Evaluating the environmental risks associated with the use of chromated copper arsenate-treated wood products in aquatic environments

Chromated copper arsenate (CCA)-treated wood has been used worldwide since 1933. In properly fixed wood, the chromium, copper, and arsenic are tightly bound to the wood fibers. However, it has long been known that small amounts of these metals do leach from properly treated wood products. These metals, particularly the cupric ion (Cu²⁺), are known to be highly toxic to aquatic organisms at concentrations as low as 6 μg Cu l^?1. The United States Environmental Protection Agency has established a marine water quality standard of 2.9 μg Cu l^?1 total copper. Washington State has established a marine water quality standard of 2.5 μg Cu l^?1 and a marine sediment standard of 390 mg Cu g^?1 (dry sediment). Comparison of these standards with the results of bioassays suggests that these levels are sufficiently low to protect even the most sensitive organisms. Metal losses are an inverse function of time and decline to background levels within 60–90 d of treated wood immersion. Increasing use of CCA-treated wood to construct residential bulkheads in estuarine environments on the east coast of the United States has raised concerns regarding the near-term environmental risks associated with these uses. This paper reports the development of a spreadsheet-based computer model to predict water column and sediment concentrations of copper leached from bulkheads and piling. Model output is compared with data in Weis et al. (1991, 1993) and Weis and Weis (1992). The model predicts environmental levels of copper that are highly dependent on input parameters but below regulatory levels for most projects constructed in reasonably well-circulated bodies of water. The model does demonstrate the possibility of exceeding regulatory standards for up to 3 wk when bulkheads are installed in very poorly flushed aquatic environments or where the surface area of the CCA-treated wood structure is a significant proportion of the water body surface area.     

Selenium in volcanic environments: A review

Selenium is a chemical element with major environmental implications, due to the extremely narrow range between essential and toxic concentrations. Volcanoes emit significant amounts of Se, which has an enormous impact on the Se cycle and potentially human and animal health. This paper presents a broad overview of the current state of knowledge of major aspects of volcanic derived Se, focussing on the processes in soils and aquifers.     

Cryogenic carbonates in cave environments: A review

Cryogenic cave carbonate (CCC) represents a specific type of speleothem. Its precipitation proceeds at the freezing point and is triggered by freezing-induced concentration of solutes. Compared to classical speleothems (stalagmites, flowstones), CCC occurs as accumulations of loose uncemented aggregates. The grain sizes range from less than 1 μm to over 1 cm in diameter. Karst groundwater chemistry and its freezing rate upon entering the cave are responsible for highly variable grain morphology. Rapid freezing of water results in the formation of CCC powders with grain size typically below 50 μm. Slow freezing of water in caves (usually in systems where the CO₂ escape is partly restricted; e.g., ice covered water pools) results in the formation of large mineral grains, with sizes from less than 1 mm to about 20 mm. The range of carbon and oxygen stable isotope compositions of CCC is larger than for a typical carbonate speleothem. Rapid freezing of water accompanied by a quick kinetic CO₂ degassing results in large ranges of δ¹³C of the CCC powders (between –10‰ and +18‰ PDB). Slow freezing of water, with a restricted CO₂ escape results in gradual increase of δ¹³C values (from −9‰ to +6‰ PDB; data ranges in individual caves are usually much more restricted), accompanied by a δ¹⁸O decrease of the precipitated carbonate (overall range from −10‰ to −24‰ PDB). These unusual trends of the carbonate δ¹⁸O evolution reflect incorporation of the heavier ¹⁸O isotope into the formed ice. New isotope data on CCC from three Romanian ice caves allow better understanding of the carbon and oxygen isotope fingerprint in carbonates precipitated from freezing of bulk water. CCCs are proposed as a new genetic group of speleothems.     

