Winter Soil Respiration from Different Vegetation Patches in the Yellow River Delta, China

Vegetation type and density exhibited a considerable patchy distribution at very local scales in the Yellow River Delta, due to the spatial variation of soil salinity and water scarcity. We proposed that soil respiration is affected by the spatial variations in vegetation type and soil chemical properties and tested this hypothesis in three different vegetation patches (Phragmites australis, Suaeda heteroptera and bare soil) in winter (from November 2010 to April 2011). At diurnal scale, soil respiration all displayed single-peak curves and asymmetric patterns in the three vegetation patches; At seasonal scale, soil respiration all declined steadily until February, and then increased to a peak in next April. But, the magnitude of soil respiration showed significant differences among the three sites. Mean soil respiration rates in winter were 0.60, 0.45 and 0.17 μmol CO(2) m(-2) s(-1) for the Phragmites australis, Suaeda heteroptera and bare soil, respectively. The combined effect of soil temperature and soil moisture accounted for 58-68 % of the seasonal variation of winter soil respiration. The mean soil respiration revealed positive and linear correlations with total N, total N and SOC storages at 0-20 cm depth, and plant biomass among the three sites. We conclude that the patchy distribution of plant biomass and soil chemical properties (total C, total N and SOC) may affect decomposition rate of soil organic matter in winter, thereby leading to spatial variations in soil respiration.     

Preliminary Strategic Environmental Assessment of the Great Western Development Strategy: Safeguarding Ecological Security for a New Western China

The Great Western Development Strategy (GWDS) is a long term national campaign aimed at boosting development of the western area of China and narrowing the economic gap between the western and the eastern parts of China. The Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) procedure was employed to assess the environmental challenges brought about by the western development plans. These plans include five key developmental domains (KDDs): water resource exploitation and use, land utilization, energy generation, tourism development, and ecological restoration and conservation. A combination of methods involving matrix assessment, incorporation of expert judgment and trend analysis was employed to analyze and predict the environmental impacts upon eight selected environmental indicators: water resource availability, soil erosion, soil salinization, forest destruction, land desertification, biological diversity, water quality and air quality. Based on the overall results of the assessment, countermeasures for environmental challenges that emerged were raised as key recommendations to ensure ecological security during the implementation of the GWDS. This paper is intended to introduce a consensus-based process for evaluating the complex, long term pressures on the ecological security of large areas, such as western China, that focuses on the use of combined methods applied at the strategic level.     

企业环境管理会计核算框架与方法研究

企业环境管理会计从环境的角度,将企业的环境影响纳入到环境会计的核算范围之内,构建一些实物型或价值型的环境业绩指标,表达企业对环境造成的影响或损害。本文立足于国际环境会计应用案例,结合财务会计特征和我国目前的环境数据基础,研究提出了中国企业环境管理会计的基本内涵和方法框架,并就如何加强企业环境管理会计的应用进行了讨论。     

Risk assessment of xenoestrogens in a typical domestic sewage-holding lake in China

Release of domestic sewage leads to accumulation of xenoestrogens in holding waters, especially in closed or semi-enclosed waters such as lakes. In the study, the occurrence, distribution, estrogenic activity and risk of eight xenoestreogens were evaluated in Lake Donghu, China. Nonylphenol (NP), octylphenol (OP), and bisphenol A (BPA) were identified as the main xenoestrogens ranging from tens of ng L⁻¹ (in the surface water) or ng g⁻¹ dw (in the suspended particles and sediment) to tens of μg L⁻¹ or μg g⁻¹ dw. The sum of 17β-estradiol equivalents (∑EEQs) ranged from 0.32 to 45.02 ng L⁻¹ in the surface water, 0.53 to 71.86 ng g⁻¹ dw in the suspended particles, and 0.09 to 24.73 ng g⁻¹ dw in the sediment. Diethylstilbestrol (DES) was determined as the main contributor to ∑EEQs followed by NP. The risk assessment showed a higher risk in the surface water than in the suspended particles and sediment in such domestic sewage-holding lake.     

Phosphine in paddy fields and the effects of environmental factors

Ambient levels of phosphine (PH₃) in the air, phosphine emission fluxes from paddy fields and rice plants, and the distribution of matrix-bound phosphine (MBP) in paddy soils were investigated throughout the growing stages of rice. The relationships between MBP and environmental factors were analyzed to identify the principal factors determining the distribution of MBP. The phosphine ambient levels ranged from 2.368 ± 0.6060 ng m⁻³ to 24.83 ± 6.529 ng m⁻³ and averaged 14.25 ± 4.547 ng m⁻³. The highest phosphine emission flux was 22.54 ± 3.897 ng (m² h)⁻¹, the lowest flux was 7.64 ± 4.83 ng (m² h)⁻¹, and the average flux was 14.17 ± 4.977 ng (m² h)⁻¹. Rice plants transport a significant portion of the phosphine emitted from the paddy fields. The highest contribution rate of rice plants to the phosphine emission fluxes reached 73.73% and the average contribution was 43.00%. The average MBP content of 111.6 ng kg⁻¹fluctuated significantly in different stages of rice growth and initially increased then decreased with increasing depth. The peak MBP content in each growth stage occurred approximately 10 cm under the surface of paddy soils. Pearson correlation analyses and stepwise multiple regression analysis showed that soil temperature (Ts), acid phosphatase (ACP) and total phosphorus (TP) were the principal environmental factors, with correlative rankings of Ts > ACP > TP.     

