同位素及其在环境科学中的应用

介绍了同位索的一些基本概念,同位案在水循环、测定地下水年龄、判别地下水来源及古气候、古环境研究等领域中的应用．同时阐述了我国同位索水文学的发展现状、存在的问题及研究方向。     

植物的非传统稳定同位素前处理及测定技术研究进展

一直以来植物都是多领域的研究重点,随着非传统稳定同位素的不断发展,植物非传统稳定同位素研究日益增加。但因植物样品中有机物含量高,同位素分馏复杂,样品前处理及测定中存在诸多难题。本文对植物样品非传统稳定同位素工作中常用的前处理方法和测定技术进行了总结。综述了直接萃取法、湿法消解和高温灰化法的原理、操作和优缺点;以K、Ca、Mg、Fe、B等典型非传统稳定同位素为例介绍了非传统稳定同位素常用测定技术,旨在为植物样品的非传统稳定同位素测定进行梳理,最后对其应用方向和测试方法的发展方向进行了展望。     

典型梅雨持续性降水事件的水汽同位素特征及其成因

梅雨期持续性强降水是江淮地区重要的灾害天气,往往给降水地区带来巨大的生命与经济损失。2016年7月1—7日,南京地区经历了一场历时7 d的典型梅雨降雨过程,本文针对此次降水事件的大气水汽稳定同位素变化特征及其成因进行相关研究。研究发现：水汽稳定同位素的变化特征与大尺度有组织对流活动和大气环流有良好的对应关系。水汽稳定同位素随时间分别呈现δ¹⁸O的“U型”演化和过量氘的波动变化,二者在不同降雨阶段的演化特征可以指示产生降雨的天气系统的移动与切换,其中水汽过量氘随时间变化的极大值和极小值转折点分别反映了低涡系统开始与结束影响研究区、冷切变线消散、槽线过境以及台风外围水汽抵达研究区的时间。结果表明：多个天气系统连续作用于研究区及其带来的不同水汽源的持续供给,是此次梅雨期降水持续维持的重要条件。     

Backwater Confluences of the Ohio River: Organic and Inorganic Fingerprints Explain Sediment Dynamics in Wetlands and Marinas

In the Ohio River (OR), backwater confluence sedimentation dynamics are understudied, however, these river features are expected to be influential on the system’s ecological and economic function when integrated along the river’s length. In the following paper, we test the efficacy of organic and inorganic tracers for sediment fingerprinting in backwater confluences; we use fingerprinting results to evidence sediment dynamics controlling deposition patterns in confluences used for wetland and marina functions; and we quantify the spatial extent of tributary drainages with wetland and marina features in OR confluences. Both organic and inorganic tracers statistically differentiate sediment from stream and river end‐members. Carbon and nitrogen stable isotopes produce greater uncertainty in fingerprinting results than inorganic elemental tracers. Uncertainty analysis of the nonconservative tracer term in the organic matter fingerprinting application estimates an apparent enrichment of the carbon stable isotopes during instream residence, and the nonconservativeness is quantified with a statistical approach unique to the fingerprinting literature. Wetland and marina features in OR confluences impact 42% and 11% of tributary drainage areas, respectively. Sediment dynamics show wetland and marina confluences experience deposition from river backwaters with longitudinally linear and nonlinear patterns, respectively, from sediment sources.     

福建省兴化湾大气重金属的干湿沉降

在兴化湾周围采集1年的大气颗粒物及降雨样品,测定分析了Cd,Pb,Zn和Cu 4种重金属的含量及其大气干湿沉降通量随季节的变化规律,并利用Pb同位素对大气颗粒物的来源进行了解析.结果表明:大气重金属的干沉降通量随季节变化不大,而湿沉降通量随季节变化明显.大气干沉降通量中,Cd,Cu随季节变化很小,而Pb,Zn有一定的季节变化,主要是因为降雨对大气颗粒物的去除作用.大气湿沉降通量中,所有重金属元素受降雨量影响显著,另外还与季节和风速有关.除Pb外,Cd,Zn和Cu的湿沉降通量均大于干沉降通量,说明湿沉降在大气对兴化湾重金属的输入过程中起主导作用.而Pb的输入则以颗粒态为主.根据Pb稳定同位素分析,兴化湾大气颗粒物中的重金属主要来源于工业活动.      

