Arsenic in groundwaters of the Lower Mekong

Increasing incidence and awareness of arsenic in many alluvial aquifers of South-east Asia has raised concern over possible arsenic in the Lower Mekong Basin. Here, we have undertaken new research and reviewed many previous small-scale studies to provide a comprehensive overview of the status of arsenic in aquifers of Cambodia and the Cuu Long Delta of Vietnam. In general natural arsenic originates from the Upper Mekong basin, rather than from the local geology, and is widespread in soils at typical concentrations of between 8 and 16 ppm; (dry weight). Industrial and agricultural arsenic is localised and relatively unimportant compared to the natural alluvial arsenic. Aquifers most typically contain groundwaters of no more than 10 μg L⁻¹, although scattered anomalous areas of 10 to 30 μg L⁻¹ are also quite common. The most serious, but possibly ephemeral arsenic anomalies, of up to 600 μg L⁻¹, are associated with iron and organic-rich flood-plain sediments subject to very large flood-related fluctuations in water level, resulting in transient arsenopyrite dissolution under oxidizing conditions. In general, however, high-arsenic groundwaters result from the competing interaction between sorption and dissolution processes, in which arsenic is only released under reducing and slightly alkaline conditions. High arsenic groundwaters are found both in shallow water-tables, and in deeper aquifers of between 100 and 120 m depth. There is no evidence of widespread arsenicosis, but there are serious localised health-hazards, and some risk of low-level arsenic ingestion through indirect pathways, such as through contaminated rice and aquaculture. An almost ubiquitous presence of arsenic in soils, together with the likelihood of greatly increased groundwater extraction in the future, will require continuing caution in water resources development throughout the region.     

Migratory and reproductive movements of male leatherback turtles (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Dermochelys coriacea</Emphasis>)

The biology of the endangered leatherback turtle (Dermochelys coriacea) at sea is poorly understood. As research has been almost exclusively limited to studies of nesting females, the movements of male turtles and the timing and location of mating activity have remained unknown. We report on the first deployments of satellite tags on male leatherbacks. Male migration to and residency in waters adjacent low-latitude nesting beaches in the western Atlantic suggest that this is where mating occurs, and return migration to these areas reveals male fidelity for breeding sites. Rate of travel decreased markedly after arriving in coastal breeding areas, where males remained for up to 96 days before assuming northward migrations. The initiation of these northward migrations coincided with peak nesting activity in adjacent nesting colonies. Data from satellite-linked time-depth recorders attached to two males revealed diel dive patterns in breeding areas and marked differences in diving behaviour between migratory and breeding periods in one turtle. When male turtles were in waters adjacent nesting colonies, their movements differed from those reported for nesting females, with females ranging farther from shore. Our results suggest that male leatherbacks may be vulnerable to entanglement in coastal fishing gear in waters adjacent nesting beaches.Communicated by R.J. Thompson, St. Johns     

The importance of age-related decline in forest NPP for modeling regional carbon balances.

We show the implications of the commonly observed age-related decline in aboveground productivity of forests, and hence forest age structure, on the carbon dynamics of European forests in response to historical changes in environmental conditions. Size-dependent carbon allocation in trees to counteract increasing hydraulic resistance with tree height has been hypothesized to be responsible for this decline. Incorporated into a global terrestrial biosphere model (the Lund-Potsdam-Jena model, LPJ), this hypothesis improves the simulated increase in biomass with stand age. Application of the advanced model, including a generic representation of forest management in even-aged stands, for 77 European provinces shows that model-based estimates of biomass development with age compare favorably with inventory-based estimates for different tree species. Model estimates of biomass densities on province and country levels, and trends in growth increment along an annual mean temperature gradient are in broad agreement with inventory data. However, the level of agreement between modeled and inventory-based estimates varies markedly between countries and provinces. The model is able to reproduce the present-day age structure of forests and the ratio of biomass removals to increment on a European scale based on observed changes in climate, atmospheric CO2 concentration, forest area, and wood demand between 1948 and 2000. Vegetation in European forests is modeled to sequester carbon at a rate of 100 Tg C/yr, which corresponds well to forest inventory-based estimates.     

