Application of System Dynamics technique to simulate the fate of persistent organic pollutants in soils

Persistent organic pollutants (POPs) are within the most dangerous pollutants released into the environment by human activities. Due to their resistance to degradation (chemical, biological or photolytic), it is critical to assess the fate and environmental hazards of the exchange of POPs between different environmental media.System Dynamics enables to represent complex systems and analyze their dynamic behavior. It provides a highly visual representation of the structure of the system and the existing relationships between the several parameters and variables, facilitating the understanding of the behavior of the system. In the present study the fate of γ-hexachlorocyclohexane (lindane) in a contaminated soil was modeled using the Vensim® simulation software.Results show a gradual decrease in the lindane content in the soil during a simulation period of 10 years. The most important route affecting the concentrations of the contaminant was the biochemical degradation, followed by infiltration and hydrodynamic dispersion. The model appeared to be highly sensitive to the half-life of the pollutant, which value depends on environmental conditions and directly affects the biochemical degradation.     

Modifications of photochemical efficiency,cellular viability and total phenolic content of Prosopis glandulosa leaves exposed to copper

The effects of copper (Cu²⁺) on photochemical efficiency, cellular viability and total phenolic content in Prosopis glandulosa leaves were evaluated after 4, 8 or 12 h exposure to 0.1, 10 or 100 mM Cu²⁺ using the tissue tolerance test. The results showed that significant reductions (p<0.003) of photochemical efficiency in P. glandulosa leaves were found after 8 h exposure to 100 mM Cu²⁺ compared with controls leaves. The results also showed a significant increase (p<0.05) on electrolyte leakage values in P. glandulosa leaves after 4 h exposure to 100 mM Cu²⁺ compared with control leaves. Total phenolic content in P. glandulosa leaves only differed significantly when exposed 12 h to the highest concentration of Cu²⁺. These results suggest that Cu²⁺ can produce reactive oxygen species that may form hydroxyl radicals that damage proteins and lipids, which in turn causes loss of integrity and reduce photochemical efficiency of leaves. In conclusion, the photochemical efficiency and cellular viability analyses can be used as useful physiological tools to assess early changes in photosynthetic performance of P. glandulosa in response to copper pollution.     

Stable isotope analysis in two sympatric populations of bottlenose dolphins <Emphasis Type="Italic">Tursiops truncatus</Emphasis>: evidence of resource partitioning?

Skin and muscle from 43 bottlenose dolphins (38 juveniles/adults, 5 calves) stranded in NW Spain were analysed to determine whether stable isotope ratios (δ¹³C and δ¹⁵N) could be used to assess dietary variation, habitat segregation and population substructure. Results were compared with published stomach contents data. Stable isotope ratios from 17 known prey species were also determined. Isotope ratios of the main prey (blue whiting, hake) varied significantly in relation to fish body size. Dolphin calves showed significant heavy isotope enrichments compared to adult females. Excluding calves, δ¹⁵N decreased with increasing dolphin body size, probably related to an ontogenetic shift in diet towards species at lower trophic levels, e.g. on blue whiting as suggested by stomach content results. Bottlenose dolphins were divided into two putative populations (North, South) based on previous genetic studies, and values of δ¹³C and δ¹⁵N differed significantly between these two groups, confirming the existence of population structuring.     

Resource Use Rates and Efficiency as Indicators of Regional Sustainability: an Examination of Five Countries

We examine trends from 1970 to the mid 1990's of some variables related to development and sustainability for Costa Rica, Korea, Mexico, the Netherlands and the United States: first, by calculating energy and agricultural efficiencies over time, second, by examining the environmental impacts of economic activities, and third, by estimating ecological footprints. We find that many "optimistic" arguments about sustainability have been misleading, and that there is little or no indication that we are becoming any more sustainable or even efficient. Total quality-corrected energy consumption has increased for all five countries and the renewable energy portion is decreasing. The efficiency of turning energy into both agricultural production and GDP has declined for all countries except for the US. In general, there is a remarkable linearity between resource use and economic and agricultural production over all countries and all years, suggesting severe biophysical constraints to sustainable objectives. On the other hand, per capita ecological footprints have decreased somewhat in Costa Rica, Mexico, and the United States, while national ecological footprints have tended to remain constant except for Korea. While there has been a reduction of specific pollutants in the United States, some of this has been achieved by exporting heavy manufacturing industries. We conclude that continued population and economic growth in each country is likely to make the achievement of any kind of sustainability increasingly unlikely. Sustainability, if that is desirable, requires a very different approach than what we have undertaken to date.     

Intertidal endolithic fauna and it's relationship to the mineralogical,physical and chemical characteristics of the substrate

Mineral composition, granulometry, cohesion, relative and absolute density, and the pH of samples of the Santa Elena sedimentary rock shoal (37°5602 S; 58°1135 W; Argentina) were determined in order to relate the endolithic fauna with the properties of the substrate. Twenty three samples were collected in December 1987, applying a systematic sampling method to an intertidal area of 5 500 m². The mineral composition was determined using x-ray diffraction. Cohesion was determined by visual evaluation of the disintegration of the sample following various periods of immersion in water and by recording the resistance to compressive fracture according to the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) standard. The ASTM standard was also followed for measurement of absolute and relative densities and porosity. The rock was ground up in distilled water and the pH of the resulting liquid measured over a period of 24 h. The data were analysed using numerical taxonomy, and in a supplementary study a granulometric analysis was attempted using five representative samples. The endolithic species selected were: the sipunculanThemiste petricola; the polychaetesPolydora sp. andPherusa sp., and the bivalvesLithophaga patagonica, Petricola patagonica, Saxicava solida, Barnea lamellosa, andPholadidea darwini. The mineral analysis indicated heterogeneous composition and spatial distribution characteristic of a loess. In terms of cohesion, the substrate displayed varying degrees of disintegration, with resistance ranging from zero to very high (254.6 kg/cm²). The endolithic faunaThemiste petricola, Polydora sp.,Pherusa sp.,Lithophaga patagonica, Petricola patagonica, andSaxicava solida were found in areas of low to very high cohesion, with or without calcite. The Pholadidae were found in areas of zero to low cohesion, with absence or traces of calcite. This study indicates the important role of cohesion in determining the distribution of the endolithic fauna.     

