Meteorological effects on the evolution of high ozone episodes in the greater Seoul area

Three high O3 episodes--7 days in 1992 (July 3-July 9), 9 days in 1994 (July 21-July 29), and another 3 days in 1994 (August 22-August 24)--were selected on the basis of morning (7:00 a.m.-10:00 a.m.) average wind direction and speed and daily maximum O3 concentrations in the greater Seoul, Korea, of 1990-1997. To better understand their characteristics and life cycles, surface data from the Seoul Weather Station (SWS) and surface and 850-hPa wind field data covering northeast Asia around the Korean Peninsula were used for the analysis. In the July 1992 episode, westerly winds were most frequent as a result of the influence of a high-pressure system west of the Korean Peninsula behind a trough. In contrast, in the July 1994 episode, easterly winds were most frequent as a result of the effect of a typhoon moving north from the south of Japan. Despite different prevailing wind directions, the peak O3 concentrations for each episode occurred when a sea/land breeze developed in association with weak synoptic forcing. The August 1994 episode, which was selected as being representative of calm conditions, was another typical example in which a well-developed     

四川黄龙沟天然水中的深源CO_2与大规模的钙华沉积

在有大规模钙华沉积的四川黄龙沟中,使用化学成分数据以及碳氧稳定同位素组成对其水文地球化学特征进行了分析研究。研究区钙华沉积的地表溪流水质基本上受到两种水混合的制约,即断层泉水和山区的融雪(冰)水。泉水中含有高浓度的经由断层提供的CO2,结果高浓度的溶解CO2使得其溶解的碳酸盐岩比普通的岩溶泉溶解的碳酸盐岩高得多,同时也导致硅酸盐岩的溶解。黄龙沟中上游的泉水相对于方解石接近于平衡。溶解无机碳(DIC)的浓度和它们的δ13C值是大约由c=0.02mol·L1δ13C=-3‰的CO2(aq)与含有δ13C=+3‰的碳酸盐岩在封闭系统条件下反应的结果。估计这些CO2中约有70%来自上地幔。所有泉水的水化学数据均落在高岭石稳定域内,但对Na长石和Ca长石具有侵蚀性。由于这些长石矿物的溶解速率太慢,所以水中的化学成分远离长石稳定域。地表溪流的DIC种类之间达到同位素平衡,在不同观测点发现的δ13CDIC变化主要是由于从水中释放出的CO2的程度不同引起的。水样的δ18O值与其采集点的海拔高度之间存在线性关系;研究区的地表溪流的氧同位素组成受到蒸发的制约。在流经钙华沉积物的地表溪流中白天和夜晚的水化学及pH的日变化表明生物作用促进了碳酸盐的沉积,尽管作用不显著。据估计研究区碳酸钙的日沉积速率是4778kg·km2,即约1mm·a1。     

3BER-S工艺用于再生水深度脱氮同步去除PAEs的可行性

为了考察三维电极生物膜硫自养耦合工艺(3BER-S)对再生水进行深度脱氮同步去除邻苯二甲酸酯(PAEs)的可行性,基于3BER-S反应器内已挂膜活性炭填料静态吸附PAEs能力测定和动态反硝化脱氮同步除PAEs运行结果,分析了3BER-S反应器同步脱氮去除PAEs的工艺特性和作用机制.结果表明,挂膜活性炭填料对邻苯二甲酸二丁酯(DBP)、邻苯二甲酸二(2-乙基)己酯(DEHP)的平均吸附去除率分别为85.84%、97.12%,平衡吸附容量为0.142 6mg·g-1、0.162 mg·g-1,达到吸附饱和的时间分别为120 min、60 min;PAEs对3BER-S反硝化系统脱氮效果影响不明显,加入PAEs前后反应器出水TN的浓度在1~2 mg·L-1之间,TN的平均去除率达到了94%以上;3BER-S反硝化系统对PAEs有较强的去除能力,出水中DBP和DEHP的浓度在0~6μg·L-1范围内、去除率均在96%以上;3BER-S对PAEs的去除是吸附、生物降解和电化学协同作用结果.模拟污水厂二级出水经过3BER-S工艺处理后,DBP和DEHP的浓度满足《城市污水再生利用地下水回灌水质标准》(GB/T 19772-2005)所规定的限值.     

NONSTEADY FLOW TO A WELL WITH TIME DEPENDENT DRAWDOWN1

Confined flow toward a single well of finite radius in an extensive aquifer of uniform transmissibility is studied under the assumption of time-dependent drawdown. Three particular cases are considered: (a) linear drawdown (including constant drawdown); (b) exponential drawdown; (c) periodic (sinusoidal) drawdown. The differential equation governing unsteady axial symmetric flow toward a single well in a confined aquifer is solved for the three different situations by the use of the Laplace transform method. The resulting expressions are integrated by adapting a modified Gemant scheme. General computer programs have been developed and operated for several combinations of characteristics. The results are plotted to show the effect of time dependent drawdown on the variation of the well discharge and the piezometric head distribution.     

