Groundwater conditions under a reconstructed prairie chronosequence

Chronosequences are useful to evaluate long-term changes in ecosystem services but assessing groundwater quality changes using this approach has rarely been done. In this study, groundwater level and quality comparisons were made in a watershed-scale reconstructed prairie chronosequence that extended back in time approximately 13 years at the Neal Smith National Wildlife Refuge (NSNWR) near Prairie City, Iowa. Our objectives were to determine whether groundwater conditions varied significantly across the chronosequence and quantify the rate of nitrate concentration reduction when row crop fields are replaced by prairie. We installed 19 groundwater wells at upland locations selected to provide similar soil type, landscape position and slope. Water samples were collected on five occasions in 2006 and 2007 and analyzed for field parameters, anions and NO₃-N, NH₄-N and PO₄-P. Significant groundwater changes were primarily associated with groundwater levels, and groundwater nitrate and chloride concentrations. The groundwater was deeper under the older prairie plantings but fluctuated similarly among all well sites. Groundwater nitrate and chloride concentrations decreased 0.58 and 0.52 mg/l per year over the 13-year chronosequence, respectively. Results are seen to provide some guidance to land managers regarding possible nitrate concentration reductions achievable from converting cropland to perennial land cover in similar geomorphic settings.     

硝氮胁迫对不同沉水植物生理生长的影响

沉水植物是水生生态系统的初级生产者,对调控生态系统能量的循环和传递,维持水生态系统的结构和功能。都有极为重要的作用。为了解硝态氮浓度对不同种类沉水植物生理生长的综合影响,实验采用6种浓度的硝态氮对苦草和黑藻进行胁迫处理,在实验开始后的6、24h测定植株抗氧化物酶（SOD、POD、CAT）的活性;并于实验处理7d后考察植株的叶绿素含量和各项生长指标。结果表明,缺氮条件下苦草和黑藻的SOD、POD反应强烈,40mg／L下苦草和黑藻的SOD、CAT酶活性几乎无变化;从处理时间上看,苦草总体表现为各浓度处理的SOD、CAT随胁迫时间增加活性上升,POD活性下降;黑藻生理活性表现则相反。胁迫处理7d后,苦草5mg／L处理下生物量积累最大,1～20mg／L内黑藻生物量积累没有差异,苦草的叶绿素、鲜重增量生长指标总体远低于黑藻。研究表明,10mg／L是苦草能够耐受的最高硝态氮浓度．黑藻在1～20mg／L内均能较好生长;黑藻较苦草对硝态氮胁迫具有更大的耐受性。     

厌/缺氧水体COD降解及氮转化规律小试研究

采用取自市区河道的河水,对有无流动两种工况下厌/缺氧水体(DO≤0.50 mg/L)COD降解和氮转化规律进行了小试研究.结果表明,无流动工况下COD＜60.0 mg/L时,即使DO≤0.50 mg/L,NH 4-N亦可依靠大气复氧发生缓慢氧化,并有TN损失,其可能途径是厌氧氨氧化;流动工况下,虽然DO≤0.50 mg/L,但COD和NH 4-N均能依靠大气复氧进行有氧降解,TN依然有损失.根据小试研究结果,认为在低DO条件下(≤0.50 mg/L)进行河道水质模拟时,需要考虑NH 4-N的氧化和TN的减少.     

A neural network experiment on the simulation of daily nitrate-nitrogen and suspended sediment fluxes from a small agricultural catchment

In this paper, we report an application of neural networks to simulate daily nitrate-nitrogen and suspended sediment fluxes from a small 7.1 km² agricultural catchment (Melarchez), 70 km east of Paris, France. Nitrate-nitrogen and sediment losses are only a few possible consequences of soil erosion and biochemical applications associated to human activities such as intensive agriculture. Stacked multilayer perceptrons models (MLPs) like the ones explored here are based on commonly available inputs and yet are reasonably accurate considering their simplicity and ease of implementation. Note that the simulation does not resort on water quality flux observations at previous time steps as model inputs, which would be appropriate, for example, to predict the water chemistry of a drinking water plant a few time steps ahead. The water quality fluxes are strictly mapped to historical mean flux values and to hydro-climatic variables such as stream flow, rainfall, and soil moisture index (12 model input candidates in total), allowing its usage even when no flux observations are available. Self-organizing feature maps based on the network structure established by Kohonen were employed first to produce the training and the testing data sets, with the intent to produce statistically close subsets so that any difference in model performance between validation and testing has to be associated to the model and not to the data subsets. The stacked MLPs reached different levels of performance simulating the nitrate-nitrogen flux and the suspended sediment flux. In the first instance, 2-input stacked MLP nitrate-nitrogen simulations, based on the same-day stream flow and on the 80-cm soil moisture index, have a performance of almost 90% according to the efficiency index. On the other hand, the performance of 3-input stacked MLPs (same-day stream flow, same-day historical flux, and same-day stream flow increment) reached a little more than 75% according to the same criterion. The results presented here are deemed already promising enough, and should encourage water resources managers to implement simple models whenever appropriate.     

Use of agricultural waste for the removal of nitrate-nitrogen from aqueous medium

The effectiveness of wheat straw charcoal (WSC) and mustard straw charcoal (MSC) as adsorbents for the removal of nitrate-nitrogen from water has been investigated. Commercial activated carbon (CAC) was used as a standard for comparison. The adsorption effectiveness of MSC was highest followed by CAC and WSC irrespective of the concentration of nitrate-nitrogen in the range of 0-25mg/l. The effects of temperature in the range of 15-28 degrees C on adsorption by WSC and MSC have also been investigated. It was observed that the temperature dependence of the adsorption effectiveness of MSC was higher than that of WSC and CAC. It is concluded that the MSC can be used for the in situ treatment by adsorption of nitrate-nitrogen in underground and surface water.     

岩溶农业区地下河流域硝酸盐污染来源——以重庆青木关岩溶区为例

于2010年6月—10月每月对青木关地下河水进行监测,利用15N同位素技术并结合水化学指标,分析地下河的水化学特征以及硝态氮来源的时空变化特征。结果表明,地下河出口丁家龙洞硝态氮质量浓度（5.08 mg/L）比入口天池2号点（0.842 mg/L）高6倍多。天池2号点处δ15N为-0.705%~+0.706%,主要受到人造化肥和天然土壤矿化的有机氮的影响,总体变化幅度不大,地下水受外界影响较小。出口丁家龙洞处的δ15N为-2.15%~+3.78%,平均值为+1.01%,总体值高,且变化幅度大。