三峡水库春季营养盐和浮游植物空间分布及其影响机制

为研究三峡水库春季水体营养盐与浮游植物的空间分布状况,于2013年3月对三峡水库22条支流及干流的6个断面进行采样监测. 结果表明:来水、回水、河口和干流4类断面ρ(TN)平均值分别为1.69、1.84、2.01、1.51 mg/L;ρ(TP)平均值分别为0.115、0.191、0.179和0.181 mg/L;不同类型断面间ρ(TN)、ρ(TP)差异不显著;水体中N、P的主要形态分别为NO₃--N和PO₄3--P;N/P〔n(N)/n(P)〕从来水(110.8)至干流(18.9)逐渐降低. 三峡水库总体上为中营养状态,回水和河口区富营养化程度较高,富营养断面比例分别为45.4%和36.4%. 研究期间共检出浮游植物8门98属,其中以绿藻门、硅藻门和蓝藻门为主,分别检出42、26和17属;从组成上看,来水和干流断面以硅藻-绿藻为主,回水、河口断面以绿藻-硅藻为主. 浮游植物丰度由高到低依次为回水、河口、来水和干流断面. 调查期间,22条支流中有15条支流在不同位置发生水华,但主要集中在回水区;拟多甲藻水华为主要类型且集中在库区的下游支流,而库区中上游支流则以隐藻、衣藻、小球藻、小环藻等水华为主. 环境因子排序分析表明,在水华集中的回水-河口区域,影响浮游植物丰度分布的主要环境因子数明显少于其他区域,温度和ρ(DO)为该区域浮游植物丰度分布的主要影响因子,而ρ(TN)、ρ(TP)的影响不明显.      

Soy production and certification: the case of Argentinean soy-based biodiesel

With the rising emphasis on biofuels as a potential solution to climate change, this paper asks whether certification schemes, developed to promote sustainable feedstock production, are able to deliver genuine sustainability benefits. The Round Table on Responsible Soy (RTRS) is a certification scheme that aims to promote responsible soy production through the development of principles and criteria. However, can and does this initiative address the negative impacts associated with the intensive production of soy? Taking the example of soy biodiesel produced in Argentina, this paper asks whether the social and environmental impacts of soybean production can be mitigated by the RTRS. It concludes that at present certification schemes are unlikely to be able to address either the institutional challenges associated with their implementation or the detrimental impacts of the additional demand generated by biofuels.     

Zebrafish embryo toxicity of 15 chlorinated, brominated, and iodinated disinfection by-products

Disinfection to protect human health occurs at drinking water and wastewater facilities through application of non-selective oxidants including chlorine. Oxidants also transform organic material and form disinfection by-products (DBPs), many of which are halogenated and cyto- and genotoxic. Only a handful of assays have been used to compare DBP toxicity, and researchers are unsure which DBP(s) drive the increased cancer risk associated with drinking chlorinated water. The most extensive data set employs an in vitro model cell, Chinese hamster ovary cells. Traditionally, most DBP research focuses on the threat to human health, but the effects on aquatic species exposed to DBPs in wastewater effluents remain ill defined. We present the developmental toxicity for 15 DBPs and a chlorinated wastewater to a model aquatic vertebrate, zebrafish. Mono-halogenated DBPs followed the in vivo toxicity rank order: acetamides > acetic acids > acetonitriles ~ nitrosamines, which agrees well with previously published mammalian in vitro data. Di- and tri-halogenated acetonitriles were more toxic than their mono-halogenated analogues, and bromine- and iodine-substituted DBPs tended to be more toxic than chlorinated analogues. No zebrafish development effects were observed after exposure to undiluted or non-concentrated, chlorinated wastewater. We find zebrafish development to be a viable in vivo alternative or confirmatory assay to mammalian in vitro cell assays.     

Toward an integrated analysis of mitigation and adaptation: some preliminary findings

Between 1999 and 2003, the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) made a preliminary effort to integrate an analysis of mitigation and adaptation to climate change impact vulnerabilities in two ways: top-down and bottom-up. This paper briefly describes these early experiments and summarizes their findings, both about climate change vulnerability reduction and about the challenges of integrated analysis, expanding upon results previously reported [Wilbanks et al. (Environment 45/5:28–38, 2003); ORNL (Integrated analysis of mitigation and adaptation as responses to concerns about impacts of global climate change, ORNL Working paper 2003); ORNL and CUSAT 2003; Wilbanks 2005]. The U.S Government’s right to retain a non-exclusive, royalty-free license in and to any copyright is acknowledged     

Assessing trophic position from nitrogen isotope ratios: effective calibration against spatially varying baselines

