Reduced nitrogen has a greater effect than oxidised nitrogen on dry heathland vegetation

We investigated the effects of different ratios of reduced (NH4+) versus oxidised (NO3(-)) nitrogen in deposition on heathland and species-rich grassland vegetation at high nitrogen deposition levels in large mesocosms filled with nutrient-poor soils to which different NH4+/NO3(-) ratios were applied. The response of the forbs, Antennaria dioica, Arnica montana, Gentiana pneumonanthe, Thymus serpyllum, the grasses Danthonia decumbens, Deschampsia flexuosa, Nardus stricta and the shrub Calluna vulgaris was recorded. The forb A. dioica and the grass D.decumbens preferred low NH4+/NO3(-) ratios and were characterised by a negative correlation between NH4+/NO3(-) ratios and biomass and survival, whereas the grasses N. stricta and D. flexuosa showed no correlation with NH4+/NO3(-) ratios. Lime addition eliminated the negative effects of high NH4+ concentrations in deposition for A. dioica and the grass D. decumbens. The implications of these findings for heathland vegetations are discussed.     

Group histories and offspring sex ratios in ringtailed lemurs (Lemur catta)

Birth sex ratios were examined for ringtailed lemurs (Lemur catta) at the Duke University Primate Center. This population provides a long-term database of births under a variety of demographic and management conditions, including two semi-freeranging groups between which males transfer freely and females defend stable territorial boundaries. We examined three hypotheses usually considered in studies of primate sex ratio bias. The Trivers-Willard hypothesis predicts that dominant females produce males, local resource competition at the population level (LRC-population) predicts that the dispersing sex (males) will be overproduced in dense populations, and local resource competition among individuals (LRC-individual) predicts that dominant females overproduce the philopatric sex (females). We also examined a fourth hypothesis, local resource enhancement (LRE), which is usually subsumed under LRC-individual in studies of primate sex ratio evolution. LRE predicts that under certain conditions, females will produce the sex that provides later cooperative benefits, such as alliance support for within- or between-group competition. Our data provide support for LRE: females overproduce daughters given prospects of new group formation, either through group fission or threatened expulsion of young mothers. Behavioral data from Duke and also wild populations show that daughters serve mothers as important allies in this context and LRE effects also have been documented in other mammals that experience similar group histories. Nonsignificant trends in the data supported the LRC-population hypothesis, and we suggest that LRC interacts with LRE to explain offspring sex ratios in ringtailed lemurs. Received: 27 August 1999 / Received in revised form: 6 March 2000 / Accepted: 18 March 2000     

Po-210 and Pb-210 as atmospheric tracers and global atmospheric Pb-210 fallout: a review

Over the past ∼5 decades, the distribution of ²²²Rn and its progenies (mainly ²¹⁰Pb, ²¹⁰Bi and ²¹⁰Po) have provided a wealth of information as tracers to quantify several atmospheric processes that include: i) source tracking and transport time scales of air masses; ii) the stability and vertical movement of air masses iii) removal rate constants and residence times of aerosols; iv) chemical behavior of analog species; and v) washout ratios and deposition velocities of aerosols. Most of these applications require that the sources and sink terms of these nuclides are well characterized.Utility of ²¹⁰Pb, ²¹⁰Bi and ²¹⁰Po as atmospheric tracers requires that data on the ²²²Rn emanation rates is well documented. Due to low concentrations of ²²⁶Ra in surface waters, the ²²²Rn emanation rates from the continent is about two orders of magnitude higher than that of the ocean. This has led to distinctly higher ²¹⁰Pb concentrations in continental air masses compared to oceanic air masses. The highly varying concentrations of ²¹⁰Pb in air as well the depositional fluxes have yielded insight on the sources and transit times of aerosols. In an ideal enclosed air mass (closed system with respect to these nuclides), the residence times of aerosols obtained from the activity ratios of ²¹⁰Pb/²²²Rn, ²¹⁰Bi/²¹⁰Pb, and ²¹⁰Po/²¹⁰Pb are expected to agree with each other, but a large number of studies have indicated discordance between the residence times obtained from these three pairs. Recent results from the distribution of these nuclides in size-fractionated aerosols appear to yield consistent residence time in smaller-size aerosols, possibly suggesting that larger size aerosols are derived from resuspended dust. The residence times calculated from the ²¹⁰Pb/²²²Rn, ²¹⁰Bi/²¹⁰Pb, and ²¹⁰Po/²¹⁰Pb activity ratios published from 1970’s are compared to those data obtained in size-fractionated aerosols in this decade and possible reasons for the discordance is discussed with some key recommendations for future studies.The existing global atmospheric inventory data of ²¹⁰Pb is re-evaluated and a ‘global curve’ for the depositional fluxes of ²¹⁰Pb is established. A current global budget for atmospheric ²¹⁰Po and ²¹⁰Pb is also established. The relative importance of dry fallout of ²¹⁰Po and ²¹⁰Pb at different latitudes is evaluated. The global values for the deposition velocities of aerosols using ²¹⁰Po and ²¹⁰Pb are synthesized.     

