Study on the relationship between speciation of heavy metals and their ecotoxicity

Heavy metal is a main pollutant in the marine ecosystem, so study on the effect of heavy metal on phytoplankton is important. Algae (Chaetoceros sp.,Dunaliella sp.,Dicrateria zhanjiangenis Hu. var. sp.) were laboratory cultured to observe the effect of heavy metals on their growth. The effect of different metal ion concentration, the detoxication effect of complexation agents and the growth of algae in different media and different nutrition levels were studied to evaluate the effect of metal speciation. It is proved that trace amount of heavy metals can stimulate the growth of algae cells but that high concentration is lethal. The sequence of toxicity is Cd²⁺>Zn²⁺>Pb²⁺. In ordinary nutrition conditions, the detoxication sequence of complexation agents toChaetoceros sp. is EDTA >sodium salicylate>sodium oxalate >sodium citrate>sulfanilic acid>O-phenanthroline. This is in good conformity with the stability constant sequence of these agents with copper and good evidence that toxicity of metal ion is related to its activity and not to its total concentration. Project supported by the Fund of Excellent Young Teachers of State Educational Commission of China.     

Study on the Determination of Trace Ni（Ⅱ） by the Catalytic Kinetic Spectrophotometric Method

A new kinetic spectrophotometric method has been developed for the determination of trace Ni (II) in natural water.The method is based on the catalytic effect of Ni (II) on the oxidation of weak acid brilliant blue dye (RAWL) by KIO4 in acid medium.The concentration of nickel (II) can be determined spectrophotometrically by measuring the decrease of absorbance of RAWL at λ= 626 nm using the fix-time method.The influencing factors are investigated by the orthogonal experimental design.The obtained optimum analytical conditions are:pH=2.00,c RAWL=5.00×10-5 mol L-1,cKIO 4= 2.00×10-5 mol L-1,the reaction time t=10 min and the temperature T=25℃..Under the optimum conditions,the developed method allows the measurement of Ni (II) in a range of 0-40.0 ng mL-1.The standard deviation of eleven independent measurements of blank reaction is S=3.08×10-3 and the limit of detection is 2.20 ng mL-1.The relative standard deviations (RSDs) in six replicate determinations of 5 ng mL-1 and 8 ng mL-1 Ni (II) are 2.87% and 1.11%,respectively.Moreover,the experiments show few cations and anions can interfere with the measurement of Ni (II).The recovery efficiencies of this method are in a range of 97.0%-102.5% in freshwater samples.But there is a decreasing effect,which is about 0.2 times the added Ni (II) in seawater medium.After reasonable calibration this processing method is used for the determination of Ni (II) in seawater samples successfully.The results show this developed method has high accuracy and precision,high sensitivity,large range of linearity and high speed.The method can,therefore,be employed at room temperature.     

Application of multivariate model based on three simulated sensors for water quality variables estimation in Shitoukoumen Reservoir,Jilin Province,China

This study applied a multivariate model based on three simulated sensors to estimating water quality variables in Shitoukoumen Reservoir, Changchun City, Jilin Province, China, including concentration of total suspended matter, concentration of chlorophyll-a and non-pigment matter absorption. Two field campaigns for spectra measurements with a total of 40 samples were carried out on June 13 and September 23, 2008. The in-situ spectra were recalculated to the spectral bands and sensitivities of the instruments applied in this paper, i.e. Landsat TM, Alos and P6, by using the average method. And the recalculated spectra were used for estimating water quality variables by the single model and multivariate model. The results show that the multivariate model is superior to the single model as the multivariate model takes the combined effects of water components into consideration and can estimate water quality variables simultaneously. According to R ² and RMSE, Alos is superior to other sensors for water quality variables estimation although the precision of non-pigment matter absorption inversion performed the second.     

Effect of algae and water on water color shift

This study showed that the combined effect of absorption of planktonic algae and water on water color shift can be simulated approximately by the exponential function: Log(E _100cm ^W +E _100cm ^Xch1 )=0.002λ−2.5 whereE _{100 cm} ^W ,E _100cm ^Xchl are, respectively, extinction coefficients of seawater and chlorophyll—a (concentration is equal toX mg/m³), and λ (nm) is wavelength. This empirical regression equation is very useful for forecasting the relation between water color and biomass in water not affected by terrigenous material. The main factor affecting water color shift in the ocean should be the absorption of blue light by planktonic algae.     