Electrophysiological responses and field attraction of the grey corn weevil, Tanymecus (Episomecus) dilaticollis Gyllenhal (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) to synthetic plant volatiles

The grey corn weevil, Tanymecus (Episomecus) dilaticollis, is an economically important polyphagous pest in Eastern and Central Europe. The present research is the first published electrophysiological study of olfactory sensitivity of adult T. dilaticollis to plant volatiles. The electrophysiological responses of male and female antennae were recorded to 20 synthetic volatile organic compounds (VOCs), previously identified to be released from the preferred host plants, maize and sunflower. Antennae of both sexes responded to a wide range of volatiles from different chemical classes: fatty acid derivatives, aromatic compounds and terpenoids. Two green leaf volatiles, (E)-2-hexen-1-ol and (Z)-3-hexen-1-ol, and one terpenoid, (±)-linalool, elicited the strongest electrophysiological responses by male and female antennae. Relatively high electrophysiological activity by T. dilaticollis antennae was also recorded to benzaldehyde, eugenol and caryophyllene. In the field, (E)-2-hexen-1-ol and (Z)-3-hexen-1-ol, when presented individually, caught significantly more male and female T. dilaticollis than unbaited controls. These compounds could be developed into an attractive trap for the detection and monitoring of T. dilaticollis.     

Residues of organochlorine pesticides in Hong Kong soils

It was short of research on the organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) residues in the soils of Hong Kong. Sixty-six representative soil samples were collected from the 46 sites covering five types of land uses in Hong Kong. Hexachlorohexanes (HCH) and 7 Stockholm Convention OCPs were analyzed by gas chromatograph (GC) equipped with a Nickel 63 electronic capture detector (muECD). The results presented that HCH and 5 Stockholm Convention pesticides were detected in Hong Kong soils although the detectable ratio varies to a great extent. The concentration sequence of the five detectable OCPs was HCH > dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) > hexachlorobenzene (HCB) approximately = Endrin > alpha-endosulfan. Among the OCPs and their homologues or isomers, beta-HCH and p,p'-DDE were the two predominant substances according to the concentrations and detectable ratios, concentrations of which in soils were averagely 6.12 microg kg(-1) and 0.41 microg kg(-1) respectively. Soil horizon samples of 0-10 cm, 10-30 cm and >30 cm depth were selected from nine soil profiles to demonstrate the depth distributions of DDT and HCH in soil profiles. Concentrations of HCH tended to increase gradually from the topsoil to bottom layer while the lowest concentration of DDT is usually found in the subsoil (10-30 cm) in most sampling sites. In addition, close correlations of pH(KCl) and total organic carbon (TOC) with HCH indicated an effect on the residues of HCH caused by these two soils properties, but such relationships were not found with DDT or other OCPs.     

Characterization and sources of PAHs in an urban river system in Beijing,China

Water samples from 20 locations on rivers in the Tongzhou District of Beijing were collected four times from July 2005 to March 2006. In addition, sediment samples were collected in July 2005. All samples were analyzed for 16 US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) priority pollutants polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). The concentration, distribution, seasonal variation, and sources of the 16 PAH compounds identified in the water samples, suspended particles, and surface sediments were then evaluated. The concentrations of PAHs in the water and suspended particle and surface sediment samples ranged from 87.3 to 1,890 ng l⁻¹, 1,330 to 27,700 ng g⁻¹, and 156 to 8,650 ng g⁻¹, respectively. These results demonstrated that rivers in the Tongzhou District of Beijing had a high level of PAH pollution, especially in the suspended particles. The highest and lowest concentrations of PAHs in the water samples were observed in summer and spring. However, the seasonal variations in the concentration of PAHs in the suspended particles were more complicated. The dominant compounds in the water, suspended particle, and surface sediment samples were two-, three- and four-ring PAH compounds, respectively. Ratio analysis illustrated that fuel-burning was the primary source of PAHs in the study area. Gasoline, diesel, coal, and coke oven sources were identified and the contributions of the different fuel-burning sources were then calculated using factor analysis and multiple linear regression. These analyses revealed that coal combustion, gasoline combustion plus coke oven emission, and diesel combustion accounted for 38.8%, 38.5%, and 22.7% of the PAHs in suspended particles, respectively.     

