Ecological Risk Assessment of Abandoned Shrimp Ponds in Southern Thailand

The potential ecological risks associated with contaminants from 15 abandoned shrimp ponds in southern Thailand were assessed at the screening level. Shrimp ponds reported as out of production for more than 2 years were selected as sampling sites. The assessment endpoint was identified as the protection of aquatic life from hazard of multiple agents or stressors in water or sediment from the ponds. The measurement endpoints were amount of toxic phytoplankton species, Yellow Head Viruses, SEMB viruses, oxytetracycline, cadmium, copper, and manganese. Data from field measurements and laboratory analyses obtained primarily from April to June 2003 were used in the risk analysis. The results showed that insignificant amounts of stressors were present, except for the metals. So, only concentration values of the metals were used in the calculation of hazard quotients (HQ) for risk characterization. The highest potential ecological risk characterized by the highest HQ value observed for each metal was 19 for manganese, 4.3 for cadmium, and 1.8 for copper. These findings indicated a need for further ecological risk assessment at a more detailed level to focus on the bioavailability and effects of metals from abandoned shrimp farms, with manganese the highest priority.     

Cladocerans under conditions of small river damming by man and beavers

In beaver ponds, the species diversity, abundance, biomass, and production of cladocerans and the amount of food consumed by them have increased and the composition of dominant species has changed as compared to those in the stretches of small rivers with running water or dammed by man. The stimulating effect of water from a beaver pond has been confirmed in laboratory experiments. The average number of juvenile Ceriodaphnia affinis produced by one female was considerably greater in this water than in the water from flowing and dammed (by man) river stretches.     

Beaver-mediated methane emission: The effects of population growth in Eurasia and the Americas

Globally, greenhouse gas budgets are dominated by natural sources, and aquatic ecosystems are a prominent source of methane (CH₄) to the atmosphere. Beaver (Castor canadensis and Castor fiber) populations have experienced human-driven change, and CH₄ emissions associated with their habitat remain uncertain. This study reports the effect of near extinction and recovery of beavers globally on aquatic CH₄ emissions and habitat. Resurgence of native beaver populations and their introduction in other regions accounts for emission of 0.18–0.80 Tg CH₄ year⁻¹ (year 2000). This flux is approximately 200 times larger than emissions from the same systems (ponds and flowing waters that became ponds) circa 1900. Beaver population recovery was estimated to have led to the creation of 9500–42 000 km² of ponded water, and increased riparian interface length of >200 000 km. Continued range expansion and population growth in South America and Europe could further increase CH₄ emissions.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (doi:10.1007/s13280-014-0575-y) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.     

CONCEPTUAL DESIGN PROCEDURE FOR HYDRAULIC DESTRATIFICATION SYSTEMS IN SMALL PONDS,LAKES, OR RESERVOIRS FOR WATER QUALITY IMPROVEMENT1

ABSTRACT: Forced artificial mixing of temperature-stratified ponds, or small lakes or reservoirs, by liquid jets can enhance water quality and can also be energy efficient. Based on previous studies of jet mixing mechanics of stratified water bodies, a conceptual design approach is presented. The main “operational” and “system” design parameters are considered in the proposed method. Using minimization of a total cost estimate as a criterion, an iterative method for the selection of the number and size of the jets is developed and illustrated.     

Nitrogen recovery in an integrated system for wastewater treatment and tilapia production

An integrated system, consisting of Up-flow Anaerobic Sludge Blanket (UASB)-duckweed-tilapia ponds was used for recovery of sewage nutrients and water recycling. A UASB reactor with 40 liter working volume was used as pre-treatment unit followed by a series of three duckweed ponds for nitrogen recovery. The treated effluent and duckweed biomass was used to feed fishponds stocked with Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus). The UASB reactor was fed with raw, domestic sewage at 6 h hydraulic retention time. The three duckweed ponds were stocked with Lemna gibba and fed with UASB effluent at 15 days hydraulic retention time. Nitrogen recovery from UASB effluent via duckweed biomass represented 81% of total nitrogen removal and 46.5% from the total nitrogen input to the system. In subsequent fishponds the nitrogen recovery from duckweed as fish feed was in the range of 13.4–20%. This nitrogen in fish biomass represented 10.6–11.5 g N from the total nitrogen in the raw sewage fed to the UASB reactor. The growth performance of tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) showed specific growth rates (SGR) in the range of 0.53–0.97. The range of feed conversion ratio (FCR) and protein efficiency ratio (PER) were 1.2–2.2 and 2.1–2.28, respectively. The results of the experiments showed total fish yield and net fish yield in the range of 17–22.8 ton/ha/y and 11.8–15.7 ton/ha/y respectively. In conclusion UASB-duckweed-tilapia ponds provide marketable by-products in the form of duckweed and fish protein, which represent a cost recovery for sewage treatment.     

WATER USE AND WATER CONSERVATION BY THE COPPER MINING INDUSTRY1

ABSTRACT: This paper examines the use of water by copper mines for treating low grade ores. The froth flotation process for treating sulphide ore and the heap leaching process for treating oxide ore are described, and ways of reducing the amount of water used in these processes are discussed. Estimates of the costs reducing water consumption are given. Finally, the circumstances in which it would be desirable for a copper mine to reduce its level of water consumption are considered.     

