Transformation of copper oxide and copper oxide nanoparticles in the soil and their accumulation by Hordeum sativum

Environmental Geochemistry and Health - In recent years, the study of the influence of nanoparticles (NPs) on the environment has attracted much interest as nanotechnology is becoming the key...     

Leaching of metals from printed circuit boards using ionic liquids

Journal of Material Cycles and Waste Management - The rise in the electronics industry has impacted the environment through the large volumes of waste that are improperly disposed of and the...     

Physiological testing of Mytilus galloprovincialis for the environmental assessing of coastal marine areas: a case study in Boka Kotorska Bay (the Adriatic Sea)

The aim of this work was to validate in the field certain measurement of the heart rate alterations of the bioindicator organism Mytilus galloprovicialis as a tool for ecotoxicological biomonitoring and assessment applications related to coastal and marine environment. The latter was determined by testing the mussels according to the method of functional loading (1-hour lowered salinity stress-exposure). The time of heart rate (HR) recovery (T_rec) and the coefficient of HR variation (CV_HR) in a group of tested animals were used as biomarkers for the assessment of their physiological state. It was found that the values of the biomarkers in mussels from our reference location were 1.3-1.5 times lower than in mussels from differently polluted coastal areas of the Bay. The study also included an investigation of the relationship between the mussel’s cardiac rhythm characteristics and the bioaccumulation of trace elements in their soft tissues, caused by chronic pollution. The conclusion was drawn that this approach to the physiological testing of mussels could be useful in developing a rapid and low-cost method for the assessment of the health of coastal ecosystems.     

The European union as first mover in the market for greenhouse gas emissions permits

This study aims to analyse the potential market for emissions permits that the European Union (EU) established in 2005, in a first-mover attitude with regard to the frame of the Kyoto Protocol. To this end the integrated assessment Regional Integrated Climate and the Economy (RICE) model is employed, adapted to the specific objectives intended. A referential paretian-optimum price of US$25.63 tCO₂ is obtained around the year 2007, which duplicates the hypothetical harmonized carbon tax. The ratio between the willingness to pay and the net environmental damages as a result of adverse climate change point to the high degree of commitment and the leadership initiative that seem to be assumed by the EU-15, the extended EU including Eastern European countries and the European OECD as a whole, with the hinterland geo-strategic referent represented by Russia and the Ukraine.     

Measurement of copepod predation on nauplii using qPCR of the cytochrome oxidase I gene

A method to directly measure predation rates by older stage copepods upon copepod nauplii using species-specific primers for the mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase subunit one gene (mtCOI) and real-time quantitative PCR (qPCR) was developed. The general approach is to determine the mtCOI gene copy number of an individual prey organism and the copy number of the same gene in the stomachs of predatory copepods collected in the field. From the knowledge of DNA disappearance rates in the stomachs, ingestion rates can be calculated. In October 2006, laboratory experiments were carried out with Acartia tonsa N1 and N2 as prey and adult female Centropages typicus as predator. The copepods were collected in Narragansett Bay, USA. A. tonsa mtCOI copy numbers copepod⁻¹ were determined for stages N1–C1 and for adults. A. tonsa DNA was detectable in the guts of the predators for as long as 3 h. Exponential rates of decline in prey DNA from the stomachs of the predators are similar to those measured for gut pigments. Because of the very small amount of DNA in an individual N1 or N2 nauplius, procedures were developed to maximize the quantitative extraction and recovery of DNA and to increase the sensitivity of the method. Two quite divergent haplotypes of A. tonsa were found in Narragansett Bay, which required separate qPCR primers; one was present in summer (July) and the other in fall and winter (October and February). With modification, the methods in this study can likely be applied to a range of predator–prey systems.     

Ecological condition of natural forests located within the territory of a large industrial center,Eastern Siberia,Russia

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Forest surveys were conducted in 2015–2018 on 12 sample plots (SPs), located in different districts of the city of Bratsk, a large industrial...     

Coffee,its roasted form,and their residues cause birth failure and shorten lifespan in dengue vectors

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - In dengue mosquitoes, successful embryonic development and long lifespan are key determinants for the persistence of both virus and vector. Therefore,...     

Assesment of Trace Elements and Organic Pollutants from a Marine Oil Complex into the Coral Reef System of Cayo Arcas, Mexico

Possible contaminants produced by the Petroleos Mexicanos (PEMEX) marine oil complex in the vicinity of the Cayo Arcas (Mexico) coral reef ecosystem were evaluated by analyzing sediments and sea water for hydrocarbons and metal elements. We found that the concentrations of aliphatic hydrocarbons in the sea water were generally low, with the highest values detected near the oil station; the concentration of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) was generally below the detection limit. The hydrocarbons found in the sediments seem to have a pyrogenic origin, and were probably produced by marine traffic in the study area. The total PAH concentration did not exceed the NOAA criteria, although levels of some individual PAHs did. The only metal detected in the sea water at high concentrations was nickel. The Ni/V ratio in the sediments indicates the contribution of crude oil to the system. The high content of Ni and Zn was attributed to the ballast waters from the oil tankers that load at the station's monobuoys. The presence of fine sediments that commonly originate from terrestrial ecosystems supported this assumption.     

Suitability of the vegetation types in Mexico's Tamaulipas state for the siting of hazardous waste treatment plants

A land suitability study was carried out by applying a multiple-criteria technique to 12 different vegetation types in Mexico's Tamaulipas state to help select potentially suitable sites for hazardous waste treatment plants. Species richness, spatial distribution, and uniqueness were selected as the criteria for estimating a vegetation type's suitability. Using the analytical hierarchy process, we ranked and mapped vegetation types, then compared the results with rankings of the same vegetation types based only on their number of endemic species. The suitabilities of the various vegetation types were ordered in more or less the same way by both methods, except in two cases for which the results were very different. The method proved to be a useful tool despite the availability of only partial (mostly qualitative) information; under such circumstances, expert experience can be incorporated in the evaluation process to a limited degree. The technique described in this paper has a high potential to aid decisions when many opinions and options must be considered simultaneously.     

The potential of biomonitoring of air quality using leaf characteristics of white willow (Salix alba L.)

In this study, we assess the potential of white willow (Salix alba L.) as bioindicator for monitoring of air quality. Therefore, shoot biomass, specific leaf area, stomatal density, stomatal pore surface, and stomatal resistance were assessed from leaves of stem cuttings. The stem cuttings were introduced in two regions in Belgium with a relatively high and a relatively low level of air pollution, i.e., Antwerp city and Zoersel, respectively. In each of these regions, nine sampling points were selected. At each sampling point, three stem cuttings of white willow were planted in potting soil. Shoot biomass and specific leaf area were not significantly different between Antwerp city and Zoersel. Microclimatic differences between the sampling points may have been more important to plant growth than differences in air quality. However, stomatal pore surface and stomatal resistance of white willow were significantly different between Zoersel and Antwerp city. Stomatal pore surface was 20% lower in Antwerp city due to a significant reduction in both stomatal length (?11%) and stomatal width (?14%). Stomatal resistance at the adaxial leaf surface was 17% higher in Antwerp city because of the reduction in stomatal pore surface. Based on these results, we conclude that stomatal characteristics of white willow are potentially useful indicators for air quality.