Detection of DDT and its metabolites in two estuaries of South China using a SPME-based device: First report of p,p′-DDMU in water column

A solid-phase microextration-based sampling method was employed to determine the concentrations of 1,1,1-trichloro-2,2-bis(p-chlorophenyl)ethane (DDT) and its metabolites, 1,1-dichloro-2,2-bis(p-chlorophenyl)ethane (DDD), 1,1-dichloro-2,2-bis(p-chlorophenyl)ethene (DDE) and 1-chloro-2,2-bis(p-chlorophenyl)ethene (DDMU), in two estuarine bays, Daya Bay and Hailing Bay, of South China. Six DDT components including p,p′-DDT, o,p′-DDD, p,p′-DDD, o,p′-DDE, p,p′-DDE, and p,p′-DDMU were detected in Hailing Bay, while only p,p′-DDD was found in Daya Bay. p,p′-DDD was the most abundant DDT component in both bays, sharply different from the previous finding in the water column of the Palos Verdes Shelf, California, USA that p,p′-DDE was prevalent. In addition, the occurrence of p,p′-DDMU (with a range of 0.047-0.21 ng/L in Hailing Bay) has not been reported around the globe, and its presence in our study region appeared to stem from dehydrochlorination of p,p′-DDD, favored under aerobic conditions, but further investigations are clearly needed to confirm the mechanism for generation of DDMU in estuarine environments.     

The Value of Linking Mitigation and Adaptation: A Case Study of Bangladesh

There are two principal strategies for managing climate change risks: mitigation and adaptation. Until recently, mitigation and adaptation have been considered separately in both climate change science and policy. Mitigation has been treated as an issue for developed countries, which hold the greatest responsibility for climate change, while adaptation is seen as a priority for the South, where mitigative capacity is low and vulnerability is high. This conceptual divide has hindered progress against the achievement of the fundamental sustainable development challenges of climate change. Recent attention to exploring the synergies between mitigation and adaptation suggests that an integrated approach could go some way to bridging the gap between the development and adaptation priorities of the South and the need to achieve global engagement in mitigation. These issues are explored through a case study analysis of climate change policy and practice in Bangladesh. Using the example of waste-to-compost projects, a mitigation-adaptation-development nexus is demonstrated, as projects contribute to mitigation through reducing methane emissions; adaptation through soil improvement in drought-prone areas; and sustainable development, because poverty is exacerbated when climate change reduces the flows of ecosystem services. Further, linking adaptation to mitigation makes mitigation action more relevant to policymakers in Bangladesh, increasing engagement in the international climate change agenda in preparation for a post-Kyoto global strategy. This case study strengthens the argument that while combining mitigation and adaptation is not a magic bullet for climate policy, synergies, particularly at the project level, can contribute to the sustainable development goals of climate change and are worth exploring.     

Historical change of mercury pollution in remote Yongle archipelago, South China Sea

We collected three ornithogenic coral sand sedimentary profiles from Jinyin Island, Jinqing Island and Guangjin Island of Yongle archipelago, South China Sea and reconstructed the deposition flux of anthropogenic Hg over the past 700 years in the study area. On the whole, the anthropogenic Hg flux is relatively low; it remained at a low level before the Industrial Revolution with a small peak at about 1450-1550 AD, which may record the enhanced metallurgy activity in Ming Dynasty of China. During the 20th century, the deposition flux of anthropogenic Hg increased rapidly, but two troughs occurred during the periods around 1940s and 1970s, corresponding to the economic depression caused by World War II, Civil War in China (1945-1949), and the Culture Revolution (1966-1976) in China. Since the 1970s the deposition flux of anthropogenic Hg has been persistently increasing, apparently the result of fast economic development in East and Southeast Asia countries around South China Sea.     

Development and field validation of an indicator to assess the relative mobility and risk of pesticides in the Lourens River catchment,South Africa

A GIS based pesticide risk indicator that integrates exposure variables (i.e. pesticide application, geographic, physicochemical and crop data) and toxicity endpoints (using species sensitivity distributions) was developed to estimate the Predicted Relative Exposure (PREX) and Predicted Relative Risk (PRRI) of applied pesticides to aquatic ecosystem health in the Lourens River catchment, Western Cape, South Africa. Samples were collected weekly at five sites from the beginning of the spraying season (October) till the beginning of the rainy season (April) and were semi quantitatively analysed for relevant pesticides applied according to the local farmers spraying programme. Monitoring data indicate that physicochemical data obtained from international databases are reliable indicators of pesticide behaviour in the Western Cape of South Africa. Sensitivity analysis identified K_OC as the most important parameter influencing predictions of pesticide loading derived from runoff. A comparison to monitoring data showed that the PREX successfully identified hotspot sites, gave a reasonable estimation of the relative contamination potential of different pesticides at a site and identified important routes of exposure (i.e. runoff or spray drift) of different pesticides at different sites. All pesticides detected during a monitored runoff event, were indicated as being more associated with runoff than spray drift by the PREX. The PRRI identified azinphos-methyl and chlorpyrifos as high risk pesticides towards the aquatic ecosystem. These results contribute to providing increased confidence in the use of risk indicator applications and, in particular, could lead to improved utilisation of limited resources for monitoring and management in resource constrained countries.     

