Seasonal variations of arsenic at the sediment–water interface of Poyang Lake,China

Arsenic species including arsenite, arsenate, and organic arsenic were measured in the porewaters collected from Poyang Lake, the largest freshwater lake of China. The vertical distributions of dissolved arsenic species and some diagenetic constituents [Fe(II), Mn(II), S(−II)] were also obtained in the same porewater samples in summer and winter. In sediments the concentration profiles of total As and As species bound to Fe–Mn oxyhydroxides and to organic matter were also determined along with the concentrations of Fe, Mn and S in different extractable fractions. Results indicate that, in the summer season, the concentrations of total dissolved As varying from 3.9 to 55.8 μg/L in sediments were higher than those (5.3–15.7 μg/L) measured in the winter season, while the concentrations of total As species in the solid phase varied between 10.97 and 25.32 mg/kg and between 7.84 and 30.52 mg/kg on a dry weight basis in summer and winter, respectively. Seasonal profiles of dissolved As suggest downward and upward diffusion, and the flux of dissolved As across the sediment–water interface (SWI) in summer and winter were estimated at 3.88 mg/m² a and 0.79 mg/m² a, respectively. Based on porewater profiles and sediment phase data, the main geochemical behavior of As was controlled by adsorption/desorption, precipitation and molecular diffusion. The solubility and migration of inorganic As are controlled by Fe–Mn oxyhydroxides in summer whereas they appear to be more likely controlled by both amorphous Fe–Mn oxyhydroxides and sulfides in winter. A better knowledge of the cycle of As in Poyang Lake is essential to a better management of its hydrology and for the environmental protection of biota in the lake.     

Study of Calculation of Reserves and Scale for Low–grade Solid Potassium Deposits of Chaerhan Salt Lake

正Analyzes on solid potassium mineral reserves calculation methods and existing problems of chaerhan salt lake,t with many parameters comparison solid potassium mineral reserves calculation results are reliable,the     

Influence of Climate Changes in the Late Pleistocene–Holocene on Composition of Bottom Sediments of the Selenga–Buguldeika Saddle,Lake Baikal

The study of bottom sediments of Lake Baikal recovered by submarine drilling at the Selenga–Buguldeika saddle (core VER93-2 st. 24GC) allowed us to reconstruct the climatic events in the Baikal region in the last 20–25 k.y. On the basis of the data on distribution of chemical elements in the core section, the mineral composition of sediments was calculated by the physicochemical modeling method. A study of how ratios of clay minerals changed in the section allowed us to identify the Pleistocene–Holocene boundary, Bølling–Allerød postglacial warming, and Late Dryas cooling. The calculated data on mineral composition of bottom sediments from the core VER93-2 demonstrate a good fit to the X-ray diffraction analysis results. The proposed approach can be used in calculation of mineral compositions of other sedimentary sequences with known chemical composition.     

Reduced forms of sulfur in the brine of Saline–Soda Lake Doroninskoe,eastern Transbaikal Region

Contents of inorganic reduced forms of sulfur were determined in the oxygen-bearing waters of saline-soda Lake Doroninskoe. The vertical and annual distributions of individual species and total reduced sulfur have been studied. It was found that oxic zone ubiquitously contains reduced sulfur with contents: HS⁻ 0.002–3.86 mg/l, S⁰ 0.002–0.129 mg/l, S^{0; 4+} 0.014–9.19 mg/l. Oxygen concentrations varied from 0 to 6.8 mg/l. These sulfur compounds show unsystematic vertical distribution, which during transitional season is controlled by intensity of bacterial processes.     

Sediment lipid biomarkers as recorders of the contamination and cultural eutrophication of Lake Erie, 1909–2003

Lake Erie is a large lake that has a well documented history of changes in organic matter (OM) production. We have evaluated the hydrocarbon (HC), fatty acid (FA) and fatty alcohol (OL) contents of a century-long sediment core from the lake as recorders of the changes in biogeochemical processes that accompanied its eutrophication. Although variations in the concentrations of the three groups of biomarkers are closely linked to changes in primary productivity within the lake, their molecular distributions reflect different aspects of the biogeochemical processes affecting OM preservation and accumulation. Even numbered n-alkenes from C₁₆–C₂₂ constitute an important fraction of the HC composition. Even numbered dominance is observed in the n-alkanes < C₂₂, and an odd dominance occurs in higher homologs. The source of this unusual HC distribution is uncertain, but may be microorganism populations sustained by anthropogenic oil contaminants. Changes in the relative inputs from terrigenous and aquatic sources are reflected in variations in the distributions of the OLs, whereas the FAs only reflect aquatic input and a dominance of aquatic organisms. Post-burial diagenetic alteration of OM is especially evident from decreases in the unsaturated and branched FAs with depth.     

