Survey of heavy metal pollution and assessment of agricultural soil in Yangzhong district, Jiangsu Province, China

We investigated concentrations of Hg, Cd, Pb, Zn, Cu, As, Ni, and Cr in samples of soil, cereal, and vegetables from Yangzhong district, China. Compared to subsoils, the sampled topsoils are enriched in Hg, Cd, Cu, Pb, Zn, and As. High levels of Cd and Hg are observed in most agricultural soils. Concentrations of Cr and Ni show little spatial variation, and high Cu, Pb, and Zn contents correspond well to areas of urban development. High As contents are primarily recorded at the two ends of the sampled alluvion. The contents of Cd, Hg, and total organic carbon (TOC) increase gradually to maximum values in the upper parts of soil profiles, while Cr and Ni occur in low concentrations within sampled profiles. As, Pb, Cu, and Zn show patterns of slight enrichment within the surface layer. Compared to data obtained in 1990, Cd and Hg show increased concentrations in 2005; this is attributed to the long-term use of agrochemicals. Cr and Ni contents remained steady over this interval because they are derived from the weathering of parent material and subsequent pedogenesis. The measured As, Cu, Pb, and Zn contents show slight increases over time due to atmospheric deposition of material sourced from urban anthropogenic activity. Low concentrations of heavy metals are recorded in vegetables and cereals because the subalkaline environment of the soil limits their mobility. Although the heavy metal concentrations measured in this study do not pose a serious health risk, they do affect the quality of agricultural products.     

Ambient Aerosol and its Carbon Content in Gainesville, a Mid-Scale City in Florida

Ambient aerosols were collected during 2000–2001 in Gainesville, Florida, using a micro-orifice uniform deposit impactor (MOUDI) to study mass size distribution and carbon composition. A bimodal mass distribution was found in every sample with major peaks for aerosols ranging from 0.32 to 0.56 μm, and 3.2 to 5.6 μm in diameter. The two distributions represent the fine mode (<2.5 μm) and the coarse mode (>2.5 μm) of particle size. Averaged over all sites and seasons, coarse particles consisted of 15% carbon while fine particles consisted of 22% carbon. Considerable variation was noted between winter and summer seasons. Smoke from fireplaces in winter appeared to be an important factor for the carbon, especially the elemental carbon contribution. In summer, organic carbon was more abundant. The maximum secondary organic carbon was also found in this season (7.0 μg m⁻³), and the concentration is between those observed in urban areas (15–20 μg m⁻³) and in rural areas (4–5 μg m⁻³). However, unlike in large cities where photochemical activity of anthropogenic emissions are determinants of carbon composition, biogenic sources were likely the key factor in Gainesville. Other critical factors that affect the distribution, shape and concentration were precipitation, brushfire and wind.     

Generalized models for prediction of pentachlorophenol dissipation dynamics in soils

Dissipation of pentachlorophenol (PCP) in soil was investigated and the chemical relationships with soil properties were addressed. The results indicate that the dissipation of extractable PCP residues can be described using first-order kinetics equations, with a half-dissipation time (T(1/2)) ranging from 6.5 to 173.3d. The sharply different patterns of PCP dissipation in different soils were closely related to soil properties. Correlations of stepwise regression equations obtained were significant at 0.01 probability level between soil parameters and extractable PCP residues (R(2)=0.974**) as well as T(1/2) values (R(2)=0.882**). Using pH together with organic carbon content (OC) and soil particle size distribution, the dissipation dynamics of PCP in soil could be accurately predicted.     

Evaluation of marine outfall with three-dimensional hydrodynamic and water quality modeling

Numerical models are often used to evaluate the potential impact of human alternation of natural water bodies and to help the design of the alternation to mitigate its impacts. In the past decade, three-dimensional hydrodynamic and reactive transport modeling has matured from a research subject to a practical analysis technology. This paper presents a practical study in which a three-dimensional hydrodynamic and water quality model [hydrodynamic eutrophication model (HEM-3D)] was applied to determine the optimal location for treated wastewater discharged from marine outfall system in the Keelung harbor and the adjacent coastal sea. First, model validation was conducted with respect to surface elevation, current, and water quality variables measured in the Keelung harbor station and its coastal sea. The overall performance of the model was in qualitative agreement with the available field data. The model was then used to evaluate several scenarios of the locations from marine outfall system. Based on model simulation results, a location at the northeast of Ho-Ping Island was recommended for adoption because the environmental impact is smaller than any other alternative.

Effects of seasonal succession and water pollution on the protozoan community structure in an eutrophic lake

The purpose of the research is to study the seasonal succession of protozoa community and the effect of water quality on the protozoa community to characterize biochemical processes occurring at a eutrophic Lake Donghu, a large shallow lake in Wuhan City, China. Samples of protozoa communities were obtained monthly at three stations by PFU (polyurethane foam unit) method over a year. Synchronously, water samples also were taken from the stations for the water chemical quality analysis. Six major variables were examined in a principal component analysis (PCA), which indicate the fast changes of water quality in this station I and less within-year variation and a comparatively stable water quality in stations II and III. The community data were analyzed using multivariate techniques, and we show that clusters are rather mixed and poorly separated, suggesting that the community structure is changing gradually, giving a slight merging of clusters form the summer to the autumn and the autumn to the winter. Canonical correspondence analysis (CCA) was used to infer the relationship between water quality variables and phytoplankton community structure, which changed substantially over the survey period. From the analysis of cluster and CCA, coupled by community pollution value (CPV), it is concluded that the key factors driving the change in protozoa community composition in Lake Donghu was water qualities rather than seasons.     