不同养殖模式池塘沉降颗粒营养物质组成特征

2012年4~10月采用自制沉降颗粒收集装置收集主养草鱼和黄颡鱼池塘生态系统中沉降颗粒物,开展了颗粒物质的垂直沉降量以及沉降颗粒中碳氮磷等营养物质的组成及沉降通量的季节变化特征的研究。结果表明:养殖可以显著提高池塘颗粒物质的垂直沉降量,主养草鱼池塘中颗粒物质垂直沉降量显著高于主养黄颡鱼池塘(p0.01),且两种养殖模式池塘颗粒物质沉降量随着养殖时间推进有显著增加的趋势。主养草鱼的池塘中颗粒物质垂直沉降量在100.39~414.66g/(m2·d)之间变化,平均为224.46g/(m2·d),主养黄颡鱼池塘中沉降颗粒物质垂直沉降量在34.14~272.91g/(m2·d)之间变化,平均为155.18g/(m2·d)。两种养殖模式沉降颗粒的碳氮磷成分在养殖周期内的变化规律不明显但具有相似的变化趋势,主养黄颡鱼池塘沉降颗粒中TN、TC、TOC和TON的含量均比同时期主养草鱼高,且均随着养殖时间的推进,沉降颗粒中碳氮磷的总量呈增加趋势。两种养殖模式池塘沉降颗粒中的C/N比值与沉积物中的C/N比值较为接近,表明沉降颗粒与沉积物营养物质来源具有一定的相似性,同时养殖系统内养殖对象与其所处环境的相互依存和相互影响对颗粒物质的产生以及沉降具有重要作用。     

Enhanced experimental flexibility and control in ecotoxicological mesocosm experiments--a new outdoor and indoor pond and stream system

Scope The German Federal Environmental Agency has put into operation a new modular mesocosm system consisting of eight outdoor and eight indoor ponds and streams in order to investigate fate and effects of chemicals and municipal wastewater in aquatic ecosystems. General design and special characteristics are given to demonstrate the wide range of possibilities for experimental research. - General design. Each of the 16 streams with riffle and pool sections can be varied in length up to 106 m. The streams can be run as circular or flow-through systems at a flow velocity of 0.02 to 0.6 m/s. Physico-chemical standard parameters are measured on-line. The 16 ponds, which can be connected to the stream systems, are equipped with drainage and pore water-sampling devices for simulating processes in the littoral zone including influent and effluent ground water flow. Perspectives Since the highly flexible and controllable construction also allows treating a wide range of hydrological and ecological experiments external institutions are invited to submit proposals.     

Evaluation of SWAT Impoundment Modeling Methods in Water and Sediment Simulations

Worldwide studies show 80%–90% of all sediments eroded from watersheds is trapped within river networks such as reservoirs, ponds, and wetlands. To represent the impact of impoundments on sediment routing in watershed modeling, Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) developers recommend to model reservoirs, ponds, and wetlands using impoundment tools (ITs). This study evaluates performance of SWAT ITs in the modeling of a small, agricultural watershed dominated by lakes and wetlands. The study demonstrates how to incorporate impoundments into the SWAT model, and discusses and evaluates involved parameters. The study then recommends an appropriate calibration sequence, i.e., landscape parameters calibration, followed by pond/wetlands calibration, then channel parameter calibrations, and lastly, reservoir parameter calibration. Results of this study demonstrate not following SWAT recommendation regarding modeling water land use as an impoundment depreciates SWAT performance, and may lead to misplaced calibration efforts and model over‐calibration. Further, the chosen method to model impoundments’ outflow significantly impacts sediment loads in the watershed, while streamflow simulation is not very sensitive. This study also allowed calculation of mass accumulation rates in modeled impoundments where the annual mass accumulation rate in wetlands (2.3 T/ha/yr) was 39% higher than mass accumulation rate in reservoirs (1.4 T/ha/yr).     

Co-development of an integrated assessment framework to evaluate the effectiveness and impact of selected nature-based water treatment technologies in Sri Lanka,The Philippines,and Vietnam

Water quality is a critical challenge in Asia in the context of growing industrialization, urbanization, and climate change. Nature-based solutions (NbS) could play an important role in reducing urban water pollution, while generating multiple co-benefits that could make cities more liveable and resilient. In this regard, a number of pilot and demonstration projects have been set up to explore their potential across cities in Asia. Their effectiveness and impacts, however, have not been adequately documented, thus how they can be sustained, replicated and up-scaled remain poorly understood. This study aims to contribute to addressing this challenge by co-developing an integrated assessment framework and employing it to understand how existing evaluations of NbS in the region can be improved. It focuses specifically on a set of nature-based solutions that have been employed for water treatment across six cities in Southeast Asia (two in each Sri Lanka, the Philippines, and Vietnam), namely, floating wetlands, constructed wetlands and maturation ponds. The study also suggests specific methodologies for capturing a set of core indicators considered relevant for assessing the effectiveness and capturing the multi-faceted impacts of the examined NbS.