基于磁化率和210Pbex的金沙江下游小流域泥沙来源研究

金沙江下游地区侵蚀泥沙研究基础薄弱,实测资料较少,可靠的泥沙来源信息尤其是一系列国家重点水土保持工程如"长治"工程实施后流域泥沙的主要来源及贡献,对该区未来水土保持和生态环境建设以及不同治理措施效益评价具有重要意义。利用低频磁化率χ_(lf)和放射性核素~(210)Pb_(ex)双指纹因子,开展了金沙江下游一"长治"工程治理小流域(元谋县凉山乡小流域)泥沙来源研究。结果表明,坡耕地表土、林地表土和沟谷堆积物三种物源的χ_(lf)和~(210)Pb_(ex)平均含量分别为(21.81±9.43)×10~(-8)m~3/kg和40.53±9.49 Bq/kg、(24.06±9.61)×10~(-8)m~3/kg和119.35±22.81 Bq/kg、(16.60±5.27)×10~(-8)m~3/kg和30.62±12.69 Bq/kg。流域出口泥沙的χ_(lf)和~(210)Pb_(ex)平均含量分别为(17.69±2.87)×10~(-8)m~3/kg和33.63±6.17 Bq/kg。混合模型计算结果表明凉山乡小流域泥沙主要来源于沟谷堆积物,相对贡献率为79.6%;未经治理的陡坡耕地产沙贡献率为19.1%;林地面积占比最大但泥沙贡献极微,仅1.3%。基于χ_(lf)和~(210)Pb_(ex)的双指纹泥沙来源判别结果与利用地球化学元素复合指纹分析结果一致。受地质地貌等自然因素主控,沟谷侵蚀是金沙江下游河流泥沙的主要来源;以坡改梯和植被恢复为主的小流域治理工程对坡面侵蚀泥沙减控具有积极作用。该区未来水土保持工作应重点加强流域沟谷治理,降低泥石流等泥沙灾害风险。     

洞穴上覆土壤层~(210)Pb放射性活度变化特征及其环境意义

土壤210Pb放射性活度变化可以用来指示土壤侵蚀速率变化、计算水土流失速率,但是在其他方面的应用,特别是岩溶环境的应用相对较少。在进行洞穴年轻沉积石笋年代测试过程中,发现目前应用的CIC(恒定初始放射性活度模式)初始活度恒定的假设需要进行验证。通过对广西桂林茅茅头大岩上覆土壤层进行季节采样和210Pb放射性活度、土壤有机质、粒径等分析,发现土壤剖面表层20~30cm内的210Pb放射性活度季节变化明显,可能响应了大气环境、土壤生态环境的变化。但是土壤剖面基底210Pb放射性活度基本保持恒定,说明土壤层厚度大于20~30cm时,土壤层中210 Pb变化对洞穴年轻沉积物表层210Pb活度变化影响不大,洞穴上覆层对洞穴沉积物210Pb放射性活度的影响主要在于土壤有机质和粘粒向下迁移。因此,影响洞穴石笋210Pb放射性活度的关键因素在土壤厚度、土壤中随有机质和粘粒迁移的210 Pb量的变化,进而推广到洞穴年轻沉积物210Pb定年,在土壤层厚度大于20~30cm时,洞穴相对封闭环境下,可以应用CIC模式对洞穴沉积物进行年龄计算。     

太湖湖心区的痕量金属历史沉积过程研究

以太湖湖心区的沉积物为研究对象,解析了湖心区痕量金属的沉积通量年变化,探明了湖心区痕量金属的历史沉积情况.结果表明:湖心区各样点沉积物的沉积速率从1950年以前的(0.032±0.023)g·cm-2·a-1缓慢递增到1980前后的(0.076±0.030)g·cm-2·a-1,1980年后突增明显,在2000年后达到(0.185±0.132)g·cm-2·a-1.湖心区沉积物中8种痕量金属(钒、铬、镍、铜、锌、砷、镉和铅)的含量年变化没有明显递增趋势,在20世纪80年代(对应沉积柱4~9 cm深度处)前后相差不大(变幅小于20%).但8种金属元素的沉积通量随时间推进而递增,与1980年前相比,金属沉积通量在1980年后突增倍数达到11倍以上.金属沉积通量与沉积物的沉积速率显著正相关,并与20世纪20年代以来太湖流域社会经济发展形势相一致.1980年后8种痕量金属沉积总量在湖心区西部最大,而沉积物沉积速率对湖心区南部的痕量金属沉积总量贡献最大.通过金属沉积通量可以更全面地研究太湖重金属的历史沉积过程和人为活动的干扰效应.     

