Determination of aliphatic and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in atmospheric particulate samples of a coruña city (Spain)

The hydrocarbon composition of atmospheric particulate matter from A Coruña city (Northwest Spain) has been studied. TSP (total suspended particulate) and PM₁₀ (particulate matter with aerodynamic diameter <10 µm) samples were taken over 7 and 4 months at two stations located in residential and industrial sectors of A Coruña city, respectively. The levels of hydrocarbons found in atmospheric particulate samples of A Coruña city are higher than the ones found in other cities over the world. Ratios between the analysed compounds and their sources were established. Both anthropogenic and biogenic origins were found.     

Wet peroxide degradation of atrazine

The high temperature (150-200 degrees C), high pressure (3.0-6.0 MPa) degradation of atrazine in aqueous solution has been studied. Under these extreme conditions atrazine steadily hydrolyses in the absence of oxidising agents. Additionally, oxygen partial pressure has been shown not to affect atrazine degradation rates. In no case mineralisation of the parent compound was observed. The addition of the free radical generator hydrogen peroxide to the reaction media significantly enhanced the depletion rate of atrazine. Moreover, partial mineralisation of the organics was observed when hydrogen peroxide was used. Again, oxygen presence did not influence the efficiency of the promoted reaction. Consecutive injections of hydrogen peroxide throughout the reaction period brought the total carbon content conversion to a maximum of 65-70% after 40 min of treatment (suggesting the total conversion of atrazine to cyanuric acid). Toxicity of the effluent measured in a luminometer decreased from 93% up to 23% of inhibition percentage. The process has been simulated by means of a semi-empirical model.     

Photoacclimation in phytoplankton: implications for biomass estimates, pigment functionality and chemotaxonomy

Chl a and C-normalized pigment ratios were studied in two dinophytes (Prorocentrum minimum and Karlodinium micrum), three haptophytes (Chrysochromulina leadbeateri, Prymnesium parvum cf. patelliferum, Phaeocystis globosa), two prasinophytes (Pseudoscourfieldia marina, Bathycoccus prasinos) and the raphidophyte Heterosigma akashiwo, in low (LL, 35 μmol photons m⁻² s⁻¹) and high light (HL, 500 μmol photons m⁻² s⁻¹). Pigment ratios in LL and HL were compared against a general rule of photoacclimation: LL versus HL ratios ≥1 are typical for light-harvesting pigments (LHP) and <1 for photoprotective carotenoids. Peridinin, prasinoxanthin, gyroxanthin-diester and 19′-butanoyloxy-fucoxanthin were stable chemotaxonomic markers with less than 25% variation between LL versus HL Chl a–normalized ratios. As expected, Chls exhibited LL/HL to Chl a ratios >1 with some exceptions such as Chl c ₃ in P. globosa and MV Chl c ₃ in C. leadbeateri. LL/HL to Chl a ratios of photosynthetic carotenoids were close to 1, except Hex-fuco in P. globosa (four-fold higher Chl a ratio in HL vs LL). Although pigment ratios in P. globosa clearly responded to the light conditions the diadinoxanthin-diatoxanthin cycle remained almost unaltered at HL. Total averaged pigment and LHP to C ratios were significantly higher in LL versus HL, reflecting the photoacclimation status of the studied species. By contrast, the same Chl a-normalized ratios were weakly affected by the light intensity due to co-variation with Chl a. Based on our data, we suggest that the interpretation of PPC and LHP are highly dependent on biomass normalization (Chl a vs. C).     

Inhibition of laccase activity from Trametes versicolor by heavy metals and organic compounds

Due to the numerous biotechnological applications of laccase enzyme, it is essential to know the influence of different agents usually present in the natural environment on its enzymatic action, especially for in situ treatment technologies. In the present work, a simple and rapid method to determine the inhibitory or inducer effect of different compounds on laccase activity was developed. The compounds tested were copper-chelating agents and heavy metals. It was found that using syringaldazine as a substrate, all copper-chelating agents (except EDTA) highly inhibited laccase activity (around 100%) at an inhibitor concentration lower than 20 mM. Moreover, 40% of inhibition, which was detected at a concentration of 20 mM for both Cd(2+) and Cu(2+) increased with concentration until nearly complete inhibition at 80 mM.     

Study of evolution of PCDD/F in sewage sludge-amended soils for land restoration purposes

The evolution of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDD) and polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDF) in sewage sludge-amended soils used in the restoration of degraded lands, like quarries, has been studied. Two experiments were performed: one in the lab, under controlled conditions, and another in a quarry. Two different doses of sewage sludge were applied in both experiments (with two types of application in the quarry experiment) and the evolution of the amended soils were compared with that of the respective control soils (without addition of sewage sludge). The samples were analyzed with a previously validated method by HRGC HRMS after the extraction and the necessary clean-up steps. The results reveal that polluted sewage sludge increases PCDD/F concentration in soils and that these compounds are persistent in the matrix after long periods of time.     