Large transverse bedforms and the character of boundary-layers in shallow-water environments

Theoretical work, laboratory studies, and field observations indicate that the oscillatory boundary layers generated by the tidal wave differ fundamentally in dynamics and kinematic structure from the unidirectional boundary layers of rivers. Unique to the former are mass-transport currents attributable to: (1) the wave motion itself, and (2) bed curvature in the presence of the oscillatory flow. The implication of this difference for bed-material transport is that the larger flow-transverse bedforms of shallow-water environments are divisible hydraulically between two major classes: (A) those related to tidal conditions, under which the fluid reverses in direction of flow with each reversal of the tide, permitting the initiation and maintenance of bed features by the spatially reversing, curvature-related mass transport, and (B) those related strictly to rivers and river-like flows, in which the fluid motion is unidirectional, and therefore the only mechanisms available for bedform initiation and maintenance are those creating a finite spatial lag between the transport rate and the bed waviness. Forms of Class B are best called dunes and bars, and only those attributable to Class A should be termed sand waves. The latter, restricted to oscillatory boundary layers of tidal origin, apparently correspond to the very much smaller; but also commonly symmetrical, ripple marks produced in wind-wave oscillatory boundary layers.     

矿山环境评价方法综述

根据5大类型的矿山环境地质问题和矿山整体环境综合评价问题,本文提出:矿山环境评价可划分为单环境问题(要素)评价和多环境问题(要素)综合评价2大类型.     

Potential contributions of extremophiles to hydrocarbon resources in marine extreme environments:A review

To understand the potential mechanism of marine extremophiles participating in the formation and the evolution of hydrocarbon resources in marine extreme environments, some typical kinds of extremophiles and their distributions in marine hydrothermal and cold vents are discussed and evaluated respectively. The potential relationship between extremophile activities and hydrocarbon resources in marine extreme environments are then discussed in details. It could be now preliminary concluded that archaea and bacteria are the two main kinds of extremophiles in marine extreme environments. The dominating microbe communities in hydrothermal vents are heterotrophic zymogens, sulfate reducers and methanogens, while the ANME-2 group (Methanosarcinales) surrounded by sulfate-reducing bacteria and ANME-1 group dominate in cold vents. Marine extremophiles would be able to use CH₄ and H₂S to synthesize energy for metabolism and to support food chains for other unique macrobiota nearby, which together present a high abundance but a low diversity with distinct characteristics of horizontal and vertical distributions. Marine extremophiles might play an important role either directly or indirectly in the processes of hydrocarbon formation and subsequent alteration, and could indicate the evolution of hydrocarbon resources in marine extreme environments. Our research thus has a great significance both in theoretical approach of potential hydrocarbon resources formed by marine extremophile activities and in practical exploration of the potential hydrocarbonsource sedimentary layers formed in the Earth history or the potential strata in southern China. __________ Translated from Earth Science—Journal of China University of Geosciences, 2007, 32(6): 781–788 [译自: 地球科学—中国地质大学学报]     

铜同位素地球化学及研究新进展

多接收杯电感耦合等离子体质谱仪(MC-ICPMS)的应用极大地提高了铜(Cu)同位素的分析精度和效率,推进了铜同位素地球化学的发展和应用。文中对Cu同位素地球化学进行了全面的综述,并更新了铜同位素研究的最新进展及其在地质与环境过程中的应用。自然界中铜同位素(δ65Cu)的变化范围可达20‰以上,高温下铜同位素分馏较小,而在低温条件下,铜同位素能产生巨大的同位素分馏,其主要取决于低温下铜的氧化还原反应。作为最重要的金属成矿元素之一、重要的重金属元素和重要的挥发性元素,铜同位素在矿床地球化学、环境地球化学和天体化学领域均显示了巨大的应用潜力。     

The effects of karst collapse on the environments in north China

In this paper, a systematic study was completed on the distribution features and origins of karst collapses in north China. There are 65 modern karst collapse areas with 1,416 karst collapse pits and 38 paleo–karst collapse areas with 3,654 paleo-collapse pillars. Modern karst collapses are mainly distributed in the plain region of the east Taihang and Yanshan Mountains and are concentrated in three zones from the west to the east in this region. The regional distribution features of karst collapses in north China are controlled by the boundary of the geological tectonics, condition of soluble rock and the extent of human activities. From the results, three-grade indices have been adopted to establish a classification scheme for karst collapse in north China. The effects of karst collapses on the environments in north China are summarized using a karst collapse classification scheme.     

