EFFECT OF CATCHMENT SIZE ON PHOSPHORUS EXPORT1

ABSTRACT: We tested the common assumption, made when expressing phosphorus export on an areal basis, that this export is a linear function of catchment area and found it wanting. The data show that in agricultural catchments, TP (total phosphorus) export varies as the 0.77 power of drainage basin area, resulting in a reduction in phosphorus delivery per unit area with increasing catchment size. Following further division of catchments according to agricultural practice, we found that this spatial scale effect is restricted to row crops and pastures. We present simple statistical models to allow a comparison of TP export from catchments of different size. Such models are not needed for nonrow crops, mixed agricultural and forested catchments, where TP export is a linear function of catchment size.     

Vegetation Cover and Long-Term Conservation of Radioactive Waste Packages: The Case Study of the CSM Waste Disposal Facility (Manche District,France)

The CSM is the first French waste disposal facility for radioactive waste. Waste material is buried several meters deep and protected by a multi-layer cover, and equipped with a drainage system. On the surface, the plant cover is a grassland vegetation type. A scientific assessment has been carried out by the Géophen laboratory, University of Caen, in order to better characterize the plant cover (ecological groups and associated soils) and to observe its medium and long term evolution. Field assessments made on 10 plots were complemented by laboratory analyses carried out over a period of 1 year. The results indicate scenarios and alternative solutions which could arise, in order to passively ensure the long-term safety of the waste disposal system. Several proposals for a blanket solution are currently being studied and discussed, under the auspices of international research institutions in order to determine the most appropriate materials for the storage conditions. One proposal is an increased thickness of these materials associated with a geotechnical barrier since it is well adapted to the forest plants which are likely to colonize the site. The current experiments that are carried out will allow to select the best option and could provide feedback for other waste disposal facility sites already being operated in France (CSFMA waste disposal facility, Aube district) or in other countries.     

Carbon dioxide emissions from transport and anemia influence on under-five mortality in Benin

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - This work is the first study about the joint effect (influence) of carbon dioxide emissions (CO2) from transport and anemia influence on under-five...     

Uranium distribution and cycling in Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) growing on a revegetated U-mining heap

We determined the uranium distribution in soil and its allocation in compartments of 35-year-old Scots pine developed on a revegetated U-mining heap. The processes controlling the dynamics of U recycling were identified and further quantified in terms of annual fluxes. As pine developed, an acid humus layer emerged leading to weathering of the alkaline mining debris but this had little effect on U mobility in the soil profile. Increased U mobility mainly involved a translocation of U to metal-humus chelates in surface layers. The root compartment accounted for 99.3% of the U budget in tree, thus serving as an effective barrier which restricts U uptake. The current root uptake and transfer of U to upper parts of the tree amounted to about 3g ha(-1) y(-1), i.e. less than 0.03% of the current NH4-exchangeable U pool in the soil (0-30 cm). Allocation and translocation pattern made it clear that a dominant fraction of the translocated U moves passively with the ascent xylem sap, most likely as a soluble complex, and steadily accumulates in the needles. Consequently, 97% of the U annual uptake is returned to the soil through litterfall. At the studied site, the risk of U dissemination due to biomass turnover or trunk harvest was low when considered in relation to the current "exemption level" for U.     

Rhizospheric mobilization and plant uptake of radiocesium from weathered micas: II. Influence of mineral alterability

Acute K depletion in the rhizosphere can lead to increased root uptake of radiocesium. Two processes can govern this increase: the very low uptake of potassium and the weathering of Cs-fixing clay minerals. Their respective importance is, however, unknown. We investigated the effects of these processes on radiocesium mobilization by roots of willow (Salix viminalis L.) from three micas: muscovite, biotite, and phlogopite. Willows were grown in a mixed quartz-mica substrate with the three respective (134)Cs-contaminated micas as sole sources of potassium and radiocesium. After 7 wk of plant growth, the micas were partially weathered. The degree of mica weathering and the prevalent potassium concentration in the solution increased in the order muscovite (5-11 microM K) < biotite (25-32 microM K) < phlogopite (25-35 microM K). The mobilization and root uptake of radiocesium were negligible with muscovite but increased in the same order. These results show that mica weathering directly and chiefly governs the mobility of radiocesium in K-depleted rhizosphere soil. The low mobility of trace Cs in the muscovite rhizosphere is linked with the dioctahedral character of this mica, and hence to its very low alterability.     

Catalytic decomposition performance for O3 and NO2 in humid indoor air on a MnOx/Al2O3 catalyst modified by a cost-effective chemical grafting method

Processes based on non-thermal plasma (NTP) for indoor air treatment inevitably lead to the formation of toxic by-products such as ozone (O₃) and nitrogen oxides (NO_x). Adding a step of heterogeneous catalysis in series with NTP could allow for the decomposition of the by-products. Therefore, different catalysts were developed based on transition metal oxides, such as NiO_x, CoO_x and MnO_x with different weight percentage 1, 5 and 10 wt.%, deposited on a γ-Al₂O₃ support. The O₃ removal efficiency (ORE) and the NO_x removal efficiency (NRE) were very encouraging in dry air: about 65% and 80%, respectively, by using 2 g 5 wt.% MnO_x/Al₂O₃ catalyst under the experimental conditions. However, strongly negative effects of relative humidity (RH) on the catalytic decomposition performance were observed. To overcome this limitation, the catalyst surface was modified to make it hydrophobic using a cost-effective chemical grafting method. This treatment consisted in impregnating the 5 wt.% MnO_x/Al₂O₃ catalyst with different trichloro(alkyl)silanes (TCAS). The effects of different linker lengths and amounts of TCAS for the hydrophobicity and the decomposition performance of surface-modified catalysts under humid conditions were investigated. Our results show that the surface-modified catalyst with the shortest linker and 0.25 mmol/g_cat of modifying agent represents the best catalytic decomposition performance for O₃. Its ORE is 41% at 60% RH, which is twice that of the non-modified catalyst.     