RETRACTED ARTICLE: Environmental Impact Assessment of Industrial Structure Change in a Rural Region of China

As the embodiment of human activities, the change of regional industrial structure is an essential driving factor of global environmental change. Consequently, the research on the change of regional industrial structure and associated effects on the environment is one of the key issues of researches on sustainable development, human–environment relationship, and regional response to global environment change. However, compared to the flourish of researches on environmental impact assessment of industrial departments, few studies have been conducted to assess the environmental impact of regional industrial structure. In this study, based on a synthetic analysis of environmental disturbances of different industrial departments, the environmental impact coefficient of industrial department associated with the index of environmental impact of industrial structure was constructed, so as to make a quantitative assessment of environmental impact of the change of regional industrial structure. And the results of the case study in Lijiang City, a rural region of China, have showed that there are two obvious changes of industrial structure in the study area from 1992 to 2003, associated with a continuous decreasing of the index of environmental impact of industrial structure, which indicated a positive environmental effects of the change of regional industrial structure.     

Response of microcystis to copper stress: do phenotypes of microcystis make a difference in stress tolerance?

To elucidate the role of phenotype in stress-tolerant bloom-forming cyanobacterium Microcystis, two phenotypes of M. aeruginosa - unicellular and colonial strains were selected to investigate how they responded to copper stress. Flow cytometry (FCM) examination indicated that the percents of viable cells in unicellular and colonial Microcystis were 1.92-2.83% and 72.3-97.51%, respectively, under 0.25 mgl(-1) copper sulfate treatment for 24h. Upon exposure to 0.25 mgl(-1) copper sulfate, the activities of antioxidative enzyme, such as superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT), were significantly increased in colonial Microcystis compared to unicellular Microcystis. Meanwhile, the values of the photosynthetic parameters (F(v)/F(m), ETR(max), and oxygen evolution rate) decreased more rapidly in unicellular Microcystis than in colonial Microcystis. The results indicate that colonial Microcystis has a higher endurance to copper than unicellular Microcystis. This suggests that the efficient treatment concentration of copper sulfate as algaecides will be dependent on the phenotypes of Microcystis.     

An experimental study on recolonization and succession of marine macrobenthos in defaunated sediment

Hypoxia/anoxia in coastal waters is a world wide problem which often results in mass mortality and defaunation of benthos. In this study, field experiments were carried out to examine recolonization and succession of macrobenthic infauna in defaunated sediments, and the time required for recovery from complete defaunation to a stable community. Trays (33 cm length × 25.5 cm width × 11 cm depth) of defaunated sediment were exposed at the subtidal of a pristine site in subtropical Hong Kong. Temporal changes of macrobenthic communities in defaunated sediment were analyzed by univariate and multivariate statistics, and compared with those in undisturbed natural sediment at the same site. Initial colonization of macrobenthos occurred rapidly. A total of 42 species was found, with an average of 258 animals per tray and 24 species per tray recorded in the first month. Abundance showed a small peak (496 animals per tray) after 3 months, reached a sharp peak (1154 animals per tray) after 6 months, and declined thereafter. Species number increased gradually, reached a maximum (68 species per tray) after 9 months, and then decreased. Recolonization was predominantly contributed by larval settlement rather than adult migration. Temporal changes in abundance, species number and diversity of the macrobenthic community in defaunated sediment resemble the spatial changes along a decreasing pollution gradient previously defined by other authors. Results of this experiment suggest that newly available sediment may allow more species to colonize (or coexist) than sediment pre-occupied by an established community. This is probably due to less interspecific competition in the former habitat. No significant difference in abundance or species richness was observed between defaunated and natural sediments after 15 months, suggesting that a stable community had been achieved, although minor variations in species composition were still discernible between defaunated and natural sediments. Received: 24 May 1999 / Accepted: 20 October 1999     

三种偶氮染料降解历程在紫外-可见光谱上的表现

本文对基本结构相似的三种偶氮染料橙黄Ⅱ、活性艳红Ｘ－３Ｂ和活性黑Ｋ－ＢＲ水溶液在铁粉还原－光氧化两步法处理中的紫外－可见光谱图作对比分析,依据其结构与特征吸收的关系,初步推测还原铁粉－光氧化法降解染料的历程。     

Chemical defense of the mint plant, Teucrium marum (Labiatae)

Summary. The mint plant, Teucrium marum (family Labiatae), sometimes called cat thyme, contains two methylcyclopentanoid monoterpenes, dolichodial and teucrein. The former compound is potently anti-insectan. It is repellent to ants (Monomorium pharaonis) and induces preening reflexes in flies (Phormia regina) and cockroaches (Periplaneta americana). Evidence is presented suggesting that dolichodial, which is presumed to be the plant's chief defensive agent, is stored in the tiny epidermal capsules that beset the leaves. It is only when the leaves are injured (and the capsules ruptured) that the leaves become repellent. Teucrein, in contrast, has no anti-insectan potency. It is present predominantly in the leaf buds, unlike dolichodial, which is present mostly in mature leaves. It is argued that teucrein is the storage compound from which dolichodial is generated during leaf development.