Spatiotemporal variability of wet atmospheric nitrogen deposition to the Neuse River Estuary, North Carolina

Excessive nitrogen (N) loading to N-sensitive waters such as the Neuse River estuary (North Carolina) has been shown to promote changes in microbial and algal community composition and function (harmful algal blooms), hypoxia and anoxia, and fish kills. Previous studies have estimated that wet atmospheric deposition of nitrogen (WAD-N), as deposition of dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN: NO3-, NH3/NH4+) and dissolved organic nitrogen, may contribute at least 15% of the total externally supplied or "new" N flux to the coastal waters of North Carolina. In a 3-yr study from June 1996 to June 1999, we calculated the weekly wet deposition of inorganic and organic N at eleven sites on a northwest-southeast transect in the watershed. The annual mean total (wet DIN + wet organics) WAD-N flux for the Neuse River watershed was calculated to be 956 mg N/m2/yr (15026 Mg N/yr). Seasonally, the spring (March-May) and summer (June-August) months contain the highest total weekly N deposition; this pattern appears to be driven by N concentration in precipitation. There is also spatial variability in WAD-N deposition; in general, the upper portion of the watershed receives the lowest annual deposition and the middle portion of the watershed receives the highest deposition. Based on a range of watershed N retention and in-stream riverine processing values, we estimate that this flux contributes approximately 24% of the total "new" N flux to the estuary.     

Reverse logistics in the Brazilian construction industry

In Brazil most Construction and Demolition Waste (C&D waste) is not recycled. This situation is expected to change significantly, since new federal regulations oblige municipalities to create and implement sustainable C&D waste management plans which assign an important role to recycling activities. The recycling organizational network and its flows and components are fundamental to C&D waste recycling feasibility. Organizational networks, flows and components involve reverse logistics. The aim of this work is to introduce the concepts of reverse logistics and reverse distribution channel networks and to study the Brazilian C&D waste case.     

Concentrations of Potentially Toxic Metals in Urban Soils of Seville: Relationship with Different Land Uses

Fifty-two samples of surface soils were taken in the urban area of Seville, to assess the possible influence of different land uses on their metal contents and their relationship with several soil properties. The samples corresponded to five categories or land uses: agricultural, parks, ornamental gardens, riverbanks, and roadsides. Sequential extraction of metal according to the procedure proposed by the former Community Bureau of Reference (BCR) was carried out, and pseudo-total (aqua regia soluble) metal contents were determined. Lower organic C, total N and available P and K contents were found in riverbank samples, probably due to the lack of manuring of those sites, left in a natural status. In contrast, significantly higher electrical conductivity was found in those sites, due to the tidal influence of the nearby Atlantic Ocean. Other land uses did not show significant differences in the general properties. Concentrations of Cu, Pb and Zn, both aqua-regia soluble and sequentially extracted, were clearly higher in soils from ornamental gardens, whereas the concentrations in the riverbank samples were slightly lower than the other categories. In contrast, other metals (Cd, Cr, Fe, Mn, Ni) were uniformly distributed throughout all land uses. A strong statistical association is found among the concentrations of Cu, Pb, Zn and organic C, suggesting that the larger contents of these metals in ornamental gardens are partly due to organic amendments added to those sites more frequently than to other kinds of sites. Considering the conclusions of previous studies, heavy traffic can also contribute to those `urban’ metals in urban soils. Periodic monitoring of the concentrations of urban metals in busy city centres and of the quality of amendments added to soils of recreational areas are recommended.     

Genotoxicity biomarkers in the amphipod Gammarus elvirae exposed in vivo to mercury and lead,and basal levels of DNA damage in two cell types

The present work deals with the application of genotoxicity biomarkers by means of the Comet assay in haemocytes and spermatozoa of the crustacean Gammarus elvirae exposed in vivo to heavy metals. Furthermore, a basal levels (BLs) study of DNA damage in the two cell types considered for two different gammarids species, G. elvirae and Echinogammarus veneris, was carried out. It is important to identify factors that influence the outcome of the assay in order to obtain reliable and reproducible results usable for risk assessment purposes. Our results highlight that the Italian legal limits for Hg and Pb, respectively, 0.5 and 50?µg/L, are inadequate for establishing safety thresholds in the aquatic environment. Furthermore, the freshwater invertebrate G. elvirae, used for the first time to measure the effect of genotoxicants, is a good candidate for evaluating the genotoxicity damage induced by heavy metals. Our results concerning spermatozoa show excessively variable responses and high BLs.     

