Anchoring novel molecular biomarker responses to traditional responses in fish exposed to environmental contamination

The responses of Dicentrarchus labrax and Liza aurata to aquatic pollution were assessed in a contaminated coastal lagoon, using both traditional and novel biomarkers combined. DNA damage, assessed by comet assay, was higher in both fish species from the contaminated sites, whereas levels of cytochrome P450 1A1 gene expression were not significantly altered. The liver histopathological analysis also revealed significant lesions in fish from contaminated sites. Alterations in ras and xpf genes were analysed and additional pollutant-responsive genes were identified. While no alterations were found in ras gene, a downregulation of xpf gene was observed in D. labrax from a contaminated site. Suppression subtractive hybridization applied to D. labrax collected at a contaminated site, revealed altered expression in genes involved in energy metabolism, immune system activity and antioxidant response. The approach and results reported herein demonstrate the utility of anchoring traditional biomarker responses alongside novel biomarker responses.     

Epiphytic lichen diversity in central European oak forests: Assessment of the effects of natural environmental factors and human influences

We investigated lichen diversity in temperate oak forests using standardized protocols. Forty-eight sites were sampled in the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary. The effects of natural environmental predictors and human influences on lichen diversity (lichen diversity value, species richness) were analysed by means of correlation tests. We found that lichen diversity responded differently to environmental predictors between two regions with different human impact. In the industrial region, air pollution was the strongest factor. In the agricultural to highly forested regions, lichen diversity was strongly influenced by forest age and forest fragmentation. We found that several natural factors can in some cases obscure the effect of human influences. Thus, factors of naturality gradient must be considered (both statistically and interpretively) when studying human impact on lichen diversity.     

乌江干流梯级电站生态调度现状分析

乌江是我国十三大水电基地之一,主要的开发任务为发电,其次为航运,兼顾防洪及其他。本研究在乌江干流上选取了4个具有代表性的断面,运用修正的Tennant法和综合法计算了维持乌江干流各代表性河段基本健康所需的生态需水量。研究表明,目前乌江干流梯级电站采取的调度措施能够满足各代表性河段所需的最小生态需水量。但目前的调度措施仍是建立在发电效益最大化基础上的,未能从干流生态环境系统的特殊要求进行调度,给干流生态环境造成了一定影响。本文最后提出了从多方面开展乌江干流梯级电站生态调度研究工作的建议。     

竺山湾流域河湖系统污染物总量控制研究

复杂河湖系统的总量控制需考虑河湖双重控制目标,以太湖西北部竺山湾流域为研究对象,运用排污系数法计算了区域内的入河污染负荷;构建了一维河网和二维湖体水环境数学模型,对水环境数学模型进行了率定;基于多重目标的河网水环境容量计算方法,计算了河网水环境容量,并分配至各控制单元;定量分析了各控制单元各污染物总量达标情况下的削减量及削减率。结果表明:竺山湾流域COD削减量为834.4 t,削减率为13.8%;氨氮削减量为226.1 t,削减率为36.5%;总氮削减量为724.8 t,削减率为55.2%;总磷削减量为108.9 t,削减率为73.4%。论文成果对于开展竺山湾流域污染物总量控制和水环境保护具有重要指导意义,同时为类似的河湖系统水污染物总量控制提供借鉴。     

污染红利与污染集聚的机理与实证

文章用污染要素的替代效应与成本效应对污染集聚的形成机理进行了分析,研究结果说明污染红利会带来污染集聚.首先,污染替代效应会导致污染密集型产业成为主导产业;其次,污染成本效应一方面会导致单个企业排污加大,另一方面还会扩大污染密集型企业的数量;第三,污染替代效应和成本效应作为污染总效应的分支,二者的作用是累加的,不会互相抵消.为了检验该研究结论的正确性,本文用内蒙古工业规模效应、工业结构效应、工业科技效应指标对该省废气排放总量进行了回归分析,结果支持了上述研究结论.首先,有利于把污染当作红利使用的工业规模效应与工业科技效应均促进了废气排放的增加;其次,抑制把污染当作红利使用的工业结构效应则促进了废气排放的减少.因此,我国彻底治理环境污染是一项长期的任务,我们在加大产业结构调整的过程中,尤应加大对污染密集型产业的抑制.     