Social actors’ perceptions of wildlife: Insights for the conservation of species in Mediterranean protected areas

AbstractIn the current Anthropocene Era, with numerous escalating challenges for biodiversity conservation, the inclusion of the social dimension into management decisions regarding wildlife and protected areas is critical to their success. By conducting 354 questionnaires in a Mediterranean protected area (the Biosphere Reserve of Bardenas Reales, Northern Spain), we aim to determine sociodemographic factors influencing knowledge levels and perceptions of species and functional groups as, emblematic and threatened. We found that hunters and animal husbandry workers knew more species than other social actors. Additionally, the perception of functional groups as threatened or emblematic differed between social actor groups, with statistically significant associations between perceptions and the characteristics of respondents. Interestingly, we found that although elusive steppe species are globally considered as endangered, these species were the least known by all social actor groups and rarely perceived as emblematic. This research is a novel approach and provides a better understanding of how perceptions can facilitate conservation decisions, particularly regarding endangered speciesGraphic abstract Supplementary InformationThe online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s13280-021-01546-6.     

Sugar–alcohol industry: quality of its biotreated washing water for reuse in fertigation

All processes in agro-industries consume water and generate large volumes of nutrient-rich effluents. To recycle effluents from a sugar–alcohol industry in the Northeastern Brazil (Coruripe, Alagoas), the effect of a daily application of a microbial formulation (containing five indigenous bacteria and two fungi), at the entrance of the two first facultative ponds (D, E) of its treatment plant formed by seven ponds (A–G), was evaluated in the sugarcane harvests of 2014/2015 and 2015/2016. Fortnightly, the values of 11 physicochemical parameters were checked and statistically compared (one and two-way ANOVA) in untreated (sedimentation pond A) and post-treated effluent (last facultative pond G), during both harvests. The treated effluent presented statistically significant improvements (p > 0.05), even between harvests, with averages of removal of organic matter of ca. 79.21% and 90.62%, and increases of the dissolved oxygen (DO) of ca. 72% and 74%, as well as the average increase of pH was ca. 42% and 50%. This better quality residue generally satisfied the class III level of the Brazilian Resolution 357/2005 (National Council for the Environment (CONAMA)), for water reuse in sugarcane irrigation on the yellow clay latosol soil, since it still is a light source of organic matter, nitrites and phosphorus, reducing the need of fertilizers for maintaining the productivity with low risk of salinization. According to Pearson’s bivariate correlation coefficient, while the DO and pH have positive correlation, they both have general inverse relation with the other physicochemical parameters evaluated and vice versa.     

Post-acquisition data processing for the screening of transformation products of different organic contaminants. Two-year monitoring of river water using LC-ESI-QTOF-MS and GCxGC-EI-TOF-MS

This study describes a comprehensive strategy for detecting and elucidating the chemical structures of expected and unexpected transformation products (TPs) from chemicals found in river water and effluent wastewater samples, using liquid chromatography coupled to electrospray ionization quadrupole-time-of-flight mass spectrometer (LC-ESI-QTOF-MS), with post-acquisition data processing and an automated search using an in-house database. The efficacy of the mass defect filtering (MDF) approach to screen metabolites from common biotransformation pathways was tested, and it was shown to be sufficiently sensitive and applicable for detecting metabolites in environmental samples. Four omeprazole metabolites and two venlafaxine metabolites were identified in river water samples. This paper reports the analytical results obtained during 2 years of monitoring, carried out at eight sampling points along the Henares River (Spain). Multiresidue monitoring, for targeted analysis, includes a group of 122 chemicals, amongst which are pharmaceuticals, personal care products, pesticides and PAHs. For this purpose, two analytical methods were used based on direct injection with a LC-ESI-QTOF-MS system and stir bar sorptive extraction (SBSE) with bi-dimensional gas chromatography coupled with a time-of-flight spectrometer (GCxGC-EI-TOF-MS).     

Mercury, methylmercury, and selenium in blood of bird species from Doñana National Park (Southwestern Spain) after a mining accident

Total mercury (Hg), monomethylmercury (MeHg), and selenium (Se) were determined in blood of 11 bird species living in Doñana National Park (DNP, Southwestern Spain) and the surrounding area in 1999 and 2000 after a mine spill accident. The total Hg contents found varied from 1.00 to 587 ng/mL, with an MeHg percentage higher than 80 %, except in mallard species. In all the cases, the concentrations found were below the threshold of high risk for the bird populations. The parameters which most affected the accumulation of Hg and MeHg in the birds studied were, first, species, or trophic position, and second sampling area. Age does not seem to have a great influence on the content of Hg in the blood of these birds. The levels of Se found ranged from 108 to 873 ng/mL, and they were not affected by species, trophic level, age, or sampling area. The blood Hg concentrations of birds living in the area directly affected by the toxic mud, outside the park, were higher than those found in the other birds, and this could be explained by the mine spill accident happened in 1998.     

New indexes for compound prioritization and complexity quantification on environmental monitoring inventories

Introduction  

Lists of compounds resulting from environmental monitoring may be conveniently represented in a very general way using Pareto distributions, after ranking them on descending order according to their concentration or hazard quotient expressed as percentages, depending on whether the objective of the monitoring is focussed on mass load occurrence or risk assessment respectively.