Structural and optical characterization of dissolved organic matter from the lower Athabasca River, Canada

Dissolved organic matter (DOM) is a ubiquitous constituent of natural waters and is comprised of a variety of chemically heterogeneous molecular structures and functional groups. DOM is often considered to be a major ligand for metals in most natural waters and its reactivity is thought to be strongly dependent on its chemical composition and structure. In this study, a combination of UV/visible, emission excitation matrix fluorescence (EEM) and ¹H NMR spectroscopies were used to characterize DOM from the Athabasca River (Alberta, Canada). The chemical characterization of river DOM showed that the most upstream samples located in agricultural areas were blue-shifted and less aromatic and contained more hydrogens connected with oxygen functional groups than those in the wetland dominated area in the Athabasca oil sand deposit region. The presence of paramagnetic ions (Fe and Al) was not found to significantly affect the structural composition of DOM as revealed by ¹H NMR. Such change in the quality of DOM may have a profound impact on metal binding in the Athabasca River watershed.     

Assessment of DDT and mercury levels in fish and sediments in the Iriri River,Brazil: Distribution and ecological risk

Abstract

In order to assess the risk of exposure of human populations to dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) and mercury, muscles of five fish species were analysed, along with the surface sediment of 14 Iriri River sampling sites. The fish specimens were sacrificed by the spinal section, prior to sex identification, body weight determination and total length. Considering the fish specimens studied, 11% of them showed concentrations of mercury higher than the maximum established by the World Health Organization for safe human consumption. A positive correlation between fish body weight and mercury concentration was observed, besides a positive correlation between the fish size and Hg concentration. Significant differences (P?<?0.05) were found between mean concentrations of DDT and metabolites among species of fish studied. In the Plagioscion squamossissimus species, the highest concentration of total DDT (151.4?ng/g) was found, while in Eugerres Brasilianus species, the lowest. However, the DDT levels in fish muscle of studied species are below the maximum set by FAO-Alimentarius CODEX. In the sediments, total DDT ranged from 11.58?ng/g to 48.4?ng/g, which is associated with the historical DDT use in the Amazon. According to sediment quality guidelines, these levels have a moderate toxic effect in almost all of the studied region.     

人工浮床对汾江河水质净化的研究

对佛山市汾江河内布置浮床的水域的7个断面进行采样监测,分析了布置浮床侧与未布置浮床侧各水质指标的差异,以考察人工浮床对汾江河水质的净化效果。同时比较了圆币草、水罂粟、梭鱼草、狐尾草、美人蕉和鸢尾6种浮床植物的生物量和氮磷吸收量。结果表明,布置人工浮床一侧的水质TN、TP、COD和NH4＋-N含量均显著低于未布置浮床一侧的水质,表明人工浮床对水体水质的有净化效果。总面积约4 900 m2的浮床植物经过3个月的生长,从水体中共吸收了192.5 kg的氮和76.1 kg的磷。6种浮床植物中,狐尾草的净增生物量最高,达到64.2 kg/m2;圆币草次之,为62.2 kg/m2。狐尾草和圆币草对氮磷的吸收能力在6种植物中处于较高水平,每平方米狐尾草和圆币草从水体中分别吸收了51.61g氮、19.79 g磷和46.90 g氮、22.93 g磷。综合比较得出,狐尾草和圆币草在生物量和氮磷吸收量上均保持在较高水平,是较好的浮床植物。本研究为人工浮床在南方类似河流中的应用及植物选择提供了参考依据。     

湘江株洲段丰水期镉污染负荷总量测算及分配

以2010年8月湘江干流株洲段代表性断面水质与底泥监测资料以及其他资料为基础,采用WASP7模型模拟该江段丰水期镉浓度,并进行镉污染负荷测算与分配。研究结果表明,WASP7模型较好地重现了镉浓度的变化规律,8月份该河段上游镉入流量2 446.33 kg,下游出流量3 076.44 kg,区间增量630.12 kg,其中点源负荷量241.67 kg,占38.4%,面源负荷量304.49 kg,占48.3%,内源负荷量为83.96 kg,占13.3%。     

实验室率定法测算长江南通段污染物降解系数

污染物降解系数是确定水环境容量的关键参数之一,本文采用实验室率定法,采集长江南通段的水样,分别于6℃、10℃、16℃、20℃室温下,在实验室内进行周期为20天的室内水质分析,根据室内水质分析结果,测算出不同温度下长江南通段"十二五"减排的约束性指标化学需氧量、氨氮的降解系数,并定性分析了长江水体中污染物本底浓度、可生化性、pH值等环境因子对污染物降解系数可能发生的影响。     

天堂河河道治理工程水质改善预测分析

河道治理工程重在改善河道的水质,以恢复河流生态系统。本文以北京市大兴区天堂河河道治理工程为例,介绍了河道治理工程环境影响评价中的水质改善预测分析,首先分析生态需水量和供氧量是否满足河流生态需水要求,后又利用地面水环评助手软件预测了河流水质,预测分析了天堂河水质目标的可达性,旨在为以后的河道治理类工程环境影响评价提供参考。     

