Impact of Sea Level Rise on Groundwater Salinity in a Coastal Community of South Florida1

Guha, Hillol and Sorab Panday, 2012. Impact of Sea Level Rise on Groundwater Salinity in a Coastal Community of South Florida. Journal of the American Water Resources Association (JAWRA) 48(3): 510-529. DOI: 10.1111/j.1752-1688.2011.00630.x Abstract: Freshwater resources of coastal communities in the United States and world over are threatened by the rate of sea level rise. According to recent estimates by various governmental agencies and climate researchers, the global sea level rise is likely to be between 0.6 and 2.1 m by the year 2100. South Florida is a coastal community and much of its coastline is subject to sea level rise and potential impacts to wetlands and the water resources of the area. To understand what the impact of sea level rise would cause to the groundwater level and salinity intrusion, an integrated groundwater and surface water model was developed for North Miami-Dade and Broward Counties of South Florida. The model was calibrated against daily groundwater heads, base flows in canals, and chloride concentrations for a period of one year and six months. Three separate sensitivity analyses were conducted by increasing the sea level by 0.6, 0.9, and 1.22 m. Results of the simulations shows increase of groundwater heads in some areas from 4 to 15%; whereas the average relative chloride concentrations increased significantly by 100-600% in some wells. The increase in groundwater elevations and chloride concentrations varies from location of the wells and its proximity to the coast. The model results indicate that even a 0.6 m increase in sea level (which is the conservative estimate) is likely to impair the vital freshwater resources in many parts of South Florida.     

Seawater Intrusion and Sustainable Yield of Basal Aquifers1

Liu, Clark C.K. and John J. Dai, 2012. Seawater Intrusion and Sustainable Yield of Basal Aquifers. Journal of the American Water Resources Association (JAWRA) 48(5): 861‐870. DOI: 10.1111/j.1752‐1688.2012.00659.x Abstract: Basal aquifers, in which freshwater floats on top of saltwater, are the major freshwater supply for the Hawaiian Islands, as well as many other coastal regions around the world. Under unexploited or natural conditions, freshwater and the underlying seawater are separated by a relatively sharp interface located below mean sea level at a depth of about 40 times the hydraulic head. With forced draft, the hydraulic head of a basal aquifer would decline and the sharp interface would move up. It is a serious problem of seawater intrusion as huge amounts of freshwater storage is replaced by saltwater. Also, with forced draft, the sharp interface is replaced by a transition zone in which the salinity increases downward from freshwater to saltwater. As pumping continues, the transition zone expands. The desirable source‐water salinity in Hawaii is about 2% of the seawater salinity. Therefore, the transition zone expansion is another serious problem of seawater intrusion. In this study, a robust analytical groundwater flow and salinity transport model (RAM2) was developed. RAM2 has a simple mathematical structure and its model parameters can be determined satisfactorily with the available field monitoring data. The usefulness of RAM2 as a viable management tool for coastal ground water management is demonstrated by applying it to determine the sustainable yield of the Pearl Harbor aquifer, a principal water supply source in Hawaii.     

Sorption of PAHs and PCBs to activated carbon: coal versus biomass-based quality

The addition of activated carbon (AC) is an increasingly popular method for pollutant immobilization, and the AC material can be made of biomass or coal/fossil feedstock. The aim of the present study was to investigate whether there are differences between pollutant sorption to biomass and coal-based AC in the presence and absence of sediment. Through N₂ and CO₂ adsorption to probe surface area and pore size it was shown that the biomass-based AC had a stronger dominance of narrow pores in the size range 3.5-15 Å than the anthracite-based material. In the absence of sediment, sorption isotherms for the probe compounds pyrene and PCB-101 showed stronger sorption for the biomass-based AC (logarithmic Freundlich coefficients 8.15 for pyrene; 9.91 for PCB-101) than for the anthracite-based one (logarithmic Freundlich coefficients 7.20 and 9.70, respectively). In the presence of sediment, the opposite trend was observed, with the stronger sorption for anthracite-based AC. Thus, the presence of competing and/or pore-blocking sediment constituents reduces sorption to a larger extent for biomass-derived AC (factor of 5 for pyrene to almost 100 for PCB-101) than for anthracite-based AC (no reduction for pyrene to factor of 5 for PCB-101). This difference is tentatively attributed to the difference in pore size distribution, narrow pores being more prone to clogging, and could have implications for remediation feasibility with AC from different sources.     

