Metal and arsenic distribution in soil particle sizes relevant to soil ingestion by children

Ingestion of soil is a common behaviour in young children as a means of exploring their surroundings. Much attention has been given to remediation of point-source polluted sites with regard to potential health risks for children. However, because of diffuse pollution and long-range atmospheric deposition, soil contaminant levels are generally increased in urban areas compared to their rural counterparts, even in areas located away from any point sources of pollution. Intake of urban soil can thereby result in significant amounts of the child’s daily metal intake. In the present study, soil samples were collected from 25 playgrounds around urban Uppsala, Sweden and analysed for contents of Al, As, Fe, Cr, Cu, Cd, Hg, Mn, Ni, Pb, W and Zn. Prior to aqua regia digestion, the samples were wet-sieved in order to separate soil particle fractions representing deliberate (<4 mm) and involuntary (<50 μm) soil ingestion by children, as well as a third size fraction of 50–100 μm representing soil that is easily transported by suspension. While the metal and As contents in the 50–100 μm fraction were similar to those of the <4 mm fraction, the <50 μm fraction had metal and As contents on average one and a half times higher than those of the <4 mm fraction. The metal and As contents correlated negatively with the sand content in both particle size fractions <4 mm and 50–100 μm, suggesting a general decrease in metal and As content with increasing sand content. However, a positive correlation was found between sand content and the metal and As contents of the finest fraction (<50 μm), suggesting that when the sand content is high, the bulk of the sorbed elements are on the finest particles. The difference between metal and As contents in the different size fractions was greater in the soil sample with the highest sand content than in the sample with the lowest sand content. This implies that texture is a significant factor in metal and As distribution in soils with moderate metal and As contents, when the number of binding sites associated with small particles is low. Tolerable daily intake (TDI) values for Pb and As were exceeded at all sites, and at two sites for Cd, for children with pica behaviour. A high ingestion rate of mainly small particles could also result in the TDI value for Pb being exceeded at 10 sites and that for As at one site. This study also found that soil analysis by the procedure recommended by Swedish authorities accurately represents the metal intake from deliberate soil ingestion, whereas involuntary soil ingestion of mainly small particles could result in metal intakes which are up to twice as high.     

白云鄂博矿床钍富集过程及空间分布规律

白云鄂博矿床为一特大型Fe-REE多金属矿床,同时伴生有巨量的钍资源。然而,目前开发利用的矿种主要是铁和稀土资源,钍资源利用率几乎为零。查明矿床中钍资源的赋存状态和分布规律及揭示钍资源的富集过程及机制是今后钍资源开发利用的重要基础。本文依托近些年的系统采样及分析测试成果,对白云鄂博主、东、西矿区570个样品进行了详细的矿物学观察和全岩化学分析,在不同类型矿石中识别出以硅钍石为主的独立含钍矿物,硅钍石除少量呈现被稀土矿物包裹现象外,通常以细脉状穿插于稀土矿物内部,显示其明显滞后富集的特点。矿区Th O_-2平均品位达0.0322%,高出地壳钍克拉克值(9.6×10^-6)30多倍,各种矿石类型中Th O₂含量具有明显的差别,在云母型、闪石型、霓石型和萤石型矿石中具有高含量Th O₂,而白云石型矿石中Th O₂含量较低,指示矿区钍矿化主要形成于碱性热液交代和萤石化阶段。此外矿区随深度增加钍矿化作用加强,显示出矿床具有良好的钍资源成矿潜力。     

210Pb in the ocean: A pilot tracer for modeling particle reactive elements

We discuss the basic requirements for a successful modeling of²¹⁰Pb in the ocean as a test tracer for at least other lead isotopes, but also of other elements that behave similarly to lead. With the aid of realistic models of the oceanic circulation and the major biogeochemical cycles in it, the result is a dynamically consistent model of lead cycling that reproduces observed profiles within 10%.     

