Distribution of PCNs, PCBs, and other POPs together with soot and other organic matter in the marine environment of the Grenlandsfjords, Norway

The apparently dissolved concentration of polychlorinated naphthalenes (PCNs) and three planar polychlorinated biphenyls (pPCBs) were sampled and analysed in the water column of a marine fjord system. We also measured how much of these persistent organic pollutants (POPs) were associated with suspended particles. The field observations showed that an unexpectedly high portion of the pollutants were particle-associated. The factor of deviation from model predictions had positive linear regression on the soot carbon:particulate organic carbon ratio of the particles, and on estimates of the soot-water distribution coefficient for the PCNs. The spatial distribution of surface sediment concentrations of PCNs and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) were found to consistently follow the sediment content of soot (f(SC)) to a larger extent than the bulk organic matter (f(OC)). There were no systematic differences in the strength of correlation of sediments concentrations of other POPs, i.e. octachlorostyrene and organochlorine pesticides with sediment concentration to f(SC) and f(OC). Mechanisms possible of generating these types of observations, e.g. adsorption to soot carbon in the marine particle, are discussed.     

Climate change impact on water quality: model results from southern Sweden

Starting from six regional climate change scenarios, nitrogen leaching from arable-soil, water discharge, and nitrogen retention was modeled in the R?nne? catchment. Additionally, biological response was modeled in the eutrophic Lake Ringsj?n. The results are compared with similar studies on other catchments. All scenarios gave similar impact on water quality but varied in quantities. However, one scenario resulted in a different transport pattern due to less-pronounced seasonal variations in the hydrology. On average, the study shows that, in a future climate, we might expect: i) increased concentrations of nitrogen in the arable root zone (+50%) and in the river (+13%); ii) increased annual load of nitrogen from land to sea (+22%) due to more pronounced winter high flow; moreover, remote areas in the catchment may start to contribute to the outlet load; iii) radical changes in lake biochemistry with increased concentrations of total phosphorus (+50%), total nitrogen (+20%), and planktonic algae such as cyanobacteria (+80%).     

Modelling the motion of an internal solitary wave over a bottom ridge in a stratified fluid

A series of laboratory experiments has been carried out to investigate the passage of an internal solitary wave of depression over a bottom ridge, in a two-layer fluid system for which the upper and lower layer is linearly-stratified and homogeneous respectively. Density, velocity and vorticity fields induced by the wave propagation over the ridge have been measured simultaneously at three locations, namely upstream, downstream and over the ridge crest, for a wide range of model parameters. Results are presented to show that wave breaking may occur for a sufficiently large wave amplitude and a strong ridge blockage factor, with accompanying mixing and overturning. Density field data are presented (i) to illustrate the overturning and mixing processes that accompany the wave breaking and (ii) to quantify the degree of mixing in terms of the wave and ridge parameters. For weak encounters, good agreement is obtained between the laboratory experimental results (velocity and vorticity fields induced by the wave propagation) and the predictions of a recently-developed fully nonlinear theory. Discrepancies between theory and experiment are discussed for cases in which breaking and mixing occur.     

Species-specific antipredator capacities and prey refuges: interactions between piscivorous perch (Perca fluviatilis) and juvenile perch and roach (Rutilus rutilus)

The outcome of predator-prey interactions depends on the characteristics of predators and prey as well as the structure of the environment. In a replicated field enclosure experiment, we tested the effects of quantity and quality of different prey refuges (no structure, structure forming a partial refuge, and structure forming a complete refuge) on the interaction between piscivorous perch (Perca fluviatilis) and juvenile perch and roach (Rutilus rutilus). We quantified the behaviour of the predators and the prey and predator-induced prey mortality. The piscivores stayed in or close to the prey refuge and were more dispersed in the presence than in the absence of prey refuges. Survival of juvenile perch and roach decreased in the presence of predators and was higher for juvenile roach than for juvenile perch. In addition, juvenile perch survival increased with refuge efficiency Roach formed schools which were denser in the presence of predators, had a higher swimming speed (both in the open water and in the refuge) and used a larger area than juvenile perch. Both prey species decreased their distance to the prey refuge and increased the proportion of their time spent in the refuge in the presence of predators. The number of switches between the open-water habitat and the prey refuge was higher for juvenile roach than for juvenile perch. Juvenile perch used different parts of the prey refuge in a flexible way depending both on presence of predators and refuge type whereas juvenile roach used the different parts of the prey refuge in fixed proportions over all refuge treatments. Our results suggest that juvenile roach had a overall higher capacity to avoid predation than juvenile perch. However, in the presence of qualitatively different prey refuges juvenile perch responded to predators with more flexible refuge use than juvenile roach. The differences in antipredator capacities of juvenile perch and roach when subjected to piscivorous perch predation may depend on differences in life history patterns of the two species.     