Factors influencing on the bioaccessibility of polybrominated diphenyl ethers in size-specific dust from air conditioner filters

Size-specific concentrations and bioaccessibility of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) in dust from air conditioner filters were measured, and the factors influencing the PBDE bioaccessibility were determined. Generally, the PBDE concentrations increased with decreasing dust particle size, and BDE209 (deca-BDE) was generally the predominant congener. The bioaccessibility ranged from 20.3% to 50.8% for tri- to hepta-BDEs, and from 5.1% to 13.9% for BDE209 in dust fractions of varied particle size. The bioaccessibility of most PBDE congeners decreased with increasing dust particle size. The way of being of PBDE (adsorbed to dust surface or incorporated into polymers) in dust significantly influenced the bioaccessibility. There was a significant negative correlation between the tri- to hepta-BDE bioaccessibility and organic matter (OM) contents in dust. Furthermore, tri- to hepta-BDE bioaccessibility increased with increasing polarity of OMs, while with decreasing aromaticity of OMs. The tri- to hepta-BDE bioaccessibility significantly positively correlated with the surface areas and pore volumes of dust. Using multiple linear regression analysis, it was found that the OM contents and pore volumes of dust were the most important factors to influence the tri- to hepta-BDE bioaccessibility and they could be used to estimate the bioaccessibility of tri- to hepta-BDEs according to the following equation: bioaccessibility (%) = 45.05 − 0.49 × OM% + 1.79 × pore volume. However, BDE209 bioaccessibility did not correlate to any of these factors.     

SO2 inhalation causes synaptic injury in rat hippocampus via its derivatives in vivo

SO₂ remains a common air pollutant, almost half of the world’s population uses coal and biomass fuels for domestic energy. Limited evidence suggests that exposure to SO₂ may be associated with neurotoxicity and increased risk of hospitalization and mortality of many brain disorders. However, our understanding of the mechanisms by which SO₂ causes harmful insults on neurons remains elusive. To explore the molecular mechanism of SO₂-induced neurotoxic effects in hippocampal neurons, we evaluated the synaptic plasticity in rat hippocampus after exposure to SO₂ at various concentrations (3.5 and 7 mg m⁻³, 6 h d⁻¹, for 90 d) in vivo, and in primary cultured hippocampal neurons (DIV7 and DIV14) after the treatment of SO₂ derivatives in vitro. The results showed that SYP, PSD-95, NR-2B, p-ERK1/2 and p-CREB were consistently inhibited by SO₂/SO₂ derivatives in more mature hippocampal neurons in vivo and in vitro, while the effects were opposite in young hippocampal neurons. Our results indicated that in young neurons, SO₂ exposure produced neuronal insult is similar to ischemic injury; while in more mature neurons, SO₂ exposure induced synaptic dysfunctions might participate in cognitive impairment. The results implied that SO₂ inhalation could cause different neuronal injury during brain development, and suggested that the molecular mechanisms might be involved in the changes of synaptic plasticity.     

Occurrence, possible sources, and temporal trends of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans in water and sediment from the lower Yangtze River basin, Jiangsu and Shanghai areas of Eastern China

The concentrations, compositional profiles, and possible sources of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDD/PCDF) in water column and surface sediment samples from the lower reaches of the Yangtze River were investigated, and the potential risks posed by these chemicals were evaluated. Concentrations of the 17 2,3,7,8-substituted PCDD/PCDF in the water and sediment samples ranged from 0.45 to 10.0 pg TEQ/L (mean 2.34 pg TEQ/L) and from 0.31 to 51 pg TEQ/g dw (mean 5.25 pg TEQ/g dw), respectively. Water and sediments from the Nanjing–Nantong sections of the Yangtze River were found to have elevated PCDD/PCDF levels, and the PCDD/PCDF TEQ concentrations in 13 sediment samples exceeded the probable effect levels (PEL), above which adverse biological effects are likely. Multivariate statistical analysis indicated that the principal PCDD/PCDF contamination source for the water and sediment was the production and use of pentachlorophenol (PCP) or sodium pentachlorophenate (PCP-Na). PCDD/PCDF concentrations were stable over time near the Yangtze River Estuary but had increased sharply in recent decades in the Nanjing–Nantong section, which will have been related to the growth in industrial activities and other anthropogenic PCDD/PCDF sources. Total organic carbon (TOC) and PCDD/PCDF concentrations correlated significantly (R?=?0.474, P?<?0.01), suggesting that TOC plays an important role in the transport and re-distribution of PCDD/PCDF in the Yangtze River basin.     

新型β-PbO2电极电解处理茜素红废水的研究

采用高压塑片工艺制备新型β-PbO2电极,该工艺简单易行,且所得β-PbO2电极具有很好的抗腐蚀性能.为研究该电极的电催化性能,探讨了电极间距、电解时间、茜素红初始浓度、外加电压、初始pH等条件对该电极降解茜素红染料效果的影响,并与石墨电极进行对比.结果表明,β-PbO2电极在脱色和COD去除方面都有明显的优越性.根据茜素红的分子结构和电解产物气相色谱—质谱联用(GC/MS)仪分析结果,初步探讨了茜素红降解的反应机制.