Performance evaluation of a sorbent tube sampling method using short path thermal desorption for volatile organic compounds

Air sampling, using sorbents, thermal desorption and gas chromatography, is a versatile method for identifying and quantifying trace levels of volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Thermal desorption can provide high sensitivity, appropropriate choices of sorbents and method parameters can accommodate a wide range of compounds and high humidity, and automated short-path systems can minimize artifacts, losses and carry-over effects. This study evaluates the performance of a short-path thermal desorption method for 77 VOCs using laboratory and field tests and a dual sorbent system (Tenax GR, Carbosieve SIII). Laboratory tests showed that the method requirements for ambient air sampling were easily achieved for most compounds, e.g., using the average and standard deviation across target compounds, blank emissions were < or = 0.3 ng per sorbent tube for all target compounds except benzene, toluene and phenol; the method detection limit was 0.05 +/- 0.08 ppb, reproducibility was 12 +/- 6%, linearity, as the relative standard deviation of relative response factors, was 16 +/- 9%, desorption efficiency was 99 +/- 28%, samples stored for 1-6 weeks had recoveries of 87 +/- 9%, and high humidity samples had recoveries of 102 +/- 12%. Due to sorbent, column and detector characteristics, performance was somewhat poorer for phenol groups, ketones, and nitrogen containing compounds. The laboratory results were confirmed in an analysis of replicate samples collected in two field studies that sampled ambient air along roadways and indoor air in a large office building. Replicates collected under field conditions demonstrated good agreement except for very low concentrations or large (> 41 volume) samples of high humidity air. Overall, the method provides excellent performance and satisfactory throughput for many applications.     

用密切值法评价沙湾荒漠区生态环境质量

利用多目标决策中的密切值法进行沙湾荒漠区生态环境综合评价。该方法简便、适用、且分辨率较高，对各监测点群的定量描述符合实际状况。     

乌鲁木齐市主要街道空气中一氧化碳污染规律的研究

本文通过对影响街道空气中一氧化碳污染的因素进行了大量的监测及综合分析,找出乌鲁木齐市主要街道空气中一氧化碳的污染规律,为控制我市汽车污染提供科学依据.     

灰色系统模型GM（1,1）在大气环境浓度预测中的应用

运用灰色系统理论，结合实例详细介绍了ＧＭ（１，１）模型在大气环境浓度预测中的应用。     

分光光度法测定染色废水的色度

为消除测定染色废水色度的主观误差，采用分光光度法测定染色废水的色度，与稀释倍数法相比，具有精确，重现性好，适用范围广等特点，ＰＨ值对色度的测定有明显影响，控制ＰＨ值为７．６０，测定色度具有可比性。     

大气污染物影响因素的灰色关联分析

运用灰色系统理论，对产生和影响城市大气主要污染物的相关因素，利用灰色关联分析方法进行了量化分析研究，根据研究结果，提出了控制大气污染的防治对策．     

用蚕豆叶尖微核技术筛选对环境污染物敏感品种

为了筛选蚕豆叶尖微核监测技术敏感材料,以二甲苯为污染物,对甘肃产的10个蚕豆品种进行了测试。结果表明,蚕引8号微核出现率与二甲苯诱变剂浓度成正比,平均微核率差异极显著,是监测评价二甲苯污染的敏感品种。     

Application of PCR and probe hybridization techniques in detection of airborne fungal spores in environmental samples

Specific PCR amplification and probe hybridization techniques were applied to examine the compositions of airborne fungi in samples from three different environments. The results from microscopic and CFU counting were compared to those of the molecular-based detections. The detection sensitivity for PCR amplifications was 9 to 73 spores and 1.3 to 19.3 CFUs per PCR reaction. The hybridization detection limit was 2 to 4 spores and 0.2 to 1.2 CFU. The hybridization method was more sensitive than PCR amplification and showed less variation among samples. Using specific PCR primers and probes we identified the presence of several fungal groups and species in the air samples. Specific detections through probe hybridization to PCR products amplified with universal or group-specific fungal primers have promising applications in the examination of air samples for environmental monitoring.     

Assessing land use impacts on flood processes in complex terrain by using GIS and modeling approach

A distributed hydrologic modeling and GIS approach is applied for the assessment of land use impact in the Steinsel sub-basin, Alzette, Grand-Duchy of Luxembourg. The assessment focuses on the runoff contributions from different land use classes and the potential impact of land use changes on runoff generation. The results show that the direct runoff from urban areas is dominant for a flood event compared with runoff from other land use areas in this catchment, and tends to increase for small floods and for the dry season floods, whereas the interflow from forested, pasture and agricultural field areas contributes to the recession flow. Significant variations in flood volume, peak discharge, time to the peak, etc., are found from the model simulation based on the three hypothetical land use change scenarios.     

Pool of Dust Particles over the Asian Continent: Balloon-borne Optical Particle Counter and Ground-based Lidar Measurements at Dunhuang, China

Measurements of aerosols were made in 2001 and 2002 at Dunhuang (40 degrees 00'N, 94 degrees 30'E), China to understand the nature of atmospheric particles over the desert areas in the Asian continent. Balloon-borne measurements with an optical particle counter suggested that particle size and concentration had noticeable peaks in super micron size range not only in the boundary mixing layer but also in the free troposphere. Super-micron particle concentration largely decreased in the mid tropopause (from 5 to 10 km; above sea level, a.s.l.). Lidar measurements made during August 2002 at Dunhuang suggested the possibility that mixing of dust particles occurred from near the ground to about 6 km even under calm weather conditions, and a large depolarization ratio of particulate matter was found in the aerosol layer. The top of the aerosol layer was found at heights of nearly 6 km (a.s.l.). It is strongly suggested that nonspherical dust particles (Kosa particles) frequently diffused in the free atmosphere over the Taklamakan desert through small-scale turbulences and are possible sources of dust particles of weak Kosa events that have been identified in the free troposphere not only in spring but also in summer over Japanese archipelago. Electron microscopic experiments of the particles collected in the free troposphere confirmed that coarse and nonspherical particles observed by the mineral particle were major components of coarse mode (diameter larger than 1 microm) below about 5 km over Dunhuang, China.