An Analysis of the Daily Radial Activity of 7 Boreal Tree Species, Northwestern Quebec

In the `Des Vieux Arbres' ecological reserve situated within northwestern Québec, 40 band dendrometers were installedon 7 of the major boreal tree species. The late Spring–early Summer daily radial activity registered in 1997 was related todaily weather variables. For each tree species, the daily mean i) cumulative radial increment and ii) radial activity indexedseries obtained by first-difference standardization were analyzed. The results indicate the existence of strong similarities among the 7 species. All showed strong synchronousfluctuations in radius during late winter and early spring. Thisperiod ended with a short but sharp increase in radial increments that marked the passage of water into the stem. Thisinitial swelling, less obvious in Pinus species was followed by a prolonged period of little change in radial activity. Meteorological data indicated that air temperature waspositively related to stem swelling during the late winter–earlyspring period. Both air and soil temperatures became negatively related to radial expansion once the passage of water has occurred in the stem. Starting in early June, all species registered a sustained increase in radial increments possiblyassociated with active cell division. After this, radial expansion was negatively related to air temperature and positively to rainfall.     

Fetal therapy: practical ethical considerations

Progress in prenatal diagnosis can lead to the diagnosis of severe fetal abnormalities for which natural history anticipates a fatal outcome or the development of severe disability despite optimal postnatal care. Intrauterine therapy can be offered in these selected cases. Prenatal diagnosis is the only field of medicine in which termination is an option in the management of severe diseases. Fetal therapy has therefore developed as an alternative to fatalist expectant prenatal management as well as to termination of pregnancy (TOP). There are few standards of fetal care that have gone beyond the stage of equipoise and even fewer have been established based on appropriate studies comparing pre- and postnatal care. Several ethical questions are being raised as fetal surgery develops, including basic Hippocratic principles of patients' autonomy and doctors' duty of competence moving the boundaries between experimental surgery, therapeutic innovation and standard care. In addition, the technical success of a fetal intervention can only rarely fully predict the postnatal outcome. Managing uncertainty regarding long-term morbidity and the possibility for fetal therapy to change the risk of perinatal death into that of severe handicap remains a critical factor affecting women's choice for TOP as an alternative to fetal therapy. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Seasonal changes in biomass,growth rates and production of subantarctic calanoid copepods in the Bay of Morbihan,Kerguelen Islands

The present study addresses the ecology of two dominant copepod species in the Bay of Morbihan, Kerguelen Archipelago. The biomass of the herbivore Drepanopus pectinatus (from 2 mg m^?3 in winter up to 500 mg m^?3 in summer) is tightly coupled to seasonal changes in chlorophyll a concentration in the region, whereas the biomass of the predatory euchaetiid Paraeuchaeta antarctica increases during two distinct periods over the year: 250 mg m^?3 in early summer, with the recruitment of the annual generation, and 100 mg m^?3 in autumn, with the deposition of lipids as energy reserves in C5 stages and adults. The juvenile growth rates predicted by temperature-dependent models (0.09 day^?1) closely approximate those observed in D. pectinatusin summer, but are much greater than those observed in P. antarctica (from 0.001 to 0.04 day^?1 depending on developmental stages). This difference can be explained by the reproductive strategies and trophic positions of the two species and may also result from the dependence of larval growth on energy reserves in P. antarctica. The production rates are five- and tenfold greater in juvenile stages than in adults, respectively, for D. pectinatus and P. antarctica. The secondary production by D. pectinatusis insufficient to support P. antarcticaduring winter, when the predatory species probably shifts to alternate prey. In summer the predation by P. antarctica accounts for only a minor part of the mortality estimated for D. pectinatus (from 20% to 60% depending on the examined station). At two of the three stations examined in the Bay of Morbihan, the production of P. antarctica could potentially support the dietary requirements of planktivorous seabirds in the region (~2,000 kg prey day^?1 for common diving petrels, Pelecanoides urinatrix, and ~90 kg prey day^?1 for rockhopper penguins, Eudyptes chysocome filholi).     

Degradation of Polyethylene Designed for Agricultural Purposes

For many years now, scientific articles have been published on the potential biodegradability of polyethylene. Polyethylene (PE) with peroxidant additives, in the form of agricultural films, is sold by various suppliers as biodegradable mulch. Even though, the photo-chemical and thermal degradation of these products under artificial laboratory conditions is highlighted, several extrapolation on the biodegradation and, moreover, on the neutral environmental impact of PE are made. In this study, three different commercial mulch films have been submitted to standardised biodegradation tests and the results are discussed. The first conclusions are that a very low degree of biodegradation of the commercial PE films is achieved from these tests and that crosslinked PE micro-fragments are found in soil after a very long period of time.