Monitoring, assessment and modelling using water quality data in the Saale River Basin, Germany

The European Water Framework Directive (WFD) is the overall driver for this environmental study and currently requires the identification of patterns and sources of pollution (monitoring) to support objective ecological sound decision making and specific measures to enhance river water quality (modelling). The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate in a case study the interrelationship between (1) hydrologic and water quality monitoring data for river basin characterization and (2) modelling applications to assess resources management alternatives. The study deals with monitoring assessment and modelling of river water quality data of the main stem Saale River and its principal tributaries. For a period of 6 years the data, which was sampled by Environmental Agencies of the German states of Thuringia, Saxony and Saxony-Anhalt, was investigated to assess sources and indicators of pollution. In addition to the assessment a modelling exercise of the routing of different pollutants was carried out in the lower part of the test basin. The modelling is a tool to facilitate the evaluation of alternative measures to reduce contaminant loadings and improve ecological status of a water body as required by WFD. The transport of suspended solids, salts and heavy metals was modelled along a selected Saale reach under strong anthropogenic influence in terms of contaminants and river morphology between the city of Halle and the confluence with the Elbe River. The simulations were carried out with the model WASP5 which is a dynamic flood-routing and water quality model package developed by the US Environmental Protection Agency.     

Extractable organic matter of Standard Reference Material 1649a influences immunological response induced by pathogen-associated molecular patterns

Background, aim, and scope  

Lungs are permanently and simultaneously challenged by airborne microorganisms and airborne pollutants. Temporal increase of airborne particulate matter (APM), a potential carrier for extractable organic matter (EOM), degrades the situation of pulmonary patients. The Ah receptor (AhR) has been described as an important factor influencing the immunological challenge by viral infections. Molecular mechanisms underlying epidemiological observations are not well understood. Cytokine secretion (IL-6, IL-8, and TGF-β) from human bronchial epithelial cells (Beas2B) was determined as an indicator for immune responses upon co-stimulation with an artificial analog of viral dsRNA [polyinosinic/polycytidylic acid, (PIC)] and EOM of Standard Reference Material 1649a (SRM). Since polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons are major components of APM usually acting via the AhR, particular focus was on AhR involvement.     

Environmental PCBs in Guánica Bay,Puerto Rico: implications for community health

Guánica Bay, located in southwestern Puerto Rico, has suffered oil spills and other pollution discharges since the 1960s. Previous research showed elevated concentrations of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in coral reef and sediment. This research examined PCB concentrations in sediment and fish. Sediment and fish sampling in the bay was facilitated by community members. This study identified the second highest reported PCB level (129,300 ng/g) in sediment in the USA. Fish samples also showed elevated concentrations (1623 to 3768 ng/g), which were higher than the thresholds of safe levels of PCBs in fish for human consumption. The alarmingly high concentration of PCBs calls for proactive community engagement to bring awareness about contamination of the bay and more extensive sampling to test for the concentration of PCBs in seafood and the people of Guánica. This study also underscores the value of the involvement of local communities during sampling design aimed at identifying hot spots of contaminants.     

Comparison of manual and automated chambers for field measurements of N2O,CH4, CO2 fluxes from cultivated land

Chamber techniques can easily be applied to field trials with multiple small plots measuring carbon- and nitrogen-trace gas fluxes. Nevertheless, such chamber measurements are usually made weekly and rarely more frequently than once daily. However, automatic chambers do allow flux measurements on sub-daily time scales. It has been hypothesized that sub-daily measurements provide more reliable results, as diurnal variations are captured better compared to manual measurements. To test this hypothesis we compared automatic and manual measurements of N₂O, CO₂ and CH₄ fluxes from tilled and non-tilled plots of a rice–wheat rotation ecosystem over a non-waterlogged period. Our results suggest that both techniques, i.e., either manual or automatic chambers of N₂O and CO₂ emissions resulted in biased fluxes. The manual measurements were adequate to capture either day-to-day or seasonal dynamics of N₂O, CO₂ and CH₄ exchanges, but overestimated the cumulative N₂O and CO₂ emissions by 18% and 31%, respectively. This was due to neglecting temperature-dependent diurnal variations of C and N trace gas fluxes. However, the automatic measurements underestimated the cumulative emissions of N₂O and CO₂ by 22% and 17%, respectively. This underestimation resulted from chamber effects upon soil moisture during rainfall processes. No significant difference was detected between the two methods in CH₄ exchanges over the non-waterlogged soils. The bias of manual chambers may be significant when pronounced diurnal variations occur. The bias of automatic measurements can only be avoided/minimized if chamber positions are frequently changed and/or if chambers are automatically opened during rainfall events. We therefore recommend using automatic chambers together with continuous measurements of soil chamber moisture to allow for soil moisture correction of fluxes or to correct flux estimates as derived by manual chambers for possible diurnal variations.     

