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.     

Sulfur cycle as an electron mediator between carbon and nitrate in a constructed wetland microcosm

• Fe(III) accepted the most electrons from organics, followed by NO₃^‒, SO₄^2‒, and O₂. • The electrons accepted by SO₄^2‒ could be stored in the solid AVS, FeS₂-S, and S⁰. • The autotrophic denitrification driven by solid S had two-phase characteristics. • A conceptual model involving electron acceptance, storage, and donation was built. • S cycle transferred electrons between organics and NO₃^‒ with an efficiency of 15%. A constructed wetland microcosm was employed to investigate the sulfur cycle-mediated electron transfer between carbon and nitrate. Sulfate accepted electrons from organics at the average rate of 0.84 mol/(m³·d) through sulfate reduction, which accounted for 20.0% of the electron input rate. The remainder of the electrons derived from organics were accepted by dissolved oxygen (2.6%), nitrate (26.8%), and iron(III) (39.9%). The sulfide produced from sulfate reduction was transformed into acid-volatile sulfide, pyrite, and elemental sulfur, which were deposited in the substratum, storing electrons in the microcosm at the average rate of 0.52 mol/(m³·d). In the presence of nitrate, the acid-volatile and elemental sulfur were oxidized to sulfate, donating electrons at the average rate of 0.14 mol/(m³·d) and driving autotrophic denitrification at the average rate of 0.30 g N/(m³·d). The overall electron transfer efficiency of the sulfur cycle for autotrophic denitrification was 15.3%. A mass balance assessment indicated that approximately 50% of the input sulfur was discharged from the microcosm, and the remainder was removed through deposition (49%) and plant uptake (1%). Dominant sulfate-reducing (i.e., Desulfovirga, Desulforhopalus, Desulfatitalea, and Desulfatirhabdium) and sulfur-oxidizing bacteria (i.e., Thiohalobacter, Thiobacillus, Sulfuritalea, and Sulfurisoma), which jointly fulfilled a sustainable sulfur cycle, were identified. These results improved understanding of electron transfers among carbon, nitrogen, and sulfur cycles in constructed wetlands, and are of engineering significance.     

The Influence of Linear Elements on Plant Species Diversity of Mediterranean Rural Landscapes: Assessment of Different Indices and Statistical Approaches

This paper mainly aims to study the linear element influence on the estimation of vascular plant species diversity in five Mediterranean landscapes modeled as land cover patch mosaics. These landscapes have several core habitats and a different set of linear elements -habitat edges or ecotones, roads or railways, rivers, streams and hedgerows on farm land- whose plant composition were examined. Secondly, it aims to check plant diversity estimation in Mediterranean landscapes using parametric and non-parametric procedures, with two indices: Species richness and Shannon index.Land cover types and landscape linear elements were identified from aerial photographs. Their spatial information was processed using GIS techniques. Field plots were selected using a stratified sampling design according to relieve and tree density of each habitat type. A 50×20 m² multi-scale sampling plot was designed for the core habitats and across the main landscape linear elements. Richness and diversity of plant species were estimated by comparing the observed field data to ICE (Incidence-based Coverage Estimator) and ACE (Abundance-based Coverage Estimator) non-parametric estimators.The species density, percentage of unique species, and alpha diversity per plot were significantly higher (p < 0.05) in linear elements than in core habitats. ICE estimate of number of species was 32% higher than of ACE estimate, which did not differ significantly from the observed values. Accumulated species richness in core habitats together with linear elements, were significantly higher than those recorded only in the core habitats in all the landscapes. Conversely, Shannon diversity index did not show significant differences.     

哈尔滨松北区城市湿地土壤抗侵蚀效益价值估算

城市湿地是城市生态系统的重要组成部分,在土壤抗侵蚀方面起重要作用.以哈尔滨松北区城市湿地为研究对象,在哈尔滨松北区湿地的西区、中区及东区沿线共布设采样点3个.哈尔滨松北区城市湿地土壤抗侵蚀效益价值通过湿地减少土地废弃、河道淤积和土壤中肥力流失三方面的价值来估算.结果表明:哈尔滨市松北区城市湿地保护土壤、减少土壤侵蚀的总效益价值为1.900×107元/a;湿地土壤在抗侵蚀效益中的贡献率占总效益的1/5,其效益价值为3.800×106元/a.      

