Even sampling designs generation by charges repulsion simulation

Evenly distributed sampling design is generally considered as an efficient sampling design. It is widely used in sampling for the environmental survey. In this paper, we present a novel method for generating N evenly distributed samples within a given irregular polygon via simulating the movements of some ideal homogeneous point charges. Initially, charges are randomly put into the sampling region; then, they are freed and held orderly; and after enough runs, the charges will finally reach a stable state with all of them having a zero resultant force and velocity; and so they distribute evenly within the region. Their layout can thus be considered as an evenly distributed sampling design. The main advantages of this method are: (1) it is easy to understand and implement; (2) it is efficient in both running and generating better designs. Analysis and experimental results indicate that this method is an efficient and robust method for generating even sampling designs for 2D polygonal sampling region.     

Characterizing hydrochemical properties of springs in Taiwan based on their geological origins

This study was performed to characterize hydrochemical properties of springs based on their geological origins in Taiwan. Stepwise discriminant analysis (DA) was used to establish a linear classification model of springs using hydrochemical parameters. Two hydrochemical datasets—ion concentrations and relative proportions of equivalents per liter of major ions—were included to perform prediction of the geological origins of springs. Analyzed results reveal that DA using relative proportions of equivalents per liter of major ions yields a 95.6% right assignation, which is superior to DA using ion concentrations. This result indicates that relative proportions of equivalents of major hydrochemical parameters in spring water are more highly associated with the geological origins than ion concentrations do. Low percentages of Na⁺ equivalents are common properties of springs emerging from acid-sulfate and neutral-sulfate igneous rock. Springs emerging from metamorphic rock show low percentages of Cl⁻ equivalents and high percentages of HCO₃^-_{3}^{-} equivalents, and springs emerging from sedimentary rock exhibit high Cl⁻/SO₄^2-_{4}^{2-} ratios.     

Occurrence and fate of steroid estrogens in the largest wastewater treatment plant in Beijing, China

Concern over steroid estrogens has increased rapidly in recent years due to their adverse health effects. Effluent discharge from wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) is the main pollutant source for environmental water. To understand the pollutant level and fate of steroid estrogens in WWTPs, the occurrence of estrone (E1), 17-β-estradiol (E2), estriol (E3), and 17-β-ethinylestradiol (EE2) was investigated in the Gaobeidian WWTP in Beijing, China. Water samples from influent as well as effluent from second sedimentation tanks and advanced treatment processes were taken monthly during 2006 to 2007. In influent, steroid estrogen concentrations varied from 11.6 to 1.1?×?10(2)?ng/l, 3.7 to 1.4?×?10(2)?ng/l, no detection (nd) to 7.6×10(2)?ng/l and nd to 3.3?×?10(2)?ng/l for E1, E2, E3, and EE2, respectively. Compared with documented values, the higher steroid estrogen concentrations in the WWTP influent may be due to higher population density, higher birthrate, less dilution, and different sampling time. Results revealed that a municipal WWTP with an activated sludge system incorporating anaerobic, anoxic, and aerobic processes could eliminate natural and synthetic estrogens effectively. The mean elimination efficiencies were 83.2%, 96.4%, 98.8%, and 93.0% for E1, E2, E3, and EE2, respectively. The major removal mechanism for natural estrogens and synthetic estrogen EE2 were biodegradation and sorption on the basis of mass balance in water, suspension particles, and sludge. In the WWTP effluent, however, the highest concentrations of E1, E2, E3, and EE2 attained were 74.2, 3.9, 5.1, and 4.6?ng/l, respectively. This is concerning as residual steroid estrogens in WWTP effluent could lead to pollution of the receiving water. Advanced flocculation treatment was applied in the WWTP and transformed the residual estrogen conjugates to free species, which were reduced further by filtration with removal shifting from 32% to 57% for natural estrogen, although no EE2 was removed.     