Safety analysis of water resources and eco-environment in Shiyang River Basin

The research on the present situation of soil and water development and utilization in Shiyang River Basin shows that water resources and eco-environment situation in this area are near the edge of collapse. Since the water crises occurred in the 1970s, problems caused by continuous decrease of water resources have been becoming serious year by year and eco-environment crisis occurred as a consequence. Up to now, 10 380ha of irrigated lands have been abandoned due to sand coverage and water shortage in the basin. Ground water was over exploded in Wuwei and Minqin because of water shortage. Ground water table in many places dropped under 5m (which is the ecology water table level), thus about 3000ha of Elaeagnus angustifolia forest come to dead and another 5800ha become feeble, and wind-drift sand near the oasis become alive. According to the current situation, if water utilization scope was not enlarged, a water transfer volume of 600×10⁶m³/a from other areas will be suitable to keep water resources and eco-environment safety in the basin, and also 70×10⁶m³/a will be left as spare water. Under this condition the water resources and eco-environment of the basin can reach the critical safety line of 2.032×10⁹m³/a; or if 180×10⁶m³ of water can be transferred from other areas, the water resources can reach the safety warning line of 1.732×10⁹m³/a. Foundation item: Under the auspices of the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 40235053) and Lanzhou Jiaotong University "Qinglan" Foundation Biography: ZHANG Ji-shi (1963-), male, a native of Tongwei of Gansu Province, senior engineer, specialized in water resources and climate change in Northwest China. E-mail: zjs1963@yahoo.com.cn; hangjs@mail.lzjtu.cn     

Dynamic model for oil slick dispersion into a water column—A wind-driven wave tank experiment

A dynamic experiment for oil dispersion into a water column was performed with a 21 m long, 0.5 m wide, and 1 m high wind-driven wave tank. At wind velocity between 6–12 m/s and with the oil slick kept constant (about 1 μm), the rate of the oil content increase in the water column could be approximated from the difference between the dispersion rate (R) of the oil slick and the coagulation rate (R′) of the dispersed oil slick. Assuming the coagulation rate is directly proportional to the concentration of the water dispersed oil slick (i. e.R′-K ^*C), the integral form of the dynamic model can be expressed asC=R ^* [1−exp(−K ^*t)]/K and parametersR andK can be regressed with a computer. The relative deviation of model results from the experimental data was mainly less than 10%. The oil slick dispersion rate (R) had exponential relationship with the wind velocity (U), and can be fitted with a formulaR=A ^* (U+1) ^B . The fitted constant of the coagulation rate,K(0.8–3.0^* 10⁻³ min⁻¹) did not have significant relationship with the wind velocity.     

Study of phytoplankton community in the channel from Dongting Lake to Changjiang River, China

1 INTRODUCTION Dongting Lake (28°18'–29°45'N, 111°35'– 113°18'E) is the second largest freshwater lake in China, and directly connected with the Changjiang River (Yangtse River) through the channel. The sur- face area was about 2 740 km2 (at the low     

Determination of Trace Germanium in Marine Sediments by Hydride Generation-Atomic Fluorescence Spectrometry （HG-AFS）

1　Introduction　Germaniumisatypicaldispersedelementintheearth’scrustwithanaveragecontentof 7mgkg- 1.Itisdistributedinthecrustintheformofsilicate ,sul fide ,sulfate (FroelichandAndreae ,1981)andsoon .Atpresent ,manymethods ,suchashydridegenera tion induc…     

Relationship between heavy metal pollution and water productivity in Xiamen estuarine harbor

This paper is based on the results of simulation experiments and annual observations on the effect of Cr, Cu, Hg, and Zn on diatom (Chaetoceros sp.Skeletonema costatum andMelosira sulcata) growth. Laboratory experiments reveal many physico-chemical parameters play an important role in the toxicity and accumulation of metals in organisms. The mesotrophic level in the water environment is related to phytoplankton growth. A higher nutrient level can have a negative impact on diatom production. Several of the above metals coexist in the investigated region and exert mainly a negative effect on growth. This paper was published in Chinese in theOceanologia et Limnologia Sinica 17(3):173–183, 1986.     

