Abstract Large-scale studies like the Southeast Michigan Ozone Study (SEMOS) have focused attention on quantifying and spedating inventories for volatile organic compounds (VOCs). One approach for evaluating the accuracy of a VOC emission inventory is the development of a chemical mass balance (CMB) receptor model for ambient non-methane organic compound (NMOC) measurements. CMB evaluations of ambient hydrocarbon data provide a sample-specific allocation of emissions to individual source categories. This study summarizes the results of an application of the CMB model to the NMOC data from the SEMOS study. Comparison of CMB results with emission inventory values for the Detroit area show that vehicle emissions are well represented by the inventory, as are architectural coatings and coke ovens. Estimated emissions from petroleum refineries and graphic arts industries are much lower in the inventory than determined from the receptor allocation. Under-reporting of fugitive VOC emissions from petroleum refineries is an ongoing problem. Emissions from graphic arts industries are underestimated in the inventory partly because of the broad characterization of the emission factor (i.e., mass emitted/capita), which may be less useful when specific locations and days are under consideration. This study also demonstrates the effectiveness of the CMB approach when used prospectively to track the implementation of emission control strategies. While vehicle emission concentrations were unchanged from 1988 to 1993, measurement-based CMB results suggest a decrease in evaporative emissions during this time period resulting from Reid vapor pressure (RVP) reductions (from 11.0 psi in 1988 to 8.6 psi in 1993) and fleet turnover. Changes in emissions from coke plants and petroleum refineries were also seen in the CMB allocations for these sources. 相似文献
Abstract A national analysis of weekday/weekend ozone (O3) differences demonstrates significant variation across the country. Weekend 1-hr or 8-hr maximum O3 varies from 15% lower than weekday levels to 30% higher. The weekend O3 increases are primarily found in and around large coastal cities in California and large cities in the Midwest and Northeast Corridor. Both the average and the 95th percentile of the daily 1-hr and 8-hr maxima exhibit the same general pattern. Many sites that have elevated O3 also have higher O3 on weekends even though traffic and O3 precursor levels are substantially reduced on weekends. Detailed studies of this phenomenon indicate that the primary cause of the higher O3 on weekends is the reduction in oxides of nitrogen (NOx) emissions on weekends in a volatile organic compound (VOC)-limited chemical regime. In contrast, the lower O3 on weekends in other locations is probably a result of NOx reductions in a NOx-limited regime. The NOx reduction explanation is supported by a wide range of ambient analyses and several photochemical modeling studies. Changes in the timing and location of emissions and meteorological factors play smaller roles in weekend O3 behavior. Weekday/weekend temperature differences do not explain the weekend effect but may modify it. 相似文献
Based on multi-year measurements of CH4 exchange in sub-daily resolution we show that clear-cutting of a forest in Southern Germany increased soil temperature and moisture and decreased CH4 uptake. CH4 uptake in the first year after clear-cutting (−4.5 ± 0.2 μg C m−2 h−1) was three times lower than during the pre-harvest period (−14.2 ± 1.3 μg C m−2 h−1). In contrast, selective cutting did not significantly reduce CH4 uptake. Annual mean uptake rates were −1.18 kg C ha−1 yr−1 (spruce control), −1.16 kg C ha−1 yr−1 (selective cut site) and −0.44 kg C ha−1 yr−1 (clear-cut site), respectively. Substantial seasonal and inter-annual variations in CH4 fluxes were observed as a result of significant variability of weather conditions, demonstrating the need for long-term measurements. Our findings imply that a stepwise selective cutting instead of clear-cutting may contribute to mitigating global warming by maintaining a high CH4 uptake capacity of the soil. 相似文献
Background, aim, and scope The enzyme-linked receptor assay (ELRA) detects estrogenic and anti-estrogenic effects at the molecular level of receptor
binding and is a useful tool for the integrative assessment of ecotoxicological potentials caused by hormonally active agents
(HAA) and endocrine disrupting compounds (EDC). The main advantage of the ELRA is its high sample throughput and its robustness
against cytotoxicity and microbial contamination. After a methodological adaptation to salinity of the ELRA, according to
the first part of this study, which increased its salinity tolerance and sensitivity for 17-β-estradiol, the optimised ELRA
was used to investigate 13 native sediments characterised by different levels of salinity and chemical contamination. The
applicability of the ELRA for routine analysis in environmental assessment was evaluated. Salinity is often a critical factor
for bioassays in ecotoxicological sediment assessment. Therefore, salinity of the samples was additionally adjusted to different
levels to characterise its influence on elution and binding processes of receptor-binding substances.
