Trace elements in tissues of sperm whales stranded along the Italian coast

Five sperm whales (Physeter macrocephalus) stranded along the Italian coast between 2007 and 2009 were analysed for concentrations of trace elements in the muscle, liver, kidney, lung, heart and skin. Essential elements (Zn, Cu, Fe, Cr, As, V and Se) show ranges of variability comparable with the limited data reported in the literature on this species and a homeostatic physiological control. Very low concentrations of nonessential elements (Hg, Cd and Pb) were detected in all tissues, suggesting a minor impact of these pollutants on the sperm whale populations of the Mediterranean Sea. This finding possibly reflects the pelagic lifestyle and deep-sea cephalopod diet of this group of giant cetaceans. In addition, this finding contrasts with the high levels of nonessential elements measured in many other species of cetaceans (e.g. Stenella coeruleoalba, Tursiops truncatus) stranded along Mediterranean coasts and which reflects significant coastal anthropogenic effects. The main result of this work is the compiled dataset which provides a preliminary target for conceptual understanding of the potential effects of open marine pollution on the Mediterranean sperm whale population.     

Biological effects of water soluble fraction of crude oil on the Arctic sea ice amphipod Gammarus wilkitzkii

With increasing petroleum related activity in the Barents Sea and the subsequent risk of accidents, there is a demand for knowledge about the effect of oil pollution in Arctic ecosystems. In the present study, the sea ice amphipod Gammarus wilkitzkii was exposed to a water soluble fraction (WSF) of oil in two experiments, using a rock column system. First, three groups of adult females were exposed for 36 days for control (n=9), low dose (n=10) (initial and final oil concentration: 14, 115 and 120 μ g/l) and high dose (n=10) (initial and final oil concentration: 78, 764 and 395 μ g/l). Total oxyradical scavenging capacity (TOSC), malondialdehyde (MDA), catalase activity (CAT), respiration rate and mortality were measured. In the second experiment, moulting rate was measured in immature individuals of two groups, control (n=10) and exposed (n = 20), over 113 days. No mortality was observed in either of the experiments. There was a dose-related significant increase in respiration rate (40.69 (±22.82), 55.63 (±20.98), 94.57 (±22.80)) mg O₂ h^?1g ww^?1 in control, low dose and high dose, respectively. A higher MDA level was detected in the low dose group (25.04 (±6.00) nmol g^?1 of tissue) compared to both control (20.44 (±2.62) nmol g^?1 of tissue) and high dose groups (20.93 (±4.79) nmol g^?1 of tissue). Likewise, the low dose group had the highest value of TOSC towards hydroxyl (727.74 (±475.58), 1157.58 (±278.62), 1067.30 (±369.22) TOSC unit value mg^?1 of protein for control, low and high dose, respectively). Although no difference in the catalase activity between control and exposed groups was detected, higher activity was measured at 0 °C (average: 248 μ mol^?1 min^?1 mg^?1 of protein) than at the standard temperature for catalase measurement of 25 °C (average: 140 μ mol^?1 min^?1 mg^?1 of protein), indicating a need to optimise the standard operational procedure when working with Arctic organisms. No effect of WSF exposure on moulting rate was detected. In conclusion, little mortality was observed during the experiments, indicating some degree of tolerance levels. However, the biomarker results indicated sub-lethal effects in G. wilkitzkii after exposure to WSF.     

Monitoring of heavy metals and butyltin compounds in coastal waters of Ligurian Sea: Results of a mussel watch project

From December 1994 up to October 1995 a “Mussel Watch Project”; was carried out to assess the quality of water of the Ligurian Sea and to identify the possible sources of heavy metal pollution. Several metals and organotin compounds were measured in mussels (Mytilus galloprovincialis, Lam) transplanted in different months from a marine farm to eight sites of the Ligurian coast.

Spatial differences and temporal trends in tissue concentrations of Zn, Cu, Ni, Cr, Fe, Al, V, Cd and Mn were evaluated. Concentrations resulted in the same range as those obtained in a previous Mussel Watch Project carried out in the same area. In general, areas of known pollution display high concentrations of these metals, but also some areas not greatly influenced by human activities showed high concentrations of some metals.

Data from this study show little evidence of any overall seasonal pattern except for Cu, Zn and V, concentrations of which were a function not only of sampling site, but also of reproductive cycle.

Organotin compounds show differences in terms of both concentration and speciation between the investigated sites.     