Column study of the influence of air humidity on the retention of hydrocarbons on soil

Inverse gas chromatography (IGC) is used for the analysis of the influence of air relative humidity on the retention of hexane, benzene, toluene and p-xylene in a sandy soil under experimental conditions similar to those typical of soil vapor extraction (SVE). The advantages of IGC over other techniques, are (a) an efficient use of lab resources, (b) a high sensitivity to low partitioning coefficients and (c) a closer reproduction of field conditions. In our procedure, experiments with only two samples of different mass are necessary to establish if linear isotherms can be used to describe the retention of the contaminants. This approach gives information necessary for analyzing the feasibility and design of remediation technologies with a laboratory effort significantly smaller than the adsorption/desorption cycle for isotherm determination. The retention coefficients of the contaminants decrease as humidity increases in a similar fashion for all of them, probably because the reduction in the number of the adsorption sites available for the organic compounds due to the presence of water is quite similar for all the contaminants studied. These retention coefficients may be related to those obtained for dry air conditions for all the contaminants through (R - 1)RH% = A(R - 1)dry air(B), where the parameter B is found to remain approximately constant (0.90), while the parameter A decreases linearly with the relative moisture.     

The spatiotemporal expression pattern of trypsinogen and bile salt-activated lipase during the larval development of red porgy (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Pagrus pagrus</Emphasis>, Pisces,Sparidae)

A restoration programme was introduced in the Mondego Estuary (Portugal) to recover seagrass beds of Zostera noltii endangered by eutrophication. A long-term survey of 10 years was used to assess the development of the processes involved, focusing one of the key species (Cyathura carinata, Isopoda). The mitigation measures implemented since 1998 (nutrient loading reduction, freshwater circulation improvement and seagrass bed protection) enhanced water quality and seagrass recovery, thus preventing the development of macroalgal blooms. C. carinata was resilient to the occurrence of floods and macroalgal blooms, although both events caused dispersion of individuals. This isopod was not much influenced by the changes occurring in the estuary, showing an unalterable population structure during the entire study period. After 1998, its density and biomass became more stable at an inner unvegetated sand flat area, where this isopod was most abundant; its population slightly increased in a bare mud flat at the middle section of the estuary; but it could not establish successfully in a downstream Z. noltii bed, contrarily to other common estuarine species. Apart from other unknown reasons, the disrupted balanced between trematodes and their hosts, caused by the eutrophication processes, may have an important role in the discontinuity of C. carinata at the Z. noltii bed. If the intertidal areas become fully restored to the original seagrass coverage, high prevalence and intensity trematodes may prevent this isopod and other crustaceans from recovering within the intervened areas, by enhancing host mortality and recruitment failure. In order to avoid this kind of situation, it may be necessary to survey the levels of parasite infestation within the target hosts and safeguard areas where crustaceans present healthy populations.     

Analysis of the eastern Pacific yellowfin tuna fishery based on multiple management objectives

Vector optimization techniques were used to generate arbitrary segments of a policy frontier for a dynamic yellowfin tuna (Thunnus albacares) fishery model assuming fixed technology and considering four policy objectives: minimizing dolphin mortality, minimizing incidental catch (all species except dolphins), maximizing sustainable yield, and minimizing biological risk for the yellowfin tuna stock. Results show that along the policy frontier: (1) reducing incidental dolphin mortality increases the incidental catch of other species in a nonlinear way; (2) yield increases (subject to a biomass precautionary level) can only be obtained at the expense of higher levels of dolphin mortality and incidental catch; (3) biological risk increases as the level of tunas caught increases, but this increase depends on the type of fishery (longline fishing and three different modes of purse-seining: log-sets, dolphin-sets or school-sets) that dominates the fishing effort; (4) there is an indirect relationship between the dolphin mortality levels and those of biological risk; (5) there is a direct relationship between the incidental catch levels and biological risk. Catch obtained with dolphin-sets dominates the Pareto-optimal solutions with highest dolphin mortality levels but is associated with lower biological risk, whereas catch obtained with log-sets dominates in Pareto-optimal solutions with higher incidental catch and higher biological risk. In general, trade-offs or shadow prices among objectives are not linear, indicating that marginal costs vary along the policy frontier. Results of the trade-off analysis may provide useful information for decision-makers and other policy actors. Complete information about the preferences of the decision-makers regarding the objectives is necessary to recommend a specific management policy.     

Population genetic structure of the stalked barnacle <Emphasis Type="Italic">Pollicipes pollicipes</Emphasis> (Gmelin, 1789) in the northeastern Atlantic: influence of coastal currents and mesoscale hydrographic structures

Within its distribution range in the northeastern Atlantic, the stalked barnacle Pollicipes pollicipes shows a well-defined pattern of genetic variation, comprising (a) a subtropical/temperate northern assemblage, made up of populations distributed between 47°N and 28°N along the French, Iberian, North African and Canary Islands coastlines, and (b) a single isolated and highly divergent tropical population in the Cape Verde Islands (16°N), at the southernmost limit of the species’ distribution. However, within the northern assemblage several populations show a level of genetic differentiation that allows rejection of the hypothesis of genetic homogeneity. The congruence observed between genetic and hydrographic patterns suggests a crucial role of hydrodynamics, and of the dispersal of the planktonic larvae, in the determination of population structure. Along the southern European Atlantic coast, the Iberian Poleward Current and mesoscale hydrographic structures are, respectively, facilitating gene flow at the regional level and genetic differentiation at the local level. On the Atlantic coast of North Africa, the homogenizing equatorward flow of the Canary Current does not extend as far as the Cape Verde Islands. A demographic expansion is dated to the late Pleistocene, preceding the Eemian interglacial, and is oldest in the case of the long-standing Cape Verde population, sustained by a stable tropical habitat. The divergence between the Cape Verde population and the remaining populations is thus ancient, and suggests that oceanic current patterns may constitute a generalized physical barrier to the dispersal of marine organisms between Cape Verde and the rest of Macaronesia.     

Low-level radioactivity measurements in Argentina

Low-level measurements of radioactivity performed in Argentina are discussed.