ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT OF TAILINGS DISPERSAL FROM A URANIUM MINE USING TOXICITY TESTING PROTOCOLS1

ABSTRACT: Toxicity testing is a means of establishing the environmental risk of a uranium tailings release. It is valuable in designing tailings containment structures because it assists in setting acceptable levels of risk for the design. This paper presents details of toxicity tests of the tailings from Ranger Uranium Mine, Northern Territory, Australia. The results suggest that the non-radiological toxicity of the tailings is low. The environmental risk of a tailings release is more likely to be related to the physical impacts of the tailings, including infilling of billabongs and changes in the sedimentology of riparian ecosystems rather than their biogeochemical impact. Two major results were: (1) water from treatment with washed tailing fines were not toxic to Hydra viridissima, and (2) mixtures of washed tailings fines and natural floodplain sediment (overlying water or elutriates) were not toxic to Hydra viridissima or Moinodaphnia macleayi.     

人工湿地对二级出水中TN、TP去除效果的季节性研究

研究了垂直流和表面流两种人工湿地系统在水力停留时间为2 d条件下,在不同季节对二级出水中TN、TP的去除效果。结果显示,垂直流湿地系统对TN、TP的去除效果优于表面流湿地系统。两种类型的人工湿地对TN的去除效果随季节的变化而波动,夏秋季节去除率最高,春季次之,冬季去除效果最差;垂直流人工湿地系统对TP的去除效果随季节的变化趋势与TN去除率的变化相同,而表面流湿地系统对TP的去除效果在春夏秋季变化不大,冬季的平均去除率仅有16.5%。分析认为,人工湿地应用于二级出水的深度处理,对于满足观赏性景观环境用水(尤其是观赏性河道和湖泊类)的水质指标是可行的。     

几种植物对潜流型湖滨湿地中氮磷的处理效果比较

湖滨带是连接湖泊水域生态系统与陆地生态系统的一个功能过渡区,是湖泊的最后一道保护屏障。在河流的入湖口建造湖滨湿地,可有效净化入湖水中携带的部分有机污染物、营养盐等。湿地净化污染物的机理极为复杂,其中植被起着重要的作用。选择适当的植物是构建湿地系统的关键。以云南省抚仙湖北岸的湖滨湿地——马料河潜流型湿地为研究对象,探讨了美人蕉(Cannaindica),菖蒲(AcoruscalamusLinn),伞竹(Cyperusalternifolius),香蒲(Typhaelatifolia)四种不同植被系统的潜流型湖滨湿地去除污水中营养盐的效果,为抚仙湖湖滨带人工湿地的合理优化选择植物提供一定的依据。结果表明,四种植被系统的潜流湿地对总氮和总磷均有一定的去除效果。但是由于湿地长期运行而疏于管理,植物没有定期收割翻新,四种植物的氮磷去除率差别不太大,去除效果均不太佳。其中,美人蕉对总氮和总磷的去除效果较好,其去除率分别是30.4%,19.13%,其次为香蒲和伞竹,效果较差的是菖蒲。并且实验表明,暴雨对四种植物湿地氮的去除效果有很大的影响。连续几天的暴雨情况下,四种植物系统氮的去除率都很低。     

湿地冷湿效应初探

对湿地周围不同距离农田的近地面气温、湿度、地温以及典型湿地地温的测定表明 ,湿地冷湿效应与湿地植被及其积水深度有关。在所选择的 3种湿地植被中 ,漂筏苔草积水最深 ,冷湿效应最大 ,其次为毛果苔草 ,小叶章最小。不同距离农田的近地面气温和湿度变化不同 ,随距离增加 ,温度增大 ,湿度减小。这种变化主要是由湿地的局部冷湿作用造成的。农田地温平均值高出小叶章湿地 4℃之多 ,高出漂筏苔草湿地近 5℃ ,表明湿地的制冷作用很明显     

Benefits of protected areas for nonbreeding waterbirds adjusting their distributions under climate warming

Climate warming is driving changes in species distributions and community composition. Many species have a so-called climatic debt, that is, shifts in range lag behind shifts in temperature isoclines. Inside protected areas (PAs), community changes in response to climate warming can be facilitated by greater colonization rates by warm-dwelling species, but also mitigated by lowering extirpation rates of cold-dwelling species. An evaluation of the relative importance of colonization-extirpation processes is important to inform conservation strategies that aim for both climate debt reduction and species conservation. We assessed the colonization-extirpation dynamics involved in community changes in response to climate inside and outside PAs. To do so, we used 25 years of occurrence data of nonbreeding waterbirds in the western Palearctic (97 species, 7071 sites, 39 countries, 1993–2017). We used a community temperature index (CTI) framework based on species thermal affinities to investigate species turnover induced by temperature increase. We determined whether thermal community adjustment was associated with colonization by warm-dwelling species or extirpation of cold-dwelling species by modeling change in standard deviation of the CTI (CTI_SD). Using linear mixed-effects models, we investigated whether communities in PAs had lower climatic debt and different patterns of community change than communities outside PAs. For CTI and CTI_SD combined, communities inside PAs had more species, higher colonization, lower extirpation, and lower climatic debt (16%) than communities outside PAs. Thus, our results suggest that PAs facilitate 2 independent processes that shape community dynamics and maintain biodiversity. The community adjustment was, however, not sufficiently fast to keep pace with the large temperature increases in the central and northeastern western Palearctic. Our results underline the potential of combining CTI and CTI_SD metrics to improve understanding of the colonization-extirpation patterns driven by climate warming.     