Grain sorting in gravel-bed streams and the choice of particle sizes for flow-competence evaluations

Flow-competence assessments of floods have been based on the largest particle sizes transported, and yield either the mean flow stress, mean velocity, or discharge per unit flow width. The use of extreme particle sizes has potential problems in that they may have been transported by debris flows rather than by the flood, it may be difficult to locate the largest particles within the flood deposits, and there are questions concerning how representative one or a few large particles might be of the transported sediments and therefore of the flood hydraulics. Such problems would be eliminated for the most part if competence evaluations are based on median grain sizes of transported sediments, or perhaps on some coarse percentile that is established by a reasonable number of grains. In order to examine such issues, the gravel-transport data of Milhous from Oak Creek, Oregon, and of Carling from Great Eggleshope Beck, England, have been analysed in terms of changing grain-size percentiles with varying flow stresses. A comparison between these two data sets is of added interest because the bed material in Oak Creek is segregated into well-developed pavement and subpavement layers, while such a layering of bed materials is largely absent in Great Eggleshope Beck. The analyses show that the trend of increasing sizes of the largest particles in the bedload samples (diameter D_m) with increasing flow stresses is consistent with similar dependencies based on sieve percentiles ranging from the medians (D₅₀) to the 95th percentiles (D₉₅). This indicates that the largest particles are an integral part of the overall distributions of bedload grain sizes, and respond to changing flow hydraulics along with the rest of the size distribution. In Oak Creek, the median grain size shows the largest change with increasing flow stresses, followed by D₆₀, and so on to D₉₅ which shows the smallest change. The variations in D_m continue this trend, and are similar to those for D₉₅. This systematic variation of grain-size percentiles in Oak Creek is consistent with changes in the overall distributions which tend to be symmetrical and Gaussian for low discharges, but become skewed Rosin distributions for high discharges. In contrast, in Great Eggleshope Beck the several percentiles and D_m show the same rate of shift to coarser sizes as flow stresses increase. This results in part from differences in sampling techniques wherein the bedload samples from Great Eggleshope Beck represent a complete flood event, while shorterterm samples at a specific flow stage were obtained in Oak Creek. As a result of the integrated sampling in Great Eggleshope Beck, the bedload grain-size distributions are more complex, commonly with a bimodal pattern. However, after accounting for differences in sampling schemes in the two streams, contrasting patterns in changing grain-size distributions remain, and these are concluded to reflect grain sorting differences as the bedload grain-size distributions approach the distributions of the bed materials. It is surprising that if criteria commonly employed to demonstrate the equal mobility of different grain sizes are used in the comparison, then Great Eggleshope Beck is far closer to this condition in spite of its minimal development of a pavement. It is concluded that the respective shapes of the bed-material grain-size distributions, in particular their degrees of skewness, are more important to the observed sorting patterns than are the effects of a pavement layer regulating grain entrapment to produce an equal mobility of different grain sizes. Therefore, the comparison has established that flow-competence relationships will differ from one stream to another, depending on the pattern of grain sorting which is a function of the bedmaterial grain-size distribution.     

Seasonal variability of deep ocean particle fluxes and particle composition in the north open sea of Prydz Bay

Time-series Mark VII sediment trap was deployed at 72°58.55′E, 62°28.63°S (north of the Prydz Bay, Antarctica) during the cruise of CHINARE-15 in cooperation with University of Marine of America. Seasonal variability of deep ocean particle fluxes and biogenic components were investigated in order to reveal the fluxes and biogeochemistry of sinking particles in the deep ocean. The results show that the total mass flux of sinking particles at a water depth of 1000 m ranges from 13.00 to 334.59 mg⋅d⁻¹⋅m⁻²). A marked seasonal variability exists in the fluxes of all particle components reflecting the seasonal changes in upper water productivity. Biogenic material was a significant component and biogenic silica represented more than 80% of the biogenic matter, reflecting a diatom dominated system, but a lithogenic fraction is always present. The fact that the POC dominated over particulate inorganic carbon (as CaCO₃) and C_inorg/C_org was always greater than 1, indicate a net removal of CO₂ from surface water by biological activity. __________ Translated from Acta Oceanologica Sinica, 2006, 5: 49–55 [译自:海洋 学报]     

