Environmental impact of the Gulf War: An integrated preliminary assessment

This article provides an objective integrated environmental impact assessment of the Gulf War consequences. The environmental damage was evaluated and found to be significantly exaggerated by the media and speculators. The total amount of burned crude oil was calculated to be 52.5 million metric tons. Most air pollution field measurements were comparable to those found in Western cities. The health impact associated with such exposure was found to be minimal. The total amount of oil released into the marine environment ranged between 2 and 4 million barrels, much less than the early estimation of 12–14 million barrels. The marine environment is expected to recover much faster than earlier anticipations. Unlike water and air, soil pollution is likely to persist for some years to come.     

青岛海湾大桥车辆安全管理辅助系统设计

本文利用OpenGL对海湾大桥的运行情况进行了三维建模,建立了车辆在大桥上安全运行的模型,并结合Visual C++程序开发语言,设计开发了青岛海湾大桥车辆安全管理辅助系统,以辅助城市交通管理工作。     

Screening level modeling of long-term impact of petroleum hydrocarbon contamination on fresh groundwater lenses in the Arabian Gulf region

The Gulf War in 1991 created an environmental catastrophe, one of the major consequences of which was setting several oil wells on fire in the Arabian Gulf area. The total oil spilled as a result of the damaged wells was about 3.5 × 10⁶ m³. Out of these, 3.3 × 10⁶ m³ of oil was recovered and exported. The rest was left behind as it was not economical to collect. The oil left behind was subject to severe weathering over the past ten years. Soil and subsurface contamination pose a serious risk to the quality of the already scarce fresh groundwater resources in the area which was subject to oil spill in the study region. This paper presents the computer modeling activities carried out towards simulating the transport of the hydrocarbon contamination of the fresh groundwater resources at a study area in the Arabian Gulf region, and predicting the contamination levels at the fresh groundwater lenses in the area in the future, should current contamination levels persist in the soil and groundwater. The modeling activities relied on both semi-analytical and numerical flow and transport models.     

Assesment of Trace Elements and Organic Pollutants from a Marine Oil Complex into the Coral Reef System of Cayo Arcas, Mexico

Possible contaminants produced by the Petroleos Mexicanos (PEMEX) marine oil complex in the vicinity of the Cayo Arcas (Mexico) coral reef ecosystem were evaluated by analyzing sediments and sea water for hydrocarbons and metal elements. We found that the concentrations of aliphatic hydrocarbons in the sea water were generally low, with the highest values detected near the oil station; the concentration of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) was generally below the detection limit. The hydrocarbons found in the sediments seem to have a pyrogenic origin, and were probably produced by marine traffic in the study area. The total PAH concentration did not exceed the NOAA criteria, although levels of some individual PAHs did. The only metal detected in the sea water at high concentrations was nickel. The Ni/V ratio in the sediments indicates the contribution of crude oil to the system. The high content of Ni and Zn was attributed to the ballast waters from the oil tankers that load at the station's monobuoys. The presence of fine sediments that commonly originate from terrestrial ecosystems supported this assumption.     

Monitoring and assessment of toxic metals in Gulf War oil spill contaminated soil using laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy

Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) was applied for the detection of toxic metals in oil spill contaminated soil (OSCS). The OSCS samples were collected from Khursania Saudi Arabia along the coast of Persian Gulf exposed to oil spills in 1991 Gulf war. Environmentally important elements like Aluminum Magnesium, Calcium, Chromium, Titanium, Strontium, Iron, Barium, Sodium, potassium, Zirconium and Vanadium from the contaminated soil have been detected. Optimal experimental conditions for analysis were investigated. The LIBS system was calibrated using standard samples containing these trace elements. The results obtained using Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS) were compared with the results obtained using Inductively Coupled Plasma Emission Spectroscopy (ICP). The concentrations of some elements (Ba and Cr) were found higher than permissible safe limits. Health risks associated with exposure to such toxic elements are also discussed.     