Inhibition of attachment of larval barnacles,Balanus amphitrite,by bacterial surface films

Films of bacteria on solid substrata can positively or negatively influence the attachment of marine invertebrate larvae. Effects of marine bacteria on the attachment of cypris larvae of the barnacle Balanus amphitrite Darwin were examined in the laboratory. Bacteria, grown to mid-exponential phase and allowed to adsorb irreversibly to polystyrene petri dishes, attached in densities of 10⁷ cells cm^-2. Assays (22h) were used to compare the effects of adsorbed cells of 18 different bacterial species on larval barnacle attachment. Most of the adsorbed bacteria either inhibited or had no effect on larval attachment compared to clean surfaces. Experiments testing the effect of larval age on barnacle attachment were conducted with six species of bacteria and showed that older larvae attached in higher percentages to clean surfaces and that bacterial films generally inhibited larval attaschment. Both the species of bacteria and the in situ age of the adsorbed bacteria affected barnacle attachment response: older films of Deleya (Pseudomonas) marina were more inhibitory. Bacterial extracellular materials may be involved in the inhibitory process.     

武汉市湖泊蓝藻分布影响因子分析

对武汉市15个浅水湖泊在不同水期的浮游植物进行调查,同时监测相应的环境因子指标;以蓝藻物种多度及生物量数据和9个环境因子进行了典范对应分析(CCA).物种鉴定结果表明武汉市湖泊蓝藻的常见属有微囊藻(Microcystis)、螺旋藻(Spirulina)、平裂藻(Merismopedia)和色球藻(Chroococcus)等.CCA分析结果表明水温、水深、pH、浮游动物生物量是影响城市浅水小型湖泊蓝藻种类组成及分布的主要因子,同时绿藻生物量等对蓝藻组成分布也有一定的影响;由于武汉市浅水湖泊的高营养盐浓度,总磷及氮磷比不再是蓝藻生长的限制因子.＃     

Settlement, recruitment and potential predators and competitors of juvenile echinoderms in the rocky subtidal zone

Recruitment patterns of marine invertebrates are affected both by settlement and early post-settlement events. This study examined the settlement and recruitment patterns of echinoderms at three sites in the rocky subtidal zone of Bocabec Cove, Bay of Fundy, Canada using artificial turf collectors and quadrats on the natural substrate. Potential predators were quantified at two of the sites along transects and in 1-m² quadrats. Both potential predators and competitors were quantified in 0.0625-m² quadrats. Settlement varied across sites (1.5–3 km apart) and two years of sampling (2004, 2005). The site of most potential settlement differed for the three groups of echinoderms: sea urchins (Strongylocentrotus droebachiensis), sea stars (Asterias spp.) and sea cucumber (Psolus fabricii). Settlement densities on the artificial turf collectors tended to be greater than the densities of settlers on the natural substrate. On the natural substrate, the only significant difference between densities of juveniles over time was that newly settled sea stars were found in July and were not found the following October. Large lobsters and carnivorous worms were potential predators with densities that varied between sites. Potential competitors that differed in abundance between sites were herbivorous gastropods and conspecifics for sea urchins; and carnivorous worms for sea stars. This study suggests that patterns of recruitment are either set up by patterns of settlement or by events during the first few weeks/months on the benthic substrate for these echinoderms.     

Changes in pH as a measure of photosynthesis by marine macroalgae

An automatically operated method for high precision measurements of steady-state photosynthesis by macroalgae was developed. Changes in pH and oxygen content of seawater passing the algae in a flowthrough system, could be measured with extremely high accuracy over very long periods of time. The method is especially suitable for measurements on flowthrough systems with high rates of water exchanges (i.e. short retention time), and can be used to study exchange processes for marine plants, animals and small ecosystems. Since the same measuring unit is used for several flowthrough chambers, the method is very suitable for comparisons between different species, or between differently pretreated specimens of the same species (e.g. in toxicological studies). The method was used to study the ratio: [oxygen production] to [CO₂+H⁺ uptake] at different light intensities for several macroalgae belonging to different systematic groups and from different habitats. At lower photosynthetic rates this ratio was similar for all of the algae studied (1.17±0.02). For brown algae of the fucacean family, the ratio increased by 0.08 units at higher photosynthetic rates. This increase was thought to be related to the crassulacean acid metabolism (CAM)-like strategies connected to these algae. For all other algae studied, the ratio remained constant or decreased slightly (at most by 0.04 units) at higher photosynthetic rates. The relations between the abovementioned ratio and the photosynthetic quotient are discussed on a theoretical basis.     

海滩旅游资源质量评比体系

论文回顾了当前国内外海滩旅游资源质量评价体系的发展现状 ,并依据我国具体状况 ,提出了适合我国国情的新的评价体系。新体系选择80个评价因子 ,分为旅游资源条件和可利用条件两个大类 ,前者包括地貌、水体、气候气象、生物、人文等5个亚类 ;后者包括基础设施及管理、安全、卫生等3个亚类。论文建立的新的海滩质量评比展示模式将有利于国内外海滩的质量对比 ,可促使我国海滩旅游业与国际接轨、能够向人们提供较多的海滩质量信息并利于海滩的经营管理