Aerosol size distributions in urban Jinan: Seasonal characteristics and variations between weekdays and weekends in a heavily polluted atmosphere

Aerosol size distributions, trace gas, and PM(2.5) concentrations have been measured in urban Jinan, China, over 6 months in 2007 and 2008, covering spring, summer, fall, and winter time periods. Number concentrations of particles (10-2,500 nm) were 16,200, 13,900, 11,200, and 21,600 cm(?-3) in spring, summer, fall, and winter, respectively. Compared with other urban studies, Jinan has higher number concentrations of accumulation-mode particles (100-500 nm) and particles (10-2,500 nm), but lower concentrations of ultrafine particles (10-100 nm). The number, surface and volume concentrations, and size distributions of particles showed obvious seasonal variation and are also influenced by traffic emissions. Through correlation analysis, traffic emissions are proposed to be a more important contributor to Atkien-mode and accumulation-mode particles than coal firing. Around midday, the presence of nanoparticles and new particle formation is limited to pre-existing particles from traffic emissions and the mass transport of particles from suburban and rural areas. Compared with other studies in urban areas of Europe and the USA, the variation of particle number concentration and related gas concentration in Jinan between weekdays and weekends is smaller and the reasons has been deduced.     

Assessment of spatial distribution of soil loss over the upper basin of Miyun reservoir in China based on RS and GIS techniques

Soil conservation planning often requires estimates of the spatial distribution of soil erosion at a catchment or regional scale. This paper applied the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE) to investigate the spatial distribution of annual soil loss over the upper basin of Miyun reservoir in China. Among the soil erosion factors, which are rainfall erosivity (R), soil erodibility (K), slope length (L), slope steepness (S), vegetation cover (C), and support practice factor (P), the vegetative cover or C factor, which represents the effects of vegetation canopy and ground covers in reducing soil loss, has been one of the most difficult to estimate over broad geographic areas. In this paper, the C factor was estimated based on back propagation neural network and the results were compared with the values measured in the field. The correlation coefficient (r) obtained was 0.929. Then the C factor and the other factors were used as the input to RUSLE model. By integrating the six factor maps in geographical information system (GIS) through pixel-based computing, the spatial distribution of soil loss over the upper basin of Miyun reservoir was obtained. The results showed that the annual average soil loss for the upper basin of Miyun reservoir was 9.86 t ha(-1) ya(-1) in 2005, and the area of 46.61 km(2) (0.3%) experiences extremely severe erosion risk, which needs suitable conservation measures to be adopted on a priority basis. The spatial distribution of erosion risk classes was 66.9% very low, 21.89% low, 6.18% moderate, 2.89% severe, and 1.84% very severe. Thus, by using RUSLE in a GIS environment, the spatial distribution of water erosion can be obtained and the regions which susceptible to water erosion and need immediate soil conservation planning and application over the upper watershed of Miyun reservoir in China can be identified.     

Effectiveness of amendments on re-acidification and heavy metal immobilization in an extremely acidic mine soil

Previous studies have shown that the application of soil amendments is efficient in reducing acidity and heavy metal bioavailability in mine soils. However, it remains a challenge for environmentalists to predict accurately and control economically the re-acidification in re-vegetated mine soils. In this study, net acid generation (NAG) test and bioassay technique were employed to assess the effectiveness of the amendments [including lime, N-P-K (nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium) fertilizer, phosphate and river sediment] on re-acidification and heavy metal immobilization in an extremely acid (pH < 3) mine soil. Our results suggested that NAG test was a rapid and accurate approach to assess the effectiveness of the amendments on re-acidification potential of the mine soil. Interestingly, it was found that phosphate and river sediment played quite specific roles in preventing the re-acidification in the mine soil. In addition, the results also indicated that the addition of 25 t ha(-1) lime combined with river sediment (30%) might be an economical method to successfully control the acidification and re-acidification in the extremely acid mine soil, allowing the re-establishment of the plants. Collectively, our results implied that the combined use of NAG test and bioassay assessment was effective in evaluating a reclamation strategy for extremely acidic mine soils.     

