Zooplankton biomass in the ice-covered Weddell Sea,Antarctica

Zooplankton was sampled by a Rectangular Midwater Trawl (RMT 1 + 8) in Weddell Sea surface waters (0 to 300 m) between 66 and 78°S during austral summer (February – March 1983). Sixty-nine taxa including different developmental stages were considered and divided into 16 size classes between <1 and >39.5 mm length. Biomass was determined by taxon and size class for three different meso- and macroplankton communities in the oceanic region, on the northeastern shelf and on the southern shelf of the Weddell Sea. The highest biomass of 11.2 mg DW m^–3 (3.4 g DW m^–2) was found in the northeastern shelf community (70 to 74°S), where juvenile and adultEuphausia crystallorophias accounted for 3.7 mg DW m^–3 (1.1 g DW m^–2). Although not quantitatively sampled, early copepodite stages (CI to CIII) ofCalanoides acutus andCalanus propinquus ranked second with 2.7 mg DW m^–3 (0.8 g DW m^–2). Biomass in the northeastern shelf community was concentrated in the size ranges 1 to 4 mm and 19.5 to 39.5 mm. The oceanic community of the central Weddell Sea was dominated by copepods smaller than 5 mm, which made up half of the total oceanic biomass. The tunicateSalpa thompsoni (7.0 to 8.5 mm) was the dominant single species with 1.6 mg DW m^–3 (0.5 g DW m^–2). Euphausiids, mainly juvenile and adult krillEuphausia superba, comprised 1.2 mg DW m^–3 (0.4 g DW m^–2). Total standing stock in the oceanic community was 9.4 mg DWm^–3 (2.8 g DW m^–2). Lowest biomass values were found in the southern shelf community (south of 75°S) with 4.0 mg DW m^–3 (1.2 g DW m^–2), concentrated in the 1 to 4 mm and 14.5 to 34.5 mm size classes. Abundant species were the pteropodLimacina helicina (1 to 2 mm; 0.7 mg DW m^–3; 0.2 g DW m^–2) andE. crystallorophias (24.5 to 39.5 mm; 0.9 mg DW m^–3; 0.3 g DW m^–2). The data reveal that it is essential to distinguish among subsystems in the Southern Ocean. This leads to a better understanding of the structure and function of those pelagic food webs which represent alternatives to the paradigmatic krill-centered system.     

Hydrodynamics,diffusion-boundary layers and photosynthesis of the seagrasses Thalassia testudinum and Cymodocea nodosa

Photosynthetic rates of aquatic plants frequently increase with increasing current velocities. This is presumably due to a reduction in the thickness of the diffusion boundary-layer which allows for a higher carbon availability on the plant surface. Blades of the seagrasses Thalassia testudinum and Cymodocea nodosa exposed to different current velocities under controlled laboratory conditions, showed increased photosynthetic rates with increasing flow only at low current velocities (expressed as blade friction velocities, u _*). Carbon saturation of photosynthetic processes occurred at a relatively low u _* level (0.25 cm s^-1) for T. testudinum collected from a calm environment compared to C. nodosa (0.64 cm s^-1) collected from a surf zone. No further enhancement of photosynthetic rates was observed at higher u _* levels, suggesting limitations in carbon diffusion through the boundary layer below critical u ^* levels and possible limitations in carbon fixation by the enzymatic system at higher u _* levels. These results, as well as those of previous theoretical studies, assumed the flow on the immediate seagrass-blade surface to be hydrodynamically smooth. The presence of epiphytes and attached debris causes the surface of in situ seagrass blades to be exposed to flows ranging from smooth to rough-turbulent. As a consequence, the boundary-layer thickness on moderately epiphytized blades under medium to high flow-conditions is not continuous, but fluctuates in time and space, enhancing carbon transport. In situ u _* levels measured directly on blades of seagrasses indicate that T. testudinum and C. nodosa can be exposed to conditions under which the boundary layer limits photosynthesis during short periods of time (milliseconds) during low-energy events. As waves cause the thickness of the diffusion boundary-layer to fluctuate constantly, carbon-limiting conditions do not persist for prolonged periods.     

Ozonation of hydrolyzed azo dye reactive yellow 84 (CI).

The combination of chemical and biological water treatment processes is a promising technique to reduce recalcitrant wastewater loads. The key to the efficiency of such a system is a better understanding of the mechanisms involved during the degradation processes. Ozonation has been applied to many fields in water and wastewater treatment. Especially for textile mill effluents ozonation can achieve high color removal, enhance biodegradability, destroy phenols and reduce the chemical oxygen demand (COD). However, little is known about the reaction intermediates and products formed during ozonation. This work deals with the degradation of hydrolyzed Reactive Yellow 84 (Color Index), a widely used azo dye in textile finishing processes with two monochlorotriazine anchor groups. Ozonation of the hydrolyzed dye in ultra pure water was performed in a laboratory scale cylindric batch reactor. Decolorization, determined by measuring the light absorbance at the maximum wavelength in the visible range (400 nm), was almost complete after 60 and 90 min with an ozone concentration of 18.5 and 9.1 mg/l, respectively. The TOC/TOC0 ratio after ozonation was about 30%, the COD was diminished to 50% of the initial value. The BOD5/COD ratio increased from 0.01 to about 0.8. Oxidation and cleavage of the azo group yield nitrate. Cleavage of the sulfonic acid groups of aromatic rings caused increases in the amount of sulfate. Formic acid and oxalic acid were identified as main oxidation products by high performance ion chromatography (HPIC). The concentrations of these major products were monitored at defined time intervals during ozonation.     

Aufnahme von Cyanid in Pflanzen

Zusammenfassung  Cyanide entstehen bei der Pyrolyse von Kohle, und bei der Gasreinigung wird Blaus?ure als Berliner Blau gef?llt. Diese Abf?lle sind heute h?ufig Bestandteil von innerst?dtischen Altlasten. Cyanwasserstoff HCN (Blaus?ure) ist ein schnell wirksames und starkes Gift; eisenkomplexierte Cyanide im Boden sind jedoch weit weniger giftig. Die Phytotoxizit?t von freiem Cyanid wurde für Korbweiden (Sálix viminális) mit dem Baum-Transpirationstest bestimmt. Der EC₁₀ liegt für t=72 h bei 0,76 mg KCN (0,3 mg CN) je Liter, der EC₅₀ bei 4,47 mg/l KCN. Langfristig sind 5 mg/l KCN t?dlich. Balsampappeln (Pópulus trichocárpa) k?nnen in bis zu 2500 mg/l Ferroferricyanid (Berliner Blau) überleben, wenn auch mit Wachstumsst?rungen. Weiden überlebten in einem Gaswerksboden mit bis zu 452 mg/kg Gesamt-CN. Aus der N?hrl?sung wurde mehr freies CN aufgenommen als aus dem Boden. M?glicherweise wird auch komplexiertes Cyanid in die Bl?tter verlagert. In Erlenmeyern mit Pflanzen wurde freies Cyanid bei sublethaler Dosis rasch aus der N?hrl?sung eliminiert. Die Bepflanzung mit geeigneter Vegetation k?nnte eine L?sung für viele cyanid-kontaminierte Gaswerks- und Minengel?nde sein. OnlineFirst: 09. 01. 2001