Aerosol chemistry and the effect of aerosol water content on visibility impairment and radiative forcing in Guangzhou during the 2006 Pearl River Delta campaign

Optical and chemical aerosol measurements were obtained from 2 to 31 July 2006 at an urban site in the metropolitan area of Guangzhou (China) as part of the Program of Regional Integrated Experiment of Air Quality over Pearl River Delta (PRIDE-PRD2006) to investigate aerosol chemistry and the effect of aerosol water content on visibility impairment and radiative forcing. During the PRIDE-PRD2006 campaign, the average contributions of ammonium sulfate, organic mass by carbon (OMC), elemental carbon (EC), and sea salt (SS) to total PM_2.5 mass were measured to be 36.5%, 5.7%, 27.1%, 7.8%, and 3.7%, respectively. Compared with the clean marine period, (NH₄)₂SO₄, NH₄NO₃, and OMC were all greatly enhanced (by up to 430%) during local haze periods via the accumulation of a secondary aerosol component. The OMC dominance increased when high levels of biomass burning influenced the measurement site while (NH₄)₂SO₄ and OMC did when both biomass burning and industrial emissions influenced it. The effect of aerosol water content on the total light-extinction coefficient was estimated to be 34.2%, of which 25.8% was due to aerosol water in (NH₄)₂SO₄, 5.1% that in NH₄NO₃, and 3.3% that in SS. The average mass-scattering efficiency (MSE) of PM₁₀ particles was determined to be 2.2 ± 0.6 and 4.6 ± 1.7 m² g⁻¹ under dry (RH < 40%) and ambient conditions, respectively. The average single-scattering albedo (SSA) was 0.80 ± 0.08 and 0.90 ± 0.04 under dry and ambient conditions, respectively. Not only are the extinction and scattering coefficients greatly enhanced by aerosol water content, but MSE and SSA are also highly sensitive. It can be concluded that sulfate and carbonaceous aerosol, as well as aerosol water content, play important roles in the processes that determine visibility impairment and radiative forcing in the ambient atmosphere of the Guangzhou urban area.     

Environmental history: A piece in the puzzle for establishing plans for environmental management

Establishment of plans for environmental planning and management requires that a number of natural and societal factors must be taken into consideration. Insights into the inherent dynamics of nature as well as the role that past human activities have played for establishing the current condition of the landscape and the natural environment in general are essential. Many natural and man-made changes occur over time scales of decades or centuries, and these are difficult to comprehend without a historical perspective. Such a perspective can be obtained using palaeoecological studies, i.e. by geochemical and biological analyses of lake sediment and peat deposits. To illustrate the long-term dynamics of nature and particularly the role of man, we present here five case studies from Sweden concerning pollution, lake acidification, lake eutrophication, biodiversity, and landscape dynamics and conservation – topics of broad interests – and discuss benefits of including a longer time perspective in environmental management.     

Partielle Ordnung

The complexity of ecosystems urges that the evaluation process should avoid an aggregation of information. The reason is that although mathematical modelling has made enormous progress (object oriented programming) there is still no ecologically reasonable function of quality. The technique to compare chemicals for example, even if they are characterized by many properties, is based on the generalization of the concept of order and the method of visualization by the using Hasse diagrams. By the example of six chemicals the procedure will be explained and it will be shown that a high hazard potential of chemicals is related to different properties, which cause different ecotoxicological consequences.     

Seasonal Variations and Chemical Forms of Heavy Metals in Soils and Dusts from the Satellite Cities of Seoul, Korea

This research investigated heavy metal pollution of soils and dusts in two representative satellite cities of Seoul, Korea and studied the seasonal variations in metal concentrations through the rainy season and the chemical forms of metals using a sequential extraction analysis. The metal dispersion pattern was illustrated to match with urban structure. Soil and dust samples were collected from the cities of Uijeongbu and Koyang, which are the northern and northwestern satellite cities of Seoul (the capital), before and after rainy season. Concentrations of Cu, Pb and Zn were higher than those of the world averages for soils, and their levels decreased after rain, particularly in highly contaminated samples. Relatively high pH values were found in roadside soils, but no seasonal variation was found after the rainy season. The three metals (Cu, Pb and Zn) in soils and dusts were associated with various chemical fractions of soils and dusts as distinguished by the sequential extraction scheme, and a strong similarity of metal association between soils and dusts was found, which indicates that airborne dust may be a principle source of soil contamination. Copper is uniformly distributed, and Pb is largely associated with the reducible phase. There is an appreciable proportion of total Zn in the exchangeable/water-acid soluble fraction. After the rainy season, the most soluble fractions in soils and dusts were leached away. In terms of mobility and bioavailability of metals in soils and dusts, the order Zn >> Cu > Pb is suggested. Geographical variations of total metals corresponded well with urbanised areas of cities, especially the industrial complex and major motorways.     

