Influence of americium-241 on the microbial population and biodegradation of organic waste

The present study investigated the influence of ²⁴¹Am on microbial growth and the degradation of organic waste. Leachate samples collected in a lysimeter were periodically analyzed for bacterial growth, under both aerobic and anaerobic conditions. ²⁴¹Am inhibited bacterial growth, and the degradation of organic matter was delayed in comparison with the control. Minimal inhibitory concentration assays and survival curves revealed that it inhibits the growth of Pseudomonas putida F1. The assay also revealed that ²⁴¹Am is more toxic than ²³⁸U, Zn²⁺ and Cd²⁺. This study further led to the finding of four new radionuclide-tolerant bacterial strains: Flavobacterium spp., Pseudomonas gladioli, Chryseobacterium indologenes and Ochrobactrum anthropi. The survival curves of P. gladioli, C. indologenes revealed that these bacteria are resistant to metal as consortia.     

中国农业领域温室气体主要减排措施研究分析

气候变暖已成不争事实,主要是由于人为温室气体（GHG）排放增加所致,为减缓气候变暖趋势,各领域迫切需要采取减排措施;农业是一个重要的GHG排放源,农业领域采取减排措施对于减少我国GHG排放、保护农村生态环境有重要意义。文章在大量阅读前人研究结果的基础上,总结我国农业领域主要的减排管理措施,主要从农业活动、农村生活和生物质能源利用三方面进行阐述,并简要分析各措施的减排效果和存在问题。分析发现,农业活动的水肥管理是农田温室气体减排的研究热点,但由于地域和管理流程上的差异,对措施的减排效果尚存在争议;农村生活中存在巨大的减排潜力,采取恰当的减排措施不但可以减少GHG排放,还可以改善农村生态状况和环境卫生条件;农村生物质能源有很大发展潜力,合理开发利用,可以有效替代化石能源消耗,缓解能源危机,减少GHG排放,保护生态环境。总之,在农业领域采取积极的减排措施,有助于国家效应对气候变化,降低农业源污染和GHG排放,减轻环境压力,转换农业发展模式,加速农业现代化,促进农业生产的可持续发展和社会主义新农村建设。     

水生植物种植场磷素分布特征与植物吸收

研究了水生植物种植场水体、沉积物及植物的磷含量及分布特征,结果表明进水的P浓度高于V类水标准,水生植物种植区内的由于受到沉淀、吸附及植物吸收的影响,水体P浓度远低于进水,水体不同形态P与TP之间呈现良好的相关关系;沉积物的TP质量分数在335～672 mg.kg-1之间,表层沉积物P质量分数是影响底层沉积物P质量分数的主要因素之一,沉积物中的TP和IP、OP之间同样存在相关性;水生植物对P均具有较好的吸收富集能力,不同水生植物的迁移系数均在0.5以上,平均为0.82,其中的黄花蔺(Limnocharis flava)与欧慈菇(Sagittaria sagittifolia)显示对P的良好吸收和迁移能力。基于本次调查的水生植物P质量分数统计分析表明,95%的水生植物地上部P质量分数正常值范围在1 415～4 947mg.kg-1之间,而地下部的P质量分数正常值范围在2 178～5 702 mg.kg-1之间。     

Cadmium, copper, lead, and zinc in Mugil cephalus from seven coastal lagoons of NW Mexico

The increasing order of the mean concentrations of Cd, Cu, and Zn in the tissues of Mugil cephalus of seven coastal lagoons of Sinaloa State (NW Mexico) was liver > gills > muscle, while for Pb it was gills > muscle ≥ liver. There were no differences between the mean concentrations of Cd and Pb of the three tissues determined in the samples of the seven lagoons and, although there were some significant differences, there was no indication of a latitude-related trend in the distribution of Cu and Zn: the Cu content of the muscle tended to be higher in the northern than in the southern lagoons, although in the case of the gills the highest and lowest mean values indicated an opposite trend, with the highest and lowest values in one southern and one northern lagoon. In the case of the liver, there were no differences and no indication of a regional trend. There were no differences in the mean Zn contents of muscle and gills; in the case of the liver, one of the lagoons of the central part of the state had a significantly higher value than one of the southern lagoons and all the rest had similar values. In addition, there was no clear indication of season-related differences in any of the three tissues. According to our results, the metal contents of the muscle of this species are not of concern for human health, since the allowable ingestion would be in the order of 0.9 kg/day.     

Concentrations of dissolved herbicides and pharmaceuticals in a small river in Luxembourg

Urban and agricultural areas affect the hydraulic patterns as well as the water quality of receiving drainage systems, especially of catchments smaller than 50 km(2). Urban runoff is prone to contamination due to pollutants like pesticides or pharmaceuticals. Agricultural areas are possible sources of nutrient and herbicide contamination for receiving water bodies. The pollution is derived from leaching by subsurface flow, as well as wash-off and erosion caused by surface runoff. In the Luxembourgish Mess River catchment, the pharmaceutical and pesticide concentrations are comparable with those detected by other authors in different river systems worldwide. Some investigated pesticide concentrations infringe current regulations. The maximum allowable concentration for diuron of 1.8 μg l(?-?1) is exceeded fourfold by measured 7.41 μg l(?-?1) in a flood event. The load of dissolved pesticides reaching the stream gauge is primarily determined by the amount applied to the surfaces within the catchment area. Storm water runoff from urban areas causes short-lived but high-pollutant concentrations and moderate loads, whereas moderate concentrations and high loads are representative for agricultural inputs to the drainage system. Dissolved herbicides, sulfonamides, tetracyclines, analgesics and hormones can be used as indicators to investigate runoff generation processes, including inputs from anthropogenic sources. The measurements prove that the influence of kinematic wave effects on the relationship between hydrograph and chemographs should not be neglected in smaller basins. The time lag shows that it is not possible to connect analysed substances of defined samples to the corresponding section of the hydrograph.     