南极企鹅粪土地层、机体组织与卵中POPs含量分布及其生态环境意义

对南极阿德雷岛企鹅栖息地粪土混合地层进行210Pb定年,同时采用气相色谱－电子捕获检测器 (GC－ECD)内标定量法测定了企鹅栖息地粪土混合地层及其机体组织中的有机氯污染物分布.结果表明:粪土混合地层中表层的有机氯污染物含量最高,w(PCBs),w(HCHs)和w(DDTs)分别为0.92,0.42和0.70 ng/g. 与非栖息地的比较表明,通过有鸟类活动的粪土混合地层(营巢和粪便)输入的PCBs和OCPs比无鸟类生命途径的高. 因此,海鸟成为将有机氯污染物带到南极大陆的媒介和途径. 有机氯污染物主要分布在企鹅机体的脂质和脂肪中,其中脂肪和尾臀腺中的含量最高,脂肪中w(PCBs),w(HCB),w(HCHs) 和w(DDTs)分别为126.9～277.0,43.2～197.0, 未检出～20.7 和79.4～110.1 ng/g. 蛋卵中w(PCBs), w(DDTs),w(HCB)和w(HCHs)分别为0.4～0.9,2.4～10.3,6.0～10.2和0.1～0.4 ng/g,总积蓄水平依次为HCB>DDTs>PCBs>HCHs. 对比PCBs在企鹅体内的积累与排出(粪土和产卵)过程可知,前者占主导地位.在南极企鹅机体组织和卵中检出PCBs和OCPs表明,有机氯农药可在鸟类动物体内积累与代间转移,在相当长的时期内难以消除.      

Geochronology of anthropogenic radionuclides in Ribeira Bay sediments, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Ribeira Bay is located approximately 130 km south of the city of Rio de Janeiro and receives discharges of liquid effluent from the Angra dos Reis nuclear power plant (NPP) site, where two pressurized water reactors are located. To test whether the presence of anthropogenic radionuclides in sediments in Ribeira Bay could be correlated to the NPP operations, we sampled seven sediment cores and determined accumulation rates and chronologies. Only one sediment core did not exhibit a superficial mixing layer; this sample was used for dating purposes. Cesium-137 and ²⁰⁷Bi were observed in this sediment profile, but their presence was associated with atmospheric fall-out rather than the nearby NPP. The exponential decay of ²¹⁰Pb concentration with sediment layer depth was verified below a superficial mixing layer for all other sediment cores. Calculated accumulation rates ranged from 1.2 mm y⁻¹ in the inner bay to 6.2 mm y⁻¹ close to its entrance.     

210Pb as a tool for establishing sediment chronologies: examples of potentials and limitations of conventional dating models

For aquatic sediments, the use of ²¹⁰Pb originating from the decay of atmospheric ²²²Rn is a well-established methodology to estimate sediment ages and sedimentation rates. Traditionally, the measurement of ²¹⁰Pb in soils and sediments involved laborious and time-consuming radiochemical separation procedures. Due to the recent development of advanced planar (‘n-type’) semi-conductors with high efficiencies in the low-energy range which enable the gamma-spectrometric analysis of the 46.5 keV decay line of ²¹⁰Pb, sediment dating using this radionuclide has gained renewed interest.In this contribution, potentials and limitations of the ²¹⁰Pb methodology and of the models used for estimating sediment ages and sedimentation rates are discussed and illustrated by examples of freshwater and marine sediments. Comparison with the use of ¹³⁷Cs shows that the information which may be gained by these two tracers is complementary. As a consequence, both radionuclides should be used in combination for dating of recent sediments. It is shown that for various sedimentation regimes additional information from other sources (e.g. sediment lithology) may be needed to establish a reliable chronology. A strategy for sediment dating using ²¹⁰Pb is recommended.     