Materials and methods The ELRA was carried out with the human estrogen receptor α (ER) in a 96-well microplate format using the experimental setup
known from the competitive immunoassay based on ligand–protein interaction. It is an important improvement that a physiologically
relevant receptor was used as a linking protein instead of an antibody. The microplates were coated with a 17-β-estradiol-BSA
conjugate, and dilution series of estradiol and of native sediment samples were added and incubated with the ER. After a washing
step, a biotinylated mouse anti-ER antibody was added to each well. Receptor binding to estradiol, agonistic and antagonistic
receptor binding, were determined by a streptavidin-POD-biotin complex with subsequent measurement of the peroxidase activity
at the wavelength of 450 nm using a commercial ELISA multiplate reader. The sediment elutriates and pore water samples of
sediments were tested in a dilution series to evaluate at which dilution step the receptor-binding potential ends. In the
elution process (see Section 2.1 to 2.2), a method was developed to adjust the salinity to the levels of the reference testings, which offers an appropriate option
to adjust the salinity in both directions. Statistical evaluation was made with a combination of the Mann–Whitney U test and the pT-method.
Results This part of the study characterised the environmental factor ‘salinity’ for prospective applications of the ELRA. Using reference
substances such as 17-β-estradiol, the ELRA showed sigmoid concentration-effect relations over a broad range from 0.05 μg/l
to 100 μg/l under physiological conditions. After methodological optimisation, both sensitivity and tolerance of the assay
against salinity could be significantly raised, and the ELRA became applicable under salinity conditions up to concentrations
of 20.5‰. The mean relative inter-test error (n = 3) was around 11% with reference substances and below 5% for single sediments elutriates in three replicates each. For
sediment testings, the pore water and different salinity-adjusted elutriates of 13 sediments were used. A clear differentiation
of the receptor-binding potential could be reached by application of the pT-method. Thereby, pT-values from one to six could
be assigned to the sediments, and the deviation caused by the different salinity conditions was one pT-value. The mean standard
deviation in the salinity adaptation procedure of the elutriates was below 5%.
Discussion Although the ELRA has already been used for assessments of wastewater, sludge and soil, its applicability for samples to different
salinity levels has not been investigated so far. Even if the ELRA is not as sensitive as the E-screen or the YES-assay, with
regard to reference substances like 17-β-estradiol, it is a very useful tool for pre-screening, because it is able to integrate
both estrogenic as well as anti-estrogenic receptor-binding effects. According to the results of sediment testing, and given
the integrative power to detect different directions of effects, the ELRA shows sufficient sensitivity and salinity tolerance
to discriminate receptor-binding potentials in environmental samples.
Conclusions The optimised ELRA assay is a fast, cost-effective, reliable and highly reproducible tool that can be used for high-throughput
screening in a microplate format in detecting both estrogenic and anti-estrogenic effects. Additionally, the ELRA is robust
against microbial contaminations, and is not susceptible towards cytotoxic interferences like the common cell-culture methods.
The general applicability and sufficient sensitivity of the ELRA was shown in freshwater environments. Marine and brackish
samples can be measured up to salinity levels of 20.5‰.
