The effect of sewage effluent on the physico-chemical and biological characteristics of the Sand River,Limpopo, South Africa

Population growth in urban areas is putting pressure on sewage treatment plants. The improper treatment of sewage entering the aquatic ecosystems causes deterioration of the water quality of the receiving water body. The effect of sewage effluent on the Sand River was assessed. Eight sampling sites were selected, site 1 and 2 were upstream of the sewage treatment plant along the urbanised area of Polokwane, whilst sites 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8 were downstream. The physico-chemical parameters and coliform counts in the water samples were determined. The suitability of the water for irrigation was also determined. Hierarchical average linkage cluster analysis produced two clusters, grouping two sites above the sewage treatment works and six sites downstream of the sewage effluent discharge point. Principal component analysis (PCA) identified total nitrogen, total phosphorus, conductivity and salinity as the major factors contributing to the variability of the Sand River water quality. These factors are strongly associated with the downstream sites. Canonial correspondence analysis (CCA) indicated the macroinvertebrates, Chironomidae, Belastomatidae, Chaoborus and Hirudinea being strongly associated with nitrogen, phosphorus, conductivity and temperature. Escherichia coli levels in the Polokwane wastewater treatment works maturation ponds, could potentially lead to contamination of the Polokwane aquifer. The Sodium Adsorption Ratio was between 1.5 and 3.0 and residual sodium carbonate was below 1.24 Meq/l, indicating that the Sand River water is still suitable for irrigation. The total phosphorus concentrations fluctuated across the different site. Total nitrogen concentrations showed a gradual decrease downstream from the point of discharge. This shows that the river still has a good self-purification capacity.     

The influence of raw domestic sewage on density and distribution of meiofauna

The influence of raw domestic sewage on density and distribution of meiofauna in the sea bottom sediments in the Northern Adriatic Sea, in the area of Rovinj (Yugoslavia), was investigated, comparing meiofaunal density at the stations which are under direct influence of sewage and the stations which are far from the source of pollution. It is concluded that raw domestic sewage does not have a negative influence on the density and distribution of meiofauna, but Parker's index of pollution indicates that meiofauna at these stations were under stress.     

Impacts of domestic sewage effluent on phytoplankton from Bedford Basin, eastern Canada

The impact of domestic sewage effluent (SE) on the dynamics of phytoplankton assemblages from Bedford Basin was evaluated in the laboratory. Phytoplankton production and chlorophyll a increased proportionally with SE enrichment. Phytoplankton species composition also changed. The potentially harmful diatoms, Pseudonitzschia spp., present initially in small numbers (600 cells 1⁻¹) in Bedford Basin seawater, and became dominant (3–5×10⁶ cells 1⁻¹) when the seawater was enriched with 0.5–5% untreated SE. With higher proportions of SE, other harmful species such as Fragilaria spp. and Euglena spp. became dominant (7−15×10⁶ and 2.2×10⁴ cells 1⁻¹, respectively). Treatment of SE with UV light or activated charcoal seems to favour growth of benign species, such as Chaetoceros socialis, Skeletonema costatum and Thalassiosira spp., but not harmful species such as Pseudonitzschia spp. Further research on UV treatment of domestic sewage is recommended.     

The effects of domestic sewage effluent on marine communities at Coffs Harbour, New South Wales, Australia

Studies of the impact of secondary treated domestic effluent have been conducted at Coffs Harbour, NSW, Australia for the last 8 years. During that time, monitoring has shown that impacts are restricted to within approximately 300 m of the outfall for most variables (e.g. algal species richness, changes to the structure of invertebrate communities living in kelp holdfasts) but that the ephemeral green alga Ulva lactuca has significantly greater cover than at reference sites for a distance of 500 m from the point of discharge. Based on the results of this study, a new outfall proposed for the northern area of Coffs Harbour was predicted to have effects over a much smaller spatial scale. It is suggested, therefore, that the recent decision to abandon the plans for the new outfall reflects growing public concern over issues other than cost minimization and biological impact in the use of ocean disposal as an option for the management of human sewage waste.     

Effect of sewage effluent on the sediments of Nordåsvatnet (a land-locked fjord), Norway

Nordåsvatnet is a land-locked anoxic fjord along the west coast of Norway which is used as a natural recipient of untreated domestic sewage. The study of four core sediments collected from the heavily polluted basin of the fjord reflects the enrichment of surface sediments by Fe, Mn, Cu, Zn and organic matter. This surface enrichment is entirely attributed to the anthropogenic input.     

