Integrating Remote Sensing Approach with Pollution Monitoring Tools for Aquatic Ecosystem Risk Assessment and Managment: A Case Study of Lake Victoria(UGANDA)

Aquatic ecosystems around the world, lake, estuaries and coastal areas are increasingly impacted by anthropogenic pollutants through different sources such as agricultural, industrial and urban discharges, atmospheric deposition and terrestrial drainage. Lake Victoria is the second largest lake in the world and the largest tropical lake. Bordered by Tanzania, Uganda, and Kenya, it provides a livelihood for millions of Africans in the region. However, the lake is under threat from eutrophication, a huge decline in the number of native fish species caused by several factors including loss of biodiversity, over fishing and pollution has been recently documented. Increasing usage of pesticides and insecticides in the adjacent agricultural areas as well as mercury contamination from processing of gold ore on the southern shores are currently considered among the most emergent phenomena of chemical contamination in the lake. By the application of globally consistent and comprehensive geospatial data-sets based on remote sensing integrated with information on heavy metals accumulation and insecticides exposure in native and alien fish populations, the present study aims at assessing the environmental risk associated to the contamination of the Lake Victoria water body on fish health, land cover distribution, biodiversity and the agricultural area surrounding the lake. By the elaboration of Landsat 7 TM data of November 2002 and Landsat 7 TM 1986 we have calculated the agriculture area which borders the Lake Victoria bay, which is an upland plain. This process has greatly enhanced nutrient loading to the soil, which is subsequently transported to the lake by rain or as dry fall. All the data has been insert in the Geographical information System (ARCGIS) to be upgraded and consulted. Heavy metals in fish fillets showed concentrations rather low except for mercury being higher than others as already described in previous investigations. In the same tissue, cholinesterases activity (ChE) as an indicator of insecticides exposure showed significant differences among fish species in both activity and sensitivity of selected inhibitor insecticides. This integrated approach aims at identifying and quantifying selected aquatic environmental issues which integrated with monitoring techniques such as contaminant concentrations and biological responses to insecticides exposure in fish populations will provide a scientific basis for aquatic zones management and assist in policy formulations at the national and international levels.     

Comparison of Nitrate Levels in Raw Water and Finished Water from Historical Monitoring Data on Iowa Municipal Drinking Water Supplies

Nitrate contamination of water sources is a concern where large amounts of nitrogen fertilizers are regularly applied to soils. Ingested nitrate from dietary sources and drinking water can be converted to nitrite and ultimately to N-nitroso compounds, many of which are known carcinogens. Epidemiologic studies of drinking water nitrate and cancer report mixed findings; a criticism is the use of nitrate concentrations from retrospective drinking water data to assign exposure levels. Residential point-of-use nitrate data are scarce; gaps in historical data for municipal supply finished water hamper exposure classification efforts. We used generalized linear regression models to estimate and compare historical raw water and finished water nitrate levels (1960s--1990s) in single source Iowa municipal supplies to determine whether raw water monitoring data could supplement finished water data to improve exposure assessment. Comparison of raw water and finished water samples (same sampling date) showed a significant difference in nitrate levels in municipalities using rivers; municipalities using other surface water or alluvial groundwater had no difference in nitrate levels. A regional aggregation of alluvial groundwater municipalities was constructed based on results from a previous study showing regional differences in nitrate contamination of private wells; results from this analysis were mixed, dependent upon region and decade. These analyses demonstrate using historical raw water nitrate monitoring data to supplement finished water data for exposure assessment is appropriate for individual Iowa municipal supplies using alluvial groundwater, lakes or reservoirs. Using alluvial raw water data on a regional basis is dependent on region and decade.     

装甲钢自然环境试验与人工加速试验的相关性

对某型装甲钢在酸雨大气环境下自然暴露与人工模拟加速试验的相关性进行了研究。利用腐蚀机理对比、Spearman秩相关系数、灰色关联度、加速转换因子等方法进行了相关性的定性定量评价。评价结果表明模拟加速试验与自然环境暴露试验有较好相关性。     

磷对云龙湖富营养化优势藻及混合藻生长的影响

氮磷等营养盐的增加和藻类的过度增殖是富营养化的主要标志。大多数湖泊水体富营养化受磷元素的制约。研究表明富营养化水体的不同藻类对磷含量的依赖性各不相同。通过研究在相同氮浓度,相同温度条件下,不同磷浓度对纯种小球藻和硅藻以及天然混合藻生长速度的影响,发现在氮浓度充足的情况下,磷含量高促进小球藻生长;对硅藻却没有明显的相关性;天然水体混合藻生长速度与磷浓度呈正相关。     

臭氧对有机物混凝的影响

采用PDA(Photometric Disperse Analysis)和有机物表观分子量分级、有机物化学极性分级技术从絮体形成过程、絮体表现、有机物分子水平变化等方面研究了臭氧预氧化对混凝过程的影响;并对比了不同混凝剂在预臭氧条件下的混凝过程和效率.结果表明:臭氧预氧化对混凝过程有复杂的影响,其剂量和水体有机物特征决定了其对混凝的整体影响效果.有机物分级显示,臭氧化对有机物结构有重要影响,导致有机物极性、亲水性组分含量大幅提高(36.7%),小分子量组分(<10×10³)大幅增高(100%左右);但总的DOC去除率不高(3.28%).对PACl而言,在中、低剂量(O₃/TOC<0.7)下,臭氧对絮体形成过程影响较小,但对絮体沉降性和浊度去除已经有阻碍作用.在中、高剂量下(O₃/TOC>0.7),对絮体形成有显著滞后,浊度、有机物去除效率下降.AlCl₃对臭氧化作用反应敏感,臭氧化在试验剂量条件下,对絮体形成和浊度、有机物去除都有明显的阻碍作用.     