Experimental study of dissolved oxygen transport by regular waves through a perforated breakwater

The perforated breakwater is an environmentally friendly coastal structure,and dissolved oxygen concentration levels are an important index to denote water quality.In this paper,oxygen transport experiments with regular waves through a vertical perforated breakwater were conducted.The oxygen scavenger method was used to reduce the dissolved oxygen concentration of inner water body with the chemicals Na_2SO_3 and Co Cl_2.The dissolved oxygen concentration and wave parameters of 36 experimental scenarios were measured with different perforated arrangements and wave conditions.It was found that the oxygen transfer coefficient through wave surface,K_1a_1,is much lower than the oxygen transport coefficient through the perforated breakwater,K_2a_2.If the effect of K_1a_1 is not considered,the dissolved oxygen concentration computation for inner water body will not be greatly affected.Considering the effect of a permeable area ratio α,relative location parameter of perforations δ and wave period T,the aforementioned data of 30 experimental scenarios,the dimensional analysis and the least squares method were used to derive an equation of K_2a_2(K_2a_2=0.0042α~(0.5)δ~(0.2)T~(-1)).It was validated with 6 other experimental scenarios data,which indicates an approximate agreement.Therefore,this equation can be used to compute the DO concentration caused by the water transport through perforated breakwater.     

A multi-generation Schmakeria poplesia culturing system for use in ecotoxicological study

Crustacean zooplankton form the keystone link between primary producers and fish stocks in marine and estuary ecosystems. We have established a multi-generation cultivation system for zooplankton with which future experiments on the biological effects of pollutants in marine and estuary environments can be better performed. A population of calanoid copepod, Schmakeria poplesia, was collected in December 2003 and maintained in a static system through all stages (eggs to adults). The population exhibited an average developmental time of 13.6 d in conditions corresponding to the natural environment (water temperature 20°C, salinity 15). A series of experiments were performed to examine copepod egg production and hatching success as functions of food type and feeding concentration. Results in our study showed that Isochrysis galbana was more favored for the reproduction of copepods than Phaeodactylum tricornutum, and 10×10⁴cells mL⁻¹ was the most practical algae concentration. We have demonstrated that the Schmakeria poplesia population can be maintained in the laboratory through multiple generations. In addition, methods to control egg production through changes in food concentration have been established, making it feasible to control the start date of exposure experiments or the timing of the collection of offspring to initiate a new generation.     

Phytoplankton Community Dynamics in West Lake After Drawing Water from the Qiantang River

1INTRODUCTIONTheWestLake ( 30°1 5′N ,1 2 0°1 6′E)isasmallshallowlakeinthewesternpartofHangzhouCityinthesoutheasterncoastalareaofChina.Thelakeissur roundedonthreesidesbyhills ;andisfamousforitspicturesquesceneryandinterfusionofhillsandwaterbodies.Thesurfaceareaisabout 5 .66km2 andmeandepthis 1 .8m .Beforethe 1 95 0s ,thelakewaterwascleanandmacrophytesgrewveryluxuriantlyinthelit toralareasofthelake .In 1 95 2 ,WestLakewasdredgedand 70 0× 1 0 4m3 mudwasremovedfromthebottomofthelake …     

Study on the determination of trace methyl mercury in seawater by gas chromatography

Sample seawater containing trace methyl mercury was acidified and adsorbed on hydrosulfo-cotton, washed with hydrochloric acid, extracted by benzene and dried, and then determined by a gas chromatograph with electron capture detector. This method, which can detect a minimum concentration of 0.1×10⁻¹⁰%, can be used to monitor the 10⁻¹⁰% content of methyl mercury in seawater.     

