Carbon and nitrogen budget in fish-polychaete integrated aquaculture system

Integrated multi-tropic aquaculture(IMTA) systems have been used in China for many years and have achieved significant economic, social, and ecological benefits. However, there is still a lack of benthic bioremediation species that can effectively utilize the aquaculture particulate organic waste in the system. Polychaete Perinereis aibuhitensis Grube is used as an environmental remediation species for large-scale aquaculture to reduce particulate organic waste, which is of great significance to environmental protection. To improve bio-elements utilization efficiency, P. aibuhitensis was applied for IMTA indoor fish( Hexagrammos otakii) farming. Results showed that in the system, production of 1 kg of the fish discharged 2 141–2 338 mg of carbon and 529–532 mg of nitrogen, while in the monoculture of the fish, the figures were 3 033–3 390 mg and 764–794 mg, or 24.84%–35.26% and 30.35%–33.32% less, respectively. This approach promoted IMTA technology that could utilize the particulate organic waste from intensive aquaculture and reduce the adverse environmental effects.     

DISTRIBUTION OF LEAD IN URBAN SOIL AND ITS POTENTIAL RISK IN SHENYANG CITY, CHINA

1INTRODUCTION The ubiquitous distribution and known toxicity of lead pollution in urban environment are posinggreat concern, in term of human health and environment (JULIE and ALEX, 2001). In recent years various human activities, such as automobile exhaust, waste disposal, paint, lead smelting and refining, battery disposal, as well as coal and fuel combustion have implied notable contributions to the increase of environmental lead concentration (SUTHERLAND et al., 2003). Pb is an…     

A Water Movement Study in Lianzhou Bay,Guangxi Province,China

This study investigates the physical conditions （water depth, current speed, salinity, temperature） in Lianzhou Bay, ashallow coastal bay in southern China, during two expeditions in the dry and wet seasons of 2011. Based on these expedition data,basic hydrodynamic parameters like Brunt-Vaisaila Frequency, Richardson Number, Rossby radius, and Resonance Period are calcu-lated. The results show that Lianzhou Bay is characterized by comparatively small quantity of freshwater input and weak stratifica-tion. Strong tides, which are spatially uniform within the bay, cause turbulent mixing. Residence time of the water is shorter in winterdue to a stronger coastal current in that season. Consideration of the water movement may help to reduce the harmful ecologicalimpact of aquaculture waste water discharge.     

Application of an integrated methodology for eutrophication assessment: a case study in the Bohai Sea

An integrated methodology for eutrophication assessment,which integrates both water quality indicators(causative factors) and ecological response indicators(effect factors),is described.It is then applied to rank the eutrophication status of the years 2007 and 2008 in the southwest Bohai Sea.The assessment model identified that north Bohai Bay and west Laizhou Bay were the two areas with the most serious eutrophication problems in the southwest Bohai Sea.In addition,compared to that in the west Laizhou Bay,the eutrophication conditions in the north Bohai Bay was more serious in both years.Eutrophication problems such as harmful algal blooms(HABs) and low dissolved oxygen(DO) events in north Bohai Bay were frequent.The integrated method outmatched the currently used Chinese nutrient index method by definitely identifying areas with the most serious eutrophication problems,while the nutrient index method gave ambiguous results between the two years.Inclusion of both causative factors and effect factors,combining concentration,spatial coverage and frequency of indicators,as well as use of multi-season monitoring datasets in the methodology result in a more accurate,representative and useful assessment.     

Bioreactor landfill

Following the population expansion, there is a growing threat brought by municipal solid waste (MSW) against environment and human health. Sanitary landfill is the most important method of MSW disposal in China. In contrast to the conventional landfill, this paper introduces a new technique named bioreactor landfill (BL). Mechanisms, operation conditions as well as the advantages and disadvantages of BL are also discussed in this paper.     

Food intake rate and delivery strategy in aquaculture

In aquaculture, it is important to estimate in advance how much food cultured animals would take. The rate of food consumption by cultured animals to available food amount is defined as the food intake rate （FIR） in this paper. To some extents, FIR reflects the quality of food, the health of cultured animals and the delivery efficiency. In practice, it is difficult to estimate in advance the accurate quantity of food that cultured animal needs. Usually, food is provided more than the need by animals, causing excess food that may pollute water and environment. Our experiments in past years show that FIR at 80% is recommended.     

