Volatile nanoparticle formation and growth within a diluting diesel car exhaust

A major source of particle number emissions is road traffic. However, scientific knowledge concerning secondary particle formation and growth of ultrafine particles within vehicle exhaust plumes is still very limited. Volatile nanoparticle formation and subsequent growth conditions were analyzed here to gain a better understanding of "real-world" dilution conditions. Coupled computational fluid dynamics and aerosol microphysics models together with measured size distributions within the exhaust plume of a diesel car were used. The impact of soot particles on nucleation, acting as a condensational sink, and the possible role of low-volatile organic components in growth were assessed. A prescribed reduction of soot particle emissions by 2 orders of magnitude (to capture the effect of a diesel particle filter) resulted in concentrations of nucleation-mode particles within the exhaust plume that were approximately 1 order of magnitude larger. Simulations for simplified sulfuric acid-water vapor gas-oil containing nucleation-mode particles show that the largest particle growth is located in a recirculation zone in the wake of the car. Growth of particles within the vehicle exhaust plume up to detectable size depends crucially on the relationship between the mass rate of gaseous precursor emissions and rapid dilution. Chassis dynamometer measurements indicate that emissions of possible hydrocarbon precursors are significantly enhanced under high engine load conditions and high engine speed. On the basis of results obtained for a diesel passenger car, the contributions from light diesel vehicles to the observed abundance of measured nucleation-mode particles near busy roads might be attributable to the impact of two different time scales: (1) a short one within the plume, marked by sufficient precursor emissions and rapid dilution; and (2) a second and comparatively long time scale resulting from the mix of different precursor sources and the impact of atmospheric chemistry.     

Urban and rural mortality rates during heat waves in Berlin and Brandenburg, Germany

In large cities such as Berlin, human mortality rates increase during intense heat waves. Analysis of relevant data from north-eastern Germany revealed that, during the heat waves that occurred between 1990 and 2006, health risks were higher for older people in both rural and urban areas, but that, during the two main heat waves within that 17-year period of time, the highest mortality rates were from the city of Berlin, and in particular from its most densely built-up districts. Adaptation measures will need to be developed, particularly within urban areas, in order to cope with the expected future intensification of heat waves due to global climate change.     

Delayed dispersal as a potential route to cooperative breeding in ambrosia beetles

Xyleborini are a species-rich tribe of ambrosia beetles, which are haplodiploid and typically mate among siblings within their natal brood chamber. Several characteristics of this tribe would predict the evolution of higher levels of sociality: high genetic relatedness within galleries due to inbreeding, high costs of dispersal and the potential benefit of cooperation in brood care within the natal gallery (e.g. by fungus gardening, gallery extension, offspring feeding and cleaning). However, information on the social system of these beetles is very limited. We examined the potential for cooperative breeding in Xyleborinus saxeseni by monitoring dispersal in relation to brood size and composition. Results show that adult female offspring delay dispersal despite dispersal opportunities, and apparently some females never disperse. The females’ decision to stay seems to depend on the presence of eggs and dependent siblings. We found no indication that female offspring reproduce in their natal gallery, as colonies with many mature daughters do not contain more eggs than those with few or no daughters. There is a significant positive relationship between the number of females present and the number of dependent siblings (but not eggs), which suggests that cooperative brood care of female offspring raises colony productivity by improving survival rates of immatures. Our results suggest that cooperative breeding is likely to occur in X. saxeseni and possibly other xyleborine species. We argue that a closer look at sociality within this tribe may yield important information on the factors determining the evolution of cooperative breeding and advanced social organization.     

Pelagic Sargassum community change over a 40-year period: temporal and spatial variability

Pelagic forms of the brown algae (Phaeophyceae) Sargassum spp. and their conspicuous rafts are defining characteristics of the Sargasso Sea in the western North Atlantic. Given rising temperatures and acidity in the surface ocean, we hypothesized that macrofauna associated with Sargassum in the Sargasso Sea have changed with respect to species composition, diversity, evenness, and sessile epibiota coverage since studies were conducted 40 years ago. Sargassum communities were sampled along a transect through the Sargasso Sea in 2011 and 2012 and compared to samples collected in the Sargasso Sea, Gulf Stream, and south of the subtropical convergence zone from 1966 to 1975. Mobile macrofauna communities exhibited changes in community structure and declines in diversity and evenness within a 6-month time period (August 2011–February 2012). Equivalent declines in diversity and evenness were recorded in the same region (Sargasso Sea, 25°–29°N) in 1972–1973. Recent community structures were unlike any documented historically, whether compared to sites of the same latitude range within the Sargasso Sea, or the broader historical dataset of sites ranging across the Sargasso Sea, Gulf Stream, and south of the subtropical convergence zone. Recent samples also recorded low coverage by sessile epibionts, both calcifying forms and hydroids. The diversity and species composition of macrofauna communities associated with Sargassum might be inherently unstable. While several biological and oceanographic factors might have contributed to these observations, including a decline in pH, increase in summer temperatures, and changes in the abundance and distribution of Sargassum seaweed in the area, it is not currently possible to attribute direct causal links.     