宁波市不同粒径颗粒物中无机离子污染特征研究

细颗粒物(PM_2.5)对气候、空气质量和人体健康具有显著影响,水溶性无机离子是PM_2.5主要成分。在2018-01-24至2018-02-20期间,宁波地区经历了一系列低温和PM_2.5浓度较高的天气过程,利用在线离子色谱(MARGA)和颗粒物化学组分监测仪(ACSM)监测宁波气溶胶的无机离子,研究了PM_2.5和亚微米细颗粒物(PM_1.0)中硫酸根(SO₄^2-)、硝酸根(NO₃^-)和铵根(NH₄⁺)(三者统称为SNA)的变化特征。结果表明,SNA的质量浓度均与PM_2.5有明显正相关;随PM_2.5质量浓度的增加,SO₄^2-当量浓度(摩尔浓度×所带电荷数)百分比呈现减少趋势,而NO₃^-百分比呈现增加趋势;NH₄     

Mercury distribution amongst co-existing silicates within the Bushveld Complex

Thirty separates of plagioclase, orthopyroxene and clinopyroxene from the lower Main Zone of the Northern Limb of the Bushveld Complex were analysed for their mercury contents using combustion atomic absorption spectroscopy with gold amalgamation pre-concentration. The average mercury contents of plagioclase, orthopyroxene and clinopyroxene were found to be 0.9 ppb, 1.2 ppb and 1.1 ppb, respectively. Mercury within the separates does not vary systematically with any of the major element oxides present in the minerals. Based on a positive 1:1 correlation between mercury in orthopyroxene and clinopyroxene, we estimate D^Opx_Hg ≈ D^Cpx_Hg, and on this basis, can exclude the presence of significant Hg²⁺ within the melts from which these minerals crystallised. The lack of correlation between mercury in plagioclase and that in the mafic silicates may suggest diffusional loss of the element from the former during slow cooling under magmatic conditions and better retention of mercury by the mafic silicates under the same conditions. Alternatively and more likely, this lack of correlation may support earlier arguments based on distinct Sr-isotopic disequilibrium between co-existing plagioclase and mafic silicates, that plagioclase and the mafic silicates in the Northern Limb of the Bushveld Complex may have crystallised from different melts within a variably contaminated, sub-Bushveld staging chamber.     

Thorium distribution in the soils of Peninsular Malaysia and its implications for Th resource estimation

As the national electricity consumption peaked over the years, and the reserves of fossil fuels are becoming scarce, interest in thorium fuel-based nuclear energy generation as an alternative energy source for Malaysia is renewed. This paper provides a preliminary investigation of thorium (Th) availability in Peninsular Malaysia. The study is based on assessment of Th contents in soil. Indicated by massive and fertile Th resources associated with granitic belts, 4 series of regional on-ground explorations are implemented in Peninsular Malaysia to obtain the baseline data of Th availability. The geological settings of Th prospect areas and the result of statistical analyses of Th data are discussed. The isoconcentration mapping of Th is developed and the Th prospect areas in Peninsular Malaysia are highlighted. The possibility, availability, production trends and economic issues of Th recovery from tin by-products and heavy mineral products, as well as the potential of black sand placer deposit as a Th resource in Peninsular Malaysia are also discussed.     

