A 700-year record of mercury in avian eggshells of Guangjin Island, South China Sea

Ancient eggshells over the past 700 years were extracted from an ornithogenic sediment profile on Guangjin Island, South China Sea. Based on SEM and nitrogen isotope analyses, we determined that neither post-depositional processes nor seabirds’ dietary changes had a large influence on eggshell Hg levels. The historical change of Hg in these eggshells was reconstructed. Eggshell Hg was a marker for past Hg deposition in marine environment. The eggshell Hg showed three small peaks at around 1300AD, 1600 AD and 1700-1750AD and rapid increase since 1800 AD. Before 1970 AD the Hg deposition in the Xisha area had global distribution characteristics, with increased Hg emissions due to global anthropogenic activities in industrial times. However, after 1970 AD, a further sharp increase up to present day occurred, implying that the Hg production center had gradually shifted from Europe and America to Asia.     

The Challenge of Bridging Science and Policy in the Baltic Sea Eutrophication Governance in Finland: The perspective of Science

This article examines the views of scientists on intricacies of scientific knowledge that affect science–policy interface in the Baltic Sea eutrophication governance in Finland. The analysis demonstrates that these intricacies can be divided into five categories: (1) uncertainty of knowledge concerning ecological processes, (2) heterogeneity of knowledge, (3) societal and political call for (certain) knowledge, (4) contingency of the knowledge that ends up taken as a baseline for decision making and further research, and (5) linkages of knowledge production, processing, and communication to particular characteristics of individual researchers and research societies. By explicating these aspects, this article illustrates the ways in which scientific knowledge concerning eutrophication is human-bound and susceptible to interpretation, thus adding on to the uncertainty of the Baltic Sea environmental governance. The aim is, then, to open up perspectives on how ambiguities related to science–policy interface could be coped with.     

Levels and congener profiles of PCBs and PCDD/Fs in blue shark (Prionace glauca) liver from the South-Eastern Mediterranean Sea (Italy)

Liver of blue shark (Prionace glauca) specimens from the South-Eastern Mediterranean Sea were analyzed for the presence of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), including coplanar congeners, polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs) and dibenzofurans (PCDFs). PCBs were the dominant chemicals, followed by PCDFs and PCDDs. The pattern of PCB congener concentrations in the hepatic tissue was dominated by higher chlorinated compounds. The specific profile of toxic PCDD/F congeners was characterized mainly by 2,3,7,8-TCDF and 2,3,7,8-TCDD, followed by 1,2,3,6,7,8-HxCDD and 2,3,4,6,7,8-HxCDF. The total 2,3,7,8-TCDD toxic equivalent (TEQs) was 149 pg g⁻¹ lipid wt. The profile of TEQ shows that PCDDs present the greatest risk to this species contributing to total toxicity with a percentage approximately of 60%, while the contribution of PCDFs and DL-PCBs is almost the same being 22.4% and 21.6%, respectively. Further investigations are urgently needed to characterize the PCDD/Fs contamination levels not only in elasmobranch fish but in all Mediterranean marine biota.     

Structure-related distribution of PCDD/Fs, PCBs and HCB in a river-sea system

Water concentrations of PCDD/Fs, HCB, and non-ortho, mono-ortho, and non-dioxin-like PCBs were measured four times during 1 year in a coastal area of the Baltic Sea, to investigate background levels and distribution behaviour. Sampling sites included two rivers, an estuary, and the sea. Particulate and apparently dissolved concentrations were determined using active sampling (filters + PUFs), while freely dissolved concentrations were determined using passive sampling (POM-samplers). The distribution between particulate + colloidal and freely dissolved phases, in the form of TOC-normalized distribution ratios (K_TOC), was found to be near or at equilibrium. The observed K_TOC were not significantly different between sampling sites or seasons. For PCDD/Fs, the concentrations were significantly correlated to suspended particulate matter (SPM), while no correlation to organic carbon (TOC) was observed. In the estuary and the sea, PCB concentrations were correlated to TOC. The sorption of various congeners to SPM and TOC appeared to be related to both hydrophobicity and 3D-structure. The PCDD/F concentration in the sea decreased to one third in May, likely connected to the increased vertical flux of particles during the spring bloom.     

Spatial distribution of dissolved Pb, Hg, Cd, Cu and As in the Bohai Sea

Characteristics of the spatial distribution of selected dissolved heavy metals were analyzed during large scale surveys from August 12 to 25,2003 in the Bohai Sea.Dissolved Pb was the only element with average concentrations higher than the grade-one sea water quality standard of China.The spatial distribution of dissolved Pb in surface water was similar to those of Cd,Cu and As,where the isopleths generally indicated decreasing values from the bays to the central areas.Only for Hg did the high concentrations not only appear in Liaodong Bay,Bohai Bay and Laizhou Bay,but also in the Central Area,viz.not only in inshore but also in offshore areas. Vertical distributions of dissolved Pb,Cd,Cu and As were largely uniform,while that of dissolved Hg increased with depth.We infer that the input of pollutants from land was the main influencing factor for the detected distribution patterns of dissolved heavy metals, followed by the dynamics of sea water,release from bottom sediments and biochemical processes.Comparing with historical data, average concentrations of dissolved heavy metals appear to decline in recent years.     