南京南湖底泥疏浚后水质演化规律调查

对疏浚后的南京南湖底泥的TP、TN和COD释放规律、补水后的水质状况以及藻类演替规律进行了调查。结果表明,上覆水中TP平均质量浓度基本不随自来水补入量的增加而发生变化,TN和COD质量浓度随自来水补入量的增加而增大;水体中的TP、TN和COD含量总体呈上升趋势;从2005年3月中旬起,出现藻类的大量繁殖,在2005年7月发生水华,藻类优势种由裸藻、隐藻和小环藻演替为裸藻、栅藻和韦斯藻,藻类总量由2005年3月的3.7×106L-1上升到2006年4月的1.5×107L-1。     

南海中南部水域海水中重金属的分布特征

2010年秋季对我国南海部分海域进行调查,按照采样标准规范采集了16个站位不同水层的海水样品,采用附有ISIS进样系统的电感耦合等离子体质谱法直接测定了海水中痕量重金属Cr、Cu、Zn、As、Cd及Pb元素含量,考察了重金属在南海海水中分布状况;同时测定了海水样品的盐度、温度、pH、溶解有机碳(DOC)及溶解氧(DO),分析各项参数垂直分布变化规律及其与重金属的分布变化相关性。结果表明,南海海水中重金属含量较低,变化范围较小,除部分站位Pb元素外,重金属含量低于国家一类海水水质标准,不同站位间所有重金属总和分布没有明显差异性;重金属元素间分布变化趋势存在一定的相关性;盐度、温度、pH、DOC、DO与重金属分布变化存在着比较显著的相关性规律。     

ECONOMIC EVALUATION OF AESTHETIC AMENITIES: A CASE STUDY OF RIVER VIEW1

ABSTRACT: Presence of a river in an urban setting may contribute positively to an aesthetically pleasing environment. Such aesthetic effects are not typically linked to specific economic activities and occur, for example, when residents are exposed to a river-view. Qualities enhancing the aesthetic value of the river include the presence of parks, trails, and vegetation along the riverbanks. The value of aesthetic amenities provided by the South Saskatchewan to the City of Saskatoon residents was estimated in this study using non-market methods. The implicit price of the river view was estimated using the Hedonic Price Model, whereas value through willingness to pay for property taxes or higher rents were also estimated using actual market data. The total annual value of the river to the City of Saskatoon through addition of aesthetic amenities was estimated at $1.2 million in 1989 dollars.     

ADAPTATION TO ARIDITY: WATER DEVELOPMENT IN SOUTH AFRICA1

ABSTRACT The Republic of South Africa, legatee of a three-century history of recurring drought, is firmly committed to a program of the optimum use of its water for the national benefit. Its water law encourages centralized planning in that water is held to be the property of the state and is assignable without requiring acquiescence by the basin or province of origin. Interbasin diversions from the Tugela River to the Vaal River Basin, from the Orange River to the Fish and Sundays River Basins, and from several basins to Cape Town are under construction as are facilities for water importation from Lesotho and Angola. For satisfaction of demands beyond the year 2000 the nation may depend increasingly on a shift of its power production and water-using industry from the coal fields of the central plateau to nuclear power development with associated desalination along its coasts. Alternatively, and preferably, it may cooperate in a co-prosperity bloc in Southern Africa aiding the economies of its neighbors by development for mutual advantage of the water and power resources of the Okavango and other northern rivers.     

An Investigation of Environmental Racism Claims: Testing Environmental Management Approaches with a Geographic Information System

The purpose of this research was to explore the concept of an environmental racism claim through the use of several environmental management tools. The EPAs Toxics Release Inventory, Cumulative Exposure Project, and the Los Angeles County Department of Health Services' Hot Zone Census Tract Assessment were combined with racial and socioeconomic data to test claims that minorities in South Central Los Angeles are disproportionately exposed to environmental lead. Multivariate analysis indicated that race is strongly associated with the number of cases of elevated blood lead levels in South Central, irrespective of poverty status. Proximity to point sources, a common focal point for studies of environmental racism, was not a contributing factor to health outcomes. Proximity to transportation corridors was consistently the strongest indicator of environmental lead exposure, while median home values were significantly and positively related to elevated blood lead levels. Implications for environmental justice advocates and social and environmental scientists are discussed.     

皖南山区特色农业发展研究

皖南山区是我国著名的南方亚热带丘陵山地的重要组成部分。从自然生态环境、社会经济条件、发展基础、科技支撑、发展资金等方面对本区特色农业发展条件进行了深入分析，并指出了皖南山区特色农业的发展必须坚持以市场为导向、发挥比较优势、依靠科技进步、尊重农民意愿、可持续发展的原则，以及皖南山区特色农业的发展重点是茶叶、蚕桑、干鲜果、中药材、蜂产品等的生产与基地建设。从合理布局与科学规划、开拓资金来源渠道、培育和完善市场体系、科技兴农、建立特色农产品原产地保护制度和进行组织创新等方面提出了皖南山区特色农业发展的对策。