EXPERIMENTS OF INFLUENCE OF DISCHARGE PROCESS ON CHANNEL PATTERN

Based on experimental data and theory, by means of simplified discharge durations in a small flume,the influence of discharge process on channel morphology and channel pattern was analyzed in this paper. It was concluded that on the same original channel, different discharge and channel conditions would end with different river morphology, including thalwegs and radius of bends. Different discharge process resulted in two kinds of change:tiny change in the process of “big-small-big” and distinct change in the process of “small-big-small”. Flood discharge duration was verified to be the main cause in the discharge process. Proper discharge process will change the morphologies of river, even can led to channel pattern transformation. The influences based on the relationship between the flow and the channel itself, including slope and riverbed constitution. Although not be a main cause, original channel morphology may influence its final channel pattern. Neglecting the influence of channel itself will hamper the understanding of channel patterns.     

Mechanisms of high-frequency dinofl agellate blooms of Scrippsiella trochoidea in Daya Bay,South China Sea

Harmful algal blooms(HAB s),such as dinoflagellate blooms,have adverse effects on coastal water environments,causing seafood contamination and aquaculture economic losses.Based on historical HAB records data(1983-2017) and phytoplankton data(1982-2008),field investigation and laboratory experiments on frequently bloomed dinoflagellate species,we analyzed the possible mechanisms of high frequency dinoflagellate blooms in Daya Bay,South China Sea.The HAB records data show that the proportion of dinoflagellate blooms increased from 15% before 1994 to 77.27% after 2011.The bloom occurred mostly in summer(57.58%) in Yaling Bay(76.92%).The species inducing dinoflagellate blooms tended to be singular over time,with high proportion of Scrippsiella trochoidea(42.86%-88.88%).Laboratory experiment and field investigation of S.trochoidea bloom showed that this species grew rapidly at 30℃ and 32.1℃(r=0.47,P0.05),respectively.Results indicate that temperature rise in Yaling Bay was affected by nearby nuclear plant effluent,which favored the S.trochoidea bloom.Coincidently,nearly70% of S.trochoidea blooms occurred in about 7 days after local spring tide and strong wind(wind velocity7 m/s),which disturbed the resting cysts in the sediment and bring them into surface layer.Taking into account of environmental parameters,algae source,and atmospheric conditions,the probable mechanism of S.trochoidea bloom could be explained.The cysts were resuspended by the spring tide or strong wind,germinated at the bottom layer,reproduced rapidly at higher temperature,and then aggregated in the inner bay(Yaling Bay),resulting the frequent S.trochoidea bloom.Considering the influences of global warming and human activities,it should be taken more attention that dinoflagellate blooms might increase along the coastal waters.     

The origin,historical variations,and distribution of heavy metals in the Qiongzhou Strait and nearby marine areas

We analyzed heavy metal concentrations in a number of surface sediments and cores from the Qiongzhou Strait and surrounding marine areas.The areas of high concentrations are primarily outside the eastern mouth of the Qiongzhou Strait and on the west side of the Leizhou Peninsula,whereas the areas of low concentrations are located primarily in the eastern Qiongzhou Strait.The maximum Cd,Pb and Zn concentrations in the samples collected in our study do not exceed the official standards for marine sediments,whereas the concentrations of Cr and Cu slightly exceed the standards.Correlations exist between the concentrations of Cu,Pb,Zn,Cr and Cd,and the concentrations of these metals are positively correlated with the mean particle size(φ value),indicating that the finer sediments have adsorbed greater amounts of heavy metal elements than the coarser sediments.An evaluation of the potential environmental risks demonstrates that certain indices of heavy metal pollution and environmental risks are relatively low and may be assigned low risk levels,thereby indicating that,in terms of heavy metals,the marine sedimentary environment in this region is only mildly impacted.Our analysis of the contaminant origins shows that the heavy metals in this region primarily originate in the Pearl River Estuary and that a small amount of them is derived from local runoff.The elevated heavy metal concentrations from the upper sections of the cores started 130 years ago,which indicats that heavy metals in the surface sediments are primarily due to human activities associated with industrialization.     