Estimation of phosphorus flux in rivers during flooding

Reservoirs in Taiwan are inundated with nutrients that result in algal growth, and thus also reservoir eutrophication. Controlling the phosphorus load has always been the most crucial issue for maintaining reservoir water quality. Numerous agricultural activities, especially the production of tea in riparian areas, are conducted in watersheds in Taiwan. Nutrients from such activities, including phosphorus, are typically flushed into rivers during flooding, when over 90 % of the yearly total amount of phosphorous enters reservoirs. Excessive or enhanced soil erosion from rainstorms can dramatically increase the river sediment load and the amount of particulate phosphorus flushed into rivers. When flow rates are high, particulate phosphorus is the dominant form of phosphorus, but sediment and discharge measurements are difficult during flooding, which makes estimating phosphorus flux in rivers difficult. This study determines total amounts of phosphorus transport by measuring flood discharge and phosphorous levels during flooding. Changes in particulate phosphorus, dissolved phosphorus, and their adsorption behavior during a 24-h period are analyzed owing to the fact that the time for particulate phosphorus adsorption and desorption approaching equilibrium is about 16 h. Erosion of the reservoir watershed was caused by adsorption and desorption of suspended solids in the river, a process which can be summarily described using the Lagmuir isotherm. A method for estimating the phosphorus flux in the Daiyujay Creek during Typhoon Bilis in 2006 is presented in this study. Both sediment and phosphorus are affected by the drastic discharge during flooding. Water quality data were collected during two flood events, flood in June 9, 2006 and Typhoon Bilis, to show the concentrations of suspended solids and total phosphorus during floods are much higher than normal stages. Therefore, the drastic changes of total phosphorus, particulate phosphorus, and dissolved phosphorus in rivers during flooding should be monitored to evaluate the loading of phosphorus more precisely. The results show that monitoring and controlling phosphorus transport during flooding can help prevent the eutrophication of a reservoir.     

Quality assessment of groundwater from the south-eastern Arabian Peninsula

Assessment of groundwater quality plays a significant role in the utilization of the scarce water resources globally and especially in arid regions. The increasing abstraction together with man-made contamination and seawater intrusion have strongly affected groundwater quality in the Arabia Peninsula, exemplified by the investigation given here from the United Arab Emirates, where the groundwater is seldom reviewed and assessed. In the aim of assessing current groundwater quality, we here present a comparison of chemical data linked to aquifers types. The results reveal that most of the investigated groundwater is not suitable for drinking, household, and agricultural purposes following the WHO permissible limits. Aquifer composition and climate have vital control on the water quality, with the carbonate aquifers contain the least potable water compared to the ophiolites and Quaternary clastics. Seawater intrusion along coastal regions has deteriorated the water quality and the phenomenon may become more intensive with future warming climate and rising sea level.     

Histopathological changes in zebrafish embryos exposed to DLPCBs extract from Zhanjiang coastal sediment

Dioxin-like polychlorinated biphenyls (DLPCBs) are ubiquitous persistent pollutants that cause adverse effects in many environmental organisms. DLPCBs in marine sediments can be absorbed by benthic organisms, bioaccumulate, and biomagnify through the food chain and threaten animal and human health. There are no reports of DLPCBs concentrations in the Zhanjiang Gulf seabed. This study was designed to investigate the concentration of DLPCBs in the Zhanjiang coastal sediment and histopathological changes in zebrafish (Diano rerio) embryos exposed to environmentally relevant concentrations of DLPCBs. Of the five sites selected, two sites TS and JSW contained DLPCBs at concentrations of 0.08 and 22.54 ng/g dry sediment, respectively. Two groups of zebrafish embryos were used. One group was exposed to 3.75, 7.5, 15, 30, and 60 mg/ml of DLPCBs extracted from the sediments sampled from the TS site and the second group to 4.375, 8.75, 17.5, 35, and 70 mg/ml of DLPCBs from JSW site from 0.75 h post-fertilization (hpf) to 96 hpf. The zebrafish exposed to 60 and 70 mg/ml of DLPCBs at 96 hpf displayed gross histopathological changes with cardiac lesions including pericardial edema being the most deleterious. Other changes observed were hydropic degeneration of gill filaments and hepatocytes, loss of intestinal folds, and uninflated swim bladder. It appears that only a few sites of the Zhanjiang gulf are contaminated with DLPCBs. This is the first report of histopathological changes in the gills, hepatocytes, intestines, heart, and the swim bladder in zebrafish embryos exposed to DLPCBs from a coastal sediment. Further studies with sampling at different stages of development are required to identify which organ/tissue is most sensitive to DLPCBs.     

气相分子吸收光谱法测定印染废水中氨氮的影响因素

采用气相分子吸收法光谱测定印染废水中的氨氮,并对相关影响因素进行探讨。结果证实,硫化物和尿素会对氨氮的测定产生负干扰,硫化物干扰可用乙酸锌-乙酸钠固定液沉淀法去除,尿素干扰可以用稀释法去除,但仅适用于氨氮质量浓度0.10 mg/L且稀释后尿素质量浓度≤100 mg/L的水样;苯胺、浊度和色度对测定无干扰,可直接检测。     

Temporal and spatial variations of nutrients in the Ten Mile Creek of South Florida, USA and effects on phytoplankton biomass