Use of pharmaceuticals and pesticides to constrain nutrient sources in coastal groundwater of northwestern Long Island, New York, USA

In developed, non-agricultural, unsewered areas, septic systems and fertilizer application to lawns and gardens represent two major sources of nitrogen to coastal groundwater, in addition to atmospheric input. This study was designed to distinguish between these two possible nitrogen sources by analyzing groundwater samples for pharmaceutical residuals, because fertilizers do not contain any of these pharmaceuticals, but domestic wastewater commonly does. In addition, several herbicides and insecticides used in lawn treatment were analyzed as indicators of nitrogen delivery to groundwater from fertilizers. Groundwater samples were taken through piezometres at shoreline sites in unsewered areas surrounding Northport Harbor and in sewered areas adjacent to Manhasset Bay (hereafter referred to as "Northport" and "Manhasset", respectively), both in northwestern Long Island, USA. Excessive nitrogen loading has led to reduced dissolved oxygen concentrations in Long Island Sound, and the groundwater contribution to the nitrogen budget is poorly constrained. The frequent detection of the anticonvulsant compound carbamazepine in groundwater samples of the Northport Harbor area (unsewered), together with the fact that few pesticides associated with lawn applications were detected, suggests that wastewater input and atmospheric input are the likely sources of nitrogen in the Northport groundwater. High concentrations of nitrogen were also detected in the Manhasset (sewered) groundwater. The low detection frequency and concentration of carbamazepine, however, suggest that the sewer system effectively intercepts nitrogen from wastewater there. The likely sources of nitrogen in the Manhasset groundwater are atmospheric deposition and lawn fertilizers, as this area is densely populated.     

Chemical composition of precipitation and its sources in Hangzhou, China

To understand the origin and chemical characteristics of precipitation in Hangzhou, rainwater samples were collected from June 2006 to May 2008. All samples were analyzed for pH, electrical conductivity, and major ions (NH??, Ca2?, Mg2?, Na?, K?, SO?2?, NO??, F?, and Cl?). Acidification of precipitation in Hangzhou was serious with volume-weighted mean pH value of 4.5, while frequency of acid rain was 95%. The calculated SO?2?/NO?? ratio in Hangzhou precipitation was 2.87, which indicated that the precipitation of Hangzhou belonged to sulfate-based acid rain. The results of acid neutralization analysis showed that not all the acidity in the precipitation of Hangzhou was neutralized by alkaline constituents. The results of sea salt contribution analysis showed that nearly all SO?2?, Ca2?, and Mg2? and 33.7% of K? were of non-sea origins, while all Na? and Cl? and 66.3% of K? originated from sea sources. The principal component analysis which was used to analyze the sources of various ions indicated that chemical compositions of precipitation in Hangzhou mainly came from terrestrial sources, factory emissions, fuel wood burning, and marine sources.     

Matrix-bound phosphine and phosphorus fractions in paddy soils

Phosphine (PH(3)) is a natural gaseous carrier of phosphorus (P) in its geochemical cycles, and it might be important to the P balance of natural ecosystems. Paddy fields are thought to be one of the main sources responsible for the production and emission of PH(3) in to the environment. The relationships between matrix-bound PH(3) (MBP) and different P fractions, as well as selected metals were investigated to explore the possible production of MBP and its link to P cycle in the paddy soils. MBP range from 20.8 (-1) to 502 ng kg(-1) with an average of 145 ng kg(-1). Concentrations at the milk stage are significantly higher than at the jointing stage. The total P range from 333 mg kg(-1) to 592 mg kg(-1). Average P fractions decrease in the order: Ca-P (69.9%) > Organic P (16.5%) > occluded P (6.50%) > Fe-P (5.93%) > dissolved P (0.80%) > exchangeable P (0.32%) > Al-P (0.02%). Different levels of nitrogen fertilizer have little effect on the contents of MBP, P fractions and metals. A significant positive correlation between MBP and Ca-P (p = 0.002), as well as between MBP and Ca (p = 0.008) could be observed, suggesting that Ca-P mainly affects the production of MBP in the paddy soils. It is suggested that soil MBP is strongly linked to Ca-P fertilizer use because soil spiked with P-fertilizer produced an additional 758 ± 142 ng of MBP per kg of soil, compared to only 81.7 ± 12.3 ng of MBP per kg of unspiked soil. No correlations are found between MBP and other P fractions, or between MBP and Al, Fe and Mn.     