Estimation of the maximum allowable loading amount of COD in Luoyuan Bay by a 3-D COD transport and transformation model

The rapid economic and social developments in the Luoyuan and Lianjiang counties of Fujian Province, China, raise certain environment and ecosystem issues. The unusual phytoplankton bloom and eutrophication, for example, have increased in severity in Luoyuan Bay(LB). The constant increase of nutrient loads has largely caused the environmental degradation in LB. Several countermeasures have been implemented to solve these environmental problems. The most effective of these strategies is the reduction of pollutant loadings into the sea in accordance with total pollutant load control(TPLC) plans. A combined three-dimensional hydrodynamic transport-transformation model was constructed to estimate the marine environmental capacity of chemical oxygen demand(COD). The allowed maximum loadings for each discharge unit in LB were calculated with applicable simulation results. The simulation results indicated that the environmental capacity of COD is approximately 11×104 t year-1 when the water quality complies with the marine functional zoning standards for LB. A pollutant reduction scheme to diminish the present levels of mariculture- and domestic-based COD loadings is based on the estimated marine COD environmental capacity. The obtained values imply that the LB waters could comply with the targeted water quality criteria. To meet the revised marine functional zoning standards, discharge loadings from discharge units 1 and 11 should be reduced to 996 and 3236 t year-1, respectively.     

Probiotics as Control Agents in Aquaculture

1 Introduction Intensive aquaculture system produces substantially higher yields than do semi-intensive systems. However, intensification results in stressful environmental changes which can produce various kinds of problems in aquatic organisms, principally diseases of diverse aetiology (Angulo, 2000). The most common control of the dis-eases was concentrated on the use of antibiotics. However,the utility of antibiotics as a preventive measure has been questioned by acquisition of genes that…     

Diurnal variation of phytoplankton community in a high frequency area of HABs: Daya Bay, China

Phytoplankton community was investigated in the cage culture area of Daya Bay during a diurnal cycle. Two rainfalls occurred during the course of the experiment and decreased the surface seawater salinity in the aquaculture area. A total of 38 species were identified, of which the dominant species included Pseudo-nitzschia spp. and Skeletonema costatum. Water stratification obstructed the vertical migration of dinoflagellates. Statistical analysis indicated that Synechococcus showed negative relationship with silicate and ammonia, which indicated that Synechococcus adapted to grow at oligotrophic environment. Phytoplankton community structure implied the risk of Pseudo-nitzschia spp. blooms in the aquaculture area of Daya Bay.     

Biosorption of Cr (VI), Cr (III), Pb (II) and Cd (II) from aqueous solutions by Sargassum wightii and Caulerpa racemosa algal biomass

Heavy metal pollution is one of the most important environmental problems today.Biosorption is an innovative tech-nology that employs biological materials to accumulate heavy metals from waste water through metabolic process or physicochemi-cal pathways of uptake.Even though several physical and chemical methods are available for removal of heavy metals,currently many biological materials such as bacteria,algae,yeasts and fungi have been widely used due to their good performance,low cost and large quantity of availability.The aim of the present study is to explore the biosorption of toxic heavy metals,Cr(VI),Cr(III),Pb(II) and Cd(II) by algal biomass obtained from algae Sargassum wightii(brown) and Caulerpa racemosa(green).Biosorption of algal biomass was found to be biomass concentration-and pH-dependent,while the maximal biosorption was found at pH 5.0 and with the metal concentration of 100 mg L-1.S.wightii showed the maximal metal biosorption at the biomass concentration of 25 g L-1,followed by C.racemosa with the maximal biosorption at 30 g L-1.S.wightii showed 78% biosorption of Cr(VI),Cr(III),Pb(II) and Cd(II) ions.C.racemosa exhibited 85% biosorption of Cd(II) and Cr(VI),and 50% biosorption of Cr(III) and Pb(II).The results of our study suggest that seaweed biomass can be used efficiently for     

Spatial Distribution and Risk Assessment of Heavy Metals in Paddy Soils of Yongshuyu Irrigation Area from Songhua River Basin,Northeast China