Tissue-specific congener composition of organohalogen and metabolite contaminants in East Greenland polar bears (Ursus maritimus)

Congener patterns of the major organohalogen contaminant classes of PCBs, PBDEs and their metabolites and/or by-products (OH-PCBs, MeSO2-PCBs, OH-PBDEs and MeO-PBDEs) were examined in adipose tissue, liver, brain and blood of East Greenland polar bears (Ursus maritimus). PCB, OH-PCB, MeSO2-PCB and PBDE congener patterns showed significant differences (p相似文献   

The identification of readily bioavailable pollutants in lake shkodra/skadar using semipermeable membrane devices (SPMDs), bioassays and chemical analysis

GOAL, SCOPE AND BACKGROUND: Lake Shkodra/Skadar is the largest lake in the Balkans region and located on the border between Albania to the south and Montenegro to the north. Because of the wide range of endemic, rare or endangered plant and animal species it supports, Lake Shkodra/Skadar and its extensive associated wetlands are internationally recognised as a site of significance and importance (Ramsar site). In recent years, social and economic changes in both Albania and Montenegro have lead to unprecedented levels of urban and industrial effluent entering the lake. Of particular concern is the increasing input of toxic hydrophobic organic pollutants (HOPs) into the lake and the degree to which these compounds are available for uptake by aquatic biota. Semipermeable membrane devices (SPMDs) have been shown to sample the readily bioavailable fraction (dissolved phase) of waterborne HOPs and in doing so provide relevant data for exposure assessment. The aim of the current study was to use SPMD-based sampling in conjunction with appropriate bioassays and chemical analysis to identify readily bioavailable HOPs in the lake. METHODS: SPMDs were constructed and deployed at three sites in the Albanian sector and three sites in the Montenegrin sector of Lake Skadar/Shkodra for 21 days. Following the dialytic recovery of target analytes and size exclusion chromatographic clean-up, aliquots of SPMD samples were subjected to GC-MS scan analysis for major components, GC-MS SIM analysis for 16 priority pollutant polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PP-PAHs) and assayed for EROD-inducing, estrogenic and mutagenic potential using rainbow trout liver cells (RTL-W1), the yeast estrogen screen (YES) and the Ames Test, respectively. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: A total of 39 compounds were tentatively identified in SPMD samples from the six sampling sites. Alkylated PAHs were the most abundant and ubiquitous compounds present along with various sterols and sterol derivatives. Numerous other compounds remain unidentified. 15 of the 16 targeted PP-PAHs were present in samples from one or more of the sampling sites indicating these compounds are both readily bioavailable and widely distributed in Lake Shkodra/Skadar. Total PP-PAH concentrations ranged between 3991 ng/SPMD and 10695 ng/SPMD. Bioassays carried out on SPMD samples revealed significant EROD-inducing and estrogenic potential at five of the six sampling sites indicating toxicologically relevant compounds are readily available for uptake by resident aquatic biota. EROD-inducing potential was positively correlated with targeted PP-PAH concentration (r2 = 0.74). However, comparison of bioassay- and analytically-derived toxicity equivalents revealed targeted PP-PAHs were responsible for less than 0.06% of the total EROD-inducing potential. CONCLUSIONS AND OUTLOOK: The combination of SPMD-based sampling with appropriate bioassays and chemical analysis provided an effective tool for the identification of environmentally relevant waterborne pollutants in Lake Shkodra/Skadar. Our results show that toxicologically relevant HOPs including EROD-inducing and potentially estrogenic compounds are widely distributed in the lake and readily available for uptake by aquatic biota. Our results also suggest that alkylated PAHs rather than parent compounds may be of greater toxicological relevance in the lake. As anthropogenic influences continue to increase, SPMD-based sampling is expected to play a central role in future research concerned with the identification, monitoring and assessment of the risk posed by HOPs to Lake Shkodra/Skadar's aquatic biota.     