Thorium sorption in the marine environment: Equilibrium partitioning at the hematite/water interface,sorption/desorption kinetics and particle tracing

Thorium(IV) sorption onto hematite (-Fe₂O₃) was examined as a function of pH and ionic strength. Sorption behaved Langmuirian over an eleven order of magnitude range in adsorption densities, : 10^–12 to 10^–1 moles Th sorbed per mole hematite sites, indicating that the overall free energy of Th adsorption is independent of adsorption density. Modeling of Th sorption was conducted with the Triple Layer Model of Davis and Leckie; reactions considered included solution-phase hydroxy and carbonato complexes of thorium, and carbonate/hematite surface complexes. The entire Th sorption isotherm can be modeled with a single surface complex formation reaction

Residence time distribution functions of chemical elements in the ocean

The mean residence times of chemical elements in the ocean are usually evaluated assuming that supply and removal rates are equal. In this note, a general approach is developed which removes the above restriction. Considering a time scale larger than the homogenization time of the ocean (>10³ yr), the method allows evaluation of residence time distribution functions and of the corresponding moments.     

Impact of the azores front propagation on deep ocean particle flux

The Azores Current originating as a branch of the Gulf Stream is a highly dynamic system in the subtropical North Atlantic. The associated front forms the northeastern boundary of the North Atlantic Subtropical Gyre. In this study we analyzed 42 years of assimilated modeled temperature fields to localize the position of the Azores Front at 22°W and observed a fast north- and southward propagation between 30°N and 37°N on monthly to decadal time scales. The North Atlantic Oscillation with correlated changes of the wind direction was identified as one driving mechanism. As the front is acting as a guide for Rossby waves, the signal of the front??s propagation is transferred to the western Atlantic and, among other atmospheric forcing mechanisms, induces a shifting of the Northern Wall of the Gulf Stream with one year delay. Shallower mixed layer depths in the northern frontal region of the Azores Current caused by the rise of the isotherms lead to nutrient supply and primary production different from those found in the southern frontal region of the current system. A high interannual variability is manifested in deep ocean particle flux, derived from a sediment trap in 2000 m water depth at the mooring site KIEL276 (33°N, 22°W) from 1993 to 2008, which is directly related to the phytoplankton bloom in the euphotic zone. This variability is explained by the propagation of the front and strong variations in the catchment areas of the sediment trap due to the associated eddy activity in the frontal region.     

The distribution of sun glints sizes on the sea surface

The problem is studied both theoretically and experimentally. Statistical distributions of the total curvature and the reciprocal to the total curvature at the specular points (SP) of a random Gaussian uniform sea surface are discussed. The theoretical distribution and its asymptotes are completely investigated. The validity of the theoretical distribution is verified by numerical simulations and natural experiments. In the experimental study of this distribution, Sun glint images taken with a high time and spatial resolution digital camera are used. Those images are developed by using a specially-designed Fortran program which calculates the statistical characteristics of the glints. The experimentally derived distribution of the glint areas is compared with the theoretical distribution. The main causes (origins) of small divergence between the theoretical and experimental results are discussed.     

南极普里兹湾北部深海沉降颗粒物通量的季节性变化

利用1998～2000年中国南极科学考察期间(第15和16航次)在南极普里兹湾北部海域所获得的沉积物捕获器样品的资料,对南极普里兹湾北部海域颗粒物的有机地球化学特征进行了调查,并重点开展了该海域颗粒物通量及其季节性变化特征的研究。研究结果表明,在1000m深度,颗粒物通量呈现明显的季节性变化,最高通量出现在南极夏季的1月份,最低通量出现在4～7月份;通量的变化范围为13.00～334.59mgd-1m-2。捕获器中颗粒物的主要成分为生源物质(生物硅、有机质和碳酸钙),占总通量的50.62%～92.06%,而生源组分中又以生物硅为主要成分,其值介于9.30～136.33mgd-1m-2之间,占总通量的40.74%～74.21%。有机质和碳酸钙的通量远小于生物硅,分别平均占总通量的9.06%±4.26%和4.42%±2.14%。颗粒物中各组分通量的变化趋势与总通量明显相似,均呈现明显的季节性变化,这主要归因于研究海域海冰的形成与消退。在垂向变化上,1月份1000m深度颗粒物通量高于2000m深度,这表明该海域颗粒物的转化主要发生在上层水体。     

