Seasonal and Inter-Annual Variations in Methyl Mercury Concentrations in Zooplankton from Boreal Lakes Impacted by Deforestation or Natural Forest Fires

We compared the effects of natural and anthropogenic watershed disturbances on methyl mercury (MeHg) concentration in bulk zooplankton from boreal Shield lakes. MeHg in zooplankton was monitored for three years in nine lakes impacted by deforestation, in nine lakes impacted by wildfire, and in twenty lakes with undisturbed catchments. Lakes were sampled during spring, mid- and late summer. MeHg in zooplankton showed a seasonal trend: concentrations were the lowest in spring, then peaked in mid-summer and decreased in late summer. Over the three study years, MeHg concentrations observed in mid-summer in zooplankton from forest harvested lakes were significantly higher than in reference and fire-impacted lakes, whereas differences between these two groups of lakes were not significant. The pattern of distribution of MeHg in zooplankton during the different seasons paralleled that of dissolved organic carbon (DOC), which is known as a vector of Hg from watershed soils to lake water. Besides DOC, MeHg in zooplankton also showed a positive significant correlation with epilimnetic temperature and sulfate concentrations. An inter-annual decreasing trend in MeHg was observed in zooplankton from reference and fire-impacted lakes. In forest harvested lakes, however, MeHg concentrations remained higher and nearly constant over three years following the impact. Overall these results indicate that the MeHg pulse observed in zooplankton following deforestation by harvesting is relatively long-lived, and may have repercussions to the accumulation of MeHg along the food chain. Therefore, potential effects of deforestation on the Hg contamination of fish should be taken into account in forest management practices.     

Estimating aquatic phosphorus concentrations 30 metres down-current from a rainbow trout cage array

Aquatic total phosphorus (Tot-P) is measured 30 m distant from rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) cages, for regulatory compliance on the Canadian side of Lake Huron. The ability to predict changes in near-field Tot-P concentrations from changes in production, or to explain near-field concentrations in the event of compromised reference sites, would be very useful for managers and farmers. A logical first step in the development of a near-field model is the estimation of down-current Tot-P concentrations. A nutritional mass balance approach was used to calculate the amount of non-settleable Tot-P which was divided by the corresponding flushing volume over four separate production periods. Despite a number of uncertainties, such as cage effects on flushing volume, the contribution of particulate phosphorus, fish distribution, feed conversion ratio, and ingestion-excretion time; accuracy (slope = 1.06) and precision (r(2) = 0.75) of modelled estimates fit well with empirical results. It was concluded that 30 m down-current Tot-P concentrations could be modelled under a diverse set of culture and environmental conditions, suggesting typical 'near-field' concentrations of Tot-P can be explained on the basis of farm activities.     

公交柴油车道路排放特征的实测研究初探

利用GPS和SEMTECH-D车载排放测试仪测量了上海市公交车行驶工况和公交柴油车在市区道路上的排放状况.该研究共获得193400组公交车行驶工况数据,累计测量里程820 km,排放数据75420个.测量结果显示,上海市公交车平均车行速度14 km·h-1,最高车速为60 km·h-1;市区公交车平均车行速度14 km·h-1,最高车速小于60 km·h-1,市区公交车的怠速时间比在25%以上.被测公交柴油车的CO、THC和NOx平均里程排放因子为(3.41±0.86)、(1.95±0.47)和(4.56±0.99) g·km-1,与陈长虹等人2005年提供的卡车3和卡车5的排放状况相近.测量结果还显示,被测车辆进出站时单位里程排放量是正常行驶条件下的10倍.此外,在交通高峰期或拥堵期,车行速度降低至0～5 km·h-1时,被测公交柴油车的CO、THC和NOx平均里程排放因子升高至17.49、6.68和15.85 g·km-1,是平均车速时候的5.13倍、3.4倍和3.48倍,车辆排放污染将明显加剧.测量结果说明,加强城市交通管理,减少车辆拥堵,不仅可以提高公交车运行效率,而且也是降低公交车污染的有效措施.     

