Visible injury responses

During a five year experiment on the causes of forest disease, symptoms of visible injury and pest infestations in trees treated with various air pollutants in open-top chambers were observed. Though the long-term experiment was originally not intended to include such investigations, insect infestation and some discoloration of the trees (Beech, Fagus sylvatica; Fir, Abies alba; Spruce, Picea abies) could not be avoided. Abundance and size of some of the insects were measured after two years and at the end of the experiment. Because it was unknown when the first infestation in the chambers occurred, quantitative investigations of the population size provided little information. Visible injury on leaves and needles was infrequent in general. When it occurred, it appeared to be caused by at least three stress factors. However, three different types of symptoms on beech and fir could be attributed mainly to air pollutants. These symptoms consisted of two types of foliar necrosis and browning in beech and needle tip chlorosis in fir. These symptoms have been observed under certain conditions in the German forests. The spruce clone used, however, developed no injuries which could be connected definitely to treatment effects.     

Effects of elevated CO2, nitrogen supply and tropospheric ozone on spring wheat-II. Nutrients (N, P, K, S, Ca, Mg, Fe, Mn, Zn)

CO(2) enrichment is expected to alter leaf demand for nitrogen and phosphorus in plant species with C(3) carbon dioxide fixation pathway, thus possibly causing nutrient imbalances in the tissues and disturbance of distribution and redistribution patterns within the plants. To test the influence of CO(2) enrichment and elevated tropospheric ozone in combination with different nitrogen supply, spring wheat (Tritium aestivum L. cv. Minaret) was exposed to three levels of CO(2) (361, 523, and 639 microl litre(-1), 24 h mean from sowing to final harvest), two levels of ozone (28.4 and 51.3 nl litre(-1)) and two levels of nitrogen supply (150 and 270 kg ha(-1)) in a full-factorial design in open-top field chambers. Additional fertilization experiments (120, 210, and 330 kg N ha(-1)) were carried out at low and high CO(2) levels. Macronutrients (N, P, K, S, Ca, Mg) and three micronutrients (Mn, Fe, Zn) were analysed in samples obtained at three different developmental stages: beginning of shoot elongation, anthesis, and ripening. At each harvest, plant samples were separated into different organs (green and senescent leaves, stem sections, ears, grains). According to analyses of tissue concentrations at the beginning of shoot elongation, the plants were sufficiently equipped with nutrients. Elevated ozone levels neither affected tissue concentrations nor shoot uptake of the nutrients. CO(2) and nitrogen treatments affected nutrient uptake, distribution and redistribution in a complex manner. CO(2) enrichment increased nitrogen-use efficiency and caused a lower demand for nitrogen in green tissues which was reflected in a decrease of critical nitrogen concentrations, lower leaf nitrogen concentrations and lower nitrogen pools in the leaves. Since grain nitrogen uptake during grain filling depended completely on redistribution from vegetative pools in green tissues, grain nitrogen concentrations fell considerably with severe implications for grain quality. Ca, S, Mg and Zn in green tissues were influenced by CO(2) enrichment in a similar manner to nitrogen. Phosphorus concentrations in green tissues, on the other hand, were not, or only slightly, affected by elevated CO(2). In stems, 'dilution' of all nutrients except manganese was observed, caused by the huge accumulation of water soluble carbohydrates, mainly fructans, in these tissues under CO(2) enrichment. Whole shoot uptake was either remarkably increased (K, Mn, P, Mg), nearly unaffected (N, S, Fe, Zn) or decreased (Ca) under CO(2) enrichment. Thus, nutrient cycling in plant-soil systems is expected to be altered under CO(2) enrichment.     

Scots pine responses to CO2 enrichment--I. Ectomycorrhizal fungi and soil fauna

Ectomycorrhizal Scots pine seedlings were grown in unfertilized forest soil at ambient and double (ca 700 ppm) atmospheric concentrations of CO2. The biomass of seedlings and fungal biomass both in the roots and in the soil and the numbers of certain groups of soil animals were measured under summer conditions and after an artificial winter acclimation period. No biomass parameter showed any significant change due to CO2 elevation. Increases were found during the winter acclimation period in total and fine root biomasses, fungal biomass in the soil and total fungal biomass both in the roots and in the soil, while the ratio of needle biomass: fungal biomass and the shoot: root ratio decreased. The N concentration in previous-year needles was lower in the double CO2 environment than with ambient CO2. Enchytraeids almost disappeared in the double CO2 environment during winter acclimation, while the numbers of nematodes increased at the same time in both treatments.     

Chronic toxicity of ammonia to the amphipod Hyalella azteca; Importance of ammonium ion and water hardness

Ammonia toxicity resulted in the continuous mortality of Hyalella azteca for up to 10 weeks with similar mortality rates for adults and young. Growth was not reduced at concentrations below those causing chronic mortality (1 mM total ammonia in Lake Ontario water), but reproduction was reduced at concentrations as low as 0.32 mM. Chronic mortality was a function of total ammonia (or ammonium ion), and not un-ionized ammonia, when the pH was adjusted by addition of acid. However, a 1 in 10 dilution of Lake Ontario water in distilled water resulted in a 10-fold reduction in the 4 week LC50. In contrast to common practice, ammonia toxicity to Hyalella is best defined on a total ammonia basis, but variations in hardness and other ions must be taken into account.     