An estimate of plankton distribution in the ocean based on acoustic sounding

Doklady Earth Sciences -     

不同粒径花岗岩断裂力学行为及声发射特征研究

利用MTS815 Flex Test GT岩石力学试验系统及声发射（AE）三维定位实时监测系统,对4种不同粒径北山花岗岩进行断裂韧度试验,系统研究了不同粒度北山花岗岩的断裂力学行为及声发射特征。在三点弯曲试验条件下,北山花岗岩峰值过后断面还具有较大的承载面积。粒径越大,其峰值载荷越低,且屈服载荷所占峰值荷载百分比越小,断裂韧度值越小;粒径越大其破坏过程中的总变形量越大,且加载末期承载能力越高。细粒及中细粒岩样声发射事件最早出现于拉应力较大的尖端下部,而强度相对较小的粗粒及中粗粒岩样声发射事件最早出现于受点荷载的上端部。声发射事件集中出现于裂纹稳定扩张阶段,这一阶段为岩石断裂的最主要阶段。粒径越大,声发射事件越多,且整个断面分布越广泛。     

煤层气开发中不同粒度煤粉的聚集沉降实验

在煤层气开发过程中,煤粉聚集及沉降会堵塞煤层气运移通道及导致卡泵、埋泵等事故。为了查明不同粒度煤粉的聚集及沉降特征,选取粒度>140目（<106 μm）、>70~140目（106~<212 μm）和>50~70目（212~<300 μm）3种粒度范围的煤粉,开展了在去离子水中煤粉的聚集及沉降实验,从煤粉聚集及沉降特征观察、悬浮液中煤粉含量及煤粉粒度分布探究不同粒度煤粉在去离子水悬浮液中的聚集及沉降特征。结果表明,随着静置时间的增加,各粒度煤粉悬浮液的颜色均不同程度地变浅,逐渐出现分层,其中,粒度>140目的煤粉悬浮液最先出现分层。煤粉粒度越小,煤粉悬浮液顶部漂浮的煤粉量越多;煤粉粒度越大,其下沉到煤粉悬浮液底部的煤粉量越多。不同粒度煤粉悬浮溶液中煤粉含量均随着静置时间的增加呈现不同程度的降低,在停止搅拌后3 min内,煤粉含量下降最快,粒度为>70~140目的煤粉悬浮液中煤粉含量最大。根据不同粒度煤粉悬浮液中煤粉粒度分布曲线,将煤粉聚集及沉降过程分为3个阶段：单峰变双峰阶段（煤粉快速上浮及沉降）、双峰变单峰阶段（煤粉快速聚集及沉降）和单峰阶段（煤粉缓慢沉降）。粒度>140目的煤粉在悬浮液中最先达到缓慢沉降阶段,粒度>70~140目的煤粉在悬浮液中最后到达缓慢沉降阶段。从煤粉的受力、扩展的DLVO理论及煤粉的有机分子结构方面探讨了煤粉聚集沉降的机理：煤样含有大量的脂肪烃和芳香烃等疏水性基团,疏水性强,润湿性低;随着煤粉粒度的减小,其比表面积显著增大,煤粉表面吸附大量空气,形成气膜;同时,煤粉颗粒间相互吸附聚集,内部形成很多微孔隙,导致粒度小的煤粉易聚集漂浮在悬浮液面上。实验得到的不同粒度煤粉的上浮、下沉及悬浮情况,为后期煤层气开发中煤粉管控措施提供依据。     

Source distribution of ocean microseisms and implications for time-dependent noise tomography

