Fir decline and mortality in the southern Siberian Mountains

Regional Environmental Change - Increased dieback and mortality of “dark needle conifer” (DNC) stands (composed of fir (Abies sibirica), Siberian pine (Pinus sibirica) and spruce (Picea...     

Validation of temporal and spatial consistency of facility- and speed-specific vehicle-specific power distributions for emission estimation: A case study in Beijing,China

Vehicle-specific power (VSP) has been found to be highly correlated with vehicle emissions. It is used in many studies on emission modeling such as the MOVES (Motor Vehicle Emissions Simulator) model. The existing studies develop specific VSP distributions (or OpMode distribution in MOVES) for different road types and various average speeds to represent the vehicle operating modes on road. However, it is still not clear if the facility- and speed-specific VSP distributions are consistent temporally and spatially. For instance, is it necessary to update periodically the database of the VSP distributions in the emission model? Are the VSP distributions developed in the city central business district (CBD) area applicable to its suburb area? In this context, this study examined the temporal and spatial consistency of the facility- and speed-specific VSP distributions in Beijing. The VSP distributions in different years and in different areas are developed, based on real-world vehicle activity data. The root mean square error (RMSE) is employed to quantify the difference between the VSP distributions. The maximum differences of the VSP distributions between different years and between different areas are approximately 20% of that between different road types. The analysis of the carbon dioxide (CO₂) emission factor indicates that the temporal and spatial differences of the VSP distributions have no significant impact on vehicle emission estimation, with relative error of less than 3%.

Implications: The temporal and spatial differences have no significant impact on the development of the facility- and speed-specific VSP distributions for the vehicle emission estimation. The database of the specific VSP distributions in the VSP-based emission models can maintain in terms of time. Thus, it is unnecessary to update the database regularly, and it is reliable to use the history vehicle activity data to forecast the emissions in the future. In one city, the areas with less data can still develop accurate VSP distributions based on better data from other areas.     

Quantity and biochemical composition of sedimentary organic matter around offshore gas extraction platforms of the Adriatic Sea

Gas platforms can exert relevant effects on various ecosystem properties of the hosting area, modifying patterns of productivity and particle sedimentation. We hypothesised that the presence of gas platforms is associated with higher organic matter (OM) contents and we tested the null hypothesis by which benthic trophic conditions do not vary significantly among gas structures with different architectural characteristics. To test these hypotheses, we investigated sedimentary OM contents and biochemical composition at increasing distance from two distinct structures: one subsea well-site and one four-leg platform (FLP). We found that sediments surrounding the structures were characterised by similar OM contents, but different biochemical compositions, and that sedimentary OM compositional change with increasing distance from the structure is confirmed only at the FLP. These results suggest that: (i) benthic eutrophication is not consistent among different structures; (ii) OM biochemical composition changes are more evident than those in OM quantity; and (iii) the effect, wherever present, disappears at a very narrow distance from the platform. As biochemical composition of OM reflects food availability for benthic organisms, our results suggest that the enrichment of macrozoobenthic communities around these structures could be the consequence of increased nutritional quality of resources.     

Geochemical disturbance of soil cover in the nonferrous mining centers of the Selenga River basin

The anthropogenic geochemical transformation of soil cover in large nonferrous mining centers of the Selenga River basin was assessed. The results of the geochemical survey of 2010–2012 revealed the spatial distribution patterns and abundances of 18 hazardous heavy metals and metalloids in the soils of Erdenet (Mongolia) and Zakamensk (Buryat republic, Russian Federation). In both cities, mining activities disturbed soil cover which accumulates Mo, Cu, As, Sb, W in Erdenet and Bi, W, Cd, Be, Pb, Mo, Sb in Zakamensk. Maximum accumulation of elements in Erdenet is restricted to the industrial zone. In Zakamensk, it has spread on ½ of the territory with the degree of multielemental pollution exceeding the extremely dangerous level by 16 times. The effect of mining centers on the state of the river system is local and does not spread to the Selenga River. Downstream from Erdenet, an artificial pool intercepts heavy metal and metalloid flows of the Erdenetii-Gol River. By contrast, downstream from the tailing dumps of the Dzhida tungsten–molybdenum plant the concentrations of ore elements W and Mo and their accessories Bi and Cd in the Modonkul River exceed background values by 146, 20, 57, and 21 times, respectively, decreasing by an order of magnitude 30 km downstream.     

