Reductive dechlorination of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins by zerovalent iron in subcritical water

A new method for reductive dechlorination of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs) and remediation of contaminated soils is described that uses zerovalent iron as the dechlorination agent and subcritical water as reaction medium and extractive solvent. It is found that the zerovalent iron can be applied for stepwise dechlorination of octachlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxin (OCDD) on various matrixes in subcritical water. By using iron powder as matrix higher chlorinated congeners were practically completely reduced to less than tetra-substituted homologues. A significant part of residual OCDD, when it was spiked in to soils, and formed less chlorinated congeners are extracted with water in the given conditions. The solubility of OCDD was increased by a 4–6 orders over its solubility at ambient conditions. The new method of contentious-flow extraction is described.     

“Shorthand” numbering of chlorobiphenyls

It is proposed to use numbers in base 16 (Hex) for an abbreviated designation of chlorobiphenyls. Values assigned to substituents in positions 2, 3, 4, and 5 are 1, 2, 4, and 8, respectively. These are added and expressed in Hex. Substitutions in positions 6 and 6′ are given values of 1 and 2. The designation is a three-digit number, the digits from left to right referring to the first ring, primed ring, and to substituents in the 6 positions, respectively. In the shorthand notation, BD1h stands for 2, 2′, 3, 4′, 5, 5′, 6-heptachlorobiphenyl (h indicates Hex).     

Net Ecosystem Production of Boreal Larch Ecosystems on the Yenisei Transect

The study was carried out in the Turukhansk Research Station of Yenisei Transect (65^°46^′N, 89^°25^′E). Larch (Larix gmelinii (Rupr.) Rupr.) is the dominant overstory tree species. The research has been conducted on four permanent test plots in same-age mature (110-year old) and overmature (380-year old) post-fire larch stands of green moss and lichen groups of forest type. Carbon cycle parameters were assessed based on a biometric method. Quantitative analysis of carbon pools and fluxes shows that net ecosystem production of north taiga larch stands averages 32% of net primary production. Sink of atmospheric CO₂ makes 1.22 and 0.74 t C ha^{− 1} year^{− 1} for mature and overmature green moss larch stands, and 0.65 and 0.35 t C ha^{− 1} year^{− 1} for lichen type. Net carbon sink in the tree layer make up 9% of net primary production carbon, ground vegetation – 15%, and dead plant residues accumulation – 8% of atmospheric carbon uptake via photosynthesis.     

渔业对俄罗斯巴伦支海和亚速海商业鱼类动态的影响:历史观察

本文提供了联合国环境规划署"全球国际水域评估"项目(UNEP-GIWA)评估俄罗斯各海域所使用的背景材料和分析结果.它概述了过去100年中巴伦支海和亚速海两海域的渔业发展状况.讨论了巴伦支海和亚速海渔业发展的主要阶段和渔业产量降低的主要原因.这两个在物理和地质特征方面明显不同的海域却在渔获量动态方面表现出相似的趋势.海洋生态系统的自然波动和对自然生态系统功能的人为干扰已导致了对生态系统健康的重大负面影响并造成渔获物构成和数量的消极变化.俄罗斯各海域渔获量的下降已成为俄罗斯联邦的关注焦点,有关俄罗斯渔业管理的各项修改政策也已实行.政策文件"2020年之前俄罗斯联邦有关渔业发展概念"也在此加以讨论.     

Modelling spatial distribution of the Croatian marine benthic habitats

Within the framework of the 3-year project “Mapping the habitats of the Republic of Croatia” the marine benthic habitats of the entire Croatian maritory were mapped. The supralittoral and the mediolittoral were mapped as a function of the coastal lithology and the presumed levels of human impact (both in scale of 1:100,000). The infralittoral was mapped on the basis of spatial modelling (using neural networks as a modelling tool, data about habitats collected by fieldwork as the independent variable for training and testing the model, and the digital bathymetrical model, the distance from coast, the second spectral channel of Landsat ETM+ satellite image and the sea bottom sea temperature, salinity and current magnitude, as dependent variables). The circalittoral and the bathyal were mapped by overlapping and reinterpretation of the existing spatial databases (bathymetry and lithology) within the framework of the raster-GIS.     

The use of marked point processes in ecological and environmental forest studies

The paper presents new applications of marked point processes in forestry. The tools are pair correlation functions and mark connection functions. Studies of the structures of even-aged pine forests in Siberia show a tendency of development from clustering in young stands towards random distribution in elder stands for the trunk positions. The tree tops as the movable parts of trees are still more regular in old forests. Furthermore, in Siberian fir forests interesting tendencies of attraction between members of several tree classes are detected. Finally, studies of the distribution of damaged trees in some central European forests show that there the damaged trees appear as singletons; dominating trees are preferentially damaged.