Transformation of PAHs during ethanol-Fenton treatment of an aged gasworks' soil

PAH-contaminated soil from a former gasworks site was treated with Fenton's reagent in a number of lab-scale slurry reactors. The degradation result obtained by traditional Fenton oxidation and Fenton oxidation preceded by ethanol treatment were compared. The ethanol pre-treatment enhanced the depletion of all PAHs in the soil by facilitating their desorption from the soil matrix. However, some PAHs, especially anthracene, benzo[a]pyrene and perylene, were more extensively depleted than other PAHs with fewer or equal numbers of fused rings, indicating that the hydroxyl radicals react faster with these PAHs than with other kinds. The ethanol present in the slurry also appeared to influence the relative reactivity of the PAHs. Furthermore, the enhanced oxidation that occurred in the ethanol pre-treated soil resulted in the accumulation of oxidation products. For example, 1-indanone, anthracene-9,10-dione, 1-methylanthracenedione, 2-methylanthracenedione, 1,8-naphthalic anhydride, benz[a]anthracene-7,12-dione and two compounds tentatively identified as hydroxy-9-fluorenones were found at higher concentrations after the treatment than before it. The accumulation was most evident for the quinones, and in many cases it could be attributed to extensive oxidation of their parent PAHs, although the total oxidation efficiency in this study was relatively poor.     

Bacterial removal and protozoan grazing in biological sand filters

The objective of the study was to investigate the importance of protozoan predation as a biological removal mechanism in sand filters used for purification of bacteria from wastewater. Eleven sand filter columns were seeded with a high dose of wastewater (70 mm d(-1)) and a high concentration (10(8) colony forming units [CFU] mL(-1)) of Aeromonas hydrophila (American Type Culture Collection [ATCC] 14715) for a period of 30 d. Water samples from three filter outlets were analyzed for the concentration of A. hydrophila. In addition, one filter column was sacrificed each sampling day for the quantification of A. hydrophila, culturable bacteria (heterotrophic plate counts, HPC), total bacterial counts, and protozoa in the sand. The mean removal efficiency of A. hydrophila in the sand filter columns was 4.7 log units. The concentration of A. hydrophila in the sand filter effluent, however, had a clearly time-dependent pattern from high (log 6) and unstable concentrations to low and more stable levels (log 2). The removal efficiency of A. hydrophila correlated significantly (P = 0.0005, r2 = 0.6) with numbers of protozoa in the sand filters. Significantly higher (P < 0.05) concentrations of A. hydrophila were observed in sand filter effluents from columns treated with the protozoan inhibitor cycloheximide, compared with nontreated columns. Results from the present study show that protozoan grazing plays an important role as a bacterial removal mechanism in sand infiltration systems.     

Organic chloramines in chlorine-based disinfected watersystems: A critical review

This paper is a critical review of current knowledge of organic chloramines in water systems,including their formation, stability, toxicity, analyticalmethods for detection, and their impact on drinking water treatment and quality. The term organic chloramines may refer to any halogenated organic compounds measured as part of combined chlorine (the difference between themeasured free and total chlorine concentrations), andmay include N-chloramines, N-chloramino acids, N-chloraldimines and N-chloramides. Organic chloramines can form when dissolved organic nitrogen or dissolved organic carbon react with either free chlorine or inorganic chloramines. They are potentially harmful to humans and may exist as an intermediate for other disinfection by-products. However, little information is available on the formation or occurrence of organic chloramines in water due to a number of challenges. One of the biggest challenges for the identification and quantification of organic chloramines in water systems is the lack of appropriate analytical methods. In addition, many of the organic chloramines that formduring disinfection are unstable,which results in difficulties in sampling and detection. To date research has focussed on the study of organic monochloramines. However, given that breakpoint chlorination is commonly undertaken in water treatment systems, the formation of organic dichloramines should also be considered. Organic chloramines can be formed frommany different precursors and pathways. Therefore, studying the occurrence of their precursors in water systems would enable better prediction and management of their formation.     

Sociopolitical drivers and environmental outcomes of protected area downgrading and degazettement in Cambodia

Regional Environmental Change - Climate change has severe impacts on the livelihoods of West-African communities with the floods of the late 2000s and early 2010s serving as factual evidence....