The LUCAS topsoil database and derived information on the regional variability of cropland topsoil properties in the European Union

Approximately 20,000 topsoil samples were collected in 25 European Union (EU) Member States (EU-27 except Bulgaria and Romania) with the aim to produce the first coherent pan-European physical and chemical topsoil database, which can serve as baseline information for an EU wide harmonized soil monitoring. The soil sampling was undertaken within the frame of the Land Use/Land Cover Area Frame Survey (LUCAS), a project to monitor changes in the management and character of the land surface of the EU. Soil samples have been analysed for basic soil properties, including particle size distribution, pH, organic carbon, carbonates, NPK, cation exchange capacity (CEC) and multispectral signatures. Preliminary studies show the outstanding potential of the dataset for enhancing the knowledge base on soils in the EU. The current paper provides an introduction to the LUCAS Topsoil 2009 project and provides an example of data applicability for cropland assessment by highlighting initial results for regional and national comparisons.     

Arsenic and other trace elements in two catfish species from Paranaguá Estuarine Complex, Paraná, Brazil

Concentrations of arsenic and four additional trace elements (Cu, Cr, Ni, and Zn) were determined by inductively coupled plasma–optical emission spectrometry in the muscular tissue of the yellow catfish (Cathorops spixii) and the urutu catfish (Genidens genidens) from Paranaguá Estuarine Complex, Brazil (PEC). The PEC can be characterized by an environment of high ecological and economic importance in which preserved areas of rainforest and mangroves coexist with urban activities as ports and industries. The average concentrations (in milligram per kilogram dry weight) of elements in the muscle tissue of C. spixii are as follows: Zn (31), As (17), Cu (1.17), Cr (0.62), and Ni (0.28). Similar concentrations could be found in G. genidens with exception of As: Zn (36), As (4.78), Cu (1.14), Cr (0.51), and Ni (0.14). Fish from the geographic northern rural region (Guaraqueçaba–Benito) display higher As concentrations in the muscle tissues than fish found in the south-western (urban) part of the PEC. An international comparison of muscle tissue concentrations of trace elements in fish was made. Except for Ni in C. spixii, a tendency of decrease in element concentration with increasing size (age) of the fish could be observed. According to the National Health Surveillance Agency of Brazil, levels of Cr and As exceeded the permissible limits for seafood. An estimation of the provisional tolerable weekly intake of As was calculated with 109 % for C. spixii and with 29 % for G. genidens.     

Effect of development on water quality for seven streams in North Carolina

In this study, baseflow and storm discharges were monitored in seven watersheds of varying development density to document the effects of development on stream water quality. In addition, two of the watersheds contained package wastewater treatment facilities, which were evaluated as an alternative to residential on-site septic systems. Monthly grab samples of baseflow and flow-proportional samples of storm event discharge were collected and analyzed for nitrogen, phosphorus, sediment, and bacteria. For the five watersheds without wastewater treatment facilities, a significant linear relationship was documented between fecal coliform and enterococci levels in baseflow samples and the percentage of residential or impervious area. For the two watersheds with wastewater discharge, bacteria levels were significantly greater than those from the two relatively undeveloped watersheds. These results indicate that bacteria levels increased with increasing residential development even if many of the septic systems were replaced by a community wastewater treatment system. Computed annual export rates for ammonia nitrogen (NH₃-N) were correlated to the percentage of impervious surfaces in the watersheds, while the rates for other nitrogen forms, total phosphorus, and total suspended sediment were not. Annual export rates from the two mostly undeveloped watersheds were greater than a compilation of rates for undeveloped areas across the USA. Export from the four watersheds with more than 68 % residential land use was less than those reported from local and national studies of residential areas.     

Adjusting the effect of seasonal variability in the bioassessment of streams

Bioassessment tools should distinguish between the effects of anthropogenic degradation in communities and natural temporal changes. The present study tests the influence of natural seasonal variability on macroinvertebrate stream communities assessed by a predictive model (PORTRIV) and a multimetric index (IPtI) calibrated for spring. The scores of PORTRIV decreased significantly between spring and autumn, and between spring and winter (ca. 37 to 53 %, respectively), while those of IPtI did not change significantly between seasons. For non-reference samples, the results of the predictive model also indicate no significant differences. A correction factor (CF) was calculated to adjust the existing differences in the model assessments between seasons, based on the percentage of variation of reference site scores from spring to autumn and winter. After the application of the CF to the OE50 scores of spring reference samples, the differences were no longer significant. Independent reference validation sites confirmed this tendency. This method has the advantage of avoiding large efforts required for the construction of databases from other seasons and the development of new models to allow the assessment of streams in seasons other than spring. Further tests with models developed in regions with more marked seasonal changes should be done to confirm its wider applicability.     

PCDD/Fs in the soils in the province of Trento: 10 years of monitoring

Nuclear bud (NB) formation was investigated in blood erythrocytes of 1892 flounder Platichthys flesus, herring Clupea harengus, and eelpout Zoarces viviparus specimens that were collected at 82 sites representing different regions of the Baltic Sea in 2009–2011. This is the first attempt to evaluate the baseline levels of NB and rank the genotoxicity risk for native fish species. NB levels were compared to the previously published micronuclei (MN) data from the same individual fish specimens in order to compare the two methods of genotoxicity assessment and investigate the relationship between MN as the cytogenetic measure of genotoxicity and the DNA damage reflecting NB. In 2009–2011, elevated NB levels in 89.4 % of flounder sampling groups indicated high and extremely high genotoxicity risk levels. Herring and eelpout sampling groups showed elevated levels of NB, 74.6 and 45.7 %, respectively. In general, herring and eelpout NB measure was more sensitive as the genotoxicity biomarker than MN.