Assessment of elemental distribution and trace element contamination in surficial wetland sediments, Southern Tibetan Plateau

In order to analyze and evaluate different trace metals on surface water of the Changjiang River, concentrations of dissolved trace metals (Cu, Ni, Fe, Co, Sc, Al, Zn, Pb, Cd, Se, As, Cr, and Hg), major elements(Ca and Mg), and nutrient(NO $_{3}^{-})$ were measured. Samples were taken at 76 positions along Changjiang River in flood and dry seasons during 2007?C2008. Spatial distributions identified two main large zones mainly influenced by mineral erosion (sites 1?C22) and anthropogenic action (sites 23?C76), respectively. Principal component analysis (PCA) and hierarchical cluster analysis were used to identify the variance distinguishing the origin of water. Four significant components were extracted by PCA, explaining 74.91% of total variable. Cu, Ni, Fe, Co, Sc, Al, Ca, and Mg were mainly associated with the weathering and erosion of various rocks and minerals, while an anthropogenic source was identified for Cd and As. Although erosion was one source of Pb and Zn, they were also input by atmospheric deposition and industrial pollutions. NO $_{3}^{-}$ and Se were mainly associated with agriculture activities. However, Hg and Cr showed different sources. CA confirmed and completed the results obtained by PCA, classifying the data into two large groups representing different areas. Group 1 referred to the upper reaches which represented samples mainly corresponding to natural background areas. Group 2 referred to the middle and lower reaches including samples under anthropogenic influence. Meanwhile, group 2 was subdivided into three new groups, representing agricultural, industrial, and various artificial pollution sources, respectively.     

Characteristics of CO2 release from forest soil in the mountains near Beijing

CO₂ release from forest soil is a key driver of carbon cycling between the soil and atmosphere ecosystem. The rate of CO₂ released from soil was measured in three forest stands (in the mountainous region near Beijing, China) by the alkaline absorption method from 2004 to 2006. The rate of CO₂ released did not differ among the three stands. The CO₂ release rate ranged from ??341 to 1,193 mg m^???2 h^???1, and the mean value over all three forests and sampling times was 286 mg m^???2 h^???1. CO₂ release was positively correlated with soil water content and the soil temperature. Diurnally, CO₂ release was higher in the day than at night. Seasonally, CO₂ release was highest in early autumn and lowest in winter; in winter, negative values of CO₂ release suggested that CO₂ was absorbed by soil.     

Biomonitoring of testate amoebae (protozoa) as toxic metals absorbed in aquatic bryophytes from the Hg-Tl mineralized area (China)

A new method has been developed for the determination of chemical oxygen demand (COD) in pulping effluent using chemometrics-assisted spectrophotometry. Two calibration models were established by inducing UV-visible spectroscopy (model 1) and derivative spectroscopy (model 2), combined with the chemometrics software Smica-P. Correlation coefficients of the two models are 0.9954 (model 1) and 0.9963 (model 2) when COD of samples is in the range of 0 to 405 mg/L. Sensitivities of the two models are 0.0061 (model 1) and 0.0056 (model 2) and method detection limits are 2.02?C2.45 mg/L (model 1) and 2.13?C2.51 mg/L (model 2). Validation experiment showed that the average standard deviation of model 2 was 1.11 and that of model 1 was 1.54. Similarly, average relative error of model 2 (4.25%) was lower than model 1 (5.00%), which indicated that the predictability of model 2 was better than that of model 1. Chemometrics-assisted spectrophotometry method did not need chemical reagents and digestion which were required in the conventional methods, and the testing time of the new method was significantly shorter than the conventional ones. The proposed method can be used to measure COD in pulping effluent as an environmentally friendly approach with satisfactory results.     

Strategies of a bark beetle, Pityogenes bidentatus, in an olfactory landscape

 Volatiles from leaves or bark of nonhost birch (Betula pendula) and Norway spruce (Picea abies) dramatically reduced the attraction of the bark beetle, Pityogenes bidentatus (Coleoptera: Scolytidae), to their aggregation pheromone components (cis-verbenol and grandisol) in the field. In addition, odors from both the needles and bark of the host Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris) similarly inhibited attraction. Monoterpenes of pine and spruce (α-pinene, β-pinene, terpinolene, and 3-carene) as well as ethanol, chalcogran and some nonhost green leaf alcohols [(Z)-3-hexen-1-ol, (E)-2-hexen-1-ol, and 1-hexanol], also reduced catches. Collections of volatiles from the field-tested plant tissues indicated they released monoterpenes in amounts similar to the synthetics that inhibited responses. The various plant and insect sources of these inhibitory compounds indicate that P. bidentatus bark beetles have evolved several strategies to increase their fitness by avoiding nonhost and unsuitable host trees in a complex olfactory landscape. Received: 6 June 2000 / Accepted in revised form: 25 September 2000