Unintended Effects of Emphasizing the Role of Climate Change in Recent Natural Disasters

In 2017, the United States experienced a series of natural hazards (hurricanes, wildfires, and blizzards) that resulted in significant loss of life and property. Emphasizing the role of climate change in these events might offer an important tool for engagement, particularly with skeptical audiences. However, in a survey experiment (N?=?1504) involving three different natural hazards – hurricanes, wildfires, and blizzards – we find that emphasizing the role of climate change in these hazards produced unintended effects for climate change skeptics. In particular, skeptics experienced resistance to the news article, which associated with reduced perceived hazard severity. These backfiring effects likely serve as a defensive mechanism used by skeptics to maintain their prior views of climate change, illustrating the challenges faced in communicating climate change to skeptical audiences. These findings offer additional insight for those attempting to communicate climate-related risk information to skeptical audiences.     

Exposure assessment of operators to pesticides in Kongou,a sub-watershed of Niger River valley

The use of pesticides in horticultural sector in Niger has become an integral part of modern agriculture. Nevertheless, their inappropriate use can generate negative health effects to operators. A study was carried out among Kongou farmers in order to assess their potential dermal exposure (PDE). The UK-POEM model was used to quantify the PDE during mixing/loading and application according to the local practices. In order to determine which parts of the operator body are subject to most contamination during spraying and to validate the theoretical model used, a patch method was used with a tartrazine dye. The deposits of the tartrazine on patches were measured by colorimetry thanks to the absorbance value determined after their extraction in water and a calibration curve. A total of ten spraying trials (five trials with the hand-held sprayer and five others with the backpack sprayer) were performed by different producers at 0.5 and 1 m height for each trial. The survey shows that 92% of the farmers are illiterate and the most common active substances identified are organophosphate or pyrethroids insecticides. Seventy percent of operators do not use any personal protective equipment (PPE) during mixing/loading or spraying. The predictive systemic exposure levels vary from 0.0027?mg kg^?1 bw per day to 0.7692?mg kg^?1 bw per day for backpack sprayer and from 0.0261?mg kg^?1 bw per day to 0.9788?mg kg^?1 bw per day for hand-held sprayer, several times higher the Acceptable Operator Exposure Level (AOEL) for some actives substances. Theoretical modeling indicates more exposure of operator by a hand-held sprayer than a backpack sprayer. The patch method results show that the deposits of dye increase when the position of sprayer nozzle increases from 0.5 to 1 m for the two sprayers. All parts of the operator body are contaminated but lower body parts and chest are the most exposed. The patch method results also show that hand spraying contaminates operator more than backpack spraying, confirming the results of the theoretical model.     

自然土壤中苯酚降解菌的分离和系统发育分析

采用富集培养的方法,从未受苯酚污染的自然土壤中分离得到5株能以苯酚为唯一碳源生长的细菌.根据生理生化特性和系统发育分析对它们进行了初步鉴定,菌株PHD-2为Ralstonia sp.,菌株 PHD-4为Acinetobacter sp.,菌株PHD-5 为Microbacterium sp.,菌株PHD-1和PHD-3均为Pseudomonas sp.,16S rRNA基因序列的同源性比较和系统发育分析表明自然土壤中的苯酚降解菌具有丰富的多样性.     

温度对底泥中硝基苯的自然衰减及强化降解的影响

利用人工配制的2种不同浓度(1000和100μg·kg-1)的硝基苯污染底泥,研究了4℃和20℃ 2种温度条件下硝基苯的自然衰减和生物强化降解情况.结果表明,2种浓度的硝基苯在4℃时有氧、缺氧条件下均无降解,20℃时有氧和缺氧条件下均有明显的降解;添加筛选出的混合降解菌可快速降解处于泥浆状的硝基苯.因而,对于受到硝基苯污染的底泥修复可充分考虑其自然衰减能力,降低修复成本.     

人工湿地污水处理系统的蛭石缓冲单元及缓冲能力生物再生研究

针对当前人工湿地污水处理中普遍存在的冬季处理效果差等问题,研究了在处理系统中构建天然蛭石缓冲单元及其吸附饱和后进行生物再生的可行性.结果表明,在水力负荷为1.4 m3·m-2·d-1(COD:150～350mg·L-1、NH 4-N:10～30 mg·L-1、TP:1.0～4.5 mg·L-1)和蛭石层填充高度≥60cm的条件下,无植物天然蛭石缓冲单元可至少在45d内保持出水各项水质指标达到一级排放标准(GB 18918-2002),从而可基本满足人工湿地在植物换季时期的处理需要,而且,增加系统含氧量和蛭石用量可提高体系缓冲性能.在夏秋季温度较高的条件下(25～30℃),利用微生物的硝化与反硝化作用和植物根系的吸收与复氧功能,可有效提高蛭石再吸附的能力,其中有植物的湿地单元90d后蛭石吸附容量的再生率可达88.2%～91.3%,生物再生过程的动力学方程符合指数关系,植物种类、干湿交替时间和碳源对蛭石生物再生过程有较为显著的影响.