鄱阳湖湿地土壤-植物-地下水稳定氧同位素组成分析

近年来,鄱阳湖水位持续走低,极端干旱事件频繁发生,湿地生态系统结构与功能遭受破坏。为此,于2014年鄱阳湖湿地保护区两个断面分层采集0~100 cm土壤,并采集优势种植物和河湖水以及地下水数据,运用稳定同位素技术,分析了土壤-植物-河湖水-地下水稳定同位素变化特征,并探寻它们之间的补给关系。结果表明,两断面土壤水氧同位素变化范围分别为–10.48‰~–5.23‰和–12.39‰~–6.55‰,算术平均值分别为–8.36‰和–8.63‰。断面一表层(0~30 cm)土壤水氧重同位素较富集,且随深度增加而减小;断面二表层(0~40 cm)土壤水中氧同位素组成基本无变化。断面一的地下水主要是受降水补给,断面二可能是受降水和河湖水共同补给。鄱阳湖湿地两断面优势种植物虉草叶片水的氧同位素值最大,为–0.9‰,其次是灰化苔草和芦苇,分别为–4.23‰和–5.25‰。     

The influence of radiopharmaceutical isotope production on the global radioxenon background

Radioxenon isotopes play a major role in confirming whether or not an underground explosion was nuclear in nature. It is then of key importance to understand the sources of environmental radioxenon to be able to distinguish them from those of a nuclear explosion.     

The role of analogues in radioecology

If no data are available for a specific radionuclide its analogue could be used in radioecological models. They might be used not only in the frame of screening modelling. Relevant processes and features have to be known, such as time scales of these processes, physical, chemical and biological properties of the environment and relevant media. An analogue could only be proven to be valid by comparing its behaviour in the conditions of interest, while confidence in the validity of an analogue will increase as the quality of the justification increases, there will always be some residual uncertainty. Several main types of analogy can be used when measured or recommended values are not available: the same parameter obtained for another isotope of the same element; the same parameter obtained for another element; a different parameter obtained for the same element. There are several cases, when analogues might be applied as indicators of the determining processes in the radioecological studies.     

Cation exchange in a glacial till drumlin at a road salt storage facility

At a former wood preservation plant severely contaminated with coal tar oil, in situ bulk attenuation and biodegradation rate constants for several monoaromatic (BTEX) and polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) were determined using (1) classical first order decay models, (2) Michaelis–Menten degradation kinetics (MM), and (3) stable carbon isotopes, for o-xylene and naphthalene. The first order bulk attenuation rate constant for o-xylene was calculated to be 0.0025 d^− 1 and a novel stable isotope-based first order model, which also accounted for the respective redox conditions, resulted in a slightly smaller biodegradation rate constant of 0.0019 d^− 1. Based on MM-kinetics, the o-xylene concentration decreased with a maximum rate of k_max = 0.1 µg/L/d. The bulk attenuation rate constant of naphthalene retrieved from the classical first order decay model was 0.0038 d^− 1. The stable isotope-based biodegradation rate constant of 0.0027 d^− 1 was smaller in the reduced zone, while residual naphthalene in the oxic part of the plume further downgradient was degraded at a higher rate of 0.0038 d^− 1. With MM-kinetics a maximum degradation rate of k_max = 12 µg/L/d was determined. Although best fits were obtained by MM-kinetics, we consider the carbon stable isotope-based approach more appropriate as it is specific for biodegradation (not overall attenuation) and at the same time accounts for the dominant electron-accepting process. For o-xylene a field based isotope enrichment factor ε_field of − 1.4 could be determined using the Rayleigh model, which closely matched values from laboratory studies of o-xylene degradation under sulfate-reducing conditions.     

Global fallout Pu recorded in lacustrine sediments in Lake Hongfeng, SW China

Studies on the distribution and isotope compositions of fallout Pu are important for source characterization of possible future non-fallout Pu contamination in aquatic environments, and useful for dating of recent sediments to understand the pollution history of environmental contaminants. We present the historical record of atmospheric Pu fallout reconstructed from a sediment core from Lake Hongfeng, China. The Pu activity profile was in agreement with the 137Cs profile. Inventories were 50.7 Bq m(-2) for 239+240Pu and 1586 Bq m(-2) for 137Cs. The average 240Pu/239Pu atom ratio was 0.185+/-0.009, indicating that Pu originated from global stratospheric fallout rather than from direct tropospheric or close-in fallout from the Chinese nuclear testing conducted in the 1970s. Our data suggested that Lake Hongfeng would be an ideal setting for monitoring atmospheric fallout and environmental changes in this region.