Recommendations and perspectives In view of the proven sensitivity, functionality and the fastness of the ELRA, it is recommendable to standardise the test
method. At the moment, no adequate in vitro test procedure exists which is standardised to DIN or ISO levels. The E-screen
and the yeast estrogen/androgen screens (YES/YAS) sometimes underlie strong cytotoxic effects, as reported in the first part
of this study. Further development of an ELRA assay using human androgen receptors appears to be very promising to gain information
about androgenic and anti-androgenic effects, too. This would offer a possibility to use the ELRA as a fast and reliable pre-screening
tool for the detection of endocrine potentials, thus minimising time and cost-expensive animal experiments. 相似文献
This study quantifies and spatially characterizes land use and land cover changes in the Segara Anakan lagoon (SAL), Java,
Indonesia, from 1987–2006. Classification of four satellite (SPOT) images from the years 1987, 1995, 2004 and 2006 and field
ground truth data from 2004 and 2005 were used for map generation. The results show major changes in the western area of the
SAL, with large area increases of rice fields, dry land agriculture, aquaculture and rural areas, and decreases in mangrove
cover, mud flat and lagoon area. In the eastern area, minor decreases in mangrove area and increase in aquaculture, rural
and industrial areas were also observed. Changes are due to the filling of the lagoon with riverine sediments derived from
the hinterland and to mangrove conversion and resources exploitation. The results of this study provide basic information
which is required for developing measures towards a sustainable management and conservation of the SAL. 相似文献
A new analytical method using accelerated solvent extraction was developed for the determination of 10 particle-associated polar and semipolar pesticides. In addition, six deuterated analogues of the target compounds were evaluated as internal standards. The method yielded acceptable accuracy (73–103% recovery) and precision (<25% relative standard deviation) for eight compounds. Using size exclusion chromatography (SEC) as cleanup step resulted in higher recoveries compared to solid phase extraction (SPE) cleanup.
Deuterated standards with 10 or more deuterium atoms performed well as internal standards concerning similar recovery and correlation with the target analytes.
The method was employed to extract particle-associated pesticides from 16 streams located in an area with intense agriculture in France. Acetochlor, pirimicarb, tebuconazole, fenpropidin, -endosulfan and chlorfenvinphos were detected at concentrations up to 1 mg kg−1 dry weight. A comparison with aquatic toxicity data indicated potential risk to the benthic fauna exposed to these concentrations of pirimicarb, -endosulfan and chlorfenvinphos.
We suggest that the method presented here be used for the extraction and quantitation of particle-associated polar pesticides. 相似文献
C7-C11 perfluorinated carboxylates (PFACs) and perfluorooctansulfonate (PFOS) were analysed in selected stretches of the River Po and its major tributaries. Analyses were performed by solid-phase extraction (SPE) with Oasis HLB cartridges and methanol elution followed by LC-MS-MS detection using 13C-labelled internal standards. High concentration levels ( approximately 1.3 microg l(-1)) of perfluorooctanoate (PFOA) were detected in the Tánaro River close to the city Alessandria. After this tributary, levels between 60 and 337 ng l(-1) were measured in the Po River on several occasions. The PFOA concentration close to the river mouth in Ferrara was between 60 and 174 ng l(-1). Using the river discharge flow data in m3 s(-1) at this point (average approximately 920 m3 s(-1) for the year 2006), a mass load of approximately 0.3 kg PFOA per hour or approximately 2.6 tons per year discharged in the Adriatic Sea has been calculated. PFOS concentration levels in the Po River at Ferrara were approximately 10 ng l(-1). 相似文献