Effect of variations in the redox potential of Gleysol on barium mobility and absorption in rice plants

Two assays were designed to obtain information about the influence of redox potential variations on barium mobility and bioavailability in soil. One assay was undertaken in leaching columns, and the other was conducted in pots cultivated with rice (Oryza sativa) using soil samples collected from the surface of Gleysol in both assays. Three doses of barium (100,300 mg kg⁻¹ and 3000 mg kg⁻¹-soil dry weight) and two redox potential values (oxidizing and reducing) were evaluated. During the incubation period, the redox potential (Eh) was monitored in columns and pots until values of −250 mV were reached. After the incubation period, geochemical partitioning was conducted on the barium using the European Communities Bureau of Reference (BCR) method. Rainfall of 200 mm d⁻¹ was simulated in the columns and in the planting of rice seedlings in the pots. The results of the geochemical partitioning demonstrated that the condition of reduction favors increased barium concentrations in the more labile chemical forms and decreased levels in the chemical forms related to oxides. The highest barium concentrations in leached extracts (3.36 mg L⁻¹) were observed at the highest dose and condition of reduction at approximately five times above the drinking water standard. The high concentrations of barium in the soil did not affect plant dry matter production. The highest levels and accumulation of barium in roots, leaves, and grains of rice were found at the highest dose and condition of reduction. These results demonstrate that reduction leads to solubilization of barium sulfate, thereby favoring greater mobility and bioavailability of this element.     

Chromium speciation in river sediment pore water contaminated by tannery effluent

Cr(VI) is far more soluble and toxic than Cr(III). Sediment pore water was investigated in a river adjacent to the property of a large former tannery, into which Cr-contaminated effluent was discharged over a 55-year period, and where extremely high Cr concentrations have been found in the sediments. Dialysis cells, or peepers, were used to generate depth profiles of Cr concentration in sediment pore water. Samples were analyzed for total Cr using inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) and for Cr species using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC)-ICP-MS. The results show an absence of Cr(VI) in all samples. Furthermore, incomplete recovery of Cr(VI) added to the samples collected at the locations with highest sediment Cr concentrations indicate strong reducing conditions at those locations, which are not conducive to the presence of Cr(VI).     

Phytoavailability and geospeciation of cadmium in contaminated soil remediated by Rhodobacter sphaeroides

A microorganism was isolated from oil field injection water and identified as Rhodobacter sphaeroides. It was used for the remediation of simulated cadmium-contaminated soil. The phytoavailability of Cd was investigated through wheat seedling method to determine the efficiency of remediation. It was found that after remediation, the accumulation of Cd in wheat roots and leaves decreased by 67% and 53%, respectively. The Cd speciation in soil was determined with Tessier extraction procedure. It was found that the total Cd content in soil did not change during the experiments, but the geo-speciation of Cd changed remarkably. Among the five fractions, the concentration of exchangeable phases decreased by 27-46% and that of the phases bound to Fe-Mn oxides increased by 22-44%. The decrease of Cd accumulation in wheat showed significant positive correlation with the decrease of exchangeable phases. It could be concluded that the remediation of R. sphaeroides was carried out through the conversion of Cd to more stable forms. The decrease of sulfate concentration in supernatant indicated that the R. sphaeroides consumed sulfate.     

石油污染土壤的生物修复室内模拟实验研究

在实验室模拟的条件下,利用从克拉玛依的石油污染土壤中筛选出的4株高效降解菌,以石油烃降解率、脱氢酶活性、呼吸强度、微生物量碳氮和土壤毒性作为评价指标,研究不加生物菌剂不翻耕、不加生物菌剂翻耕、加生物菌剂不翻耕、加生物菌剂翻耕、加固定化菌剂不翻耕和加固定化菌剂翻耕6种不同实验条件对石油污染土壤修复的效果。结果表明,在63 d的修复过程中,加固定化菌剂翻耕实验F组的石油去除率达到了78.7%,比不加生物菌剂不翻耕实验A组的石油去除率提高了49.5%。随着土壤毒性逐渐降低,玉米(Zea mays L.)和赤子爱胜蚓(Eisenia fetida)可以在F组土壤中良好的生长,达到了修复的效果。     