基于在线自动监测的钦州湾海域水质参数周年时空变化特征

通过分析位于钦州湾的2个海水水质自动监测站2009-2010年的自动监测数据,发现钦州湾水温、盐度、溶解氧季节变化明显,海水表层水温变化是引起钦州湾溶解氧含量变动的主要原因;钦州湾海水表层盐度及pH值主要受钦江、茅岭江径流及潮汐涨落的影响;处于河口区域,受大陆径流影响显著的海域使用海水水质标准来评价有欠妥当。     

广西北部湾蔬菜种植基地土壤中代森锌类农药残留调查

采用顶空-气相色谱-质谱法,对南宁、北海、钦州和防城港等4个北部湾区域城市蔬菜种植基地60份土壤样品中的代森锌类农药残留进行检测。结果表明,南宁市的15份土壤样品均未检出代森锌类农药残留;北海市有5份土壤样品检出代森锌类农药残留,检出率为33.3%,其质量比范围为0.005 2 mg/kg~0.034 6 mg/kg;钦州和防城港2市30份土壤样品均检出代森锌类农药残留,检出率为100%,其质量比范围为0.004 9 mg/kg~0.674 mg/kg。     

Marine litter in coral reef areas along the Jordan Gulf of Aqaba, Red Sea

Composition and abundance of submerged marine litter at six selected sites within a coral reef area along the Jordanian coast of the Gulf of Aqaba have been estimated. The litter was collected in clean up voluntary campaigns that took place in the period between 25 August 2003 and 29 February 2004. A total of 10,506 items weighing 1159 kg were collected during the survey. Mean litter density in the individual sampling sites varied between 1 and 6 items/m(2) with an overall mean density of 2.8 items/m(2). The mean weight of the collected items per sampling site varied between 0.06 and 1.06 kg/m(2) with an overall mean of 0.31 kg/m(2). Plastic accounted for 42% of the collected items, fishing gear was the second most abundant (31%) while metal was the third most abundant item (17%). By comparison, cardboard constituted 1%, and rubber and other items accounted for less than 1% of the total items collected during the campaigns. Approximately 61% of the plastics consisted of bags followed by bottles (24%), plastic containers and sheets accounted for 13 and 2%, respectively. Statistical analysis indicates no significant differences between the sites in terms of litter count and weight. Potential sources are pointed out and recommendations and actions to address the problem are suggested.     

Persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in populations of the clam Chione californiensis in coastal lagoons of the Gulf of California

This study examines the potential public health risk due to the massive use of organochlorine pesticides (OCs) in agriculture in the Gulf of California. Specimens of the clam Chione californiensis were collected from three coastal lagoons (Yavaros, Altata and Reforma). Sites were classified as polluted/nonpolluted based on the presence/absence of OCs as an indicator of the persistence of these pollutants; in polluted sites, the time elapsed since pesticide application (past or recent) was estimated. Screening values (SV) for protecting human health as per the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) were used for risk assessment. OCs detected were ranked according to frequency of occurrence as follows: γ-chlordane (75%) > endrin (54%) > aldrin (48%) > heptachlor, and dichlorodiphenyl-trichloroethane (DDE) (37%) > β-heptachlor epoxide (30%) > lindane (α-BHC, δ-BHC) and endosulphan I (≤ 6%). Specifically, OCs detected at the highest concentration were heptachlor in Yavaros (0.0168 µgg^?1) and Altata (0.0046 µgg^?1), and aldrin in Reforma (0.0019 µgg^?1). β-Heptachlor epoxide in Altata and Reforma was the only OC with a concentration exceeding the EPA Screening Value. From our results and based on the monthly consumption limit set forth by EPA, the maximum safe consumption of clams to avoid a carcinogenic risk derived from β-heptachlor epoxide in the fishing villages of Yavaros and Altata is 4 servings per month (1 serving = 0.227 kg) by a 70-kg person. These findings suggest that concentrations of OCs and their isomers in C. californiensis populations reflect environmental persistence as well as recent inputs of OCs into coastal lagoons in the Gulf of California.     

Applying Fuzzy Logic to Assess Human Perception in Relation to Conservation Plan Efficiency Measures Within a Biosphere Reserve

The objective of this study is to present an efficiency-perception impact assessment based upon the integration of fuzzy logic (FL) of the "Productive Reconversion" conservation program (PRP) instituted by the Mexican government, in the upper Gulf of California and the Colorado Delta Biosphere Reserve. This approach enables environmental analysts to deal with the intrinsic imprecision and ambiguity associated with people's judgments and conclusions. The application of FL to the assessment of program efficiency is illustrated in this work, demonstrating how subjective perceptions can be converted into quantitative values easy to evaluate during the decision-making process.