Polonium-210 and lead-210 in the terrestrial environment: a historical review

The radionuclides ²¹⁰Po and ²¹⁰Pb widely present in the terrestrial environment are the final long-lived radionuclides in the decay of ²³⁸U in the earth’s crust. Their presence in the atmosphere is due to the decay of ²²²Rn diffusing from the ground. The range of activity concentrations in ground level air for ²¹⁰Po is 0.03-0.3 Bq m⁻³ and for ²¹⁰Pb 0.2-1.5 Bq m⁻³.In drinking water from private wells the activity concentration of ²¹⁰Po is in the order of 7-48 mBq l⁻¹ and for ²¹⁰Pb around 11-40 mBq l⁻¹. From water works, however, the activity concentration for both ²¹⁰Po and ²¹⁰Pb is only in the order of 3 mBq l⁻¹.Mosses, lichens and peat have a high efficiency in capturing ²¹⁰Po and ²¹⁰Pb from atmospheric fallout and exhibit an inventory of both ²¹⁰Po and ²¹⁰Pb in the order of 0.5-5 kBq m⁻² in mosses and in lichens around 0.6 kBq m⁻². The activity concentrations in lichens lies around 250 Bq kg⁻¹, dry mass.Reindeer and caribou graze lichen which results in an activity concentration of ²¹⁰Po and ²¹⁰Pb of about 1-15 Bq kg⁻¹ in meat from these animals. The food chain lichen-reindeer or caribou, and Man constitutes a unique model for studying the uptake and retention of ²¹⁰Po and ²¹⁰Pb in humans. The effective annual dose due to ²¹⁰Po and ²¹⁰Pb in people with high consumption of reindeer/caribou meat is estimated to be around 260 and 132 μSv a⁻¹ respectively.In soils, ²¹⁰Po is adsorbed to clay and organic colloids and the activity concentration varies with soil type and also correlates with the amount of atmospheric precipitation. The average activity concentration levels of ²¹⁰Po in various soils are in the range of 20-240 Bq kg⁻¹.Plants become contaminated with radioactive nuclides both by absorption from the soil (supported Po) and by deposition of radioactive fallout on the plants directly (unsupported Po). In fresh leafy plants the level of ²¹⁰Po is particularly high as the result of the direct deposition of ²²²Rn daughters from atmospheric deposition. Tobacco is a terrestrial product with high activity concentrations of ²¹⁰Po and ²¹⁰Pb. The overall average activity concentration of ²¹⁰Po is 13 ± 2 Bq kg⁻¹. It is rather constant over time and by geographical origin.The average median daily dietary intakes of ²¹⁰Po and ²¹⁰Pb for the adult world population was estimated to 160 mBq day⁻¹ and 110 mBq day⁻¹, corresponding to annual effective doses of 70 μSv a⁻¹ and 28 μSv a⁻¹, respectively. The dietary intakes of ²¹⁰Po and ²¹⁰Pb from vegetarian food was estimated to only 70 mBq day⁻¹ and 40 mBq day⁻¹ corresponding to annual effective doses of 30.6 μSv a⁻¹ and 10 μSv a⁻¹, respectively. Since the activity concentration of ²¹⁰Po and ²¹⁰Pb in seafood is significantly higher than in vegetarian food the effective dose to populations consuming a lot of seafood might be 5-15 fold higher.     

Po determination in urines of people living in Central Italy

This paper presents the results of the monitoring programme on the urines of people living in an area of Central Italy (near the Republic of S. Marino) to evaluate the background level of the ²¹⁰Po excretion rate (mBq day⁻¹) in this region. The volunteers were subdivided in five age classes and in every age class groups of males and females, cigarette smokers and non-smokers were taken into account. The results indicated that the ²¹⁰Po excretion rate was widely distributed within each group of volunteers. The ²¹⁰Po excretion rate was <30 mBq day⁻¹ for 93.2% of people. The obtained results are discussed and some conclusion, based upon the average values, was drawn.     