pH-dependent copper release in acid soils treated with crushed mussel shell

The aim of this study was to assess the influence of pH on copper mobilization in two copper-rich acid soils (from vineyard and mine) amended with crushed mussel shell. Crushed mussel shell amended soils (0–48 Mg ha^?1) were subjected to the effect of several acid and alkali solutions in a batch experiment in order to study their copper release. Copper distribution was studied in decanted soils from batch experiments using a sequential extraction procedure, whereas the effect of crushed mussel shell on copper release kinetics was studied using a stirred flow reactor. When soils were treated with acid solutions, the copper mobilization from non-amended soils was significantly higher than from the amended samples. Major changes in copper fractionation were an increase of the acid soluble fraction in acid-treated vineyard soil samples with shell dose. For the mine soil, the oxidable fraction showed a relevant diminution in acid-treated samples at the highest crushed mussel shell dose. For both soils, copper desorption rates diminished up to 86 % at pH 3 when crushed mussel shell was added. At pH 5, copper release rate was very slow for both soils decreasing up to 98 % for the mine soil amended with the highest shell dose, whereas no differences were observed at pH 7 between amended and non-amended soils. Thus, crushed mussel shell addition could contribute to reduce potential hazard of copper-enriched soils under acidification events.     

An evaluation of copper remobilization from mine tailings in sulfidic environments

A laboratory-based assessment of copper remobilization from Cu-rich mine tailings exposed to anoxic, sulfide rich waters was performed. The results from incubation experiments, conducted over a 20 day period, were compared to thermodynamic modelling calculations of copper speciation in sulfidic waters. The tailings materials were observed to react rapidly with added sulfide, consuming 159 μmol HS⁻ g⁻¹ (dry wt) within a 24 h period. The consumption of sulfide was attributed to a two stage process involving the reduction of Fe-hydroxy phases by sulfide followed by reaction with available Fe²⁺ and Cu²⁺ resulting in the formation Fe- and Cu-sulfide phases. During incubation experiments, the dissolved copper concentrations in the absence of sulfide were approximately 0.31 μmol l⁻¹, whereas in the presence of sulfide (0.5–5 mM) concentrations were typically 0.24 μmol l⁻¹. The experiments did not indicate enhanced solubility owing to the formation of soluble copper sulfide species. The predictions (based on the most recent thermodynamic data for aqueous Cu-sulfide and Cu-polysulfide species) did not accurately explain the laboratory observations. Model predictions were greatly influenced by the assumptions made about the oxidation state of copper under anoxic conditions and the solid sulfide phase controlling copper solubility. The study emphasizes the limitations of modelling copper speciation in sulfidic waters and the need for laboratory or field verification of predictions.     

斑岩型铜矿床成矿斑岩岩浆氧化状态研究方法综述

近年来,成矿斑岩岩浆的氧化状态对斑岩铜矿床成矿潜力和成矿规模的控制作用受到了矿床学家的广泛关注。文章总结了斑岩型铜矿床成矿斑岩岩浆氧化状态的主要研究方法及各自的适用条件:(1)钛铁氧化物(钛铁矿-磁铁矿)固熔体的组成,适用于含共生岩浆成因钛铁矿-磁铁矿的斑岩体;(2)岩石中的Fe~(3+)/Fe~(2+)含量比值,适用于新鲜的熔融包裹体或未发生热液蚀变和地表风化作用的新鲜岩石;(3)黑云母中的Fe~(3+)、Fe~(2+)和Mg含量,适用于黑云母与磁铁矿和钾长石共生的岩体;(4)角闪石主量元素含量,适用于温度为550～1120℃、压力1200 MPa、氧逸度(f(O2))为-1≤ΔNNO≤+5的钙碱性喷出岩或浅成侵入岩;(5)锆石Ce~(4+)/Ce~(3+)比值;(6)锆石EuN/EuN*比值,斑岩铜矿成矿斑岩为中酸性岩体,其中锆石普遍发育,因此被广泛用于确定岩浆氧化状态。文章还通过收集中国冈底斯成矿带、金沙江-红河成矿带、中甸岛弧成矿带、环太平洋成矿域和中亚成矿域主要斑岩铜矿床成矿斑岩岩浆氧逸度资料,讨论岩浆演化状态对斑岩型铜矿床成矿作用和成矿规模的控制作用,发现同一成矿带内含矿斑岩的氧化状态明显高于不含矿斑岩,且含矿斑岩的氧化状态与斑岩铜矿床的成矿规模具有正相关性。     