Human health risk assessment of environmental and dietary exposure to natural radionuclides in the Catalan stretch of the Ebro River, Spain

This study was aimed at assessing the levels of ²¹⁰Pb and ²¹⁰Po concentrations as well as gross alpha and beta activities in environmental monitors from the Catalan stretch of the Ebro River (Spain), potentially influenced by the presence of sediments with high concentrations of ²³⁸U and its decay chain daughters in the Flix reservoir. The chronic daily intake of ²¹⁰Pb and ²¹⁰Po through ingestion and inhalation of soils was evaluated, and the derived non-carcinogenic and carcinogenic risks were characterized. The low concentration of radioisotopes in soils resulted in a negligible annual effective dose. The levels of ²¹⁰Pb and ²¹⁰Po were determined in various groups of highly consumed food (fish and seafood, vegetables, fruits, and rice), and their dietary intake was calculated. The annual effective dose for the adult people from food intake was estimated in 3.3 × 10^???2 mSv, mostly due to ²¹⁰Po. Overall, the current radioactivity levels in the Catalan stretch of the Ebro River should not mean any additional health risk for the population living nearby. However, an integral assessment of the risks derived from exposure to other pollutants (e.g., metals and organochlorine compounds) jointly with radionuclides could be of great interest.     

Assessment of Mexico��s program to use ethanol as transportation fuel: impact of 6% ethanol-blended fuel on emissions of light-duty gasoline vehicles

Recently, the Mexican government launched a national program encouraging the blending of renewable fuels in engine fuel. To aid the assessment of the environmental consequences of this move, the effect of gasoline fuel additives, ethanol and methyl tert-butyl ether, on the tailpipe and the evaporative emissions of Mexico sold cars was investigated. Regulated exhaust and evaporative emissions, such as carbon monoxide, non-methane hydrocarbons, and nitrogen oxides, and 15 unregulated emissions were measured under various conditions on a set of 2005?C2008 model light-duty vehicles selected based on sales statistics for the Mexico City metropolitan area provided by car manufacturers. The selected car brands are also frequent in Canada, the USA, and other parts of the world. This paper provides details and results of the experiment that are essential for evaluation of changes in the emission inventory, originating in the low-blend ethanol addition in light vehicle fuel.     

Co-assessment of biomass and soil organic carbon stocks in a future reservoir area located in Southeast Asia

An assessment of the organic carbon stock present in living or dead vegetation and in the soil on the 450 km² of the future Nam Theun 2 hydroelectric reservoir in Lao People??s Democratic Republic was made. Nine land cover types were defined on the studied area: dense, medium, light, degraded, and riparian forests; agricultural soil; swamps; water; and others (roads, construction sites, and so on). Their geographical distribution was assessed by remote sensing using two 2008 SPOT 5 images. The area is mainly covered by dense and light forests (59%), while agricultural soil and swamps account for 11% and 2%, respectively. For each of these cover types, except water, organic carbon density was measured in the five pools defined by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change: aboveground biomass, litter, deadwood, belowground biomass, and soil organic carbon. The area-weighted mean carbon densities for these pools were estimated at 45.4, 2.0, 2.2, 3.4, and 62.2 tC/ha, respectively, i.e., a total of about 115 ± 15 tC/ha for a soil thickness of 30 cm, corresponding to a total flooded organic carbon stock of 5.1 ± 0.7 MtC. This value is much lower than the carbon density for some South American reservoirs for example where total organic carbon stocks range from 251 to 326 tC/ha. It can be mainly explained by (1) the higher biomass density of South American tropical primary rainforest than of forests in this study and (2) the high proportion of areas with low carbon density, such as agricultural or slash-and-burn zones, in the studied area.     

Establishing ecological networks for habitat conservation in the case of ?e?me�CUrla Peninsula, Turkey

The study involves the Çe?me?CUrla Peninsula, where habitat fragmentation and loss, which threaten biological diversity, have become an urgent matter of concern in recent decades. The study area has been subjected to anthropogenic pressures and alterations due to ongoing and impending land uses. Therefore, ecological networks, as an appropriate way to deal with habitat fragmentation and loss and to improve ecological quality, were identified in the study area as one of the early attempts in the country to maintain its rich biodiversity. In this sense, core areas and ecological linkages as primary components of ecological networks were established on the basis of sustaining natural habitats. A GIS-based model was created to identify core areas and to facilitate the ecological connectivity. The modeling process for core areas and corridors combined 14 and 21 different variables, respectively. The variables were used as environmental inputs in the model, and all analyses were materialized in ArcGIS 9.2 using grid functions of image analysis and spatial analyst modules. As a result, six core areas and 36 corridor alternatives were materialized. Furthermore, some recommendations for the implementation and management of the proposed ecological networks were revealed and discussed.