Nitrogen isotope signatures (δ¹⁵N) provide powerful measures of the trophic positions of individuals, populations and communities. Obtaining reliable consumer δ¹⁵N values depends upon controlling for spatial variation in plant δ¹⁵N values, which form the trophic ‘baseline’. However, recent studies make differing assumptions about the scale over which plant δ¹⁵N values vary, and approaches to baseline control differ markedly. We examined spatial variation in the δ¹⁵N values of plants and ants sampled from eight 150-m transects in both unlogged and logged rainforests. We then investigated whether ant δ¹⁵N values were related to variation in plant δ¹⁵N values following baseline correction of ant values at two spatial scales: (1) using ‘local’ means of plants collected from the same transect and (2) using ‘global’ means of plants collected from all transects within each forest type. Plant δ¹⁵N baselines varied by the equivalent of one trophic level within each forest type. Correcting ant δ¹⁵N values using global plant means resulted in consumer values that were strongly positively related to the transect baseline, whereas local corrections yielded reliable estimates of consumer trophic positions that were largely independent of transect baselines. These results were consistent at the community level and when three trophically distinct ant subfamilies and eight abundant ant species were considered separately. Our results suggest that assuming baselines do not vary can produce misleading estimates of consumer trophic positions. We therefore emphasise the importance of clearly defining and applying baseline corrections at a scale that accounts for spatial variation in plant δ¹⁵N values.     

Experimental investigation of the machining induced residual stress tensor under mechanical loading

Residual stress induced by machining is complex and difficult to predict, since it involves mechanical loads, temperature gradients or phase transformation in the generation mechanism. In this work, an experiment with a statistical design for the residual stress tensor was performed to investigate the residual stress profile on a machined surface. In order to understand the generation mechanism of residual stress in machining, three variables and workpiece materials were carefully selected to focus on the mechanical loads and avoid the temperature gradients and phase transformation on the machined surface. The mechanical loads considered here included the chip formation force at the primary shear zone and the plowing force at the tool tip–workpiece contact. Depths of cut and rake angles were selected to alter the chip formation force, and the tool tip radius was designed to emphasize the plowing effect. The workpiece material was aluminum 3003. The experimental results showed that the chip formation force provides basic shapes of the residual stress profile for a machined surface. It decides the depth of the peak residual stress below the surface. However, the plowing force was the dominating effect on the surface residual stress, causing high stresses on the surface. The plowing force can shift the surface stress from tensile to compressive. Additionally, the measured stress tensor proved that in-plane shear stress exists for the machined surface.     

Ancient pests: the season of the Santorini Minoan volcanic eruption and a date from insect chitin

Attributing a season and a date to the volcanic eruption of Santorini in the Aegean has become possible by using preserved remains of the bean weevil, Bruchus rufipes, pests of pulses, from the storage jars of the West House, in the Bronze Age settlement at Akrotiri. We have applied an improved pre-treatment methodology for dating the charred insects, and this provides a date of 1744–1538 BC. This date is within the range of others obtained from pulses from the same context and confirms the utility of chitin as a dating material. Based on the nature of the insect material and the life cycle of the species involved, we argue for a summer eruption, which took place after harvest, shortly after this material was transported into the West House storeroom.     

Seasonal exports of phosphorus from intensively fertilised nested grassland catchments

We carried out a one year (2002) study of phosphorus (P) loss from soil to water in three nested grassland catchments with known P input in chemical fertilizer and animal liquid slurry applications. Chemical fertilizer was applied to the grasslands between March and September and animal slurry was applied over the twelve months. The annual chemical P fertilizer applications for the 17 and 211 ha catchments were 16.4 and 23.7 kg P/ha respectively and the annual slurry applications were 10.7 and 14.0 kg P/ha, respectively. The annual total phosphorus (TP) export in stream-flow was 2.61, 2.48 and 1.61 kg P/ha for the 17, 211 and 1524 ha catchments, respectively, compared with a maximum permissible (by regulation) annual export of ca. 0.35 kg P/ha. The export rate (ratio of P export to P in land applications) was 9.6% and 6.6% from the 17 and 211 ha catchments, respectively. On average, 70% of stream flow and 85% of the P export occurred during the five wet months (October to February) indicating that when precipitation is much greater than evaporation, the hydrological conditions are most favourable for P export. However the soil quality and land use history may vary the results. Particulate P made up 22%, 43% and 37% of the TP export at the 17, 211 and 1524 ha catchment areas, respectively. As the chemical fertilizer was spread during the grass growth months (March to September), it has less immediate impact on stream water quality than the slurry applications. We also show that as the catchment scale increases, the P concentrations and P export decrease, confirming dilution due to increasing rural catchment size. In the longer term, the excess P from fertilizer maintains high soil P levels, an antecedent condition favourable to P loss from soil to water. This study confirms the significant negative water quality impact of excess P applications, particularly liquid animal slurry applications in wet winter months. The findings suggest that restricted P application in wet months can largely reduce the P losses from soil to water.