Effect of Invasive Plant Species on Temperate Wetland Plant Diversity

Abstract:  Invasive species are a major threat to global biodiversity and an important cause of biotic homogenization of ecosystems. Exotic plants have been identified as a particular concern because of the widely held belief that they competitively exclude native plant species. We examined the correlation between native and invasive species richness in 58 Ontario inland wetlands. The relationship between exotic and native species richness was positive even when we controlled for important covarying factors. In addition, we examined the relationship between the abundance of four native species (  Typha latifolia, T. angustifolia, Salix petiolaris, Nuphar variegatum ) and four invasive species (  Lythrum salicaria, Hydrocharis morsus-ranae, Phalaris arundinacea, Rhamnus frangula ) that often dominate temperate wetlands and native and rare native species richness. Exotic species were no more likely to dominate a wetland than native species, and the proportion of dominant exotic species that had a significant negative effect on the native plant community was the same as the proportion of native species with a significant negative effect. We conclude that the key to conservation of inland wetland biodiversity is to discourage the spread of community dominants, regardless of geographical origin.     

Constructed wetlands for mitigation of atrazine-associated agricultural runoff

Atrazine was amended into constructed wetlands (59-73x14x0.3 m) for the purpose of monitoring transport and fate of the pesticide to obtain information necessary to provide future design parameters for constructed wetlands mitigation of agricultural runoff. Following pesticide amendment, a simulated storm and runoff event equal to three volume additions was imposed on each wetland. Targeted atrazine concentrations were 0 microg/l (unamended control), 73 microg/l, and 147 microg/l. Water, sediment, and plant samples were collected weekly for 35 days from transects longitudinally distributed throughout each wetland and were analyzed for atrazine using gas chromatography. Between 17 and 42% of measured atrazine mass was within the first 30-36 m of wetlands. Atrazine was below detection limits (0.05 microg/kg) in all sediment and plant samples collected throughout the duration of this study. Aqueous half lives ranged from 16 to 48 days. According to these data, conservative buffer travel distances of 100-280 m would be necessary for effective runoff mitigation.     

锰矿石人工湿地中去除双氯芬酸的机理研究

以双氯芬酸为目标有机药物污染物,探究其在以锰矿石为填料并接种了异化金属还原菌（Geobactermetallireducens,简称GS-15细菌）的垂直流人工湿地中的去除过程.结果表明,双氯芬酸在锰矿石人工湿地中的平均去除率最高为23.56%.采用XRD和XRF对反应前后的锰矿石进行物相和元素相对含量分析,得出锰（Mn）是参与降解双氯芬酸的关键响应元素.GS-15细菌利用锰矿石发生异化还原对双氯芬酸的氧化降解是锰矿石人工湿地对双氯芬酸的主要去除途径.此外,利用液质联用技术（LC-MS/MS）对降解产物进行鉴定,发现双氯芬酸被降解生成了5-羟基双氯芬酸、双氯芬酸-2,5-亚氨基琨和1,3-二氯苯三种降解产物,该研究成果对有机药物废水的深度处理提供新的方法和理论指导.     

构建湿地系统水力学参数的设计模型研究

构建湿地污水处理系统的水力学参数对于其功能的发挥起着非常重要的作用。在探讨构建湿地主要水力学设计参数的基础上,根据描述构建湿地污染物去除的几类机理模型:一级动力学模型、连续完全混合反应器模型、Monod动力学模型、Ergun公式以及对流-弥散模型,分别导出了相应的构建湿地污水处理系统水力学设计参数的计算模型并分析了不同设计模型的特点。     

潜流人工湿地系统停留时间分布与N、P浓度空间变化

通过人工湿地小试装置,研究了风车草和香蒲水平潜流人工湿地处理富营养化养殖水体过程中水力停留时间分布（RTD）特征和系统内N、P浓度空间变化规律.结果表明,供试的香蒲潜流湿地和风车草潜流湿地系统RTD曲线特征值σ²分别为0.324 6和0.410 8,表明水流流态介于推流与混合流之间,风车草潜流湿地系统RTD曲线较香蒲潜流湿地平滑,水流混合流动程度较弱. 2种植物类型湿地床体总氮（TN）和氨氮（NH⁺₄-N）浓度在垂直方向上的分层现象明显,尤其在湿地床体前端;TN浓度随着取样点深度增加而上升,而NH⁺₄-N浓度则以中层取样点为最低;对于总磷（TP）和正磷酸盐（PO^3-₄-P）浓度, 2种植物类型湿地系统内均表现为随取样点深度增加而上升,但这种差异随沿程而降低. 与香蒲湿地相比较,风车草潜流湿地系统N、P浓度分层现象更为明显.风车草湿地系统后端各层取样点TN和TP平均浓度较香蒲湿地系统分别下降了19.8%和12.3%,说明风车草潜流湿地系统对富营养化养殖水体中氮、磷的去除效果优于香蒲湿地.