Response patterns in adult forest trees to chronic ozone stress: identification of variations and consistencies

The responsiveness of adult beech and spruce trees to chronic O(3) stress was studied at a free-air O(3) exposure experiment in Freising/Germany. Over three growing seasons, gas exchange characteristics, biochemical parameters, macroscopic O(3) injury and the phenology of leaf organs were investigated, along with assessments of branch and stem growth as indications of tree performance. To assess response pattern to chronic O(3) stress in adult forest trees, we introduce a new evaluation approach, which provides a comprehensive, readily accomplishable overview across several tree-internal scaling levels, different canopy regions and growing seasons. This new approach, based on a three-grade colour coding, combines statistical analysis and the proficient ability of the "human eye" in pattern recognition.     

Relationship between heavy metal concentrations of herbaceous plants and soils at four Pb-Zn mining sites in Yunnan, China

This paper studied the relationship between heavy metal concentrations of herbaceous plants and soils at four Pb-Zn mining sites in Yunnan, China. 50 herbaceous plant samples of 9 plant species from 4 families and 50 soil samples were collected and then ana1yzed for the tota1 concentrations of Pb, Cd, and Zn. The results showed that the average concentrations of Pb, Cd, and Zn in soil samples were 3772.83, 168.81, and 5385.65 mg/kg, respectively. The average concentrations of Pb, Cd, and Zn were 395.68, 28.14, and 1664.20 mg/kg in the shoots, and 924.12, 57.25, and 1778.75 mg/kg in the roots, respectively. Heterospecific plants at the same site and conspecific plants at various sites had different average levels of Pb, Cd, and Zn, both in the shoots and the roots. Enrichment coefficients of Pb, Cd, and Zn were greater than 1 in 2, 3, and 9 herbaceous plant samples, respectively. Translocation factors of Pb, Cd, and Zn were greater than 1 in 10, 17, and 25 herbaceous plant samples, respectively. In all 50 samples, the concentrations of Pb, Cd, and Zn between the shoots and the roots, the shoots, and the soils, and the roots and the soils had significant positive relationships.     

南极春季海冰物理对叶绿素控制作用的统计分析

利用2006年南极威德尔海西北海域冬末春初的冰芯晶体结构,和302组冰芯温度、盐度、密度、叶绿素-a、脱镁叶绿素数据,以及冰底面叶绿素a垂直分布数据,进一步确定积雪/海冰厚度、冰内温度、盐度、密度对冰内和冰下叶绿素a的贡献.利用环境制约与生态平衡原理,阐明积雪/海冰厚度通过阻碍光通量对冰底叶绿素的效应,以及卤水体积通过冰温度和盐度体现对冰藻细胞活性的抑制作用.统计分析不仅确立了南极海冰冰内卤水体积-内叶绿素a的逻辑斯蒂上限含量曲线,并体现出粒状冰同柱状冰卤水排泄方式的差异及其对冰底春季叶绿素a快速增长的冰物理贡献.冰藻细胞活性指标小于0.5的仅占4.3%,该数据为南极冰藻是维持南极冰区浮游植物旺发的主导因子提供了重要依据.     

Effects of a major municipal effluent on the St. Lawrence River: A case study

The St. Lawrence River (SLR) is the second largest waterway in North America. The discharge of the City of Montreal wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) represents the largest volume of treated wastewaters being released into the river. It also ranks as the largest sewage treatment plant of its kind in North America. Over the last decade, intensive multidisciplinary research has focused on assessing the impacts of Montreal wastewater effluents on the SLR. We describe the major findings of these investigations, including the determination of the fate of contaminants, bioaccumulation in fish and invertebrates, ecotoxicological measurements of aquatic animal health, evaluation of endocrine disruption, parasitism in fish, and combined effects of multiple stressors on the SLR. Impacts of the effluents from the WWTP on aquatic organisms from the SLR are both toxicological and ecological, demonstrating the need for an integrated view of the impacts of municipal effluents on aquatic ecosystems.