Satellite derived trends in NO2 over the major global hotspot regions during the past decade and their inter-comparison

We assessed satellite derived tropospheric NO₂ distribution on a global scale and identified the major NO₂ hotspot regions. Combined GOME and SCIAMACHY measurements for the period 1996-2006 have been used to compute the trends over these regions. Our analysis shows that tropospheric NO₂ column amounts have increased over the newly and rapidly developing regions like China (11 ± 2.6%/year), south Asia (1.76 ± 1.1%/year), Middle East (2.3 ± 1%/year) and South Africa (2.4 ± 2.2%/year). Tropospheric NO₂ column amounts show some decrease over the eastern US (−2 ± 1.5%/year) and Europe (0.9 ± 2.1%/year). We found that although tropospheric NO₂ column amounts decreased over the major developed regions in the past decade, the present tropospheric NO₂ column amounts over these regions are still significantly higher than those observed over newly and rapidly developing regions (except China). Tropospheric NO₂ column amounts show some decrease over South America and Central Africa, which are major biomass burning regions in the Southern Hemisphere.     

Reevaluation of ENCORE: support for the eutrophication threshold model for coral reefs

The results from the multimillion dollar Enrichment of Nutrients on Coral Reefs Experiment (ENCORE) on One Tree Island Reef (OTIR) suggest that increased nutrient loads to coral reefs will have little or no effect on the algal growth rates and, hence, on the associated effects that increased algal growth might have on the functioning and stability of coral reefs. However, a comparison of the concentrations of nutrients within the OTIR lagoon with the proposed nutrient threshold concentrations (NTC) for coral reefs suggests that all sites, including the control sites, were saturated with nutrients during ENCORE, and, hence, one would not expect to get any differences between treatments in the algal-growth related measurements. Thus, ENCORE results provide strong support for the proposed NTCs and support the ecological principle that algal productivity and, consequently, the functioning of coral reefs are sensitive to small changes in the background concentrations of nutrients. The principal conclusion of ENCORE, namely that the addition of nutrients did not cause the "pristine" OTIR to convert from coral communities to algal dominated reefs, is contrary to the fact that there was prolific macroalgal growth on the walls and crests of the experimental microatolls by the end of ENCORE.     

Catalyst deterioration over the lifetime of small utility engines

In this paper, the deterioration of catalysts in small, four-stroke, spark-ignition engines is described. The laboratory testing performed followed a proven test method that mimics the lifetime of a small air-cooled utility engine operating under normal field conditions. The engines used were single-cylinder, 6.5-hp, side-valve engines. These engines have a nominal 125-hr lifetime. The effectiveness of the catalysts was determined by testing exhaust emissions before and after the catalyst to determine the catalyst's efficiency. This was done several times during the lifetime of the engines to determine the deterioration in the performance of the catalysts at lowering pollutant emissions. Additional testing was performed on the catalysts to determine wear patterns, contamination, and recoverable activity. The results indicate that considerable catalyst deterioration is occurring over the lifetime of the engine. The results reveal that soot buildup, poisons, and active surface loss appear to be the contributing factors to the deterioration. These results were determined after analyzing the exhaust emissions data, scanning electron microscope results analysis, and the impact of regeneration attempts. An ANOVA statistical analysis was performed, and it was determined that the emissions are also impacted, to some degree, by time and the engine itself.     

Effects of three pesticides on the avoidance behavior of earthworms in laboratory tests performed under temperate and tropical conditions

Little research has been performed on the impact of pesticides on earthworms under tropical conditions. Taking into consideration the often-limited resources in tropical countries, simple screening tests are needed. Therefore, it was investigated whether three pesticides relevant for the Brazilian Amazon (benomyl, carbendazim, lambda-cyhalothrin) affect the avoidance behavior of the earthworm Eisenia fetida. The tests were performed for two days according to ISO guideline 17512 but were adapted to tropical conditions (i.e. test substrate, test organism and temperature). The results indicate that this test gives reproducible and reliable results. Toxicity values (NOEC, EC50) are lower than those determined in 14 day-acute mortality tests and are approximately in the same range such as those found in 56 day-chronic reproduction tests with the same earthworm species, which were performed in parallel. Therefore, the use of the earthworm avoidance tests is recommended as a screening tool for the risk assessment of pesticides.     

Physiological responses to atmospheric fluorine pollution in transplants of Pseudoscleropodium purum

Transplants of the moss Pseudoscleropodium purum were placed under shade, and with an auto irrigation system, at five sites in the surroundings of an aluminium smelter to enable study of the possible effects of F on different physiological parameters after exposure periods of 28 and 56 days. Reference thresholds for the content of Chl a+b and for the pigment indexes of Chl a/b and D665/D665a were established with the data corresponding to 22 transplants of each duration of exposure, at seven sites where there was little or no contamination by F. The highest determination coefficients for the levels of F in moss were those obtained for chlorophyll content (Chl a+b) and the D665/D665a pigment index, with the effects being most evident in the transplants exposed to the contamination for 56 days.     

Microbial degradation of the benzonitrile herbicides dichlobenil, bromoxynil and ioxynil in soil and subsurface environments--insights into degradation pathways, persistent metabolites and involved degrader organisms

The benzonitriles dichlobenil, bromoxynil and ioxynil are important broad-spectrum or selective herbicides used in agriculture, orchards and public areas worldwide. The dichlobenil metabolite 2,6-dichlorobenzamide is the most frequently encountered groundwater contaminant in Denmark, which suggests that the environmental fate of these three structurally related benzonitrile herbicides should be addressed in detail. This review summarises the current knowledge on microbial degradation of dichlobenil, bromoxynil and ioxynil with particular focus on common features of degradation rates and pathways, accumulation of persistent metabolites and diversity of the involved degrader organisms.     