重型柴油车实际道路排放与行驶工况的相关性研究

采用SEMTECH-D车载排放测试仪测量了东风柴油卡车在城市实际道路工况以及等速和加速工况下的油耗及污染物排放状况.测试结果显示,测试卡车实际道路综合百公里油耗为17.8 L,NOx、CO和HC排放因子分别为3.96、8.86和2.15g·km-1.其中主干道路况相对较差,油耗与排放因子较高,是所有测试道路平均水平的1.3～1.8倍左右.研究结果表明,重型车油耗及污染物排放与各行驶工况下的速度、加速度均密切相关,车辆在高速加速行驶状态下易产生高排放.车辆在30～50 km·h-1速度区间内等速行驶时,油耗与排放因子最为经济且环境友好.车辆在加速行驶时,油耗与NOx、CO排放因子可达到城市实际道路平均水平的2.0、2.2、1.4倍,急加速时达到2.8、2.1、14倍.应用比功率概念可准确描述车辆在各运行工况下的排放水平,但在重型车上缺乏实验依据,有待进一步研究.     

Method to assess component contribution to toxicity of complex mixtures: Assessment of puberty acquisition in rats exposed to disinfection byproducts

A method based on regression modeling was developed to discern the contribution of component chemicals to the toxicity of highly complex, environmentally realistic mixtures of disinfection byproducts(DBPs). Chemical disinfection of drinking water forms DBP mixtures.Because of concerns about possible reproductive and developmental toxicity, a whole mixture(WM) of DBPs produced by chlorination of a water concentrate was administered as drinking water to Sprague–Dawley(S–D) rats in a multigenerational study. Age of puberty acquisition,i.e., preputial separation(PPS) and vaginal opening(VO), was examined in male and female offspring, respectively. When compared to controls, a slight, but statistically significant delay in puberty acquisition was observed in females but not in males. WM-induced differences in the age at puberty acquisition were compared to those reported in S–D rats administered either a defined mixture(DM) of nine regulated DBPs or individual DBPs. Regression models were developed using individual animal data on age at PPS or VO from the DM study. Puberty acquisition data reported in the WM and individual DBP studies were then compared with the DM models. The delay in puberty acquisition observed in the WM-treated female rats could not be distinguished from delays predicted by the DM regression model, suggesting that the nine regulated DBPs in the DM might account for much of the delay observed in the WM. This method is applicable to mixtures of other types of chemicals and other endpoints.     

应用IVE模型计算上海市机动车污染物排放

为了解上海市机动车污染现状,建立上海市机动车源排放清单,分别选择上海市中心城区、商业区和收入相对较低区域中的主干道、快速道和次干道3种共9条典型道路,开展机动车技术水平参数、比功率(VSP)分布状况、启动状况等测试,并在此基础上将International Vehicle E-mission(IVE)模型本地化.调查结果表明,上海市区实际道路上轻型客车、出租车、公交巴士、卡车和摩托车(包含助动车)分别占道路总车流量的41.0%、30.8%、15.6%、6.9%和5.7%;从技术组成看,约85%的轻型客车和97%的出租车均安装有三元催化装置,约30%的公交巴士和90%的卡车没有达到欧Ⅰ标准;机动车的VSP分布主要集中在-2.9～1.2 kw·t-1.模式计算结果表明,2004年上海市机动车CO、VOC、NOx和PM排放量分别为57.06×104t、7.75×104t、9.20×104t和0.26×104t;20%的高排放车对总排放量的贡献占到25%～45%;启动过程中排放的CO、VOC和PM占总排放量的15%～25%,NOx仅占总排放量的4.5%.     

