Sexual difference in mercury concentrations of lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush) from Lake Ontario

We determined total mercury (Hg) concentrations in 50 female lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush) and 69 male lake trout from Lake Ontario (Ontario, Canada and New York, United States). Results showed that, on average, males were 8% higher in Hg concentration than females in Lake Ontario. We also used bioenergetics modeling to determine whether a sexual difference in gross growth efficiency (GGE) could explain the observed sexual difference in Hg concentrations. According to the bioenergetics modeling results, male GGE was about 3% higher than female GGE, on average. Although the bioenergetics modeling could not explain the higher Hg concentrations exhibited by the males, a sexual difference in GGE remained a plausible explanation for the sexual difference in Hg concentrations of the lake trout. In an earlier study, male lake trout from Lake Ontario were found to be 22% higher in polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) concentration than females from Lake Ontario. Thus, although males were higher in both Hg and PCB concentrations, the degree of the sexual difference in concentration varied between the two contaminants. Further research on sexual differences in Hg excretion rates and Hg direct uptake rates may be needed to resolve the disparity in results between the two contaminants.     

油田含油污水高级氧化技术研究

以气浮—过滤预处理后的污水为处理对象,通过臭氧氧化与Fenton氧化两种方法处理油田含油污水。经实验验证:Fenton在pH为4,H2O2初始浓度为0.08mol/L,Fe2+与H2O2的摩尔比为1:10,H2O2与CODCr的质量比为1:1,反应时间为60min的条件下,去除率达54.3%(CODCr100mg/L),可达到GB8978-1996《污水综合排放标准》二级标准。     

Estimating contribution of wildland fires to ambient ozone levels in National Parks in the Sierra Nevada, California

Data from four continuous ozone and weather monitoring sites operated by the National Park Service in Sierra Nevada, California, are used to develop an ozone forecasting model and to estimate the contribution of wildland fires on ambient ozone levels. The analyses of weather and ozone data pointed to the transport of ozone precursors from the Central Valley as an important source of pollution in these National Parks. Comparisons of forecasted and observed values demonstrated that accurate forecasts of next-day hourly ozone levels may be achieved by using a time series model with historic averages, expected local weather and modeled PM values as explanatory variables. Results on fire smoke influence indicated occurrence of significant increases in average ozone levels with increasing fire activity. The overall effect on diurnal ozone values, however, was small when compared with the amount of variability attributed to sources other than fire.     

Stable isotope signatures reflect competitiveness between trees under changed CO2/O3 regimes

Here we synthesize key findings from a series of experiments to gain new insight on inter-plant competition between juvenile beech (Fagus sylvatica) and spruce (Picea abies) under the influence of increased O₃ and CO₂ concentrations. Competitiveness of plants was quantified and mechanistically interpreted as space-related resource investments and gains. Stable isotopes were addressed as temporal integrators of plant performance, such as photosynthesis and its relation to water use and nitrogen uptake. In the weaker competitor, beech, efficiency in space-related aboveground resource investment was decreased in competition with spruce and positively related to Δ¹³C, as well as stomatal conductance, but negatively related to δ¹⁸O. Likewise, our synthesis revealed that strong belowground competition for water in spruce was paralleled in this species by high N assimilation capacity. We suggest combining the time-integrative potential of stable isotopes with space-related investigations of competitiveness to accomplish mechanistic understanding of plant competition for resources.     

水体中酮硝基麝香的臭氧氧化降解研究

采用臭氧氧化水体中的酮硝基麝香,考察pH、H2O2等因素对降解程度的影响,结果表明提高初始pH能加快酮硝基麝香的氧化降解,当pH为12时,反应时间1 h,酮硝基麝香几乎完全去除,浓度为2 mol/L和5 mol/L的H2O2存在有利于O3分解生成·OH自由基,使得酮硝基麝香的氧化降解速率加快,当H2O2浓度超过5 mol/L,H2O2会成为·OH的清除剂,降低·OH利用率;无论O3单独作用和O3/H2O2协同作用,酮硝基麝香降解符合准一级动力学规律;酮硝基麝香氧化降解产物包括甲酸、二乙酸和硝酸根等,其中硝基从苯环上脱落降低了硝基麝香对环境的风险.     

Regulating overabundant ungulate populations: an example for elk in Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado

In many areas of the world, populations of native ungulates have become so abundant that they are believed to be harming vegetation and disrupting ecosystem function. Methods for controlling overabundance populations include culling animals from the population and controlling fertility using contraceptives. However, understanding the feasibility these alternatives requires insight into their long-term effects on populations. We constructed a simulation model to evaluate options for regulating elk populations in and around Rocky Mountain National Park and used the model to compare different treatment options. Methods were evaulated with respect to the time required to reduce the population to a target level, the number of animals treated and/or culled and the risk of extinction. We contrasted culling with lifetime-effect contraceptives and yearlong contraceptives. Lifetime contraceptives required treating the fewest animals to maintain the population at desired targets. However, this approach also causes the greatest population variability and potential risk of extinction. Yearlong contraceptives required treatment of dramatically more animals but had essentially no extinction risk whereas culling produced intermediate levels of both extinction risk and number of animals treated. These results characterize the risks and benefits of alternative control strategies for overabundant wildlife. They emerge from a modeling approach that can be broadly useful in helping managers in choose between alternatives for regulating overabundant wildlife.     