An investigation into the heavy metal burden of Akkulam–Veli Lake in south India

The heavy metal burden of Akkulam–Veli Lake, a shallow lake in southern part of India, is investigated through the analysis of surface sediments. The average concentrations of heavy metals such as lead, chromium, nickel, copper, zinc, cobalt, iron, and manganese were determined at selected stations. The degree of contamination of selected stations was evaluated using indices such as enrichment factor, contamination factor, and pollution load index and compared with sediment quality guidelines. Statistical analysis is carried out by correlation analysis and hierarchical clustering analysis to identify relatively homogeneous groups of cases. The results of this study indicate severe contamination at most of the stations selected. The degree of contamination of the lake could be rated as ‘moderate’ to ‘strong’. The average pollution load index shows progressive deterioration of sediment quality indicating ‘risk’ on the aquatic environment and ecosystems of the lake.     

Study on Nitrogen Dynamics at the Sediment–Water Interface of Dongting Lake,China

Eutrophication of lakes and reservoirs has become a worldwide environmental problem, and nitrogen (N) has been recognized as one of the key factors responsible for eutrophication. Nitrogen adsorbed on sediments may be released via chemical and biological processes under changing environmental conditions. Spatial distributions of concentrations of ammonia nitrogen (NH₄ ⁺–N), nitrate nitrogen (NO₃ ^?–N) and total nitrogen (TN) were investigated in sediments and overlying water of Dongting Lake, the second largest freshwater lake in China. The concentration of TN in the sediments exhibited strong spatial variation with relatively high values in the eastern part and relatively low values in the southern part of the lake. The TN concentration in the water of different regions of Dongting Lake was affected by the internal load of sediment N. The vertical distribution of TN in sediment cores showed a decreasing trend with an increase in depth. Concentrations of NH₄ ⁺–N in the sediment cores decreased with the depth increase until 6–8 cm and then increased slowly. However, concentrations of NO₃ ^?–N in the sediment cores showed an opposite trend from those of NH₄ ⁺–N. A kinetic release experiment of NH₄ ⁺–N showed that the maximum release rate occurred in the first 5 min and the amount of NH₄ ⁺–N release reached 77.93–86.34 % of the total amount in 0–10 min. The release of NH₄ ⁺–N in the surface sediments of Dongting Lake fits a first-order kinetics function.     

Traces of the Tunguska Event (1908) in Sediments of Zapovednoe Lake Based on SR–XRF Data

Doklady Earth Sciences - An anomalous layer enriched with chemical elements indicating the presence of terrigenous matter was discovered in the sediment core of Zapovednoe Lake located 60 km from...     

Impacts of European settlement (1840–present) in a Great Lake watershed and lagoon: Frenchman’s Bay, Lake Ontario, Canada

The northern shore of Lake Ontario is one of the longest settled parts of Canada beginning around 1795. Accelerated settlement and deforestation after 1840 resulted in massive soil loss from easily-eroded Pleistocene glacial landscapes and the siltation of creeks and lagoons. Channel capacity was reduced but river flow was enhanced by diminished infiltration resulting in straightening of meandering channels, accelerated erosion of stream banks, increased incidence of downstream flooding and large influxes of mud to Lake Ontario. Conservation measures after World War II were successful but rapid urban sprawl after 1970 hardened watersheds and badly impacted the quality and quantity of surface and ground waters flowing to Lake Ontario. The Frenchman’s Bay watershed (27 km²) 50 km east of Toronto is one of the country’s most urbanized (pop: 100,000; 76 % urban cover) and is crossed by Canada’s busiest highway (Highway 401). The watershed drains to Lake Ontario through a coastal lagoon (Frenchman’s Bay) in which pre-settlement postglacial carbonate is abruptly overlain by a ‘European settlement’ mud layer rich in weed pollen and organic debris; the uppermost ‘urban’ part of this deposit shows elevated level of metals and other contaminants. This layer records soil loss after 1840 and more recently, the influx of contaminated urban waters and sediment. Some 7,600 tonnes of road salt have been applied to the lagoon watershed each year producing spikes of brackish surface runoff during winter thaws. Some 50 % of the total salt applied to the entire watershed is conveyed directly to Frenchman’s Bay Lagoon via surface runoff; the rest enters the groundwater system resulting in year-round brackish baseflow to creeks. Chloride continues to be stored in underlying aquifers such that the system has yet to reach a steady-state discharge. Future salinity of baseflow reaching the lagoon can be expected to increase by about 40 %. Rapid migration of contaminated groundwater is facilitated by the widespread presence of thick (<8 m) coarse-grained and heterogeneous fill materials of the built landscape. The watershed is experiencing ongoing changes in land use as urban infilling proceeds. The aquatic ecology of inflowing creeks to the lagoon has been greatly impacted resulting in major loss of wetlands and submergent vegetation and distinct changes in the structure of fish populations. This is the most detailed study of an urban watershed in Canada; lack of knowledge elsewhere is a constraint on the design and testing of mitigation measures and is a major impediment to assessing the impact of ongoing climate change on urban water resources, and the effects of urban runoff on Great Lakes water quality.     