利用人工湿地系统深度处理城市污水尾水

利用垂直复合流模拟人工湿地系统对城市污水厂尾水进行深度处理实验研究,植物床选用美人蕉、菖蒲、茭草、芋头和象草混合栽种,采用石英砂为主体填料。实验研究表明:人工湿地系统在停留时间为24h,水力负荷为0.4m3(m2·d)的运行条件处理效果较佳,在此条件下连续稳定运行10个月,处理后的尾水主要指标达到(GBT189212002)标准。     

人工湿地处理污染河水的持续性运行研究

中国北方地区城市纳污河道内的污染河水具有水量、水质、水温季节性变化大的特点,这给人工湿地污染河水处理系统的持续性运行造成很大困难.通过1a多的连续性运行,对潜流人工湿地污染河水处理系统的可持续运行问题进行了系统研究,年平均水力负荷为15 cm/d.结果表明,季节变化对氨氮的去除效果影响很大,夏季氨氮去除效果良好,去除率达70%以上,而冬季水温降低到15℃以下时,氨氮去除率降低到30%以下,但季节变化对COD去除效果的影响较小.人工湿地在夏季雨季时期可以承受较大的短期洪水水力冲击负荷,在100 cm/d的负     

潜流人工湿地去除大庆地区湖泊水体中石油类化合物的研究

针对大庆地区石油类化合物污染湖泊水质特点和气候条件,采用包含砾石床、砾石芦苇床、炉渣芦苇床和炉渣床单元的现场试验系统,考察启动期、投加微生物、投加缓释碳源、水温低于5℃和常规运行期等工况下各单元对石油类化合物的去除效果及其去除机理.在整个试验期内4个单元石油类化合物的平均去除率分别为24.7％、28.4％、45.9％和42.9％;投加微生物和缓释碳源都可提高石油类化合物污染物的去除效果;以炉渣为填料的单元污染物去除效果显著优于以砾石为填料的单元.2005年常规运行期间,湿地床和对照床石油类化合物去除率存在显著性差异（p<0.05）,植物对石油类化合物的去除起到显著的促进作用.系统运行期内通过截留去除的石油类化合物占总去除量70％左右,各单元该比例没有显著性差异（p<0.05）.     

天津市湿地资源开发的累积环境影响评价初探

历史上天津市自然湿地资源十分丰富,几十年来湿地大面积萎缩和生态功能急剧退化。天津湿地生态系统存在的主要问题是湿地生态系统如何恢复、重建和功能修复。文章在对天津市湿地生态环境建设的现状与湿地景观变化发展主要问题进行分析的基础上,探讨了湿地生态建设的目标、任务和对策,论述了湿地资源开发利用过程中累积影响评价(CIA)在政策、规划、计划及项目的各个层次都应得到充分考虑,建议明确将累积影响评价纳入到资源开发利用的体系,推动环境影响评价实践的进一步深入开展。     

盐城湿地大米草对有机污染物净化的研究

盐城沿海湿地大米草(Spartina anglica)不仅是潮间带脆弱光滩环境促淤、护岸等方面的先锋植物,而且也是该区水环境挥发酚类等有机污染物净化的先锋植物。实验结果显示大米草叶面对水中的有机酚具有良好的吸附作用。在静水、避光(夜晚)条件下,大米草对苯酚的吸附过程符合Freundlich吸附规律:q=1.3×10-8C0.08314;同时,大米草种群密度、淹水深度、水流紊动与苯酚的浓度等也影响其对苯酚吸附净化。在光照(白天)条件下。大米草对苯酚又具有光催化降解功能,在同等条件下,与夜晚相比,阴天、晴天光辐射2h后大米草对苯酚的去除率分别可提高9.3和12.8倍。     

城市地区重建湿地的生态过程研究

研究了湿地重建过程中植物、土壤和水质的动态变化特征.湿地重建2 a后植物种类增加了11种,芦苇、菖蒲和香蒲3种植物的高度、生物量在第2个生长季明显高于第1个生长季节,植物生物量分别增加到原来的13、1.5和1.4倍.湿地种植区土壤有机质总体上是降低的,土壤全氮含量从1?500　mg/kg降低到850　mg/kg（p＜0.01）,土壤全磷在试验期间略有增加.对重建湿地12种水质指标分析表明,夏季湿地出口源水溶解氧高于进口源水,出口源水总氮、叶绿素a、藻类计数3种水质指标均低于进口源水,说明重建湿地水质在夏季出口源水优于进口源水,水质得到改善.研究表明,湿地植物群落重建成功,生物多样性增加,重建湿地在改善和保持源水水质方面发挥了一定的作用.