Biosorption of Cd (Ⅱ) and Pb (Ⅱ) Ions by Aqueous Solutions of Novel Alkalophillic Streptomyces VITSVK5 spp. Biomass

Discharge of heavy metals from metal processing industries is known to have adverse effects on the environment. Biosorption of heavy metals by metabolically inactive biomass of microbial organisms is an innovative and alternative technology for removal of these pollutants from aqueous solution. The search of marine actinobacteria with potential heavy metal biosorption ability resulted in the identification of a novel alkalophilic Streptomyces VITSVK5 species. The biosorption property of Streptomyces VITSVK5 spp. was investigated by absorbing heavy metals Cadmium (Cd) and Lead (Pb). Physiochemical characteristics and trace metal concentration analysis of the backwater showed the concentrations of different metals were lead 13±2.1 μg L⁻¹, cadmium 3.1±0.3μg L⁻¹, zinc 8.4±2.6μg L⁻¹ and copper 0.3±0.1μg L⁻¹, whereas mercury was well below the detection limit. The effect of pH and biomass dosage on removal efficiency of heavy metal ions was also investigated. The optimum pH for maximal biosorption was 4.0 for Cd (II) and 5.0 for Pb (II) with 41% and 84% biosorption respectively. The biosorbent dosage was optimized as 3 g L-1 for both the trace metals. Fourier transform infrared absorption spectrum results indicated the chemical interactions of hydrogen atoms in carboxyl (-COOH), hydroxyl (-CHOH) and amine (-NH₂) groups of biomass with the metal ions. This could be mainly involved in the biosorption of Cd (II) and Pb (II) onto Streptomyces VITSVK5 spp. The results of our study revealed Streptomyces metabolites could be used to develop a biosorbent for adsorbing metal ions from aqueous environments.     

Determination of copper complexation in surface microlayer of Daya Bay and Jiaozhou Bay

1 INTRODUCTION Bioavailability to the biota and the biogeo-chemistry of trace metals in marine environment areaffected by their chemical speciation in the naturalsystem (Bruland et al., 1991; Van den Berg andDonat, 1992; Wells et al., 1998). Therefore, thesetwo parameters, the ligands concentrations andconditional stability constants, are important todetermine the complexing capacity. Sea surface microlayer (SML), the thin interfa-cial boundary between ocean and atmosphere, playsan imp…     

Size-fractionated phytoplankton biomass in autumn of the Changjiang （Yangtze） River Estuary and its adjacent waters after the Three Gorges Dam construction

A cruise was undertaken from 3rd to 8th November 2004 in Changjiang （Yangtze） River Estuary and its adjacent waters to investigate the spatial biomass distribution and size composition of phytoplankton. Chlorophyll-a （Chl-a） concentration ranged 0.42-1.17 μg L^-1 and 0.41-10.43 μg L^-1 inside and outside the river mouth, with the mean value 0.73 μg L^-1 and 1.86 μg L^-1, respectively. Compared with the Chl-a concentration in summer of 2004, the mean value was much lower inside, and a little higher outside the river mouth. The maximal Chl-a was 10.43 μg L^-1 at station 18 （122.67°E, 31.25°N）, and the region of high Chl-a concentration was observed in the central survey area between 122.5°E and 123.0°E. In the stations located east of 122.5°E, Chl-a concentration was generally high in the upper layers above 5 m due to water stratification. In the survey area, the average Chl-a in sizes of 〉20 μm and 〈20 μm was 0.28 μg L^-1 and 1.40 μg L^-1, respectively. High Chl-a concentration of 〈20 μm size-fraction indicated that the nanophytoplankton and picophytoplankton contributed the most to the biomass of phytoplankton. Skeletonema costatum, Prorocentrum micans and Scrippsiella trochoidea were the dominant species in surface water. The spatial distribution of cell abundance of phytoplankton was patchy and did not agree well with that of Chl-a, as the cell abundance could not distinguish the differences in shape and size of phytoplankton cells. Nitrate and silicate behaved conservatively, but the former could probably be the limitation factor to algal biomass at offshore stations. The distribution of phosphate scattered considerably, and its relation to the phytoplankton biomass was complicated.     