Localization of infaunal prey by the sea star<Emphasis Type="Italic"> Leptasterias polaris</Emphasis>

We performed field and laboratory studies to investigate how large adult Leptasterias polaris detect and locate their major prey, large infaunal bivalves, in the sediment bottom community. A field survey using SCUBA diving showed that 95% of the locations where L. polaris dug into the sediment bottom were over bivalves and this success rate was much greater than if digging was done at random (22%). Furthermore, when sea stars were provided with a low density of randomly distributed prey in a laboratory arena, they dug exclusively in locations where a clam had been buried. These observations indicated that L. polaris locates infaunal prey prior to investing energy into digging. Studies in a laboratory flow tank showed that L. polaris readily detected and moved towards its preferred prey Ensis directus whereas its responses to less preferred prey Mya truncata and Spisula polynyma were much weaker. The degree to which it oriented towards these three common prey seemed to reflect potential energy intake relative to foraging costs (which likely increase with the depth of the different prey) and risks from interactions with other carnivores (which are greatest when feeding on large prey). This is the first study to clearly demonstrate that sea stars use prey odours to locate infaunal prey.Electronic Supplementary Material Supplementary material is available in the online version of this article at http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00227-004-1497-1Communicated by R.J. Thompson, St. Johns     

Comparison of light- and SST-based geolocation with satellite telemetry in free-ranging albatrosses

Light-based archival tags are increasingly being used on free-ranging marine vertebrates to study their movements using geolocation estimates. These methods use algorithms that incorporate threshold light techniques to determine longitude and latitude. More recently, researchers have begun using sea surface temperature (SST) to determine latitude in temperate regions. The accuracy and application of these algorithms have not been validated on free-ranging birds. Errors in both geolocation methods were quantified by double-tagging Laysan (Phoebastria immutabilis Rothschild) and black-footed (P. nigripes Audubon) albatrosses with both leg-mounted archival tags that measured SST and ambient light, and satellite transmitters. Laysan albatrosses were captured and released from breeding colonies on Tern Island, northwestern Hawaiian Islands (23°52N, 166°17W) and Guadalupe Island, Mexico (28°31N, 118°10W) and black-footed albatrosses from Tern Island. Studies were carried out between December 2002 and March 2003. For all birds combined, the mean ± SD great circle (GC) distance between light-based locations and satellite-derived locations was 400±298 km (n=131). Errors in geolocation positions were reduced to 202±171 km (n=154) when light-based longitude and SST-based latitude (i.e. SST/light) were used to establish locations. The SST/light method produced comparable results for two Laysan albatross populations that traveled within distinctly different oceanic regions (open ocean vs more coastal) whereas light-based methods produced greater errors in the coastal population. Archival tags deployed on black-footed albatrosses returned a significantly higher proportion of lower-quality locations, which was attributed to interference of the light sensor on the tag. Overall, the results demonstrate that combining measures of light-based longitude and SST-based latitude significantly reduces the error in location estimates for albatrosses and can provide valid latitude estimates during the equinoxes, when light-based latitude measurements are indeterminate.Communicated by J.P. Grassle, New Brunswick     

Analysis of chromium and copper by cathodic stripping voltammetry with mixed ligands

Cathodic adsorptive stripping voltammetry is one of the most sensitive analytical methods for ultratrace analysis. The detection limit is usually lower than 10⁻⁹ mol/L. Most adsorptive stripping procedures have been focused on the one ligand/one analyte approach. In order to reduce analysis time and sample volume, the possibility of simultaneously determining several metals by cathodic stripping voltammetry using a mixture of ligands was explored, e.g., by Colombo and van den Berg (1997). Here, we describe a new procedure for quantifying chromium and copper using 2,2′-bipyridine and 8-hydroxyquinoline (oxine). The effect of various operational parameters such as buffer type, ligand concentration, potential and time collection were assessed and optimized. Possible interferences by trace metals and organic matter were also investigated. Applicability for fresh water is illustrated. Electronic Publication