In the presented paper, the pHstat-procedure is compared with four simple extraction procedures. These procedures make use of the following extraction solutions: distilled water (based on DIN 38414 part 4, DIN-S4), 1 mol/L ammonium nitrate, 1 mol/L ammonium acetate at pH 7.0 and 1 mol/L sodium acetate at pH 5.0, respectively. The extraction procedures were applied to 10 different soil samples and 2 sludges. The DIN-S4-procedure shows the lowest amounts of mobilized copper. The highest parts are extracted by sodium acetate solution. For the procedures investigated, the mobilized amounts extracted by ammonium acetate solution are most comparable with those of the pHstat-procedure. The simple sodium acetate procedure is useful for screening to select significant samples from a large number of soils. Thus, the high effort caused by the pHstat-procedure can be reduced to a minimum through the application of this screening procedure. The application of this screening, however, is difficult for samples containing large parts of organic compounds, e.g. sewage sludge. These samples show a different extracting behaviour. 相似文献
The international, interdisciplinary biodiversity research project BIOTA AFRICA initiated a standardized biodiversity monitoring network along climatic gradients across the African continent. Due to an identified lack of adequate monitoring designs, BIOTA AFRICA developed and implemented the standardized BIOTA Biodiversity Observatories, that meet the following criteria (a) enable long-term monitoring of biodiversity, potential driving factors, and relevant indicators with adequate spatial and temporal resolution, (b) facilitate comparability of data generated within different ecosystems, (c) allow integration of many disciplines, (d) allow spatial up-scaling, and (e) be applicable within a network approach. A BIOTA Observatory encompasses an area of 1?km2 and is subdivided into 100 1-ha plots. For meeting the needs of sampling of different organism groups, the hectare plot is again subdivided into standardized subplots, whose sizes follow a geometric series. To allow for different sampling intensities but at the same time to characterize the whole square kilometer, the number of hectare plots to be sampled depends on the requirements of the respective discipline. A hierarchical ranking of the hectare plots ensures that all disciplines monitor as many hectare plots jointly as possible. The BIOTA Observatory design assures repeated, multidisciplinary standardized inventories of biodiversity and its environmental drivers, including options for spatial up- and downscaling and different sampling intensities. BIOTA Observatories have been installed along climatic and landscape gradients in Morocco, West Africa, and southern Africa. In regions with varying land use, several BIOTA Observatories are situated close to each other to analyze management effects. 相似文献
Environmental and biological reef monitoring was conducted in Almirante Bay (Bahía Almirante) in Bocas del Toro, Panama, to assess impacts from anthropogenic developments. An integrated monitoring investigated how seasonal temperature stress, turbidity, eutrophication and physical impacts threatened reef health and biodiversity throughout the region. Environmental parameters such as total suspended solids [TSS], carbon isotopes (δ13C), C/N ratios, chlorophyll a, irradiance, secchi depth, size fractions of the sediments and isotope composition of dissolved inorganic carbon [DIC] of the water were measured throughout the years 2010 and 2011 and were analysed in order to identify different impact sources. Compared to data from Collin et al. (Smithsonian Contributions to the Marine Sciences 38:324–334, 2009) chlorophyll a has doubled at sites close to the city and the port Almirante (from 0.46–0.49 to 0.78–0.97 μg l?1) and suspension load increased, visible by a decrease in secchi depth values. Visibility decreased from 9-13 m down to 4 m at the bay inlet Boca del Drago, which is strongly exposed to river run off and dredging for the shipping traffic. Eutrophication and turbidity levels seemed to be the determining factor for the loss of hard coral diversity, most significant at chlorophyll a levels higher than 0.5 μg l?1 and TSS levels higher than 4.7 mg l?1. Hard coral cover within the bay has also declined, at some sites down to <10 % with extremely low diversities (7 hard coral species). The hard coral species Porites furcata dominated the reefs in highly impacted areas and showed a strong recovery after bleaching and a higher tolerance to turbidity and eutrophication compared to other hard coral species in the bay. Serious overfishing was detected in the region by a lack of adult and carnivorous fish species, such as grunts, snappers and groupers. Study sites less impacted by anthropogenic activities and/or those with local protection showed a higher hard coral cover and fish abundance; however, an overall loss of hard coral diversity was observed. 相似文献