 5 times higher than the average levelsmeasured in winter. The seasonal differences were found to besignificantly greater than those observed by others in waterutilities in the United States and Europe and are explained inlarge part by the considerable changes, over the year, in thequality and temperature of surface waters in Southern Québec. Forthe five utilities under study, multivariate regression modelswere developed in order to predict spatial and seasonalvariations of THMs. Both residual chlorine demand and temperaturewere found to be better, statistically, as predictors for THMoccurrence. The usefulness of the developed models for routineand long term water quality management, as well as for assessmentof human exposure to THMs, are also discussed.     

Trace Metal Concentration in Roadside Surface Soil and Tree Back: A Measurement of Local Atmospheric Pollution in Abuja, Nigeria

Cadmium, copper, lead, nickel and zinc concentrations were analysed by atomic absorption spectrophotometry in surface soil and tree bark from different districts of Abuja, Nigeria, in order to determine the atmospheric trace metal input in the area.Elevated concentrations of some of the studied metals were observed in the soil and tree bark samples from the commercial/high traffic areas of the city compared to backgroundvalues. In soil samples, the average concentration of the metals were 0.6±0.4, 18.0±4.0, 281±39, 16±4 and66±23 g g^-1 dry weight for Cd, Cu, Pb, Ni and Zn, respectively, whilst the average concentrations in tree bark were 0.3±0.2, 12±4, 133±32, 13±3 and 61±10 g g^-1 dry weight for Cd, Cu, Pb, Ni and Zn, respectively. The trend in trace metal levels suggested that automobile emissions are a major source of these metals as the highest concentrations of Pb and Zn were recorded in the commercial areas of the city known for their high traffic densities. The levels of metal in the study area were relativelylow compared to levels found in some larger and older cities in various countries worldwide.     

Sharing the geo-Referenced Results of Climate Change Impact Research

The Prairie Adaptation Research Collaborative (PARC) has implemented an Internet Map Server (IMS) at the PARC web site (www.parc.ca) to 1) disseminate the geo-referenced results of PARC sponsored research on climate change impacts and adaptation, and 2) address data, information and knowledge management within the PARC network of researchers and partners. PARC facilitates interdisciplinary research on adaptation to the impacts of climate change in the Canadian Prairie Provinces. The web site is intended as a platform for sharing information and encouraging discussion of climate change impacts and adaptation. The IMS enables scientists and stakeholders to apply simple climate change scenarios to geo-referenced biophysical and social data, and dynamically create maps that display the geographic distribution of potential impacts of climate change. With a limited capacity for spatial analysis, most geo-processing and the climate impact modeling is done offline within a GIS environment. The IMS will serve the output from climate impact models, such that the model results can be customized by the web site user and be most readily applied to the planning and analysis of adaptation strategies.