Atrazine contamination in agricultural soils from the Yangtze River Delta of China and associated health risks

Atrazine is one of the most widely applied and persistent herbicides in the world. In view of limited information on the regional contamination of atrazine in soils in China, this study investigated the spatial distribution and environmental impacts of atrazine in agricultural soils collected from the Yangtze River Delta (YRD) as an illustrative analysis of rapidly developing regions in the country. The results showed that the concentrations of atrazine in the YRD agricultural soils ranged from <1.0 to 113 ng/g dry weight, with a mean of 5.7 ng/g, and a detection rate of 57.7 % in soils. Pesticide factory might be a major source for the elevated levels of atrazine in Zhejiang Province. The contamination of atrazine was closely associated with land use types. The concentrations and detection rates of atrazine were higher in corn fields and mulberry fields than in rice paddy fields. There was no significant difference in compositions of soil microbial phospholipids fatty acids among the areas with different atrazine levels. Positive relationship (R = 0.417, p < 0.05, n = 30) was observed between atrazine and total microbial biomass. However, other factors, such as soil type and land management practice, might have stronger influences on soil microbial communities. Human health risks via exposure to atrazine in soils were estimated according to the methods recommended by the US EPA. Atrazine by itself in all the soil samples imposed very low carcinogenic risks (<10^?6) and minimal non-cancer risks (hazard index <1) to adults and children.     

A study on the arsenic concentration in groundwater of a coastal aquifer in south-east India: an integrated approach

The occurrence of arsenic in drinking water and its detrimental effects have drawn much attention in recent years. Several studies have been conducted in the deltaic plains of River Ganga, NE part of the India, and in other countries, but no systematic study was conducted in South India on occurrence of arsenic in groundwater. The main aim of this study is to determine the level of arsenic in groundwater and to understand the relation with other geochemical parameters of groundwater in the south-eastern coastal aquifer at Kalpakkam region, India. This region is represented by three different lithologies, viz. charnockites, flood plain alluvium and marine alluvium. Twenty-nine representative samples of groundwater were collected and analysed for major ions, metals and isotopes such as ²H and ¹⁸O. In addition, geophysical method was also attempted to understand the subsurface condition. The spatial variation in arsenic (As) indicates that higher concentration was observed around the landfill sites and irrigated regions, which was supported by geochemical, statistical and isotopic inferences. The variation in the As with depth, lithology and sources has been clearly brought out. Though the values of As does not exceed the drinking water permissible limit (10 mg/l), it has reached a near permissible level of 8.7 ppb. Hence, it is essential to understand the geochemical behaviour of As for a proper future management of the water resource in the study area.     

周年磷肥旱季集中底施对玉-稻轮作磷肥效应的影响

春玉米-晚稻水旱轮作是近年来南方稻区种植制度变化下出现的新型两熟制模式。明确两季作物间磷肥的合理分配对玉-稻轮作作物产量与磷素利用效率的影响,对玉-稻轮作养分高效与高产协同实现,及丰富对水旱轮作前后季作物养分利用关系的认识具有理论意义。采用春玉米-水稻周年轮作田间试验,根据晚稻季磷肥前移至玉米季做底肥施用的比例及周年施磷量,设置7个磷肥施用处理,分别为两季作物均不施磷(P_0)、两季作物均按常规方法施磷(P_1)、1/3晚稻季磷肥前移(P_2)、2/3晚稻季磷肥前移(P_3)、全部晚稻季磷肥前移(P_4)、全部晚稻季磷肥前移且周年总施磷量减少15%(P_5)、全部晚稻季磷肥前移且周年总施磷量减少30%(P_6),分析了不同施磷处理作物产量、磷素吸收量及磷素利用效率的变化。与P_1相比,P_3与P_4处理显著提高了晚稻花后干物质的分配比例及晚稻产量,且其周年产量分别提高了4.87%和6.74%;P_5处理晚稻产量与P_1处理差异不显著,但P_6显著降低了晚稻产量。晚稻季磷肥前移施用明显促进了玉米及晚稻对磷素的吸收,显著降低了磷素的表观盈余量。与P_1处理相比,P_2、P_3、P_4处理两季作物周年土壤磷素依存率分别减少了11.63%、26.47%与22.08%。从磷肥利用效率看,P_4处理的磷肥周年累积回收效率、农学利用效率、偏生产力及磷肥产量贡献率均显著高于P_1处理,分别提高了102.46%、194.83%、6.73%与176.16%。与P_1处理相比,P_5处理周年磷肥产量贡献率及农学利用效率差异不显著,但分别提高了其磷肥回收效率与偏生产力32.56%和58.05%。玉米季施用的磷肥对晚稻有明显的后效作用,且比晚稻季施用磷肥具有更高的磷肥利用效率。所以在春玉米免耕复种晚稻时,可将晚稻季的磷肥全部前移至玉米季施用,并可减少15%周年施磷量。