浊漳河山西省潞城市境内段河流生态健康评价研究

浊漳河山西省潞城市境内干流段及南源段河道生态环境目前最突出的问题在于水质恶化、水量减少以及生物多样性衰退。本文从水质、水量、生物状况三个要素出发,通过建立浊漳河潞城市境内河段的水生态健康评价体系,对浊漳南源及干流段进行了生态健康诊断。结果显示,浊漳干流段生态健康总指数36.74,呈生态病态状;南源段生态健康总指数60.03,呈基本健康状态。据此,浊漳河潞城境内段目前的核心问题是生态恢复问题,应当针对其存在的问题选择适当的生态修复模式,采取相应的生态环境管理方法,把生态系统的恢复和重建作为其流域治理的最终目标。     

Spatial distribution of perfluoroalkyl acids in the Pearl River of Southern China

An intensive campaign was conducted in September 2012 to collect surface water samples along the tributaries of the Pearl River in southern China. Thirteen perfluoroalkyl acids (PFAAs), including perfluorocarboxylates (PFCAs, C4–C11) and perfluorosulfonates (PFSAs, C4, C6–C8, and C10), were determined using high-performance liquid chromatography/negative electrospray ionization–tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC/(-)ESI–MS/MS). The concentrations of total PFAAs (ΣPFAAs) ranged from 3.0 to 52 ng L⁻¹, with an average of 19 ± 12 ng L⁻¹. The highest concentrations of ΣPFAAs were detected in the surface water of the Dong Jiang tributary (17–52 ng L⁻¹), followed by the main stream (13–26 ng L⁻¹) and the Sha Wan stream (3.0–4.5 ng L⁻¹). Perfluorooctanoate (PFOA), perfluorobutane sulfonate (PFBS), and perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) were the three most abundant PFAAs and on average accounted for 20%, 24%, and 19% of ΣPFAAs, respectively. PFBS was the most abundant PFAA in the Dong Jiang tributary, and PFOA was the highest PFAA in the samples from the main stream of the Pearl River. A correlation was found between PFBS and PFOA, which suggests that both of these PFAAs originate from common source(s) in the region. Nevertheless, the slope of PFBS/PFOA was different in the different tributaries sampled, which indicates a spatial difference in the source profiles of the PFAAs.     

Development and field validation of an indicator to assess the relative mobility and risk of pesticides in the Lourens River catchment,South Africa

A GIS based pesticide risk indicator that integrates exposure variables (i.e. pesticide application, geographic, physicochemical and crop data) and toxicity endpoints (using species sensitivity distributions) was developed to estimate the Predicted Relative Exposure (PREX) and Predicted Relative Risk (PRRI) of applied pesticides to aquatic ecosystem health in the Lourens River catchment, Western Cape, South Africa. Samples were collected weekly at five sites from the beginning of the spraying season (October) till the beginning of the rainy season (April) and were semi quantitatively analysed for relevant pesticides applied according to the local farmers spraying programme. Monitoring data indicate that physicochemical data obtained from international databases are reliable indicators of pesticide behaviour in the Western Cape of South Africa. Sensitivity analysis identified K_OC as the most important parameter influencing predictions of pesticide loading derived from runoff. A comparison to monitoring data showed that the PREX successfully identified hotspot sites, gave a reasonable estimation of the relative contamination potential of different pesticides at a site and identified important routes of exposure (i.e. runoff or spray drift) of different pesticides at different sites. All pesticides detected during a monitored runoff event, were indicated as being more associated with runoff than spray drift by the PREX. The PRRI identified azinphos-methyl and chlorpyrifos as high risk pesticides towards the aquatic ecosystem. These results contribute to providing increased confidence in the use of risk indicator applications and, in particular, could lead to improved utilisation of limited resources for monitoring and management in resource constrained countries.     

Projecting Cumulative Benefits of Multiple River Restoration Projects: An Example from the Sacramento-San Joaquin River System in California

Despite increasingly large investments, the potential ecological effects of river restoration programs are still small compared to the degree of human alterations to physical and ecological function. Thus, it is rarely possible to “restore” pre-disturbance conditions; rather restoration programs (even large, well-funded ones) will nearly always involve multiple small projects, each of which can make some modest change to selected ecosystem processes and habitats. At present, such projects are typically selected based on their attributes as individual projects (e.g., consistency with programmatic goals of the funders, scientific soundness, and acceptance by local communities), and ease of implementation. Projects are rarely prioritized (at least explicitly) based on how they will cumulatively affect ecosystem function over coming decades. Such projections require an understanding of the form of the restoration response curve, or at least that we assume some plausible relations and estimate cumulative effects based thereon. Drawing on our experience with the CALFED Bay-Delta Ecosystem Restoration Program in California, we consider potential cumulative system-wide benefits of a restoration activity extensively implemented in the region: isolating/filling abandoned floodplain gravel pits captured by rivers to reduce predation of outmigrating juvenile salmon by exotic warmwater species inhabiting the pits. We present a simple spreadsheet model to show how different assumptions about gravel pit bathymetry and predator behavior would affect the cumulative benefits of multiple pit-filling and isolation projects, and how these insights could help managers prioritize which pits to fill.