Small mammals as indicators of short-term and long-term disturbance in mixed prairie

Disturbance by military maneuvers over short and long time scales may have differential effects on grassland communities. We assessed small mammals as indicators of disturbance by military maneuvers in a mixed prairie in southern Oklahoma USA. We examined sites on two soil series, Foard and Lawton, across a gradient of disturbance intensity. A MANOVA showed that abundance of small mammals was associated (p = 0.03) with short-term (cover of vehicle tracks) disturbance but was not associated (p = 0.12) with long-term (loss of soil organic carbon, SOC) disturbance intensity. At the individual species level, Sigmodon hispidus (cotton rat) and Peromyscus maniculatus (deer mouse) occurred across all levels of disturbance and in both soil types. Only P. maniculatus abundance changed (p < 0.01) with short-term disturbance and increased by about one individual per 5% of additional track-cover. Abundance of P. maniculatus also increased (p = 0.04) by about three individuals per 1% increase in soil carbon. Chaetodipus hispidus (hispid pocket mouse) and Reithrodontomys fulvescens (fulvous harvest mouse) only occurred in single soil types limiting their potential as more general indicators. Abundance of P. maniculatus was positively related to shifts in plant species composition and likely reflected changes in vegetation structure (i.e. litter depth) and forage availability resulting from disturbance. Peromyscus maniculatus may be a useful biological indicator of ecosystem change because it responded predictably to both long-term and short-term disturbance and, when coupled with soil, plant, and disturbance history variables, can reveal land condition trends.     

Nutrient dynamics between sediment and overlying water in the inner part of Izmir Bay, Eastern Aegean

In this article a concept is described in order to predict and map the occurrence of benthic communities within and near the German Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) of the North Sea. The approach consists of two work steps: (1) geostatistical analysis of abiotic measurement data and (2) calculation of benthic provinces by means of Classification and Regression Trees (CART) and GIS-techniques. From bottom water measurements on salinity, temperature, silicate and nutrients as well as from punctual data on grain size ranges (0–20, 20–63, 63–2,000 μ) raster maps were calculated by use of geostatistical methods. At first the autocorrelation structure was examined and modelled with help of variogram analysis. The resulting variogram models were then used to calculate raster maps by applying ordinary kriging procedures. After intersecting these raster maps with punctual data on eight benthic communities a decision tree was derived to predict the occurrence of these communities within the study area. Since such a CART tree corresponds to a hierarchically ordered set of decision rules it was applied to the geostatistically estimated raster data to predict benthic habitats within and near the EEZ.     

Characteristics of atmospheric carbonyls and VOCs in Forest Park in South China

The diurnal variation of atmospheric carbonyls and VOCs in a forest in south China were studied in summer 2004. Twenty kinds of carbonyls and eight kinds of VOCs were identified and quantified. Formaldehyde and acetaldehyde were the two most abundant carbonyls, while the most abundant VOCs were isoprene, followed by o-xylene. Most C₃-C₁₀ carbonyls had higher concentrations from 09:00 to 15:00, and their levels were lower during night-time and often reached the lowest in early morning. Formaldehyde and acetaldehyde, however, showed two high levels in their diurnal patterns partly due to their different sources and sinks. The VOCs had different diurnal patterns compared to most carbonyls. The highest concentrations were observed from 03:00 to 06:00 for 1-butene, from 06:00 to 12:00 for isoprene, and from 12:00 to 15:00 for α-pinene. The highest levels for aromatic hydrocarbons occurred during midnight and the lowest in late afternoon. According to the study, emissions from vegetation and photo-oxidation of gas-phase hydrocarbons were the main sources for some carbonyls and VOCs in this region. Other compounds, such as formaldehyde, acetaldehyde and BTEX, showed anthropogenic sources.     

北京市昌平区大气环境PM10中多环芳烃的含量及变化趋势

通过采集了2004～2006年北京市昌平区四个季节中大气PM10样品,采用超声抽提方法,使用GC/MS分析了该区PAHs含量和组成.结果显示,三年中四个季度的18种PAHs总量范围分别为21.64～656.39ng/m3、31.94～164.33ng/m3和7.294～209.3ng/m3,其中致癌性极强的苯并[a]芘含量范围为2.69～36.95 ng/m3、1.44～6.6ng/m3和0.256～8.625ng/m1,其变化趋势与PAHs总量有较好的相关性.PAHs的浓度是冬季＞秋季＞夏季＞春季,这与夏季时雨水冲刷和阳光照射强度大导致PAHs光解,冬季时燃煤排放大等影响因素有关.文章还使用多种方法判断昌平区大气PM10中的PAHs主要来源于燃煤和汽车尾气,其它污染源贡献较小.     

