环境中的微塑料:赋存、检测及其危害

近年来,由个人护理品及废旧塑料直接或间接产生的微塑料不断地在各种环境介质中被检出,且微塑料会对生态系统产生各种危害,因此对微塑料的研究受到越来越广泛的关注。阐述了微塑料在水体、沉积物、沙滩和生物体中的赋存情况,介绍了微塑料的采集与分离方法,以及定性与定量分析方法。指出微塑料对环境及生物体产生的危害,提出现阶段研究存在的主要问题,并对今后的研究方向进行了展望。     

某基岩区工业固体废物填埋场地递进式场地环境调查实例

针对某基岩区简易封场后的固体废物填埋场,采用多层次、递进式调查策略,配合使用地球物理探测、直压式土壤快速取样、现场快速检测等技术,分3个阶段开展填埋场及其周边环境调查。第1阶段,调查地质环境特征,开展地球物理探测;第2阶段,调查填埋物、渗滤液主要组分及对周边积水、农田土壤、民用井水的污染情况;第3阶段,划定重点污染区域,开展土壤和地下水污染调查。调查结果显示,填埋区已发生明显渗漏,对邻近区域土壤、地下水及地表积水造成了一定污染,但未对周边农用地土壤、民用井水质等产生不利影响,总体处于可控范围。提出,通过削减污染源,切断污染物迁移、暴露途径,消除已有污染影响,长期跟踪监测等多项管控治理措施进行综合整治。     

Monitoring of a Coastal Mediterranean Area: Culturable Bacteria, Phytoplankton, Environmental Factors and their Relationships in the Southern Adriatic Sea

Culturable heterotrophic bacterial and phytoplanktonic densities were investigated at four sites in the Southern Adriatic Sea (Brindisi, S. Cataldo, Otranto and S. M. di Leuca) over an annual cycle. The main phytoplankton groups, the bacterial biodiversity, as well as the faecal contamination indicators were determined. Culturable bacterial numbers averaged 4.8 ± 0.2 log CFU ml⁻¹ whereas phytoplankton numbers averaged 2.1 ± 0.4 log cells ml⁻¹. Relationships between culturable bacteria, phytoplankton and the environmental factors were established. Bacterial and phytoplankton densities usually depended significantly on temperature, dissolved oxygen, phosphate and nitrite only in the S. Cataldo transect. In all the examined transects phytoplankton showed a bloom during the January–February period followed by a bacterial peak during the February–March period. Thus we can suppose that the phytoplankton winter bloom is responsible for the availabily of organic matter for bacterial populations in the following months in this oligotrophic ecosystem.     

Can we gain precision by sampling with probabilities proportional to size in surveying recent landscape changes in the Netherlands?

Seventy-two squares of 100 ha were selected by stratified random sampling with probabilities proportional to size (pps) to survey landscape changes in the period 1996–2003. The area of the plots times the urbanization pressure was used as a size measure. The central question of this study is whether the sampling with probabilities proportional to size leads to gain in precision compared to equal probability sampling. On average 1.03 isolated buildings per 100 ha have been built, while 0.90 buildings per 100 ha have been removed, leading to a net change of 0.13 building per 100 ha. The area with unspoiled natural relief has been reduced by 2.3 ha per 100 ha, and the length of linear relicts by 137 m per 100 ha. On average 74 m of linear green elements have been planted per 100 ha, while 106 m have been removed, leading to a net change of −31 m per 100 ha. For the state variables ‘unspoiled natural relief', ‘ linear relicts', ‘removed linear green elements', and ‘new – removed linear green elements' there is a gain in precision due to the pps-sampling. For the remaining state variables there is no gain or even a loss of precision (`new buildings', ‘removed buildings', ‘new – removed buildings', ‘new linear green elements'). Therefore, if many state variables must be monitored or when interest is not only in the change but also in the current totals, we recommend to keep things simple, and to select plots with equal probability.     

An Experimental Methodology for Monitoring Contaminant Transport Through Geotechnical Centrifuge Models

In this paper, an attempt has been made to highlight an experimental methodology for monitoring contaminant transport through locally available silty soil and commercially available clay in geotechnical centrifuge models, for different compaction states. Use of multiple depth sensors to determine depth distribution of sodium chloride in the soil column has been detailed. The obtained results have been compared with argentometric method. To validate the centrifuge modelling, modelling of models has been used. The test setup developed can simulate contaminant transport mechanisms through the soil mass, which is approximately 10 m deep, over a period of 600 days. R _e and P _e are found to be N times higher in the centrifuge models. These numbers are found to be several orders less than unity. This indicates that laminar flow prevails and the dominating Cl⁻ transport mechanism in centrifuge is diffusion. The study also highlights the fact that the geotechnical centrifuge modelling can be used as a viable alternative to field scale experimentation.     