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     

Temporal population dynamics of dinoflagellate Prorocentrum minimum in a semi-enclosed mariculture pond and its relationship to environmental factors and protozoan grazers

The ecological processes and interrelationships between protists, either autotrophic or heterotrophic, and environmental factors in mariculture ponds are largely unknown. This study investigated the temporal dynamics of potentially harmful dinoflagellate, Prorocentrum minimum (Pavillard) Schiller, and its relationship to physico-chemical factors and protozoan grazers over a complete cycle in a semi-enclosed shrimp-farming pond near Qingdao, Northern China. P. minimum occurred frequently in low numbers from June to August, followed by a sharp increase from the middle of August, reaching a single maximum peak value of 2.2×10⁵ cells L⁻¹ in October. Temporal variation in abundance was positively correlated with dissolved nitrogen, but showed a significant inverse relationship to abundance of the dominant ciliates, Tintinnopsis lohmanni and Askenasia stellaris. The results provide statistical evidence that the number of P. minimum increased with increasing nitrogen, and the suppression or shortening of algal bloom may be associated with protozoan grazers, such as Tintinnopsis lohmanni, in mariculture ponds.     

Tolerance of ciliated protozoan Paramecium bursaria （Protozoa,Ciliophora） to ammonia and nitrites

The tolerance to ammonia and nitrites in freshwater ciliate Paramecium bursaria was measured in a conventional open system. The ciliate was exposed to different concentrations of ammonia and nitrites for 2h and 12h in order to determine the lethal concentrations. Linear regression analysis revealed that the 2h-LC50 value for ammonia was 95.94 mg/L and for nitrite 27.35 mg/L using probit scale method (with 95% confidence intervals). There was a linear correlation between the mortality probit scale and logarithmic concentration of ammonia which fit by a regression equation y=7.32x-9.51 (R^2=0.98; y, mortality probit scale; x, logarithmic concentration of ammonia), by which 2 h-LC50 value for ammonia was found to be 95.50 mg/L. A linear correlation between mortality probit scales and logarithmic concentration of nitrite is also followed the regression equation y=2.86x 0.89 (R^2=0.95; y, mortality probit scale; x, logarithmic concentration of nitrite). The regression analysis of toxicity curves showed that the linear correlation between exposed time of ammonia-N LC50 valueand ammonia-N LC50 value followed the regression equation y=2 862.85e-0.08x (R^2=0.95; y, duration of exposure to LC50 value; x, LC50 value), and that between exposed time of nitrite-N LC50 value and nitrite-N LC50 value followed the regression equation y = 127.15e-0.13x (R^2=0.91; y, exposed time of LC50 value; x, LC50 value). The results demonstrate that the tolerance to ammonia in P. bursaria is considerably higher than that of the larvae or juveniles of some metozoa, e.g. cultured prawns and oysters. In addition, ciliates, as bacterial predators, are likely to play a positive role in maintaining and improving water quality in aquatic environments with high-level ammonium, such as sewage treatment systems.     

Quantitative simulation on soil moisture contents of two typical vegetation communities in Sanjiang Plain,China

Different types of vegetation occupy different geomorphology and water gradient environments in the San-jiang Plain,indicating that the soil moisture dynamics and water balance patterns of the different vegetation communi-ties might differ from each other.In this paper,a lowland system,perpendicular to the Nongjiang River in the Honghe National Nature Reserve(HNNR),was selected as the study area.The area was occupied by the non-wetland plant forest and the typical wetland plant meadow.The Microsoft Windows-based finite element analysis software package for simulating water,heat,and solute transport in variably saturated porous media(HYDRUS),which can quantita-tively simulate water,heat,and/or solute movement in variably-saturated porous media,was used to simulate soil moisture dynamics in the root zone(20-40 cm) of those two plant communities during the growing season in 2005.The simulation results for soil moisture were in a good agreement with measured data,with the coefficient of determi-nation(R2) of 0.44-0.69 and root mean square error(RMSE) ranging between 0.0291 cm3/cm3 and 0.0457 cm3/cm3,and index of agreement(d) being from 0.612 to 0.968.During the study period,the volumetric soil moisture content of meadow increased with the depth and its coefficient of variation decreased with the depth(from 20 cm to 40 cm),while under the forest the soil moisture content at different depths varied irregularly.The calculated result of water budget showed that the water budget deficit of the meadow was higher than that of the forest,suggesting that the meadow is more likely to suffer from water stress than the forest.The quantitative simulation by HYDRUS in this study did not take surface runoff and plant growth processes into account.Improved root water uptake and surface runoff models will be needed for higher accuracy in further researches.