噬藻体对蓝藻种群密度的调控及其对水体中物质循环的影响

噬藻体是环境中一类以蓝藻为主要宿主的浮游病毒.由于其能特异性裂解蓝藻细胞,因而成为蓝藻种群密度的重要生物调控因子,并被探讨用作蓝藻水华的潜在生物治理方案.噬藻体与蓝藻的相互作用机制可以降低宿主细胞丰度、改变浮游生物群落构成,促进碳、氮、磷等关键生命元素在水体中的生物地球化学循环过程.本文总结了近60年来分离的噬藻体及其...     

The importance of sewage effluent discharge in the export of dissolved organic carbon from U.K. rivers

The flux of fluvial carbon from the terrestrial biosphere to the world's oceans is known to be an important component of the global carbon cycle, but within this pathway, the flux and return of carbon to the river network via sewage effluent has not been quantified. In this study, monitoring data from 2000 to 2016 for the dissolved organic carbon (DOC) concentration, biochemical oxygen demand, and chemical oxygen demand of the final effluent of sewage treatment works from across England were examined to assess the amount of DOC contributing to national‐scale fluvial fluxes of carbon. The study shows that the median concentration of DOC in final effluent was 9.4 compared with 4.8 mg C/L for all surface waters for the United Kingdom over the study period and that the DOC in final effluent significantly declined over the study period from 11.0 to 6.4 mg C/L. Rivers receiving sewage effluent showed a significant, on average 19%, increase in DOC concentration downstream of sewage discharges. At the scale of the United Kingdom, the flux of DOC in final effluent was 31 ktonnes C/year with a per capita export of 0.55 kg C/year and compared with an average annual flux of DOC from the United Kingdom of 859 ktonnes C/year, that is, only 3.6% of national‐scale flux. The lability of this DOC was limited, with only 7.4% loss of final effluent DOC concentration over in‐stream residence times of up to 5 days. The direct decline in DOC concentration from sewage treatment works was not large enough on its own to explain the declines observed in DOC concentration in U.K. rivers at their tidal limit.     

The effect of mantle composition on density in the extending lithosphere

The density distribution of the lithosphere is non-linear and discontinuous due to complex mineralogy and, most importantly, phase transitions. We evaluate the influence of changes in mantle composition on lithospheric density and its evolution during horizontal stretching, using thermodynamic calculations of the density as a function of pressure, temperature and composition. We also develop a simple parameterization based on end-member mineral reactions and geometric relationships between the geotherm and the phase boundary for comparison. The garnet–spinel peridotite transition leads to a moderate decrease in density of the mantle part of the lithospheric column at the initial stages of stretching. When the crust is sufficiently thinned and temperature is relatively high, plagioclase peridotite becomes stable in the upper part of the mantle. The density reduction due to the plagioclase-in reaction is controlled by bulk Al₂O₃ in the mantle and by the depth of the plagioclase-in reaction, which is mainly governed by the Na₂O/Al₂O₃ ratio. Since Na₂O and Al₂O₃ increase with the fertility of the mantle the phase transition effect is most pronounced for relatively fertile mantle (and strong extension) and can lead to 2.3% density reduction. This is equivalent to heating the entire lithosphere by 700 °C if only the effect of thermal expansion on density is taken into account. The formation of plagioclase peridotite can explain syn-rift uplift in sedimentary basins that experienced large mantle stretching without invoking an unrealistically strong increase in temperature. It might also be responsible for the break-up unconformity observed at continental margins.     

The effect of density stratification on the prediction of global storm surges

With the long-term goal of developing an operational forecast system for total water level, we conduct a hindcast study of global storm surges for Fall 2014 using a baroclinic ocean model based on the NEMO framework. The model has 19 vertical levels, a horizontal resolution of 1/12°, and is forced by hourly forecasts of atmospheric wind and air pressure. Our first objective is to evaluate the model’s ability to predict hourly sea levels recorded by a global array of 257 tide gauges. It is shown that the model can provide reasonable predictions of surges for the whole test period at tide gauges with relatively large tidal residuals (i.e., gauges where the standard deviation of observed sea level, after removal of the tide, exceeds 5 cm). Our second objective is to quantify the effect of density stratification on the prediction of global surges. It is found that the inclusion of density stratification increases the overall predictive skill at almost all tide gauges. The increase in skill for the instantaneous peak surge is smaller. The location for which the increase in overall skill is largest (east coast of South Africa) is discussed in detail and physical reasons for the improvement are given.     