A qualitative analysis of ocean microseism source distribution observed in North America during fall and winter months was carried out. I review the theory of the origin of ocean microseisms and show that it can be used in conjunction with wave-wave interaction maps to quantify the source distribution anisotropy. It is demonstrated that microseisms generation in the North Atlantic and in the North Pacific Oceans are inherently different. North Atlantic microseisms are generated predominantly in the deep ocean, while North Pacific microseisms are dominated by coastal reflections. In spite of these differences both result from repeated ocean wave patterns that give rise to an anisotropic noise pattern, which cannot be randomized by time averaging. Considering time-varying ambient noise imaging, which aims to resolve a fraction of a percent changes in the crust over short distances, the source anisotropy would introduce a relatively significant error that needs to be accounted for.     

Large-scale hydraulic conductivity distribution in an unconfined carbonate aquifer using the ocean tidal propagation

The hydraulic conductivity of an unconfined carbonate aquifer at the uplifted atoll of Minami-Daito, Japan, was evaluated by a combination of cross-spectral analysis, analytical solution, and density-dependent groundwater modeling based on observed groundwater levels in 15 wells and at sea level. The island area was divided into 10 subregions based on island morphology and on inland propagation of ocean tides. The hydraulic conductivity was obtained for each subregion using analytical solutions based on phase lags of M₂ constituents of ocean tides at each well by assuming two aquifer thicknesses (300 and 1,800 m) and two effective porosities (0.1 and 0.3). The density-dependent groundwater model evaluated the hydraulic conductivity of the subregions by reproducing observed groundwater levels. The hydraulic conductivity in the subregions was estimated as 3.46?×?10^?3 to 6.35?×?10^?2 m/s for aquifer thickness of 300 m and effective porosity of 0.1, and as 1.73?×?10^?3 to 3.17?×?10^?2 m/s for aquifer thickness of 1,800 m and the effective porosity of 0.3. It was higher in southern and northern areas, and higher in interior lowland than in the western and eastern areas. Fissures and dolomite distributions on the island control differences of the omnidirectional ocean tidal propagation and cause these differences in hydraulic conductivity. The method used for this study may also be applicable to other small islands that have few or no data for hydraulic conductivity.

     

Variation in particle size distribution over a small dune

The variation in particle size distribution for a sequence of sand samples, collected from the surface of a small barchanoid dune along a sampling line parallel to the windflow, is studied by means of the hyperbolic distribution. The modal (or typical) value of the log size increases linearly with distance from the windward foot to the crest of the dune, and falls off steeply on the lee side. The spread of the log-size distribution, locally near the modal value, is roughly constant on the windward side but decreases significantly down the slip face. Two other parameters of the four-parameter hyperbolic distribution can be considered largely constant. A comparison of the log size distributions for heavy and light mineral grains, based on a selected set of the samples, showed that heavy and light minerals follow different hyperbolic patterns. However, the difference in modal size of the distributions for the two types of minerals was virtually constant among the samples.     

Uranium and Thorium in Phosphatic Bone Debris from the Ocean Bottom

Uranium and thorium content, as well as their distribution patterns are studied in biogenic phosphates from the Atlantic and Indian oceans. The material studied is represented by differently lithified fish remains (bones, scales, teeth) and marine mammal bones (ribs, vertebras, earbones) collected from both reduced shelf sediments and oxidized pelagic ones. The U content in the material varies from 0.7 to 700 ppm, and the Th content ranges from less than 0.5 to 14 ppm. The U/Th ratio varies from 0.16 to 400. Contents of both elements increase with the lithification of biogenic phosphates. The U concentration is more intense on shelves, whereas the thorium concentration increases in pelagic areas. A partial positive correlation of U and Th with Fe but a negative correlation of U with organic carbon are noted. The latter corresponds to increasing lithification of biogenic phosphates. Calcium phosphate, which is transformed from hydroxyapatite to fluorcarbonate-apatite serves as the main carrier of U, while transformed organic matter is a minor agent. Thorium is mainly bound with Fe.