我国生活垃圾焚烧工程分析

分析了我国生活垃圾的基本特征、垃圾焚烧厂的效益和垃圾焚烧厂的现状,展望了我国垃圾焚烧工程的发展趋势。     

Strong links between metal contamination, habitat modification and estuarine larval fish distributions

Changes to larval fish assemblages may have far reaching ecological impacts. Correlations between habitat modification, contamination and marine larval fish communities have rarely been assessed in situ. We investigated links between the large-scale distribution of stressors and larval fish assemblages in estuarine environments. Larval fish communities were sampled using a benthic sled within the inner and outer zones of three heavily modified and three relatively unmodified estuaries. Larval abundances were significantly greater in modified estuaries, and there were trends towards greater diversity in these systems. Differences in larval community composition were strongly related to sediment metal levels and reduced seagrass cover. The differences observed were driven by two abundant species, Paedogobius kimurai and Ambassis jacksoniensis, which occurred in large numbers almost exclusively in highly contaminated and pristine locations respectively. These findings suggest that contamination and habitat alteration manifest in substantial differences in the composition of estuarine larval fish assemblages.     

Transfer functions for solid-solution partitioning of cadmium for Australian soils

To assess transport and ecotoxicological risks of metals, such as cadmium (Cd) in soils, models are needed for partitioning and speciation. We derived regression-based “partition-relations” based on adsorption and desorption experiments for main Australian soil types. First, batch adsorption experiments were carried out over a realistic range of dissolved Cd concentrations in agricultural soils in Australia. Results showed linear sorption relationships, implying the adequacy of using Kd values to describe partitioning. Desorption measurements were then carried out to assess in-situ Kd values and relate these to soil properties The best transfer functions for solid-solution partitioning were found for Kd values relating total dissolved Cd concentration to total soil Cd concentrations, accounting for the variation in pH, SOM contents and DOC concentrations. Model predictions compared well with measurements of an independent data set, but there was a tendency to underestimate dissolved Cd concentrations of highly polluted soils.     

State of the Art Report on Mathematical Methods for Groundwater Pollution Source Identification

The reliable assessment of hazards or risks arising from groundwater contamination problems and the design of efficient and effective techniques to mitigate these problems require the capability to predict the behavior of chemical contaminants in flowing water. Most attempts at quantifying contaminant transport have relied on a solution of some form of a well-known governing equation referred to as advection-dispersion-reaction equation. To choose an appropriate remediation strategy, knowledge of the contaminant release source and time release history becomes pertinent. As additional contaminated sites are being detected, it is almost impossible to perform exhaustive drilling, testing, and chemical fingerprint analysis every time. Moreover, chemical fingerprinting and site records are not sufficient to allow a unique solution for the timing of source releases. The purpose of this paper is to present and review mathematical methods that have been developed during the past 15 years to identify the contaminant source location and recover the time release history.     

西安城北地区秋季PM_(2.5)中的矿尘颗粒污染特征

采用单颗粒气溶胶飞行时间质谱仪(Single Particle Aerosol Mass Spectrometer,SPAMS)对西安市大气矿尘颗粒物进行连续12 d在线分析,共采集到107 425个同时含有正负质谱信息的矿尘颗粒,矿尘颗粒物占PM_(2.5)样本数的8.44%。结果表明,矿尘颗粒物的正离子碎片成分以Na~+、K~+、Al~+、Ca~+、CaO~+、Fe~+为主,同时还含有Pb~+等,负离子碎片成分以NO~-_2和NO~-_3为主,另外还含有HSO~-_4、SiO~-_3、HSiO~-_3、H(NO_3)~-_2等。在西安市大气细颗粒物中,矿尘颗粒物中贡献较大的几类(如含钙、含铁、铁氧颗粒物等)大多是老化的成分。将观测阶段采集到的矿尘颗粒纳入本地污染源谱进行来源分析,其主要来源为扬尘源、工业源、燃煤源和汽车尾气源等。