Evaluation Of Ambient Air Pollution Impact On Carrot Plants At A Sub Urban Site Using Open Top Chambers

The present experiment was done to evaluate the impact of ambient air pollution on carrot (Dacus carotavar. Pusa Kesar) plants using open top chambers (OTCs) ventilated with ambient (NFCs) or charcoal filtered air (FCs) at a suburban site of Varanasi, India. Various morphological, physiological and biochemical characteristics of the plants were studied at different growth stages. Air monitoring data clearly showed high concentrations of SO₂, NO₂and O₃in the ambient air of study site. SO₂and NO₂concentrations were higher during early growth stages of carrot, whereas O₃concentration was highest during later growth stages. Filtration of air has caused significant reductions in all the three pollutant concentrations in FCs as compared to NFCs.Plants growing in FCs showed significantly higher photosynthetic rate, stomatal conductance, water use efficiency and variable fluorescence as compared to plants growing in NFCs. Protein content also showed a similar pattern, however, lipid peroxidation, ascorbic acid content and peroxidase activity were higher in plants growing in NFCs as compared to FCs. Shoot length, number of leaves per plant, leaf area and root and shoot weight increased significantly upon filtration of ambient air. Total nitrogen decreased significantly in root, but increased significantly in shoot of plants grown in NFCs. Total P, Mg, Ca and K contents decreased significantly in plants grown in NFCs as compared to FCs. The individual pollutant concentrations were below threshold for plant injury, but the combined effect of all the three seems to act synergistically in causing greater adverse impact on dry weight and physiology of carrot plants. The study clearly indicates that air pollutants are high enough in the ambient air to cause significant unfavorable impact on carrot plants. The work further supports the usefulness of OTCs for assessing air pollution damage under field conditions in developing countries.     

Qualidex – A New Software for Generating Water Quality Indice

Water quality indice are necessary for resolving lengthy, multi-parameter, water analysis reports into single digit scores. This, in turn, is essential for comparing the water quality of different sources and in monitoring the changes in the water quality of a given source as a function of time and other influencing factors.In this paper we present the computer-automated tool QUALIDEX (water QUALIty inDEX), which has been developed by us to generate and operate water quality indice. Several popular indice – such as the Oregon Water Quality Index developed in the 1970s by Oregon Department of Environmental Quality and later updated in 1995, the Aquatic Toxicity Index developed by Wepener and coworkers for protection of aquatic life at the Olifants river, Kruger National Park, South Africa, the water quality index developed by Dinius in 1987, the Overall Index of Pollution (of surface waters) developed at the National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI), and the water quality index of the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) – have also been added to QUALIDEX in modular form. There is also a New water quality index sub-module which enables the user to generate his or her own index and compare its performance with these well-known indice. The package is also capable of analyzing the variations in the water quality of different sites at different times. The software has been coded in Visual C++ and has been integrated with MS Access database.     

UV Spectroscopic Monitoring of Vaporized Monoaromatic Hydrocarbons from Petroleum-Contaminated Soils

Fast and simple systems using ultraviolet (UV) absorbance were examined for on-line monitoring of monoaromatic hydrocarbons from petroleum-contaminated soils in this research. Since soil particles hinder the UV light transmittance, the absorbance measurement of vaporized monoaromatic hydrocarbons in soil gas extracted from petroleum-contaminated soils was proposed. In the fixed system that exhibited higher sensitivity than the portable one, the absorbance intensity of benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylene increased in proportion to the concentration of the contaminants. The portable system, however, was suitable for screening purpose, while it exhibited faster response. There was no interference from water, which helps the applicability of the proposed systems to the actual fields.     

A Simulation Study to Assess the Sensitivity of a Forest Health Monitoring Network to Outbreaks of Defoliating Insects

The sensitivity of the United States Forest Health Monitoring network to outbreaks of defoliating insects was examined by means of a simulation study. A model constructed specifically for the study was used to generate a wide variety of defoliation patterns in forested landscapes. Forest configuration was that of Minnesota, USA, as expressed by the GAP land cover classification. Combinations of model parameters were based on a Latin Hypercube sample. The relationship between the average number of plots defoliated and outbreak characteristics was then examined via multiple regression. Both theoretical and model results pointed to a strong, linear relationship between the average number of plots defoliated and outbreak size. Model results provided additional insight, suggesting a significant relationship between the average number of plots defoliated and other outbreak characteristics after outbreak size was taken into account.     

Targeted Sustainable Development: 15 Years of Government and Community Intervention on the St. Lawrence River

From 1988 to 2003, the St. Lawrence Action Plan, a Canada – Quebec cooperation agreement on the St. Lawrence River, helped to mobilize a still-growing number of stakeholders in the conservation and protection of this great river and generated tangible results in a number of areas of intervention. The successes enjoyed in the area of industrial, agricultural and urban clean-up, in protecting plant and animal species and their habitats, and in acquiring new knowledge on the state and trends of the ecosystem reflect the sustained efforts of government and non-government partners over the course of those 15 years. The committed involvement of local communities provides assurance of the sustainable development of this vast ecosystem.The Canadian Crown reserves the right to retain a non-exclusive, royalty free licence in and to any copyright.