Assessment of a turfgrass sod best management practice on water quality in a suburban watershed

The disposal of manure on agricultural land has caused water quality concerns in many rural watersheds, sometimes requiring state environmental agencies to conduct total maximum daily load (TMDL) assessments of stream nutrients, such as nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P). A best management practice (BMP) has been developed in response to a TMDL that mandates a 50% reduction of annual P load to the North Bosque River (NBR) in central Texas. This BMP exports composted dairy manure P through turfgrass sod from the NBR watershed to urban watersheds. The manure-grown sod releases P slowly and would not require additional P fertilizer for up to 20 years in the receiving watershed. This would eliminate P application to the sod and improve the water quality of urban streams. The soil and water assessment tool (SWAT) was used to model a typical suburban watershed that would receive the sod grown with composted dairy manure to assess water quality changes due to this BMP. The SWAT model was calibrated to simulate historical flow and estimated sediment and nutrient loading to Mary's Creek near Fort Worth, Texas. The total P stream loading to Mary's Creek was lower when manure-grown sod was transplanted instead of sod grown with inorganic fertilizers. Flow, sediment and total N yield were the same for both cases at the watershed outlet. The SWAT simulations indicated that the turfgrass BMP can be used effectively to import manure P into an urban watershed and reduce in-stream P levels when compared to sod grown with inorganic fertilizers.     

Generating sustainable towns from Chinese villages: a system modeling approach

The great majority of China's developing towns will be extensions of already existing villages. With the prospect of hundreds of millions of Chinese farmers projected to leave their villages to become industrial workers in new and expanded towns within the next few years, new challenges will be faced. As expansion and modernization progress, this development moves from the traditional village model that operates not far from resource sustainability to increasingly unsustainable patterns of commerce, urban development, and modern life. With such an unprecedented mass migration and transformation, how can Chinese culture survive? What is to become of the existing million plus agricultural villages? How can these massively unsustainable new industrial towns survive? In the European Commission sponsored research program SUCCESS, researchers worked from the scale of the Chinese village to find viable answers to these questions.     

Impacts of Multiple Stresses on Water Demand and Supply Across the Southeastern United States1

Abstract: Assessment of long‐term impacts of projected changes in climate, population, and land use and land cover on regional water resource is critical to the sustainable development of the southeastern United States. The objective of this study was to fully budget annual water availability for water supply (precipitation ? evapotranspiration + groundwater supply + return flow) and demand from commercial, domestic, industrial, irrigation, livestock, mining, and thermoelectric uses. The Water Supply Stress Index and Water Supply Stress Index Ratio were developed to evaluate water stress conditions over time and across the 666 eight‐digit Hydrologic Unit Code basins in the 13 southeastern states. Predictions from two Global Circulation Models (CGC1 and HadCM2Sul), one land use change model, and one human population model, were integrated to project future water supply stress in 2020. We found that population increase greatly stressed water supply in metropolitan areas located in the Piedmont region and Florida. Predicted land use and land cover changes will have little effect on water quantity and water supply‐water demand relationship. In contrast, climate changes had the most pronounced effects on regional water supply and demand, especially in western Texas where water stress was historically highest in the study region. The simulation system developed by this study is useful for water resource planners to address water shortage problems such as those experienced during 2007 in the study region. Future studies should focus on refining the water supply term to include flow exchanges between watersheds and constraints of water quality and environmental flows to water availability for human use.     

One-dimensional model for biogeochemical interactions and permeability reduction in soils during leachate permeation

This paper uses the findings from a column study to develop a reactive model for exploring the interactions occurring in leachate-contaminated soils. The changes occurring in the concentrations of acetic acid, sulphate, suspended and attached biomass, Fe(II), Mn(II), calcium, carbonate ions, and pH in the column are assessed. The mathematical model considers geochemical equilibrium, kinetic biodegradation, precipitation-dissolution reactions, bacterial and substrate transport, and permeability reduction arising from bacterial growth and gas production. A two-step sequential operator splitting method is used to solve the coupled transport and biogeochemical reaction equations. The model gives satisfactory fits to experimental data and the simulations show that the transport of metals in soil is controlled by multiple competing biotic and abiotic reactions. These findings suggest that bioaccumulation and gas formation, compared to chemical precipitation, have a larger influence on hydraulic conductivity reduction.