Air quality nearby road traffic tunnel portals： BTEX monitoring

A monitoring campaign of BTEX （benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, o- m- and p-xylene） was carried out nearby two tunnel portals in the urban area of Naples with the aim to verify air quality in this kind of urban sites. Sampling was carried out using the active adsorption technique. Sampling time was 1 h. Ambient temperature and traffic flow measurements were carried out during each sampling operation. The results indicate that average benzene concentrations at both sites exceed the limit value of 10 μg/Nm^3 established by the European Community （EC） （Dir. 2000/69）. Concentration levels of other BTEX are relatively high as well. A correlation between BTEX concentration and two wheeler vehicle flow was observed.     

基于嗅觉效应的土壤苯系物关键因子识别及安全阈值研究

以某化工退役地块为例,从化学浓度及异味贡献两个角度对比了典型土壤气样品中苯系物的污染特征;并从嗅觉效应的角度,研究推导了基于嗅觉效应的主要致嗅组分土壤安全阈值,为污染地块异味风险控制提供理论依据.该地块土壤气组分中以苯浓度最高,其次为氯苯,分别占苯系物总质量浓度的67.3%和10.1%.从异味贡献来看,核心致嗅成分为乙苯,占土壤气总异味活度值的53.2%;其次为甲苯,异味贡献平均占比为14.1%.基于地块未来公园绿地规划,构建了长期及短期两种异味暴露场景下的概念模型和计算公式.经分析计算,短期（涉及建设开挖）的异味暴露风险较长期异味暴露风险更需引起关注.土壤中关键致嗅因子乙苯、甲苯、苯、间/对-二甲苯的土壤异味安全阈值分别为12.9、35、559.3和60.7 mg·kg^-1.将计算所得的安全阈值与现行土壤标准相较,以甲苯和间/对-二甲苯的反差最为显著.研究结果表明：存在异味的污染地块,应同时兼顾考虑毒理学健康效应和基于嗅觉效应的安全阈值,确保污染地块的安全利用.     

大学校园室内BTEX的浓度水平、来源及健康风险

采用热解析气相色谱法采集分析空气中痕量BTEX,研究了新建大学校园内教室、图书馆、食堂等公共场所及学生宿舍空气中BTEX的浓度水平、来源及健康风险.结果表明,室内BTEX的平均浓度为(46.56±4.60)μg·m-3,其中甲苯和苯含量较高,分别为(21.23±-2.13)和(8.95±6.45)μg·m-3.不同场所BTEX浓度大小为学生宿舍＞食堂＞教室＞图书馆.其中学生宿舍空气中71.61%的BTEX来自室内源,27.29%来自室外源.苯暴露对学生的致癌风险为9.24×10-6,超过了美国EPA制定的人体致癌风险限值.     

