Influences of winery–distillery waste compost stability and soil type on soil carbon dynamics in amended soils

The application of organic materials to replenish soil organic matter and improve soil structure and fertility has become a common agronomic practice. This research deals with the effects of soil amendment with winery and distillery waste composts on organic carbon (C) mineralisation in two arable soils. A sandy-loam and clay-loam soil were treated and incubated with a number organic materials obtained from the co-composting of different proportions of grape stalk, grape marc, exhausted grape marc and vinasse, with sewage sludge or animal manure. Moreover, the effect of compost stability on C mineralisation dynamics was studied by applying organic materials from different stages of the composting process. The results obtained showed that the addition of exogenous organic matter stimulated microbial growth, enhanced soil respiration and increased water-extractable C contents in both soils, particularly in the days immediately following amendment. The initial composition of the different organic materials used, especially for the mature samples, and the texture of the receiving soil did not influence significantly the C mineralisation final values, with around 11–20% of the added organic C being mineralised over the first 140 days. However, the contribution of organic amendment to the labile organic C pool, maximum rates of soil respiration, as well as the extent of initial disturbance of the soil microbiota were all found to be related to the degree of organic matter stability. Moreover, irrespective of the type and stability of the organic amendment, the mineralogical composition of the receiving soil was found to significantly influence its resilience in such systems.     

Changes in blood lead and water lead in Edinburgh. An eight year follow-up to the Edinburgh lead study

This study aimed to measure changes in household water lead and blood lead in young people living in Edinburgh over a period of 8 years. Two hundred and twenty-three families were eligible and 207 (93%) agreed to participate. A half-hour stagnation sample of kitchen cold water was taken from each household, and 171 young people (aged 14–17 years) provided a blood sample for lead analysis. Information on plumbing changes, exposure to other sources of lead and factors which might influence blood lead was collected by questionnaire. Edinburgh is supplied with water treated in one of two treatment plants. There was a different programme of water treatment in each plant. In one (A) lime and orthophosphate was introduced in the interval between the original and follow-up studies. In the other (F) lime treatment began before the original study and orthophosphate was introduced subsequently. In water from treatment plant A, mean water lead levels fell from 34 to 4.3 gL-1 (87%). In water supplied from treatment plant F the corresponding values were 9.3 to 3.6 gL-1 (61%). These reductions were due to both water treatment and removal of lead plumbing. Houses with no lead plumbing have water lead levels 89% lower than houses with lead tanks, and 47% lower than houses with lead pipes. About one-third of households with lead tanks are predicted to have water lead levels above the current EC limit of 50 gL- 1, though only 3% or less of the remaining households would exceed this limit. If the proposed 10 gL-1 limit were introduced, 34% of households supplied from plant A and 25% from plant F would breach the limit. Blood lead levels fell from an average of 11.0 gdL-1 to 4.0 gdL-1. Males had higher values than females and the main factors influencing levels were water lead and age of house. Our results show substantial reductions in household water lead and blood lead in our sample over a period of 8 years and represent an important achievement in public health. However, more progress will be required if the proposed new limit of 10 gL-1 for water lead is to be met. There is a need for the continuing surveillance of household water lead and blood lead levels in representative samples of the population.     

Mercury Contamination of the EEL (Anguilla Anguilla) and Roach (Rutilus Rutilus) in East Anglia, UK

The muscle tissue total mercury (THg) and organomercury (OrHg) concentrations of eel (Anguilla anguilla) and roach (Rutilus rutilis) from the Hg-contaminated River Yare and the uncontaminated Ormesby Broad were compared to their respective bed sediment THg and OrHg concentrations in order to determine if fish in the River Yare had begun to approach 'background' levels. While eel from the Yare had higher flesh concentrations (260 g kg-1) than those from Ormesby Broad (102 g kg- 1), roach were found to have similar concentrations regardless of location (55 and 54 g kg-1 for Yare and Ormesby respectively). However, roach in the Yare had significantly higher body burdens of Hg and organomercury, which when analysed over time (1985–95) showed a decreasing trend approaching the levels observed in fish from Ormesby Broad, suggesting that roach are an overall better biomonitor of contamination then eel. This said, the elevated levels of Hg found in fish from Ormesby Broad indicate the existence of a diffuse source such as atmospheric deposition to the surface waters of East Anglia.     