Recent atmospheric lead deposition recorded in an ombrotrophic peat bog of Great Hinggan Mountains, Northeast China, from Pb and Cs dating

Radioactive markers are useful in dating lead deposition patterns from industrialization in peat archive. Peat cores were collected in an ombrotrophic peat bog in the Great Hinggan Mountains in Northeast China in September 2008 and dated using ²¹⁰Pb and ¹³⁷Cs radiometric techniques. The mosses in both cores were examined systematically for dry bulk density, water and ash content. Lead also was measured using atomic emission spectroscopy with inductively coupled plasma (ICP-AES). Both patterned peat profiles were preserved well without evident anthropogenic disturbance. Unsupported ²¹⁰Pb and ¹³⁷Cs decreased with the depth in both of the two sample cores. The ²¹⁰Pb chronologies were established using the constant rate of supply model (CRS) and are in good agreement with the ¹³⁷Cs time marker. Recent atmospheric ²¹⁰Pb flux in Great Hinggan Mountains peat bog was estimated to be 337 Bq m⁻² y⁻¹, which is consistent with published data for the region. Lead deposition rate in this region was also derived from these two peat cores and ranged from 24.6 to 55.8 mg m⁻² y⁻¹ with a range of Pb concentration of 14-262 μg g⁻¹. The Pb deposition patterns were consistent with increasing industrialization over the last 135-170 y, with a peak of production and coal burning in the last 50 y in Northeast China. This work presents a first estimation of atmospheric Pb deposition rate in peatlands in China and suggests an increasing trend of environmental pollution due to anthropogenic contaminants in the atmosphere. More attention should be paid to current local pollution problems, and society should take actions to seek a balance between economic development and environmental protection.     

Po-210 and Pb-210 as atmospheric tracers and global atmospheric Pb-210 fallout: a review

Over the past ∼5 decades, the distribution of ²²²Rn and its progenies (mainly ²¹⁰Pb, ²¹⁰Bi and ²¹⁰Po) have provided a wealth of information as tracers to quantify several atmospheric processes that include: i) source tracking and transport time scales of air masses; ii) the stability and vertical movement of air masses iii) removal rate constants and residence times of aerosols; iv) chemical behavior of analog species; and v) washout ratios and deposition velocities of aerosols. Most of these applications require that the sources and sink terms of these nuclides are well characterized.Utility of ²¹⁰Pb, ²¹⁰Bi and ²¹⁰Po as atmospheric tracers requires that data on the ²²²Rn emanation rates is well documented. Due to low concentrations of ²²⁶Ra in surface waters, the ²²²Rn emanation rates from the continent is about two orders of magnitude higher than that of the ocean. This has led to distinctly higher ²¹⁰Pb concentrations in continental air masses compared to oceanic air masses. The highly varying concentrations of ²¹⁰Pb in air as well the depositional fluxes have yielded insight on the sources and transit times of aerosols. In an ideal enclosed air mass (closed system with respect to these nuclides), the residence times of aerosols obtained from the activity ratios of ²¹⁰Pb/²²²Rn, ²¹⁰Bi/²¹⁰Pb, and ²¹⁰Po/²¹⁰Pb are expected to agree with each other, but a large number of studies have indicated discordance between the residence times obtained from these three pairs. Recent results from the distribution of these nuclides in size-fractionated aerosols appear to yield consistent residence time in smaller-size aerosols, possibly suggesting that larger size aerosols are derived from resuspended dust. The residence times calculated from the ²¹⁰Pb/²²²Rn, ²¹⁰Bi/²¹⁰Pb, and ²¹⁰Po/²¹⁰Pb activity ratios published from 1970’s are compared to those data obtained in size-fractionated aerosols in this decade and possible reasons for the discordance is discussed with some key recommendations for future studies.The existing global atmospheric inventory data of ²¹⁰Pb is re-evaluated and a ‘global curve’ for the depositional fluxes of ²¹⁰Pb is established. A current global budget for atmospheric ²¹⁰Po and ²¹⁰Pb is also established. The relative importance of dry fallout of ²¹⁰Po and ²¹⁰Pb at different latitudes is evaluated. The global values for the deposition velocities of aerosols using ²¹⁰Po and ²¹⁰Pb are synthesized.