呼包鄂地区沙尘期间大气污染特征研究

为研究沙尘天气下典型大气污染特征,选择呼和浩特市、包头市、鄂尔多斯市（简称"呼包鄂地区"）为研究对象,分析了呼包鄂地区2016年春季3月1日-5月31日的PM₁₀与PM_2.5数据,利用CMB（化学质量平衡）受体模型、后向轨迹模型研究了呼包鄂地区污染源的特征,通过富集因子法评估了人类活动对沙尘天气的影响,最终通过特征比值法对沙尘天气与非沙尘天气进行了区分.结果表明:①沙尘天气与非沙尘天气时,呼包鄂地区PM₁₀、PM_2.5中主要化学组分均为Si、Ca、Al、Fe、OC、SO₄2-与NO₃-.沙尘天气时,ρ（PM₁₀）与ρ（PM_2.5）的差值大于非沙尘天气,较高的ρ（Al）、ρ（Si）、ρ（Ca）说明呼包鄂地区受到较大的沙尘天气影响.②CMB受体模型源解析结果表明,沙尘天气时扬尘源对PM₁₀与PM_2.5的贡献率分别为59.3%、48.7%,说明PM₁₀和PM_2.5的主要污染源均为扬尘源.后向轨迹模式模拟表明,呼包鄂地区的沙尘主要来自其西北部地区.③元素Na、K、Mg的EF（富集因子）在PM₁₀与PM_2.5中均大于1.0,Si、Cu的EF在PM_2.5中均大于1.0,但在PM₁₀中小于或等于1.0;依据EF表征级别,自然因素对PM_2.5和PM₁₀的影响程度均较大,并且PM_2.5受人类活动影响的程度大于PM₁₀.通过特征比值发现,ρ（Si）/ρ（Al）大于1.7且ρ（Si）/ρ（Fe）大于2.2可作为呼包鄂地区典型沙尘天气的界定.研究显示,呼包鄂地区春季受到较大程度的沙尘影响,这些沙尘主要来自其西北部地区,通过特征比值法可以对呼包鄂地区沙尘天气进行界定.      

生物壳体Sr/Ca、Mg/Ca、~(87)Sr/~(86)Sr比值在恢复古气候、古环境中的应用——以小渡口剖面为例

生物壳体的Sr/Ca、Mg/Ca比值能反映其沉积水体的Sr/Ca、Mg/Ca比值 ,在一定条件下反映水体的盐度、温度 ,并分别与宿生水体的盐度、温度呈正比关系。生物壳体的87Sr/ 86Sr比值是恢复盆地古水文条件的一种重要手段。本文以著名的泥河湾盆地小渡口剖面的第 2 8层为实例 ,力图通过对有孔虫、介形虫、腹足类生物壳体Sr/Ca、Mg/Ca比值与87Sr/ 86Sr比值的对比研究 ,并结合前人所作的中更新世古地理特征研究 ,来恢复生物壳体沉积时泥河湾古湖水的温度、盐度 ,进而进行古气候、古环境的恢复。研究结果表明 :在 0 .97～ 0 .94Ma间 ,古泥河湾湖为一陆相湖泊 ,湖水的温度、盐度变化趋势相吻合 ,均呈低—高—低的演化特征 ,可能对应着盆地水体的扩展—退缩—扩展变化。其中 ,在 0 .96～ 0 .95Ma间 ,古泥河湾湖具有较高的温度、盐度特征。     

石灰沉淀法除砷的影响因素

以Ca(OH)2溶液为沉淀剂,处理模拟含砷废水砷酸钠溶液,考察了pH值、Ca/As摩尔比、自由沉降时间和反应温度等因素对石灰沉淀法除砷效果的影响。结果表明,在pH值为12,Ca/As摩尔比为6,沉降时间为48 h,反应温度为25℃时,石灰沉淀法除砷的效率可达到99.05%;此外,对高浓度的含砷废水,在石灰沉淀法除砷工艺中添加简单无机盐絮凝工艺,可显著降低出水总砷浓度,达到污水综合排放标准的要求。