The short-term effect of cadmium on low molecular weight organic acid and amino acid exudation from mangrove (Kandelia obovata (S., L.) Yong) roots

The aim of this study was to evaluate short-term concentration and time effects of cadmium on Kandelia obovata (S., L.) Yong root exudation, thereby evaluating and predicting the ecophysiological effects of mangrove to heavy metals at the root level. Mature K. obovata propagules were cultivated in a sandy medium for 3 months, and then six concentrations of Cd (0, 2.5, 5, 10, 20, and 40 mg L^?1) were applied. After exposure time of 24 h and 7 days, respectively, the root exudates of K. obovata were collected and low molecular weight organic acids (LMWOAs) and amino acids of which were analyzed. In addition, we measured glutathione, soluble protein content, and Cd concentration in the plant. We found 10 and 15 types of LMWOAs and amino acids in root exudates of K. obovata with total concentrations ranging from 29.54 to 43.08 mg g^?1 dry weight (DW) roots and from 737.35 to 1,452.46 ng g^?1 DW roots, respectively. Both of them varied in quality and quantity under different Cd treatment strengths and exposure times. Oxalic, acetic, l-malic, tartaric acid, tyrosine, methionine, cysteine, isoleucine, and arginine were dominant. Both LMWOAs and amino acids excreted from K. obovata roots play a key role in Cd toxicity resistance. The responsiveness of amino acids was less than that of LMWOAs. We suggest that the ecological effect of root-excreted free amino acids in the rhizosphere is mainly based on the role of nutrients, supplemented with detoxification to heavy metals.     

Expected Decline in Carboxyhemogldbin Levels As Related to Automobile Carbon Monoxide Emission Standards

Carboxyhemoglobin (COHb) levels in blood are principally due to inhalation of carbon monoxide, although a low level (approximately 0.3%) of COHb is endogenous. A carboxyhemoglobin level above 1.5 % in non-smokers indicates exposure to CO in excess of the 10 mg/m³ air quality standard established under the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1970.

In most major U.S. cities, automobile emissions constitute the principal source of CO; in Chicago, according to EPA estimates,¹ light duty vehicles are responsible for 69.3% of all CO emissions. Thus as new automobiles incorporating emission controls enter the automotive fleet and older, emission-uncontrolled automobiles are phased out, ambient CO concentrations should decline and corresponding reductions in blood carboxyhemoglobin levels of nonsmokers can be expected.     

Odor Control In Los Angeles County

Abstract

Concentrations of 38 gas-phase organic air toxics were measured over a 2-yr period at four different sites in and around Pittsburgh, PA, to investigate spatial variations in health risks from chronic exposure. The sites were chosen to represent different exposure regimes: a downtown site with substantial mobile source emissions; two residential sites adjacent to one of the most heavily industrialized zones in Pittsburgh; and a regional background site. Lifetime cancer risks and non-cancer hazard quotients were estimated using a traditional and interactive risk models. Although study average concentrations of specific air toxics varied by as a much as a factor of 26 between the sites, the additive cancer risks of the gas-phase organic air toxics varied by less than a factor of 2, ranging from 6.1 × 10^-5 to 9.5 × 10^-5. The modest variation in risks reflects the fact that two regionally distributed toxics, formalde-hyde and carbon tetrachloride (CCl₄), contributed more than half of the cancer risk at all four sites. Benzene contributed substantial cancer risks at all sites, whereas trichloroethene and 1,4-dichlorobenzene only contributed substantial cancer risks at the downtown site. Only acrolein posed a non-cancer risk. Diesel particulate matter is estimated to pose a much greater cancer risk in Pittsburgh than other classes of air toxics including gas-phase organic, metals, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, and coke oven emissions. Health risks of air toxics in Pittsburgh are comparable with those in other urban areas in the United States.     

Political conservatism,religion, and environmental consumption in the United States

The role of political conservatism and religion in shaping attitudes toward environmental consumption in the US is examined. Previous research suggests that while there is a mixed relationship between religiosity (measured in various ways) and environmentalism, political conservatives are unlikely to support pro-environment measures. Using nationally representative survey data, mixed results are found regarding the relationship of religiosity and environmental consumption: religious attendance and religious identity are positively related to environmental consumption, while belief in an involved God and biblical literalism are negatively related. Increased levels of religiosity, however, mute the otherwise strong negative effect of political conservatism. This suggests, surprisingly, that Green marketers and activists are likely to face less conservative resistance to environmental consumption among religious Americans.     