The measurement of water scarcity: Defining a meaningful indicator

Metrics of water scarcity and stress have evolved over the last three decades from simple threshold indicators to holistic measures characterising human environments and freshwater sustainability. Metrics commonly estimate renewable freshwater resources using mean annual river runoff, which masks hydrological variability, and quantify subjectively socio-economic conditions characterising adaptive capacity. There is a marked absence of research evaluating whether these metrics of water scarcity are meaningful. We argue that measurement of water scarcity (1) be redefined physically in terms of the freshwater storage required to address imbalances in intra- and inter-annual fluxes of freshwater supply and demand; (2) abandons subjective quantifications of human environments and (3) be used to inform participatory decision-making processes that explore a wide range of options for addressing freshwater storage requirements beyond dams that include use of renewable groundwater, soil water and trading in virtual water. Further, we outline a conceptual framework redefining water scarcity in terms of freshwater storage.     

Driving while impaired by alcohol: An analysis of drink-drivers involved in UK collisions

Objective: Drink-driving represents a critical issue on international organizations’ agendas as one of the key behavioral risk factors in road traffic safety, alongside speed and nonuse of motorcycle helmets, seat belts, and child restraints. Changing road user behaviors regarding these 5 factors is a critical component in reducing road traffic injuries and casualties. The objective of this study is the identification of drivers who are more likely to contribute to crashes in the UK while impaired by alcohol to design targeted drink drive compliance campaigns.

Method: To profile drivers with the factor “impaired by alcohol” assigned in collisions, an extensive data set is used, including all reported injury collisions between 2011 and 2015 in the UK (police records), merged with the Experian Mosaic Database. A multilevel mixed-effects logistic regression is conducted, utilizing the hierarchical nature of the data (drivers within Mosaic types).

Results: Using multilevel mixed-effects logistic regression analysis, the finding is that some driver profiles are more likely to contribute to crashes and are assigned the contributory factor “impaired by alcohol.” Drink-related crashes are more common in some circumstances or for some crash-involved driver groups than others. For instance, alcohol-related crashes are more likely to occur on single carriageways and among males and 25- to 35-year-olds. Drink-drive-related crashes are found to be strongly associated with dark lighting conditions and, more specifically, with late night hours (the interval between 3:00 a.m. and 4:00 a.m. accounts for a third of the drink-drive-related collisions). Using the Experian Mosaic Database which divides the UK population into 66 types based on demographic, lifestyle, and behavior characteristics, the finding is that, among crash-involved drivers, some Mosaic types are significantly more likely (e.g., pocket pensions, dependent greys, streetwise singles) and others are significantly less likely (e.g., crowded kaleidoscope, cultural comfort, penthouse chic) to contribute to a drink-related crash.

Conclusions: The outcome is a more nuanced understanding of drivers contributing to drink-related crashes in the UK. The study concludes by discussing the implications for governments and other interested bodies for better targeting and delivery of public education campaigns and interventions.     

Effectiveness of rodenticides for managing invasive roof rats and native deer mice in orchards

Roof rats (Rattus rattus) and deer mice (Peromyscus maniculatus) are occasional pests of nut and tree fruit orchards throughout California and in many other parts of the USA and beyond. In general, the most practical and cost-effective control method for rodents in many agricultural environments is the use of rodenticides (toxic baits), but little or no information exists on the efficacy of current rodenticides in controlling roof rats and deer mice in orchards. Therefore, our goals were to develop an index of rodent activity to monitor efficacy of rodenticides and to subsequently test the efficacy of three California Department of Food and Agriculture rodenticide baits (0.005 % chlorophacinone treated oats, 0.005 % diphacinone treated oats, and 0.005 % diphacinone wax block) to determine their utility for controlling roof rats and deer mice in agricultural orchards. We determined that a general index using the number of roof rat photos taken at a minimum of a 5-min interval was strongly correlated to the minimum number known estimate of roof rats; this approach was used to monitor roof rat and deer mouse populations pre- and post-treatment. Of the baits tested, the 0.005 % diphacinone treated oats was most effective for both species; 0.005 % chlorophacinone grain was completely ineffective against roof rats. Our use of elevated bait stations proved effective at providing bait to target species and should substantially limit access to rodenticides by many non-target species.