Evaluating the relative importance of intrinsic and extrinsic factors on the foraging activity of top predators: a case study on female little penguins

A complex interaction of biotic and abiotic factors influences animal foraging activity. It is often difficult to understand which factors may affect animals’ foraging and how it is affected. For instance, whereas the effect of sexual dimorphism on foraging activity has been reported in several species, little is known of the complex interactions between variables acting at a finer scale, e.g. the variability of body mass within a sex. Evaluating the importance of these finer scale factors is also essential to the understanding of foraging behaviour. We propose here a simple approach by applying principal component analysis (PCA) in a novel way to examine relationships between biotic and abiotic factors affecting foraging behaviour of top predators. We studied female little penguins (Eudyptula minor) of known age, carrying miniature accelerometers during the guard stage of breeding. Surprisingly, the body mass of the females did not influence any of the foraging parameters, but females foraging later in the breeding season dived shallower and more often, showing a strong correlation with laying date. Similarly, the diving effort of females was greater with increasing chick age within the same breeding stage. These results indicate that for female little penguin, the relationship between changes in prey availability and hunting effort can change at a fine scale, within a breeding stage. Therefore, any analysis of little penguin foraging behaviour during breeding should consider the timing in relation to the breeding season. We encourage researchers to develop the use of this PCA approach as it could help clarify the complexity of the underlying mechanisms determining foraging activity and we propose that it should be used as a first step of foraging behaviour analysis, before examining a particular relationship.     

Synthesis and characterization of γ-ferric oxide nanoparticles and their effect on <Emphasis Type="Italic">Solanum lycopersicum</Emphasis>

γ-Ferric oxide nanoparticles are synthesized through modern and facile ayurvedic route followed by normal and special purification steps, which are both cost-effective and eco-friendly. These synthesized γ-ferric oxide nanoparticles were applied on Solanum lycopersicum to search the effect on chlorophyll content. This process involves multiple filtration and calcination steps. The synthesized samples were analyzed by X-ray diffraction (XRD), UV-visible (UV-vis) spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), vibrating sample magnetometry (VSM), and particle size analysis (PSA) to identify the purification step’s influence on the structural, optical, morphological, magnetic, and particle size properties of ferric oxide nanoparticles (γ-phase). X-ray diffraction has revealed that ferric oxide nanoparticles have rhombohedral structure of α-phase (hematite) in initial purification process later transformed into cubic structure γ-phase (maghemite). UV-vis spectroscopy analysis has clearly shown that by repetitive purification steps, λ_max has increased from 230 to 340 nm. TEM result has an intercorrelation with XRD results. γ-Ferric oxide nanoparticles were tested on Solanum lycopersicum (tomato seeds). The changes in the contents of chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b, and total carotene were studied using spectral measurements at two different dosages—0.5 and 2 M. As a result, at 0.5-M concentration, magnetic nanoparticles exhibit fruitful results by increasing the crop yield and being more resistant to chlorosis.     

丹江口水库调水前后表层沉积物营养盐和重金属时空变化

旨在探明中线工程调水前后(2011~2016年)丹江口水库表层沉积物中营养盐和重金属的时空分布特征和环境风险,对丹江口水库5个典型生态位点表层沉积物中p H值、有机质(OM)、总磷(TP)、总氮(TN)及铬(Cr)、锰(Mn)、铜(Cu)、锌(Zn)、镉(Cd)和铅(Pb)这6种金属元素的含量及时空变化特征进行研究,同时采用加拿大淡水水生环境沉积物质量指导值(CCME)为标准来进行潜在生态风险评价.结果表明,丹江口水库表层沉积物中OM、TP和TN含量分别为25.85、0.57和1.34 g·kg~(-1);Cr、Mn、Cu、Zn、Cd和Pb这6种重金属的含量分别为57.96、521.78、13.91、195.74、0.37和12.92 mg·kg~(-1),6种重金属的含量除Zn和Cd处于土壤环境质量二级标准,其他重金属元素含量均低于土壤环境质量一级标准.TN、Mn和Zn在调水后呈上升趋势,TP及其余重金属元素在调水后呈下降趋势.除p H值外,丹江口水库表层沉积物营养盐和所测重金属含量在生态空间上分布差异均达到极显著水平(P0.01).沉积物中OM除与TN和Pb呈负相关外,与其他指标均呈正相关性.潜在生态风险评价结果显示,丹江口水库表层沉积物中Cd、Cu和Pb均不会对生物产生不良效应;OM、TN、Cr和Zn为低生态风险;TP介于无生态风险与低生态风险之间;但库心和黑鸡嘴点位Cr、Zn和TN在部分时间有较高生态风险,需引起重视.