Subaqueous soils: A pedological approach to the study of shallow-water habitats

Science-based management of shallow-water habitats is limited by information on the spatial distribution of properties of sediments. This limitation in part stems from the lack of an adequate model or system to classify and delineate subaqueous soil types (sediments). Present classification systems are inadequate because the existing paradigm does not actually consider them as “soils” but merely as “sediments”. Field observations suggest that these sediments could be better understood as “soils”, and the present paradigm could be modified to incorporate a new one—a pedological paradigm. We propose the application of a pedological paradigm for subqueous soils of subtidal habitats to develop ecological interpretations of subaqueous soil types and apply an inventory of subaqueous soil resources for management of estuarine shallow-water habitats. *** DIRECT SUPPORT *** A01BY074 00009     

Artisanal ceramic factories using wood combustion:A nanoparticles and human health study

The ceramics industry,resulting from developments of modern compounds,is a segment of great influence in worldwide sustainability.Artisanal ceramic factories based on wood combustion have significant risks for the creation and discharge of atmosphere nanoparticles(NPs)and ultra-fine particles(UFPs).At present,there is insufficient recognition on the influence of engineered-NPs on the atmosphere and health.Real improvements are indispensable to diminish contact with NPs.The present study demonstrates the main NPs and UFPS present in an area of intense artisanal wood-combustion ceramic manufacturing.Particulate matter was sampled for morphological,chemical,and geochemical studies by sophisticated electron microbeam microscopy,X-Ray Diffraction,and Raman spectroscopy.From NPs configuration(<10 nm)we identify nucleation.Several amorphous NPs(>10 nm)were produced around the studied artisanal ceramic factories.This study presents an indication of the recent information on population and work-related contact to NPs in the artisanal ceramic factories and their influence on health.     

Recent extreme slope failures in glacial environments: effects of thermal perturbation

This paper describes recent exceptional slope failures in high-mountain, glacial environments: the 2002 Kolka–Karmadon rock–ice avalanche in the Caucasus, a series of ice–rock avalanches on Iliamna Volcano, Alaska, the 2005 Mt. Steller rock–ice avalanche in Alaska, and ice and rock avalanches at Monte Rosa, Italy in 2005 and 2007. Deposit volumes range from 10⁶ to 10⁸ m³ and include rock, ice and snow. Here we focus on thermal aspects of these failures reflecting the involvement of glacier ice and permafrost at all sites, suggesting that thermal perturbations likely contributed to the slope failures. We use surface and troposphere air temperatures, near-surface rock temperatures, satellite thermal data, and recent 2D and 3D thermal modeling studies to document thermal conditions at the landslide sites. We distinguish between thermal perturbations of volcanic-geothermal and climatic origin, and thermal perturbations related to glacier–permafrost interaction. The data and analysis support the view that recent, current and future climatic change increases the likelihood of large slope failures in steep glacierized and permafrost terrain. However, some important aspects of these settings such as the geology and tectonic environment remain poorly understood, making the identification of future sites of large slope instabilities difficult. In view of the potentially large natural disasters that can be caused by such slope failures, improved data and understanding are needed.     

Controls on supergene enrichment of porphyry copper deposits in the Central Andes: A review and discussion