Sulfamethazine and flubendazole in seepage water after the sprinkling of manured areas

Pharmaceuticals are widely used in modern livestock production and can reach the environment via the application of manure containing excreted drugs. Limited information is available on the transport and fate of veterinary medicines applied to soils. Therefore, we assessed the potential for the sulphonamide antibiotic sulfamethazine (SMT) and the antiparasitic drug flubendazole (FLUB) including their metabolites to move from agricultural manure to drainage waters at 1m depth. A comparison was made of losses from sites under different land use (grassland versus arable cropping) as well as losses from neighbouring plots under the same land use. Liquid manure from pigs treated with SMT and FLUB was spread on 10 x 30 m2 plots (750l per plot). SMT concentration in slurry ranged from 600 to 1700 microg l(-1) (metabolite acetyl-SMT 280-1700 microg l(-1)) and FLUB concentration ranging from 25 to 56 microg l(-1) (metabolite amino-FLUB 32-110 microg l(-1), hydroxy-FLUB 19-38 microg l(-1)). About 1h after application heavy rainfall (50mm in 2.5h) was simulated by sprinkler irrigation. Drainage flow started within 1h after the commencement of sprinkling. SMT and FLUB concentrations in leachate reached values of up to 16 microg l(-1) and 0.3 microg l(-1), respectively. Loss rates (relative to the applied amounts) from the neighbouring sites under arable cropping ranged from 2.8% to 5.4% for SMT and 0.8% to 3.1% for FLUB (including metabolites). On the permanent grassland plot, due to its multitude of macropores, loss rates reached values up to 10% for SMT and 16% for FLUB (including metabolites). These results demonstrate that the variability in leaching of veterinary drugs may be high even between large neighbouring plots, depending on site heterogeneity and land use.     

Multi-level network governance of disaster risks: the case of the Metropolitan Region of the Aburra Valley (Medellin,Colombia)

Cities have increasingly been confronted with disasters, ranging from earthquakes and storms to floods and landslides. Traditional technocratic top-down approaches have proved inadequate to face disaster risks in urban agglomerations. Thus, expectations have risen that through multi-level governance, metropolitan regions could become more resilient by joining forces across scales and sectors, enabling them to implement adaptation strategies collectively. Under the leadership of the city of Medellin and integrated within the national risk governance system of Colombia, such a governance arrangement has been established in the Metropolitan Area of the Aburra Valley. Applying social network analysis, this paper analyses the institutional relationships within the multi-level risk governance network Red Riesgos. It demonstrates that the effectiveness of multi-level disaster risk governance networks depends primarily on the protagonist role of local governments and on their abilities to involve local communities and citizens and to interact constantly with higher-level authorities in the implementation process.     

Polybrominated diphenyl ether exposure to electronics recycling workers--a follow up study

Workers at an electronics recycling plant have previously been shown to have elevated serum levels of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) compared to referents without occupational PBDE exposure. Subsequent structural changes and industrial hygiene measures at the plant were applied to improve the work environment. The present study aims to assess the impact of these work environment changes on the occupational exposure to PBDEs.

Blood were drawn from the workers and analyzed at two different laboratories, and serum concentrations of several PBDE congeners were determined by GC/MS or GC/HRMS. Cross-sectional studies were performed prior to (in 1997; N = 19) and after (in 2000; N = 27) workplace improvements. Longitudinal studies were performed on twelve of the workers that were sampled at both occasions.

Even though the amount of processed goods had doubled in 2000 as compared to 1997, there was a significant decrease in the serum levels of BDE-183 and BDE-209. For BDE-209 the levels observed in year 2000 were even lower than in referents with no occupational exposure. In contrast to the decrease of higher brominated diphenyl ethers, the concentrations of BDE-47 did not significantly change. For BDE-153, the cross-sectional study indicated no change, whereas the longitudinal follow up indicated a significant increase.

This study shows that the industrial hygiene improvements clearly reduced the occupational exposure to BDE-183 and BDE-209 at the plant. Still, the levels of hexa- to nonaBDEs but not BDE-209 were elevated, compared to referents with no occupational exposure.     

Visual targeting of components of floral colour patterns in flower-naïve bumblebees (Bombus terrestris; Apidae)

Floral colour patterns are contrasting colour patches on flowers, a part of the signalling apparatus that was considered to display shape and colour signals used by flower-visitors to detect flowers and locate the site of floral reward. Here, we show that flower-naïve bumblebees (Bombus terrestris) spontaneously direct their approach towards the outside margin of artificial flowers, which provides contrast between these dummy flowers and the background. If no floral guides are present, the bumblebees continue to approach the margin and finally touch the marginal area of the dummy flower with the tips of their antennae. Whilst approaching dummy flowers that also have a central floral guide, the bumblebees change their direction of flight: Initially, they approach the margin, later they switch to approaching the colour guide, and finally they precisely touch the floral guide with their antennae. Variation of the shape of equally sized dummy flowers did not alter the bumblebees’ preferential orientation towards the guide. Using reciprocal combinations of guide colour and surrounding colour, we showed that the approach from a distance towards the corolla and the antennal contact with the guide are elicited by the same colour parameter: spectral purity. As a consequence, the dummy flowers eliciting the greatest frequency of antennal reactions at the guide are those that combine a floral guide of high spectral purity with a corolla of less spectral purity. Our results support the hypothesis that floral guides direct bumblebees’ approaches to the site of first contact with the flower, which is achieved by the tips of the antennae.Electronic Supplementary Material  Supplementary material is available for this article at