Uptake of 14C-atropine and/or its transformation products from soil by wheat (Triticum aestivum var Kronjet) and their translocation to shoots

Plant uptake of toxins and their translocation to edible plant parts are important processes in the transfer of contaminants into the food chain. Atropine, a highly toxic muscarine receptor antagonist produced by Solanacea species, is found in all plant tissues and can enter the soil and hence be available for uptake by crops. The absorption of atropine and/or its transformation products from soil by wheat (Triticum aestivum var Kronjet) and its distribution to shoots was investigated by growing wheat in soil spiked with unlabeled or ¹⁴C-labeled atropine. Radioactivity attributable to ¹⁴C-atropine and its transformation products was measurable in plants sampled at 15 d after sowing (DAS) and thereafter until the end of experiment. The highest accumulation of ¹⁴C-atropine and/or its transformation products by plants was detected in leaves (between 73 and 90% of the total accumulated) with lower amounts in stems, roots, and seeds (approximately 14%, 9%, and 3%, respectively). ¹⁴C-Atropine and/or its transformation products were detected in soil leachate at 30, 60, and 90 DAS and were strongly adsorbed to soil, with 60% of the applied dose adsorbed at 30 DAS, plateauing at 70% from 60 DAS. Unlabeled atropine was detected in shoots 30 DAS at a concentration of 3.9 ± 0.1 μg kg^?1 (mean ± SD). The observed bioconcentration factor was 2.3 ± 0.04. The results suggest a potential risk of atropine toxicity to consumers.     

Contamination of wild-grown edible mushrooms by heavy metals in a former mercury-mining area

The aim of this study was to evaluate the contamination of six edible wild species of mushrooms (Boletus pulverulentus, Cantharellus cibarius, Lactarius quietus, Macrolepiota procera, Russula xerampelina and Suillus grevillei) by heavy metals (Hg, Cd, Pb, Zn, Cu, Ni, Cr, Co, Mn and Fe). Mushroom samples were collected from sites contaminated by emissions from mining and processing of polymetallic ores in operation during the period 1969–1993 in Rudňany, southeast Slovakia. The four study sites spanned up to a 5-km distance from the emission source. The collected mushroom samples were analyzed using Flame Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometry and/or Flame Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometry with graphite furnace. Mercury, Cd and, in some samples, also Pb present the highest risks in terms of contamination of the food chain following subsequent consumption. The content of two metals in the dry matter (dm) of the mushrooms exceeded the limits set by the European Union (EU; Cd: 0.5 mg/kg dm, Pb: 1.0 mg/kg dm). The highest mean contents of the eight metals recorded for S. grevillei were 52.2, 2.15, 107, 104, 2.27, 2.49, 81.6 and 434 mg/kg dm for Hg, Pb, Zn, Cu, Ni, Cr, Mn and Fe, respectively. The highest content of Cd was recorded in M. procera (3.05 mg/kg dm) and that of Co in L. quietus (0.90 mg/kg dm). The calculated weekly intake for Hg, Pb and Cd shows that regular consumption of mushrooms from the studied area poses risks to human health.     

Measurements of surface contamination of spray equipment with pesticides after various methods of application

Abstract

A traditional method to determine operator dermal exposure is to quantify the amount of pesticide coming into contact with specific body regions and then to integrate the deposition density values with the total body surface. It is known that extremely high deposition values may occur in the hand region; however, the source of contamination is generally assumed to be direct splash or contact with the pesticide container. One of the parameters affecting operator/pilot exposure could be the transfer of pesticide residue, particularly in the case of pesticides with a longer half‐life, from contaminated surfaces of spray equipment by direct contact over extended periods. If the rate of skin absorption of pesticide is readily known, the expected values of daily dose for an operator or pilot may significantly rise due to the extended contact period. This study produced field data on the surface contamination of spray equipment used for ground and aerial applications. If field data on precise work practice (time‐motion) observations are incorporated, it may be possible to estimate the potential exposure of operator/pilot due to hand contact with contaminated surfaces.