Water quality throughout south Florida has been a major concern for many years. Nutrient enrichment in the Indian River Lagoon (IRL) is a major surface water issue and is suggested as a possible cause of symptoms of ecological degradation. In 2005-06, water samples were collected weekly from seven sites along Ten Mile Creek (TMC), which drains into the Indian River Lagoon, to investigate and analyze spatial and temporal fluctuations of nutrients nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P). The objective of this study was to understand the relationships among chlorophyll a concentration, nutrient enrichment and hydrological parameters in the surface water body.High median concentrations of total P (TP, 0.272 mg L(-1)), PO4-P (0.122 mg L(-1)), and dissolved total P (DTP, 0.179 mg L(-1)); and total N (TN, 0.988 mg L(-1)), NO3(-)-N (0.104 mg L(-1)), NH4+-N (0.103 mg L(-1)), and total Kjeldahl N (TKN, 0.829 mg L(-1)), were measured in TMC. The concentrations of TP, PO4-P, DTP, TN, NO3(-)-N, NH4+-N, and TKN were higher in summer and fall than in winter and spring. However, chlorophyll a and pheophytin concentrations during this period in TMC varied in the range of 0.000-60.7 and 0.000-17.4 microg L(-1), with their median values of 3.54 and 3.02 microg L(-1), respectively. The greatest mean chlorophyll a (10.3 microg L(-1)) and pheophytin (5.71 microg L(-1)) concentrations occurred in spring, while the lowest chlorophyll a (1.49 microg L(-1)) and pheophytin (1.97 mug L(-1)) in fall. High concentrations of PO4-P (>0.16 mg L(-1)), DTP (>0.24 mg L(-1)), NO3(-)-N (>0.15 mg L(-1)), NH4+-N (>0.12 mg L(-1)), and TKN (>0.96 mg L(-1)), occurred in the upstream of TMC, while high concentrations of chlorophyll a (>6.8 mug L(-l)) and pheophytin (>3.9 microg L(-l)) were detected in the downstream of TMC. The highest chlorophyll a (11.8 mug L(-l)) and pheophytin (6.06 microg L(-l)) concentrations, however, were associated with static and open water conditions. Hydrological parameters (total dissolved solid, electrical conductivity, salinity, pH, and water temperature) were positively correlated with chlorophyll a and pheophytin concentrations (P < 0.01) and these factors overshadowed the relationships between N and P concentrations and chlorophyll a under field conditions. Principal component analysis and the ratios of DIN/DP and TN/TP in the water suggest that N is the limiting nutrient factor for phytoplankton growth in the TMC and elevated N relative to P is beneficial to the growth of phytoplankton, which is supported by laboratory culture experiments under controlled conditions.     

Seasonal variation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in soil and air of Dalian areas, China: an assessment of soil-air exchange

The seasonal variations of concentrations of PAHs in the soil and the air were measured in urban and rural region of Dalian, China in 2007. In soil, mean concentrations of all PAHs in summer were larger than those in winter, whereas the concentrations of heavier weight PAHs in winter were larger than those in summer. Winter/summer concentration ratios for individual PAHs (R(W/S)) increased with the increase of molecular weight of PAHs in soil, indicating that PAHs with high molecular weight were more easily deposited to soil in winter than summer. In air, mean concentrations of all PAHs in winter were larger than those in summer. In comparison with the R(W/S) in soil, all the values of R(W/S) in air were larger than one indicating that the entire individual PAH concentrations in winter were larger than those in summer. The average concentration composition for each PAH compound in soil and air samples was determined and the seasonal change of PAH profile was very small. It was suggested that PAHs in soils and air had the same or similar sources both in winter and summer. The approach to the soil-air equilibrium was assessed by calculating fugacity quotients between soil and air using the soil and air concentrations. The calculated soil-air fugacity quotients indicated that soil acted as a secondary source to the atmosphere for all lighter weight PAHs (two-three rings) and it will continue to be a sink for heavier weight PAHs (five-six rings) in the Dalian environment, both in winter and summer. Medium weight PAHs (four-five rings) were close to the soil-air equilibrium and the tendency shifted between soil and air when season or function region changed. The fugacity quotients of PAHs in summer (mean temperature 298 K) were larger than those in winter (mean temperature 273 K), indicating a higher tendency in summer than winter for PAHs to move from soil to air. The variation of ambient conditions such as temperature, rainfall, etc. can influence the movement of PAHs between soil and air. Most of the fugacity quotients of PAHs for the urban sites were larger than that for the rural site both in winter and summer. This phenomenon may be related with that the temperatures in urban sites were higher than those in the rural site because of the urban heat island effect.