Environmental geochemistry of arsenic in sediment-water interface of Poyang Lake, China

Environmental pollution is one of the vertical problems faced in the 21 century. There are numbers of lakes located in China. Poyang Lake, which is the largest freshwater lake in China, is the famous representation. The environmental geochemistry of trace and ultra-trace element As in the sediment-water interface （SWI） of Poyang Lake was investigated in detail. Solutions presented in the project can be summarized as follows： it is the first time to discover that the ：nasking agent of 8-hydroxyquinoline was found to be an efficient agent to eliminate the interference of transition metals in the determination of arsenic species, especially to eliminate As （Ⅴ） emission with high selection in the matrix of As （Ⅲ） and As （Ⅴ） coexisting solution. A sensitive and interference-free procedure has been successfully established for the arsenic speciation on As （Ⅲ）, As （Ⅴ）, Asorg in pore water samples using flowing injection hydride generation atomic fluorescence spectrometry （FI-HG-AFS）. It was observed that the concentrations of arsenic species in porewaters were relatively high. With the variation of the redox in sediments, it is easy to cause the second pollution in overlying waters for their upward diffusion. Arsenic is mainly absorbed onto iron and manganese oxyhydroxides in controlling the behavior of As. The effect factors of the transfer, cycle of arsenic are the redox condition at SWI, disturbance, and microbial action, etc.     

Mechanism of Seasonal Deterioration of Water Quality in Lake Baihua,China

Water quality of Lake Baihua was found worsening in the autumn of 1994.Studies have shown that the decomposition of organic matter in the upper-level sediments resulted in seasonal anoxia with the release of P,Mn,and S^2- from the sediments to the overlying water column,and the increase of NO2^- concentration led to blackening of the water column,deat of fishes and secondary Mn pollution.     

Reasons for the outbreak of microphytoplankton productivity in the late Oligocene Turtas Lake–Sea,Western Siberia

Palynological (dinocysts) and geochemical data were compared for the first time for Paleogene sediments of borehole no. 8 (settlement of Russkaya Polyana, Omsk oblast). The layers with a concentrated amount of dinocysts of the genus Pseudokomewuia (20.5% of the palynocomplex) are characterized by higher contents of Fe, P, Ti, Nb, Ta, and W. The microphytoplankton bloom (an analog of the present-day red tides) in the late Oligocene Turtas Lake–Sea was probably caused by a greater contribution of nutrient substances from the continent during the transgression of this basin. Comparative analysis of the geochemical features of marine and continental Paleogene sediments from borehole no. 8 showed that the Turtas basin was either freshwater or had brackish water.     

Sorption of P by ferric hydroxide film, cover particles of sediments of Lake Baikal

We investigated in more detail the adsorption phenomenon which was described earlier. It was clearly established that the hydroxyl apatite was not participated in P adsorption. This phenomenon takes place because of ferric hydroxide film. Modem sediments from the Southem Basin of Lake Baikal were taken and stirred with Baikal water. Carrier-free [^32p]-orthophosphate was added in this system. Similar experiments were made with carrier-free [^35S]-sulphate. Sulphate stayed in supematant completely. The influence of pH on the system with inorganic phosphate was also studied. In low alkali conditions phosphate migrated in supematant, in low acid, in sediments. Baikal sediment was stripped of iron-hydroxous film by treatment with 1% oxalic acid. Investigation of striped sediment shown that phosphate stays in supematant only. Hence, hydroxyl apatite cannot be the phase of the sediments of Lake Baikal which binds phosphate. This all showed by our group before. Now we have found the limit of phosphate sorption in Lake Baikal sediments and the stehiometry of the sorption. The sorption limit of Lake Baikal sediments was studied. An experiment with inorganic ^31P phosphate was made. 0.025% K2HPO4 solution with adding ^32P radioactive mark into it was prepared. 100 μL of mixture of ^31PO4^3- and ^32PO4^3- seven times were added in a ＂Baikal water-Baikal sediment＂ system and blank （100 ml BW only）. Concentrations of inorganic ^31PO4^3- were very low so the bend dot on the diagram was found and sorption limit of sediment was estimated. Baikal sediment stopped assimilating phosphate in the bend dot. The stehiometry of sorption was estimated by supematant-sediment radioactive ratio, which equals 3, that is, three Fe （Ⅲ） atoms associate one PO4^3- anion. The only Fe （Ⅲ） substance which could associate P is -Fe-O-Fe- polymer film. It also dissolves in acid conditions.     