The effect of magnetite particle size on paleointensity determinations of the geomagnetic field

The Thellier method for paleointensity determinations has been applied to prepared samples containing magnetites whose mean particle sizes range from single domain, SD, to multidomain, MD. Linear (ideal) PNRM-PTRM curves are obtained for samples containing SD and submicron magnetite particles. However, for MD particles non-linear (concave-up) PNRM-PTRM curves are observed such that a linear approximation to the lower blocking-temperature data leads to apparent paleointensities that are higher than the actual paleofield; however, the ratio of the end-points, NRM/TRM, yields the correct (laboratory) intensity. The non-linear (concave-up) PNRM-PTRM curves for the MD particles are explained in terms of the lack of symmetry of the domain-wall movements during the two heatings of the Thellier experiment. Low stabilities with respect to alternating fields and with respect to temperature cycles below magnetite's isotropic temperature are diagnostic in detecting samples most likely to exhibit non-linearities due to the MD effect.     

The effect of water abundance in a territory on the population health

The paper presents the results of analysis of present-day scientific data on the dynamics of global hydroclimatic processes (with the establishment of long-term variations in the global water exchange processes) and the features of water abundance in territories under the effect of various natural and anthropogenic factors. Possible transformations of the hydrogeological situation under global climate changes are considered. The basic principles of the concept regarding the assessment of the effect of global hydroclimatic changes on the population health are presented. Medical-environmental data on the consequences of water-triggered environmental crises, taken as analogous natural models, are analyzed. The processes and regularities in the development of human pathology under the conditions of higher and lower water abundance in a territory are identified. The succession, time stages, and phases of the development of infection, parasitic, noninfectious pathologies are determined. Cause-and-effect relationships were established between the observed pathology and the effect of a complex of changing natural, anthropogenic, and social-environmental factors. Methodological approaches to the assessment of medical-environmental consequences of distinct changes in the water abundance in the territories are described. The possible use of subsurface water sources as a reserve of domestic water supply under emergencies are considered.     

The gravitational effect of bodies with variable density

Summary Determination of the gravitational effect of some bodies, the density of which is supposed to be variable in the vertical direction, possibly in the horizontal direction, too.

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n¶rt;uaumau ma m m, nmm m um mua uu muma anau.

     

The effect of the new Massachusetts Bay sewage outfall on the concentrations of metals and bacterial spores in nearby bottom and suspended sediments

Since the new outfall for Boston's treated sewage effluent began operation on September 6, 2000, no change has been observed in concentrations of silver or Clostridium perfringens spores (an ecologically benign tracer of sewage), in bottom sediments at a site 2.5 km west of the outfall. In suspended sediment samples collected with a time-series sediment trap located 1.3 km south of the outfall, silver and C. perfringens spores increased by 38% and 103%, respectively, in post-outfall samples while chromium, copper, and zinc showed no change. All metal concentrations in sediments are <50% of warning levels established by the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority. An 11-year data set of bottom sediment characteristics collected three times per year prior to outfall startup provides perspective for the interpretation of post-outfall data. A greater than twofold increase in concentrations of sewage tracers (silver and C. perfringens) was observed in muddy sediments following the exceptional storm of December 11-16, 1992 that presumably moved contaminated inshore sediment offshore.     

Laboratory studies on the effect of metals on oxygen uptake by sewage sludge in brackish water

Heavy metals are often regarded as toxic to all forms of life and therefore generally undesirable. However, their presence in industrial wastes dumped into the Bristol Channel stimulates the growth of certain bacteria in the water and may therefore hasten the self purification process and not be wholly undesirable in moderation.     

多次各向异性散射模式对S波能量密度包络曲线的影响

在多次各向异性散射理论的基础上,本文重新推导了方向性散射系数的球函数展开式.引入特征时间的概念,来定义震源处初始地震波脉冲宽度,并在地震波能量密度积分方程中引入任意给定频率的初始脉冲能量谱密度的解析表达.通过离散波数方法求解了修正的地震波能量密度积分方程.基于积分方程的数值解,研究了不同散射模式对S波能量密度包络曲线的影响.计算结果表明:随着震源距的增加,在S波到时之后,多次各向异性散射模式与多次各向同性散射模式合成的能量密度包络差异逐渐增大.其中通过多次前散射模式,我们可以得到不同震源距的尾波能量密度包络的同一衰减趋势,以及S波能量密度包络随着震源距的增加而出现的展宽现象.最后,利用美国内华达州Wells地震余震的台站记录验证了多次前散射模式的实用性与有效性.