Influence of natural dissolved organic carbon on the bioavailability of mercury to a freshwater alga

Bioavailability of mercury (Hg) to Selenastrum capricornutum was assessed in bioassays containing field-collected freshwater of varying dissolved organic carbon (DOC) concentrations. Bioconcentration factor (BCF) was measured using stable isotopes of methylmercury (MeHg) and inorganic Hg(II). BCFs for MeHg in low-DOC lake water were significantly larger than those in mixtures of lake water and high-DOC river water. The BCF for MeHg in rainwater (lowest DOC) was the largest of any treatment. Rainwater and lake water also had larger BCFs for Hg(II) than river water. Moreover, in freshwater collected from several US and Canadian field sites, BCFs for Hg(II) and MeHg were low when DOC concentrations were >5mg L(-1). These results suggest high concentrations of DOC inhibit bioavailability, while low concentrations may provide optimal conditions for algal uptake of Hg. However, variability of BCFs at low DOC indicates that DOC composition or other ligands may determine site-specific bioavailability of Hg.     

Wetlands as principal zones of methylmercury production in southern Louisiana and the Gulf of Mexico region

It is widely recognized that wetlands, especially those rich in organic matter and receiving appreciable atmospheric mercury (Hg) inputs, are important sites of methylmercury (MeHg) production. Extensive wetlands in the southeastern United States have many ecosystem attributes ideal for promoting high MeHg production rates; however, relatively few mercury cycling studies have been conducted in these environments. We conducted a landscape scale study examining Hg cycling in coastal Louisiana (USA) including four field trips conducted between August 2003 and May 2005. Sites were chosen to represent different ecosystem types, including: a large shallow eutrophic estuarine lake (Lake Pontchartrain), three rivers draining into the lake, a cypress-tupelo dominated freshwater swamp, and six emergent marshes ranging from a freshwater marsh dominated by Panicum hemitomon to a Spartina alterniflora dominated salt marsh close to the Gulf of Mexico. We measured MeHg and total Hg (THg) concentrations, and ancillary chemical characteristics, in whole and filtered surface water, and filtered porewater. Overall, MeHg concentrations were greatest in surface water of freshwater wetlands and lowest in the profundal (non-vegetated) regions of the lake and river mainstems. Concentrations of THg and MeHg in filtered surface water were positively correlated with the highly reactive, aromatic (hydrophobic organic acid) fraction of dissolved organic carbon (DOC). These results suggest that DOC plays an important role in promoting the mobility, transport and bioavailability of inorganic Hg in these environments. Further, elevated porewater concentrations in marine and brackish wetlands suggest coastal wetlands along the Gulf Coast are key sites for MeHg production and may be a principal source of MeHg to foodwebs in the Gulf of Mexico. Examining the relationships among MeHg, THg, and DOC across these multiple landscape types is a first step in evaluating possible links between key zones for Hg(II)-methylation and the bioaccumulation of mercury in the biota inhabiting the Gulf of Mexico region.     

Correction methods for organic carbon artifacts when using quartz-fiber filters in large particulate matter monitoring networks: the regression method and other options

Sampling and handling artifacts can bias filter-based measurements of particulate organic carbon (OC). Several measurement-based methods for OC artifact reduction and/or estimation are currently used in research-grade field studies. OC frequently is not artifact-corrected in large routine sampling networks (e.g., U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)'s Chemical Speciation Network). In some cases, the OC artifact has been corrected using a regression method (RM) for artifact estimation. In this method, the gamma-intercept of the regression of the OC concentration on the fine particle (PM2.5) mass concentration is taken to be an estimate of the average OC sampling artifact (net of positive and negative artifacts). This paper discusses options for artifact correction in large routine sampling networks. Specifically, the goals are to (1) articulate the assumptions and limitations inherent to the RM, (2) describe other artifact correction approaches, and (3) suggest a cost-effective method for artifact correction in large monitoring networks. The RM assumes a linear relationship between measured OC and PM mass: a constant slope (OC mass fraction) and a constant intercept (RM artifact estimate). These assumptions are not always valid. Additionally, outliers and other individual data points can have a large influence on the RM artifact estimates. The RM yields results within the range of measurement-based methods for some datasets and not for others. Given that the adsorption of organic gases increases with atmospheric concentrations of organics, subtraction of an average artifact from all samples (e.g., across multiple sites) will underestimate OC for lower-concentration samples (e.g., clean sites) and overestimate OC for higher-concentration samples (e.g., polluted sites). For relatively accurate, simple, and cost-effective artifact OC estimation in large networks, the authors suggest backup filter sampling on at least 10% of sampling days at all sites with artifact correction on a sample-by-sample basis as described herein.     

Functional redundancy and food web functioning in linuron-exposed ecosystems

An extensive data set describing effects of the herbicide linuron on macrophyte-dominated microcosms was analysed with a food web model to assess effects on ecosystem functioning. We showed that sensitive phytoplankton and periphyton groups in the diets of heterotrophs were gradually replaced by more tolerant phytoplankton species as linuron concentrations increased. This diet shift--showing redundancy among phytoplankton species--allowed heterotrophs to maintain their functions in the contaminated microcosms. On an ecosystem level, total gross primary production was up to hundred times lower in the treated microcosms but the uptake of dissolved organic carbon by bacteria and mixotrophs was less sensitive. Food web efficiency was not consistently lower in the treated microcosms. We conclude that linuron predominantly affected the macrophytes but did not alter the overall functioning of the surrounding planktonic food web. Therefore, a risk assessment that protects macrophyte growth also protects the functioning of macrophyte-dominated microcosms.