Environmental Evolution of the Water Body of Qinghai Lake since the Postglacial Age

Based on the data developed from various s natural waters in the Qinghai Lake area and ostracode shells present in drill core QH-16A of recent lake-floor sediments ,this paper discusses the distribution of stable isotopes in the modern water body of Qinghai Lake,and the initial isotopic composition of the lake water has been deduced ,Studies of δ^18O,δ^13C,Mg/Ca and Sr/Ca in ostracode shells provide the basis for the establishment of the model of climatic fluctuation in the Qinghai Lake area since the postaglacial age,as well as for the elucidation of the environmental evolution of the water body of Qinghai Lake since the postglacial age.     

Tectonic–karstic origin of the alleged “impact crater” of Lake Isli (Imilchil district,High Atlas,Morocco)

The scenic lakes Tislit and Isli of the Imilchil area in the central High Atlas of Morocco have been recently promoted to the rank of “dual impact crater” by a group of geoscientists. This was promptly denied by a group of meteorite specialists, but the first team reiterated their impact crater interpretation, now restricted to Lake Isli. This alleged 40-kyr-old impact crater would be associated with the Agoudal meteorite recognized further in the southeast. Here, we show that the lake formed during the Lower–Middle Pleistocene in a small Pliocene (?) pull-apart basin through additional collapsing due to karst phenomena in the underlying limestones. This compares with the formation of a number of lakes of the Atlas Mountains. None of the “proofs” produced in support of a meteoritic origin of Lake Isli coincides with the geology of the area.     

Geochemical characteristics of trace elements in sediments of Dongting Lake, central China

Although eutrophication and trace element contamination are two key environmental problems in Dongting Lake, a systematic study of the distribution of trace elements in sediments of this lake has not previously been undertaken. In order to identify the current levels of trace metal contamination in Dongting Lake, the concentrations of trace elements （Cd, Cr Cu, Ni, Pb, Zn, As and Hg） in the sediments at 53 locations were investigated in this study. The lake, the second largest fresh-water lake in China, boasts three China wetlands of international importance. Dongting Lake which lies in the south of the middle Yangtze River is the most important reservoir lake in the Yangtze River drainage area, and is characterized by fast flow-through water, large runoff volume and short period of exchanging water （no more than 20 days）. The granulometric analysis result of sediments shows that a large proportion of the sediments measures at 2-63 μm in size; the result of mineralogical analysis shows that original mineral is the main composition of the sediments, followed by clay mineral and carbonate. The contents of copper, lead, zinc, cadmium, arsenic and mercury are higher than the background levels of soil （ Ⅰ Soil） in China, but lower than the threshold values for severely polluted soil （Ⅲ Soil） in China except Cd higher than that in Ⅲ Soil. The concentrations of trace elements analyzed are higher than the Threshold Effect Level of Interim Sediment Quality Guideline by Canada EPA and are lower than the Probable Effect Level. The assessment by geoaccumulation index shows that the contamination of Cd reached strong level in Dongting Lake. Study on speciation of metals by a BCR procedure indicates that the trace elements （Cu, Zn, Cr, and Ni） analyzed are mainly distributed in residual phases but Pb in Fe/Mn oxhydroxide phase and Cd in soluble and carbonate-bound fraction. The potential risk was the highest in East Dongting Lake based on the calculated contamination factors which are mostly probably caused by the deposition of the trace element pollutants via the Xiangjiang River and the discharge of the pollution sources in the vicinity of East Dongting Lake.     

The Characteristics of Yongzhu–Guomang Lake Ophiolitic Melange in Bangong-Nujiang Suture, Xizang(Tibet)，China

正Yongzhu–Guomang Lake ophiolitic melange exposed about 100 km with large scale and complete ophiolitic uint in Xainza County,Xizang(Tibet).It is connected with Nam Lake,Kaimeng ophiolitic mélange to the east,and