Appearance of aldehydes in the surface layer of lake waters

The paper presents results concerning the changes in the content of aldehydes in samples of lake water collected near the lake surface. The study of lake waters was undertaken to explain which physicochemical parameters of the environment have the greatest influence on the level of aldehydes, which of the aldehydes are most often met in surface water and in what concentrations. We observed that formaldehyde, acetaldehyde, propanal, glyoxal, methylglyoxal and acetone were commonly present in surface water samples, while semi-volatile and poorly soluble aldehydes such as nonanal and decanal were observed seasonally. The contents of total aldehydes varied in a wide range, from 55 to 670 μg/l, and the concentration of total organic carbon varied significantly from 3 to 18 mg /l, but there was no evident correlation between them in all of samples. The total content of aldehydes did not depend on the meteorological parameters such as air temperature, UV radiation and ozone concentration; however, it was noted that the level of carbonyl concentration is related to the period of intense precipitation: in the period of very low precipitations, the highest contents of total aldehydes were determined in all of the water samples, and in the periods of intense precipitations, the content of total aldehydes was drastically smaller.     

Assessing participatory and multi-level characteristics of biodiversity and landscape protection legislation: the case of Poland

In this paper, we present a comprehensive framework for analysing formal rules regulating the involvement of various actors in protected areas decision-making over time and apply it to Poland. Based on the analysis of legal acts and policy documents, we suggest that since the democratic transition started in 1989, the governance of Polish protected areas has been increasingly multi-level and participatory. However, different designations indicate different levels of involvement by non-state actors, with Natura 2000 standing out from the traditional protected areas. Regarding governance issues, establishing and taking management decisions were characterised by the greatest changes in actors’ involvement. While participation of non-public actors is still limited mostly to information and consultation, the involvement of non-state public actors of various levels increased significantly. The paper highlights the importance of a systematic analysis of legal rules as a starting point for empirical investigation of the governance of protected areas.     

The sensitivity of soil enzymes,microorganisms and spring wheat to soil contamination with carfentrazone-ethyl

Herbicides pose a significant threat to the natural environment, in particular in soils that are most exposed to plant protection agents. Prolonged herbicide use leads to changes in soil metabolism and decreases soil productive potential. In this study, the influence of carfentrazone-ethyl (CE) on the microbiological and biochemical properties of soil and the yield of Triticum aestivum L. was evaluated. Carfentrazone-ethyl was applied to sandy loam (pH_KCl – 7.0) in doses of 0.000, 0.264, 5.280, 10.56, 21.18, 42.24, 84.48 and 168.96 µg kg^?1 DM soil. Soil samples were subjected to microbiological and biochemical analyses on experimental days 30 and 60. Carfentrazone-ethyl disrupted the biological equilibrium in soil by decreasing the abundance and biodiversity of soil-dwelling microorganisms, the activity of soil enzymes, the values of the biochemical activity indicator and spring wheat yields. Carfentrazone-ethyl had the most adverse effects when applied in doses many fold higher than those recommended by the manufacturer. The toxic effects of CE were also determined by its soil retention time. Soil treated with CE was characterized by higher counts of oligotrophic bacteria, organotrophic bacteria, bacteria of the genus Azotobacter, actinomycetes and fungi on day 60, and spore-forming oligotrophic bacteria on day 30. The activity of dehydrogenases, urease, alkaline phosphatase and β-glucosidase was higher on day 30 than on day 60.