Origins and biological accumulation of small plastic particles in fur seals from Macquarie Island

One hundred and sixty four plastic particles (mean length 4.1 mm) recovered from the scats of fur seals (Arctocephalus spp.) on Macquarie Island were examined. Electron micrographs of 41 of the plastic particles showed that none could be identified as plastic pellet feedstock from their shapes. Commonly, such pellets are cylindrical and spherical. Instead, all the 164 plastic particles from the seal scats were angular particles of 7 colors (feedstock particles are normally opaque or white) and could be classified into 2 categories: i) fragmented along crystal lines and likely to be the result of UV breakdown; and ii) worn by abrasion (where striations were clearly visible) into irregular shapes with rounded corners. White, brown, green, yellow and blue were the most common colors. In composition, they came from 5 polymer groups; polyethylene 93%, polypropylene 4%, poly(1-Cl-1-butenylene) polychloroprene 2%, melamine-urea (phenol) (formaldehyde) resin 0.5%, and cellulose (rope fiber) 0.5%. The larger groups are buoyant with a specific gravity less than that of seawater. These small plastic particles are formed from the breakdown of larger particles (fragments). Their origin seems to be from the breakdown of user plastics washed ashore and ground down on cobbled beaches. Certainly most particles (70%) had attained their final form by active abrasion. It is hypothesized that the plastic particles were washed out to sea and then selected by size and consumed by individuals of a pelagic fish species, Electrona subaspera, who in turn were consumed by the fur seals. Thus, the particles were accumulated both by the fish and the seals in the usual process of their feeding.     

Urban photochemical pollution in the Iberian Peninsula: Lisbon and Barcelona airsheds

Numerical simulations with photochemical transport models were independently performed for two domains situated in the Iberian Peninsula covering the Lisbon and Barcelona airsheds. Although the days chosen for simulation of the two cities are not the same, the synoptic situations in both cases, known as typical summertime situations, were similar, which allowed the development of typical mesoscale circulations, such as sea breezes and mountain and valley winds dominated by the Azores anticyclone. Emission inventories for the two areas were developed. The O3 concentrations recorded in both cities have a similar level. Nevertheless, O(x) values in Barcelona are higher than in Lisbon, which may, at a first glance, indicate an apparently more oxidant atmosphere in Barcelona. Photochemical modeling for the two cities has shown that the behavior of the circulatory patterns in both urban areas is rather different, which mainly has to do with the different strengths of the sea breeze and the topography, inducing an important offshore vertical layered dimension of pollutant transport in Barcelona versus an important inland horizontal transport in Lisbon.     

Conceptualizing the Baltic Sea ecosystem: an interdisciplinary tool for environmental decision making

There is an increasing call for stronger interdisciplinary studies in the Baltic Sea to find solutions to the environmental and social problems associated with eutrophication. Cooperation between experts from the natural sciences, socioeconomics, and management is needed. One way to solve communication problems is to develop a broad conceptual model that comprehensively describes eutrophication and links causes, effects, and the multiple relationships of eutrophication in a visual way. In the present conceptual model, the eutrophication process is divided into i) causes, ii) primary effects, iii) secondary effects, and iv) socioeconomic responses. Each part is described and discussed separately, with links to the other levels and compartments. Possible pathways are shown through the model from natural science to human society, thus inducing management options. Examples of key publications where the causes and effects are observed and studied in the Baltic Sea are listed as examples, and their implications are discussed.     

Atelosteogenesis type II: Sonographic and radiological correlation

Atelosteogenesis type II is a lethal chondrodysplasia characterized by severe micromelia, spinal abnormalities, talipes equinovarus, and abducted thumbs and toes. We present a case diagnosed at 21 weeks of gestation in which antenatal sonographic and post-mortem radiological findings were correlated. The patient had a recurrence of this disorder in a subsequent pregnancy which was terminated at 15 weeks, supporting previous reports of an autosomal recessive inheritance pattern. The feasibility of diagnosing the following morphological features by prenatal ultrasonography is demonstrated: coronal clefts of the vertebral bodies, metaphyseal and epiphyseal abnormalities, spinal deviations such as cervical kyphosis and a horizontal sacrum, additional ossification centres in the pelvis, and preaxial deviation of the thumbs and toes. The differential diagnosis of this disorder from other skeletal dysplasias with similar features is discussed.