Validation of the UN criteria for the uncooled sea transport of liquid organic peroxides: Full-scale test and modeling

In the years 1987 and 1988 TNO and Akzo Nobel investigated the thermal safety of non-temperature-controlled sea transport of organic peroxides, by modeling and experimenting on several scales. A full-scale test was organised in the summer of 1989, in co-operation with the former Nedlloyd company, in which a sea container with palletised packages, filled with soybean oil as inert liquid and fully equipped with temperature measuring equipment, was transported from Rotterdam, The Netherlands, to Beira, Mozambique, and back. The trip took 2 months.To answer questions stated by the workgroup International Group of Experts on the Explosion Risk of Unstable Substances—subgroup on Energetic and Oxidising Substance (IGUS-EOS) during its meeting in Washington, DC, USA, April 2006, the original data of the sea-container trip were reviewed and applied in a new mathematical model of the sea-container filled with packages, and traveling through tropical sea areas.Analysis of the data from the full-scale test led to defining a worst combination of adverse temperature conditions: constant dead sailing of the wind (wind direction and speed equal to that of the ship), and sunny weather 12 h/day and a mean ambient temperature of 30 °C during 28 days.The effect of sunny weather was put into the model by assigning 24 h averaged excess temperatures to the sun-exposed surfaces. New simulations showed no runaway for the sea container, if filled with an organic peroxide having an self-accelerating decomposition temperature (SADT) of exactly 55 °C.The exaggerated worst case with an improbable mean ambient temperature of 33 °C also does not lead to a runaway.Therefore, the UN criteria for temperature control for organic peroxides are appropriate.     

渤海环流对近岸海域无机氮分布特征的影响

基于2017年渤海近岸海域无机氮监测数据和HYCOM数值模拟结果,分析了渤海环流对无机氮污染分布特征的影响,结果表明渤海无机氮的空间分布特征与其环流结构密切相关:受渤海环流的影响,在春、夏、秋季,无机氮含量高值区呈现不同的强度和范围;在辽东湾,与春季相比,夏季环流结构与春季相反、速度大于春季,盘锦、营口近岸海域夏季无机氮污染范围缩小、含量降低,在锦州近岸海域亦出现高值;在渤海湾、莱州湾,与春季相比,夏季和秋季无机氮含量高值区范围缩小,无机氮含量等值线均随环流向高值中心扩展。     

渤海和黄海北部地区海冰灾害风险评估

海冰灾害是中国海洋灾害的主要灾种之一。渤海和黄海北部地区由于受冬季风带来的寒潮天气影响成为中国最主要的结冰海域。基于灾害风险理论,将研究区海岸带上17个地级市的71个县区作为评价单元,对海冰灾害风险进行评估。选取冰期天数和最大冰厚2个指标,计算致灾因子危险度指数;选取涉海人口密度、海洋经济密度、海洋一产比重等3个指标,计算承灾体脆弱性指数;综合危险度指数与脆弱性指数计算各县区的海冰灾害风险指数,并绘制风险等级图。该风险等级图揭示了海冰灾害风险在渤海和黄海北部地区海岸带上的分布状况,为中国制定海冰灾害风险防范策略提供参考。     

Tipping Points in the Arctic: Eyeballing or Statistical Significance?

Arctic ecosystems have experienced and are projected to experience continued large increases in temperature and declines in sea ice cover. It has been hypothesized that small changes in ecosystem drivers can fundamentally alter ecosystem functioning, and that this might be particularly pronounced for Arctic ecosystems. We present a suite of simple statistical analyses to identify changes in the statistical properties of data, emphasizing that changes in the standard error should be considered in addition to changes in mean properties. The methods are exemplified using sea ice extent, and suggest that the loss rate of sea ice accelerated by factor of ~5 in 1996, as reported in other studies, but increases in random fluctuations, as an early warning signal, were observed already in 1990. We recommend to employ the proposed methods more systematically for analyzing tipping points to document effects of climate change in the Arctic.     

Changes in the Chemistry of Small Irish lakes

A re-survey of acid-sensitive lakes in Ireland (initial survey 1997) was carried out during spring 2007 (n = 60). Since 1997, atmospheric emissions of sulfur dioxide and deposition of non-marine sulfate (SO₄ ²⁻) in Ireland have decreased by ~63 and 36%, respectively. Comparison of water chemistry between surveys showed significant decreases in the concentration of SO₄ ²⁻, non-marine SO₄ ²⁻, and non-marine base cations. In concert, alkalinity increased significantly; however, no change was observed in surface water pH and total aluminum. High inter-annual variability in sea salt inputs and increasing (albeit non-significant) dissolved organic carbon may have influenced the response of pH and total aluminum (as ~70% is organic aluminum). Despite their location on the western periphery of Europe, and dominant influence from Atlantic air masses, the repeat survey suggests that the chemistry of small Irish lakes has shown a significant response to reductions in air pollution driven primarily by the implementation of the Gothenburg Protocol under the UNECE Convention on Long-Range Transboundary Air Pollution.