Anthropogenic pollution and variability of manganese in alluvial sediments of the Yellow River,Ningxia, northwest China

Heavy metal pollution of sediments is a global concern and can be a serious problem in heavily industrialized parts of the world. Pollution by manganese is particularly common due to its ubiquitous natural occurrence, ease of mobilization, and extensive association with industry. In Ningxia, China, manganese pollution of Yellow River alluvial sediments was assessed by comparing manganese concentrations in 35 sediment samples with background values derived from similar sediments obtained at sites considered remote from potential sources of contamination. Natural background values of manganese were found to range from 192 to 323 mg/kg for surface sediments, and from 220 to 325 and 283 to 394 mg/kg for subsurface sediments at depths of 45–50 and 95–100 cm, respectively. In the study area, manganese content ranged from 565 to 1,363 mg/kg, indicating anthropogenic pollution extending to a depth of at least 1 m in the study area. All 35 samples were found to exceed the threshold effect concentration (TEC) of 460 mg/kg, below which adverse effects on sediment-dwelling organisms are not expected to occur, and one sample (T12) was found to exceed the probable effect concentration (PEC) of 1,100 mg/kg. PEC defines the threshold above which adverse effects are likely to be observed. Variogram analysis of the surface sediment manganese data revealed adherence to a Gaussian model, and ordinary kriging was used to generate a manganese distribution map. Analysis of the high nugget effect ratio indicates high, small-scale variations that are consistent with potential emissions from an adjacent electrolytic manganese plant.     

Parameter Sensitivity of a Surface Water Quality Model of the Lower South Saskatchewan River—Comparison Between Ice-On and Ice-Off Periods

Little is known about seasonal differences (ice-on vs. ice-off periods) and the sensitivity of in-stream processes to surface water quality constituents in rivers that have a persistent ice cover in winter. The goal of this study is to investigate the sensitivity of nutrient transformation processes on surface water quality, especially rivers in cold regions where ice-covered conditions persist for a substantial part of the year. We established a sensitivity analysis framework for water quality modelling and monitoring of rivers in cold regions using the Water Quality Analysis Program WASP7. The lower South Saskatchewan River in the interior of western Canada, from the Gardiner Dam at Lake Diefenbaker to the confluence of the North and South Saskatchewan rivers, is used as a test case for this purpose. The study reveals that parameter sensitivities differ between ice-covered and ice-free periods and biological model parameters related to nutrient-phytoplankton dynamics can still be sensitive during the ice-covered season. For example, sediment oxygen demand is an important parameter during the ice-on period, whereas parameters related to nitrification are more sensitive in the ice-off period. These results provide insight into important water quality monitoring aspects in cold regions during different seasons.     

Assessment of groundwater vulnerability in the Yinchuan Plain,Northwest China using OREADIC

Groundwater vulnerability assessments provide a measure of the sensitivity of groundwater quality to an imposed contaminant load and are globally recognized as an essential element of all aquifer management and protection plans. In this paper, the vulnerability of groundwaters underlying the Yinchuan Plain of Northwest China is determined using OREADIC, a GIS-based assessment tool that incorporates the key characteristics of the universally popular DRASTIC approach to vulnerability assessment but has been modified to consider important additional hydrogeological factors that are specific to the region. The results show that areas of high vulnerability are distributed mainly around Qingtongxia City, Wuzhong City, Lingwu City, and Yongning County and are associated with high rates of aquifer recharge, shallow depths to the water table, and highly permeable aquifer materials. The presence of elevated NO₃⁻ in the high vulnerability areas endorses the OREADIC approach. The vulnerability maps developed in this study have become valuable tools for environmental planning in the region and will be used for predictive management of the groundwater resource.     

MONTHLY RUNOFF DISTRIBUTION RELATED TO BASIN GEOGRAPHY1

ABSTRACT: Mean monthly runoff from ungaged drainage basins that have significant snowpacks each year can be estimated quite well by assuming that the time duration between snowfall and snowmelt is the predominant factor in temporal runoff distribution. That time span is related to basin temperatures which are, in turn, functions of basin elevation and latitude. Regional hydrologic analyses of gaged basin data create regression equations for estimating runoff distribution by month. These equations then can be applied to ungaged basins. Basin latitude and mean elevation are two independent variables that can be used in estimating monthly runoff distributions.