Sequentielle Schwermetallextraktion aus Staubniederschl?gen und Stra?ensedimenten Teil I: Sequentielle Schwermetallextraktion von Mikroproben

Für die Anwendung der sequentiellen Schwermetallextraktion auf Proben, die nur im Milligramm-Bereich erhalten werden k?nnen (Mikroproben, wie z. B. Staubniederschl?ge), wurde die Methode vonZeien &Brümmer (1989) weiterentwickelt. Der Extraktionsma?stab wurde um den Faktor 1∶100 verringert und die Reproduzierbarkeit des Verfahrens mit variablen Probenmengen um 20mg und einem Extraktionsvolumen von 500 μl mit Hilfe von Standardb?den nachgewiesen. M?gliche Einflüsse variabler Extraktionsverh?ltnisse (Verh?ltnis von Probenmenge zu Extraktionsvolumen) sowie eine aufwendige Vorbehandlung von Staubproben, die nach der Bergerhoff-Methode (VDI 2119/2, 1972) gesammelt wurden, lagen bei diesen Untersuchungen weitgehend im Variationsbereich des Verfahrens. Die sequentielle Extraktion kann folglich zur Untersuchung der Mobilisierbarkeit von Schwermetallen auch aus Mikroproben mit variablen Probenmengen eingesetzt werden. Mit Hilfe dieses Verfahrens wurden die Mobilisierbarkeiten von Zink, Kupfer und Blei der Schluff- und Tonfraktion von Stra?ensedimenten mit Staubniederschl?gen an zwei urbanen Standorten mit unterschiedlicher, verkehrsbedingter Schwermetallbelastung verglichen. Diese Untersuchungen werden in Teil 2 (“Sequentielle Schwermetallextraktion von st?dtischen St?uben”) vorgestellt.     

Enantiomeric ratios as an indicator of exposure processes for persistent pollutants in human placentas

The enantiomeric ratios (ER) of alpha-HCH and o,p'-DDT ((+)-isomer concentration/(-)-isomer concentration) and o,p'-DDD (first eluting enantiomer/second enantiomer) were investigated in 112 human placentas from Finnish boys collected 1997-2001. Both o,p'-DDD and alpha-HCH showed changes in their ER depending on the total concentration of the compound in the sample. Their ERs are approaching a value close to racemic mixture (ER=1) at high concentrations. At low concentrations they often differ from 1. The relationship between concentration and ER is clearly identified and it has been shown that it is not affected by analytical uncertainty. This relationship appears to be important for assessing tissue- and species-specific exposure and risk and it may indicate whether net uptake or metabolic activity is dominant in exposure for the resulting exposure of the enantiomers.     

Abwasserbehandlung beim kontrollierten Rückbau einer Pflanzenschutzmittelfabrik

During the demolition of an industrial building contaminated with chlorophenols and polychlorinated dibenzodioxins (from Boehringer & Sohn in Hamburg-Moorfleet, Germany), several measures must be taken in order to protect the surroundings. Since these compounds are strongly adsorbed by particulate matter, a mist is continuously sprayed over the whole building. The waste water is expected to be highly contaminated and must therefore undergo extensive purification procedures. The primary goal of the existing study is to examine whether or not the present effluent reprocessing unit, a system which is comprised of a charcoal filter, is able to clean the waste water according to legal requirements. Secondly, the main factors that influence the clean up of the effluent were investigated in order to design a suitable precleaning unit for the contaminated water should the present reprocessing unit not fulfill these requirements. By means of the factorial design technique, the effect of three factors (flow velocity of the water, amount of charcoal and the pH-value) on the efficiency of the cleaning process and with regard to chlorophenols was examined. Surprisingly, the pH-value does not have a significant effect on the efficiency. In addition, the results of the experiments show that a precleaning of the effluent is not required.