There is an increasing concern for potentially hazardous metals pollution, which can threaten crops production and human health. In this study, the spatial distribution and environmental risks of eight heavy metals in surface soil samples collected from the paddy fields in Yongshuyu irrigation area, Northeast China were investigated. The mean concentrations of Pb, Cr, Cu, Ni, Zn, Cd, Hg and As were 34.6 ± 4.67, 82.8 ± 9.51, 17.3 ± 4.09, 21.2 ± 12.0, 88.6 ± 17.9, 0.18 ± 0.15, 0.22 ± 0.07 and 8.77 ± 2.47 mg/kg, respectively, which were slightly higher than their corresponding background values of Jilin Province, indicating enrichment of these metals in the paddy soils, especially for Ni, Cd and Hg. The spatial distribution of heavy metals was closely correlated with local anthropogenic activities, such as agricultural production, mining and transportation. The hot-spot areas of As and Cd were mainly concentrated in the up-midstream where were associated with agricultural activities. Cr and Cu showed similar spatial distributions with hot-spot areas distributed the whole irrigation area uniformly. Ni was mainly distributed in the downstream where Ni quarries concentrated, while the spatial distribution patterns of Hg was mainly located in the upstream and downstream where the soil was significantly influenced by irrigation and coal mining emission. The spatial distributions of Pb and Zn were mainly concentrated along the highway side. The pollution levels of Yongshuyu irrigation area were estimated through index of geo-accumulation(Igeo), Nemerow integrated pollution index(NIPI) and potential ecological risk index(PERI). The results showed that Cd and Hg were the main pollutants in the study area. Health risk assessment results indicated that children were in higher non-carcinogenic and carcinogenic risks than adults with the carcinogenic metal of As. Ingestion was the main exposure pathway to non-carcinogenic and carcinogenic risk for both adults and children. Principal component analysis(PCA) indicated that Cr and Cu were mainly from parent materials, while Cd and As were mainly affected by agricultural activities. Pb and Zn were controlled by traffic activities, and the accumulations of Ni and Hg were associated with mining activities. This study would be valuable for preventing heavy metals inputs and safety in rice production of the Songhua river basin.     

Growth inhibition to three red tide microalgae by extracts of Ulva pertusa

1 INTRODUCTION In recent decades, red tides that induced by in- creasing eutrophication occur frequently in coastal areas worldwide. This has caused serious problems in marine environment, aquaculture industries and human health (Qi et al., 1993; Horner e…     

A niche model to predict Microcystis bloom decline in Chaohu Lake, China

Cyanobacterial blooms occur frequently in lakes due to eutrophication. Although a number of models have been proposed to forecast algal blooms, a good and applicable method is still lacking. This study explored a simple and effective mathematical-ecological model to evaluate the growth status and predict the population dynamics of Microcystis blooms. In this study, phytoplankton were collected and identified from 8 sampling sites in Chaohu Lake every month from July to October, 2010. The niche breadth and niche overlap of common species were calculated using standard equations, and the potential relative growth rates of Microcystis were calculated as a weighted-value of niche overlap. In July, the potential relative growth rate was 2.79 (a.u., arbitrary units) but then rapidly declined in the following months to -3.99 a.u. in September. A significant correlation (R=0.998, P<0.01) was found in the model between the net-increase in biomass of Microcystis in the field and the predicted values calculated by the niche model, we concluded that the niche model is suitable for forecasting the dynamics of Microcystis blooms. Redundancy analysis indicated that decreases in water temperature, dissolved oxygen and total dissolved phosphorus might be major factors underlying bloom decline. Based on the theory of community succession being caused by resource competition, the growth and decline of blooms can be predicted from a community structure. This may provide a basis for early warning and control of algal blooms.     

Distribution and accumulation characteristics of heavy metals in sediments in southern sea area of Huludao City, China

The southern sea area of the Huludao City, Liaoning Province might be polluted by heavy metals because it is close to the Jinzhou Bay, one of the heaviest sea area polluted by heavy metals in China. The undisturbed modern sediment core can be used to analyze the accumulation and source of the pollutants using 137 Cs and 210 Pb ex . Thirty-five samples of surface sediment and two core sediments were collected from the southern sea area of Huludao City. The concentrations of copper (Cu), lead (Pb), chrome (Cr), zinc (Zn), arsenic (As) and mercury (Hg) in the surface sediments as well as Cu, Pb, Zn, Cr, 137 Cs and 210 Pb ex in the core sediments were determined to research the spatial distribution and accumulation characteristics, and to analyze the sources and the potential risks of heavy metals. The results show that the pollution levels of Zn and Hg are serious, and 26 stations are at moderate or heavy ecological risks. The concentrations of the heavy metals increase from east to west, as well as from open sea to offshore marine area. The concentrations of heavy metals are not high in the sediments adjacent to the Jinzhou Bay, and the influence caused by the seawater exchange with the Jinzhou Bay is little. The concentrations of the heavy metals in the core sediments show low-high-low characteristic, and it coincides with the pollution history of Huludao City. The atmospheric deposition of heavy metals from the Huludao Zinc Plant is likely to be the main source of pollution without direct discharge of wastewater. The high concentrations of heavy metals appear on the upper sediment of 20 cm. The shallow sediment with high heavy metal contents might be exposed to surface when it was disturbed by the ocean engineering and big storm surge, then cause risk to the safety of aquaculture and human healthy.     