Heavy metal contents of the sperm whale physeter macrocephalus and the bottle‐nosed dolphin tursiops truncatus beached on Languedoc‐Roussillon seaside (Mediterranean,France)

The contamination of Sperm Whale Physeter macrocephalus and bottle‐nosed dolphin Tursiops truncatus by lead is less than detection limit, insignificant by cadmium and nickel, not very high by copper and quite high by zinc. On the other hand, the concentration of mercury, very low for Sperm Whale, is very high for bottle‐nosed dolphin.

The pollution of Physeter macrocephalus is significantly lower than that of dolphin Stenella coeruleoalba and probably that of other species of cetaceans living near the coast; this might be due to its pelagic life and its diet.

The mercury pollution of Tursiops truncatus (especially that of one of the two subjects analyzed) is quite similar to that of Stenella coeruleoalba. This might be due to the fact that Tursiops truncatus can live in the open sea just as well as close to the seashore.     

辽宁典型海域表层海水中在用化学农药浓度水平与潜在生态风险

采用超高效液相色谱-串联质谱仪分析了辽宁典型海域表层海水中14种在用化学农药（current use pesticides,CUPs）浓度水平,探讨了CUPs的可能来源,并评估其潜在生态风险.结果表明,辽宁典型海域表层海水中共检出7种CUPs,总浓度水平范围为16.7~176.1 ng·L^-1,高值区域主要位于河流入海口,辽东湾西部海域CUPs检出浓度普遍高于黄海东北部海域.除草剂阿特拉津（atrazine）和杀菌剂三唑醇（triadimenol）在检出7种CUPs中占比最高,贡献率分别为56.0%和34.5%.源解析表明,6种CUPs可能来源于农田退水等径流输入和生产化学农药的工厂废水排放等,水果种植业则可能是单一组分乙草胺（acetochlor）的重要贡献源.除草剂阿特拉津和乙草胺对研究海域微藻存在中等-高风险,7种CUPs对无脊椎动物和鱼类的风险均处于较低水平.     

埕岛油田海上环境保护工作的现状和对策

分析了胜利浅海油田海洋环境保护的现状和存在的问题,并提出了加强海洋环保工作的对策.     

Development of a composite climate change vulnerability index for small craft harbours

Coastal areas around the world are threatened by an accelerated sea level rise (SLR), storm surges and coastal flooding related to climate change. These threats, together with the land use pattern of coastal areas, could create a dangerous mix for coastal communities and could result in major socio-economic and environmental consequences. Apart from human settlements, seaports are likely to be most vulnerable to climate change because they are located at areas exposed to SLR and storm surges or at mouths of rivers susceptible to flooding. To remain efficient and resilient, seaports must anticipate the impacts of climate change and proactively prepare for SLR, increased flooding, and more frequent extreme storm events. This paper presents the analytical and empirical aspects of an integrated vulnerability index (VI) for small raft harbours based on the methodology of the IPCC for coastal vulnerability assessment. Six corresponding steps are adopted to assess the fishing ports VI (VIP-F) considering geophysical and socio-economic parameters. The proposed index is applied to 47 fishing boats and small commercial harbours of Lesvos, Greece. The proposed methodology can be adapted for assessing the vulnerability of major ports.     

山东省海水入侵灾害危险性评价的GIS方案设计

以山东省为例，利用GIS技术建立了一套海水入侵灾害危险性评价信息系统。通过对多因素的综合分析，获取了各评判单元海水入侵灾害综合危险性指数，求得了各地海水入侵的平均距离，从而实现了山东省海水入侵灾害危险性区划，并能以地图或数据的形式快捷的显示处理结果。     

山东省地下水位下降引发的灾害及减灾对策

近二十年来山东省经济迅速发展与水资源匮乏的矛盾不断加剧。超量开采地下水导致地下水位持续的急剧下降，其结果引发了地裂缝、地面塌陷、海（咸）水入侵、生态环境恶化等一系列人为自然灾害。本文分析了这些灾害的基本特征并指出解决水资源不足是促进山东省经济持续高速发展并减轻地下水位下降灾害的根本措施。     

基于多种预测模型的玉米低温冷害预测集成模型

引入大气环流特征量因子、500hPa高度场因子、太平洋海温因子以及预报量本身的均值周期因子等四类因子的低温冷害预测子模型来建立玉米低温冷害预测集成模型。利用该集成模型预报下一年温度等级时，将上一年的实况资料输入预测模型，滚动预测，克服了统计模型预报时效短的缺点，且试报准确性高，无错报。