Microcosm studies of microbial degradation in a coal tar distillate plume

Investigation of a groundwater plume containing up to 24 g l(-1) phenolic compounds suggested that over a period of nearly 50 years, little degradation had occurred despite the presence of a microbial community and electron acceptors within the core of the plume. In order to study the effect of contaminant concentration on degradation behaviour, laboratory microcosm experiments were performed under aerobic and anaerobic conditions at four different concentrations obtained by diluting contaminated with uncontaminated groundwater. The microcosms contained groundwater with total phenols at ca. 200, 250, 660 and 5000 mg l(-1), and aquifer sediment that had been acclimatised within the plume for several months. The microcosms were operated for a period of 390-400 days along with sterile controls to ascertain whether degradation was microbially mediated or abiotic. Under aerobic conditions, degradation only occurred at concentrations up to 660 mg l(-1) total phenols. At phenol concentrations below 250 mg l(-1) a benzoquinone intermediate, thought to originate from the degradation of 2,5-dimethylphenol, was isolated and identified. This suggested an unusual degradative pathway for this compound; its aerobic degradation more commonly proceeding via catecholic intermediates. Under anaerobic conditions, degradation only occurred in the most dilute microcosm (total phenols 195 mg l(-1)) with a loss of p-cresol accompanied by a nonstoichiometric decrease in nitrate and sulphate. By inference, iron(III) from the sediment may also have been used as a terminal electron acceptor, in which case the amount of biologically available iron released was calculated as 1.07 mg Fe(III)/g of sediment. The study shows that natural attenuation is likely to be stimulated by dilution of the plume.     

关中典型城市及农村夏季PM2.5的化学组成对比

于2016年7~8月采集了陕西省西安市（城市）及蔺村（农村）夏季昼夜PM_2.5样品,分析其有机碳（OC）、元素碳（EC）和无机离子等化学组分的含量,探讨关中平原城市和农村地区PM_2.5的化学组成和来源的差异.结果表明,采样期间西安和蔺村的PM_2.5浓度分别为（49.7±22.8）和（62.6±14.2）μg/m³.西安PM_2.5中OC和EC的浓度[（6.5±2.5）μg/m³,（3.2±1.8）μg/m³]与蔺村[（6.8±1.8）μg/m³,（3.8±2.3）μg/m³]相当.西安OC/EC比值白天（2.6）高于夜晚（1.9）,蔺村反之（白天：1.6;夜晚：2.7）,主要是因为夜间城市地区重型卡车运输活动增强导致排放更多EC,而夜间农村地区人为活动较少导致EC排放显著降低.西安和蔺村无机离子总浓度分别为（20.2±14.6）和（30.1±10.5）μg/m³,占PM_2.5浓度的40.6%和47.6%.蔺村SO₄^2-的平均浓度高达19.0μg/m³,占PM_2.5浓度的30%以上,远高于西安（9.4μg/m³和18.9%）,主要与农村固体燃料（煤和生物质）使用有关.西安NO₃^-和Ca²⁺的浓度及其对PM_2.5的贡献、NO₃^-/SO₄^2-比值均明显大于蔺村,表明城市地区受机动车尾气和扬尘的影响更大.西安K⁺与Ca²⁺和Mg²⁺的相关性较强,而蔺村K⁺与EC的相关性显著强于西安,说明西安市区K⁺由粉尘源主导,而农村地区则主要来自生物质燃烧.     

深圳市城区和郊区黑碳气溶胶对比研究

为了解深圳地区黑碳气溶胶（BC）的污染特征,使用深圳市西涌（XC）站点（郊区）和竹子林（ZZL）站点（城区）2014年1月1日~2015年6月30日测得的BC浓度及常规气象资料,对比研究了深圳地区两个不同代表性站点的BC变化特征.结果表明：在观测期间,郊区XC和城区ZZL站点BC小时平均浓度分别为（1.12±0.90）,（2.58±2.00）μg/m³,本底浓度分别为（0.27±1.31）,（1.07±0.85）μg/m³,气溶胶吸收系数σ_abs分别为（5.87±4.81）,（13.47±10.50） Mm^-1,城区站点值均高于郊区站点.两站点BC浓度分布均为对数正态分布,且都呈现干季高、湿季低的季节变化特点.日变化分析表明ZZL站点BC浓度呈现明显的双峰结构,XC站点日变化不明显.通过计算两地的气溶胶波长吸收指数AAE值,发现两地AAE值均接近1,说明两地BC污染主要来源于化石燃料的燃烧.进一步分析可知XC站点西北方向32km处是世界第三大集装箱码头,当西北风达到一定程度时（10~20m/s）,码头排放的污染物将严重影响XC站点的BC浓度.后向轨迹聚类分析结果表明,XC站点主要受中远距离输送影响,ZZL站点主要受周边及本地污染源排放影响.     

应对大型油罐特大火灾的研究——LASTFIRE项目组简介

简要介绍了LASTFIRE项目组的成立背景、组织结构、研究领域、研究目的、研究思路、研究进展等内容,总结了该项目组近几年的研究成果,指出我国的相关企业或研究机构应积极参与这种国际研究组织,实现研究国外资源共享,共同提高大型储罐的安全技术和管理水平。