渭河干流(宝鸡段)表层沉积物Cu、Zn、Pb污染特征与评价

对渭河干流（宝鸡段）表层沉积物中重金属Cu、Zn、Pb含量进行了调查,用潜在生态危害系数法对其污染水平进行了评价,并与松花江（吉林市段）、淮河（江苏段）、长江（下游）、苏州河、珠江（广州段）5条河流表层沉积物中Cu、Zn、Pb的含量做了对比研究。结果表明,3种重金属元素平均含量均超出相应的土壤背景值,出现了一定程度上的富集;生态危害系数均〈40,属轻微生态危害。重金属含量水平在国内诸河中处于中间位置。     

主动采样技术在中国大气POPs监测中的应用

为了履行斯德哥尔摩公约,查明持久性有机污染物(POPs)在中国大气环境介质的存在水平,该研究首次采用主动采样技术,在中国境内大尺度范围内进行了环境大气中POPs的监测工作.利用主动采样技术,可以在短时间内采集数百立方米的大气样品.分别利用玻璃纤维滤膜采集大气颗粒物(固相)中的POPs,同时使用聚氨酯泡沫(PUF)吸附气态的POPs.该采样技术还便于样品的运输和保存.研究表明,大气主动采样技术可以很好地运用于区域大气POPs的监测工作并填补了我国在POPs履约监测中专用仪器设备的空白.     

广州大学城珠江水域多环芳烃的污染特征

利用GC-MS对广州大学城珠江水域的地表水及表层沉积物中多环芳烃(PAHs)的含量进行了分析。结果表明,广州大学城珠江水域及表层沉积物中均可检出PAHs,水体优控PAHs总量在1061.7~6577.8ng/L之间,沉积物中优控PAHs总量分布在896.1~7248ng/g之间。广州大学城珠江水域的PAHs属混合来源,主要有石油类产品的输入(漏油泄油)和化石燃料的燃烧(大气沉降)。     

顶空固相微萃取-色谱质谱联用测定饮用水中二甲基异冰片和土味素

研究了顶空固相微萃取-气相色谱质谱联用测定饮用水中二甲基异冰片和土味素的方法。结果表明,当选用聚二甲基硅氧烷(PDMS)萃取纤维萃取头,萃取温度为60℃,萃取时间为40min时,得到二甲基异冰片标准曲线方程为y=122.59+157.76x,相关系数(R)0.9998;土味素的标准曲线方程为y=14.847+180.99x,相关系数(R)0.9999;检出限为0.1ng/L,相对标准偏差在0.99%～4.05%之间,加标回收率86.4%～109.5%。     

Effect of selected organic and inorganic snow and cloud components on the photochemical generation of nitrite by nitrate irradiation

The effect of selected organic and inorganic compounds, present in snow and cloudwater was studied. Photolysis of solutions of nitrate to nitrite was carried out in the laboratory using a UVB light source. The photolysis and other reactions were then modelled. It is shown that formate, formaldehyde, methanesulphonate, and chloride to a lesser extent, can increase the initial formation rate of nitrite. The effect, particularly significant for formate and formaldehyde, is unlikely to be caused by scavenging of hydroxyl radicals. The experimental data obtained in this work suggest that possible causes are the reduction of nitrogen dioxide and nitrate by radical species formed on photooxidation of the organic compounds. Hydroxyl scavenging by organic and inorganic compounds would not affect the initial formation rate of nitrite, but would protect it from oxidation, therefore, increasing the concentration values reached at long irradiation times. The described processes can be relevant to cloudwater and the quasi-liquid layer on the surface of ice and snow, considering that in the polar regions irradiated snow layers are important sources of nitrous acid to the atmosphere. Formate and (at a lesser extent) formaldehyde are the compounds that play the major role in the described processes of nitrite/nitrous acid photoformation by initial rate enhancement and hydroxyl scavenging.     

Effective removal of coordinated copper from wastewater using a new dithiocarbamate-type supramolecular heavy metal precipitant

A new dithiocarbamate-type heavy metal precipitant, sodium 1,3,5-hexahydrotriazinedithiocarbamate (HTDC), was prepared and used to remove coordinated copper from wastewater. In the reported dithiocarbamate-type precipitants, HTDC possesses the highest percentage of the effective functional groups. It could effectively precipitate copper to less than 0.5 mg l⁻¹ from both synthetic and actual industrial wastewater containing CuEDTA in the range of pH 3–9. UV–vis spectral investigation and elemental analysis suggested that the precipitate was a kind of coordination supramolecular compound, [Cu₃(HTDC)₂]_n. The toxicity characteristic leaching procedure (TCLP) and semi-dynamic leaching test (SDLT) indicated that the supramolecular precipitate was non-hazardous and stable in weak acid and alkaline conditions. Tests of an anion exchange resin D231 provided a clue to simultaneously remove excess HTDC and residual CuEDTA in practical process of wastewater treatment.