Mineralölkohlenwasserstoffe im Boden bei der Sanierung von Altlasten

Various analyses and evaluative procedures are used to provide evidence of success using remediation procedures. Because of the lack of standardized procedures for soil assessment, general practice has unfortunately propagated the use of DIN standards for determining the level of similar parameters in water as well as for other heterogeneous matrices (e.g. in soil). A precise auditing of quality, however, has not been possible with this method, this procedure has even put the success of such a remediation into question. This article describes the problems of determining mineral hydrocarbon concentrations on soil as well as portraying the remediation of oil damages which has occurred on a site of a former waste oil redestillation facility [1, 2]. This procedure has been proved in practice and serves as a model because an adequately defined, standardized method (DIN standard) is lacking.     

Navigational strategies of homing pigeons at familiar sites: do landmarks reduce the deflections induced by clock-shifting?

To analyze the navigational strategy of homing pigeons at familiar sites in view of a possible role of local landmarks, two groups of pigeons—one familiar to the release site, the other unfamiliar—were released with their internal clock shifted 6 h fast, with untreated birds of both groups serving as controls. The two groups showed median deflections of 67% and 57%, respectively, of the expected size, with no consistent difference in the size of the deflection between familiar and unfamiliar birds. This clearly shows that familiarity with the release site and with the local landscape features does not affect the size of the deflections induced by clock-shifting. Obviously, pigeons familiar with the release site do not change their navigational strategy, but still continue to determine their home course solely as a compass course. General problems with orientation by landmarks are discussed; however, landmarks may help birds to recognize a site and recall the respective course.

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Über ein langlebiges Zwischenprodukt der photochemischen Reaktion zwischen Jod und Oxalat

The Science of Nature -     

Orientation behavior of homing pigeons at the Gernsheim anomaly

Pigeons were released at four release sites within the Gernsheim anomaly, a magnetic 'hill' with a peak 199 nT above the regional reference field and gentle 'slopes' to all sides, situated 44 km south of the Frankfurt loft. Local magnetic conditions at the sites differed in total intensity and in direction and steepness of the intensity gradient. At all sites, the pigeons were well oriented, showing counterclockwise deviations from the home directions that were most pronounced in the western part of the anomaly. There was no systematic difference in orientation behavior or homing performance between the sites within the anomaly and a control site outside. No effect of the local gradient direction was found, nor did the difference in intensity between home loft and the release site affect behavior. This argues against the use of magnetic navigational factors. However, pigeons released for the first time within the anomaly tended to have longer mean vectors with increasingly steeper gradients, which could mean that the birds might somehow have realized the anomalous nature of the local magnetic conditions and ignored them, relying on non-magnetic cues instead.Communicated by R. Gibson     

Pigeon homing: Olfactory orientation—a paradox

Summary In order to find out whether the different ways that pigeons are raised and maintained at the various lofts affect their orientation behavior, especially the selection of navigational factors, a group of birds was raised according to the procedures of our Italian colleagues in a wind-exposed loft on the roof. The behavior of these R-birds was then compared with that of G-birds living in a garden loft, raised and trained according to the normal Frankfurt procedure. When R-birds were made anosmic by closing the nostril with cotton during transportation and a local anesthetic was used at release, their reaction was similar to that of Italian pigeons: the deviation of their vanishing bearings from the home direction increased significantly, leading to a marked decrease in homeward orientation. In contrast, the orientation of the anosmic G-birds did not differ from that of their controls; their directional selections agreed with those of the controls of the R-group. These data indicate that the conditions of raising and maintaining homing pigeons may be of crucial importance in determining the pigeons' attitude toward olfactory input. Finally, olfactory orientation is discussed; the paradoxical finding that the G-birds, not using olfaction, oriented like the controls of the R-group that did use olfactory input, leads to the question of whether olfactory input really conveys navigational information to the birds.     

Correlation of PCDD/F and PCB concentrations in soil samples from the Swiss soil monitoring network (NABO) to specific parameters of the observation sites

Concentrations of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans (PCDD/F) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB) were determined in 23 soil samples collected at reference sites of the Swiss national soil monitoring network (NABO). Total PCDD/F and PCB concentrations are well correlated and proportional (R2=0.720). The total PCDD/F levels were between 72 and 703 ng/kg corresponding to 1.1-11 ng I-TEQ/kg, total PCB concentrations (sum of seven congeners IUPAC no. 28, 52, 101, 118, 138, 153, and 180) were from 1.1 to 12 microg/kg. In all samples, the PCDD/F and PCB concentrations were in the range of background levels for these contaminants in Central Europe. Ninteen samples revealed PCDD/F levels below the guide value of 5 ng I-TEQ/kg set by the Swiss ordinance relating to impacts on the soil (OIS); concentrations for the remaining four samples were below the trigger value (20 ng I-TEQ/kg). All PCB concentrations were below the guide value of 100 microg/kg. The elevated PCDD/F and PCB levels in some of the samples originating from forested sites could be attributed to the scavenging effect of forest canopies for semivolatile organic compounds. This interpretation could be substantiated by the observed distortion of the congener and homolog patterns of PCDD/F and PCB which is characteristic for forested sites.