Environmental characteristics of annual pico/nanophytoplankton blooms along the Qinhuangdao Coast

Blooms of some pico/nanophytoplankton have occurred frequently along the Qinhuangdao coast since 2009, and it is necessary to identify the critical environmental factors inducing them. In this study, variations in the physical and nutrient characteristics of the seawater were analyzed following the development of local blooms in 2013. The local environmental characteristics were also compared with those of the Changjiang River estuary, China, and the Long Island estuaries in the USA, which are also prone to blooms of special algal species. In Qinhuangdao the local water temperature varied seasonally and rose above 15°C in 2013 early summer, coincident with the water discoloration. The salinity was more than 28 with a variation range of 3 throughout the year. Our results suggest that the physical conditions of the Qinhuangdao coastal area were suitable for the explosive proliferation of certain pico/nanophytoplankton, e.g. Aureococcus anophageff erens. The water supporting the bloom was not in a condition of serious eutrophication, but there were relatively high concentrations of reduced nitrogen(especially ammonium), which acted as an important nitrogen source for the pico/nanophytoplankton bloom. There was also a large gap between total nitrogen(TN) and dissolved inorganic nitrogen(DIN). Although the phosphate concentration was relatively low, there was no evidence of phosphorus limitation to the growth of pico/nanophytoplankton during bloom events.     

Community responses to mountain tourism: A case in Bhyundar Valley, Indian Himalaya

Tourism industry has become an important part of Indian economy, and tourism development has been, however, concentrated to a few areas. Accumulation of tourism activities has reached the critical stage in most of the tourism centers, which pose serious threats to the natural environment. The Bhyundar Valley of Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve （NDBR） in Uttarakhand State of the Indian Himalaya is a burning example of such problems. Land use/cover changes, deforestation and accumulation of garbage are some of the negative impacts of unregulated tourism in the valley. Unsustainable activities of tourists and villagers in the valley make such problems very severe. To deal with the ongoing problems and ensure community involvement in tourism management and environmental conservation, the Biosphere Reserve Authority introduced ecotourism in the form of Eco Development Committees （EDCs） in the Bhyundar Valley. Study reveals that many problems associated with tourism have been minimized to some extent with the help of EDCs but few are still prevailing in valley. However, the existing attempts to conserve the valley from the negative effects of tourism are inadequate and modifications are needed in the current initiatives.     

Reconstructing environmental changes of a coastal lagoon with coral reefs in southeastern Hainan Island

Coastal lagoons with small catchment basins are highly sensitive to natural processes and anthropogenic activities. To figure out the environmental changes of a coastal lagoon and its contribution to carbon burial, two sediment cores were collected in Xincun Lagoon, southeastern Hainan Island and (210) ~Pb activities, grain size parameters, total organic carbon(TOC), total nitrogen(TN), total inorganic carbon(TIC) and stable carbon isotopes(δ~(13)C) were measured. The results show that in 1770–1815, the decreasing water exchange capacity with outer open water, probably caused by the shifting and narrowing of the tidal inlet, not only diminished the currents and fined the sediments in the lagoon, but also reduced the organic matter of marine sources. From 1815 to 1950, the sedimentary environment of Xincun Lagoon was frequently influenced by storm events. These extreme events resulted in the high fluctuation of sediment grain size and sorting, as well as the great variation in contributions of terrestrial(higher plants, soils) and marine sources(phytoplankton, algae, seagrass). The extremely high content of TIC, compared to TOC before 1950 could be attributed to the large-scale coverage of coral reefs. However, with the boost of seawater aquaculture activities after 1970, the health growth of coral species was severely threatened, and corresponding production and inorganic carbon burial flux reduced. The apparent enhanced inorganic carbon burial rate after 1990 might result from the concomitant carbonate debris produced by seawater aquaculture. This result is important for local government long-term coastal management and environmental planning.