Photodegradation of atrazine and ametryn with visible light using water soluble porphyrins as sensitizers

The photodegradation of the herbicides atrazine and ametryn with visible light in aerated neutral aqueous solutions and 5, 10, 15, 20-tetrakis (2,6-dichloro-3-sulfophenyl) porphyrin or 5, 10, 15, 20-tetrakis (4-sulfophenyl) porphyrin as sensitizers are reported for the first time. Our findings show that the degradation percentage reached 30% for atrazine and 63% for ametryn. The final photoproducts were characterized as dealkylated s-triazines. Photolysis of the pesticides in the presence of a singlet oxygen quencher showed only a minor contribution of this type of mechanism, while a bimolecular quenching reaction between the triplet state of the sensitizer and the pesticides is excluded by flash photolysis studies. It is proposed that the mechanism may involve the formation of a superoxide radical anion from the triplet state of the sensitizer and molecular oxygen, followed by a radical decomposition pathway. Selected article from 1st International Meeting on Photochemistry, Photocatalysis and Environmental Applications, Agadir, 2006, organised by Prof. Dr. Ait Ichou, University Ibn Zohr, Agadir, Morocco     

Can ocean acidification affect population dynamics of the barnacle Semibalanus balanoides at its southern range edge?

The global ocean and atmosphere are warming. There is increasing evidence suggesting that, in addition to other environmental factors, climate change is affecting species distributions and local population dynamics. Additionally, as a consequence of the growing levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2), the oceans are taking up increasing amounts of this CO2, causing ocean pH to decrease (ocean acidification). The relative impacts of ocean acidification on population dynamics have yet to be investigated, despite many studies indicating that there will be at least a sublethal impact on many marine organisms, particularly key calcifying organisms. Using empirical data, we forced a barnacle (Semibalanus balanoides) population model to investigate the relative influence of sea surface temperature (SST) and ocean acidification on a population nearing the southern limit of its geographic distribution. Hindcast models were compared to observational data from Cellar Beach (southwestern United Kingdom). Results indicate that a declining pH trend (-0.0017 unit/yr), indicative of ocean acidification over the past 50 years, does not cause an observable impact on the population abundance relative to changes caused by fluctuations in temperature. Below the critical temperature (here T(crit) = 13.1 degrees C), pH has a more significant affect on population dynamics at this southern range edge. However, above this value, SST has the overriding influence. At lower SST, a decrease in pH (according to the National Bureau of Standards, pHNBs) from 8.2 to 7.8 can significantly decrease the population abundance. The lethal impacts of ocean acidification observed in experiments on early life stages reduce cumulative survival by approximately 25%, which again will significantly alter the population level at this southern limit. Furthermore, forecast predictions from this model suggest that combined acidification and warming cause this local population to die out 10 years earlier than would occur if there was only global warming and no concomitant decrease in pH.