The Central Andes host some of the world’s largest porphyry copper deposits. The economic viability of these deposits is dependent on the size and quality of their supergene enrichment blanket. Published models that have strongly influenced exploration policy suggest that supergene enrichment ceased at 14 Ma due to an increase in aridity. Here we discuss these models using published geochronological, geomorphological and geological data. Geochronological data indicate that supergene oxidation and enrichment has been active between 17 and 27°S across the forearc of northern Chile and southern Peru from 44 to 6 Ma, and on the Bolivian Altiplano and Eastern Cordillera of Argentina from 11 Ma to present. There is evidence for cessation at 20, 14 and 6 Ma. However, a major problem is that as more geochronological data become available the age ranges and periods of enrichment increase. This suggests that the full spectrum of enrichment ages may not have been sampled. The relationship between supergene enrichment and the age of regional pediplain surface development is not well constrained. Only in two areas have surfaces related to enrichment been directly dated (southern Peru and south of 26°S in Chile) and suggest formation post 14 Ma. Sedimentological data indicate that a fluctuating arid/semi-arid climate prevailed across the Atacama Desert until between 4 and 3 Ma, climatic conditions that are thought to be favourable for supergene enrichment. The balance between uplift, erosion, burial and sufficient water supply to promote enrichment is complex. This suggests that a simple model for controlling supergene enrichment is unlikely to be widely applicable in northern Chile. General models that involve climatic desiccation at 14 Ma related to rainshadow development and/or the presence of an ancestral cold-upwelling Humboldt Current are not supported by the available geological evidence. The integration of disparate sedimentological, geomorphological and supergene age data will be required to fully understand the controls on and distribution of supergene oxidation and enrichment in the Central Andes.     

Influence of sedimentary environments on sulfur isotope ratios in clastic rocks: a review

Strata-bound sulfide deposits associated with clastic, marine sedimentary rocks, and not associated with volcanic rocks, display distributions of S³⁴ values gradational between two extreme types: 1. a flat distribution ranging from S³⁴ of seawater sulfate to values about 25 lower; and 2. a narrow distribution around value S³⁴ (sulfide)=S³⁴ (seawater sulfate) –50, and skewed to heavier values. S³⁴ (seawater sulfate) is estimated from contemporaneous evaporites. There is a systematic relation between the type of S³⁴ distribution and the type of depositional environment. Type 1 occurs in shallow marine or brackish-water environments; type 2 occurs characteristically in deep, euxinic basins. These distributions can be accounted for by a model involving bacterial reduction of seawater sulfate in systems which range from fully-closed batches of sulfate (type 1) to fully open systems in which fresh sulfate is introduced as reduction proceeds (type 2). The difference in the characteristic distributions requires that the magnitude of the sulfate-sulfide kinetic isotope effect on reduction be different in the two cases. This difference has already been suggested by the conflict between S³⁴ data for modern marine sediments and laboratory experiments. The difference in isotope effects can be accounted for by Rees' (1973) model of steady-state sulfate reduction: low nutrient supply and undisturbed, stationary bacterial populations in the open system settings tend to generate larger fractionations.

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Zusammenfassung Schichtgebundene Sulfid-Lagerstätten in Begleitung von klastischen, marinen Sedimentgesteinen ohne Beteiligung vulkanischer Gesteine zeigen kontinuierliche Verteilungen der S³⁴-Werte zwischen zwei Extremtypen: 1. Eine flache Verteilung im Bereich von S³⁴-Werten des Seewasser-Sulfats bis zu Werten, die etwa 25 niedriger liegen. 2. Eine eng begrenzte Verteilung um den S³⁴ (Sulfid)-Wert=S³⁴ (Seewasser-Sulfat) –50 und asymmetrischer Verteilungskurve mit stärkerer Besetzung bei den schwereren Werten. Das S³⁴ (Seewasser-Sulfat) wird von gleichaltrigen Evaporiten abgeleitet. Es besteht eine systematische Beziehung zwischen der Art der S³⁴-Verteilung und dem Milieu des Ablagerungsraumes. Typ 1 tritt im marinen Flachwasser oder in brackischer Umgebung auf. Typ 2 ist charakteristisch für tiefe euxinische Becken. Diese Verteilungen können erklärt werden mit Hilfe eines Modells mit bakterieller Reduktion von Meerwasser-Sulfat in Systemen, die von völlig abgeschlossenen Sulfat-Mengen (Typ 1) bis zu völlig offenen Systemen reichen, in die bei fortschreitender Reduktion frisches Sulfat zugeführt wird (Typ 2). Der Unterschied in den charakteristischen Verteilungen setzt voraus, daß die Stärke der kinetischen Sulfat-Sulfid-Isotopen-Wirkung auf die Reduktion in beiden Fällen verschieden ist. Dieser Unterschied wurde bereits wegen der Widersprüche zwischen den verschiedenen S³⁴-Werten heutiger mariner Sedimente und Laborexperimente vermutet. Der Unterschied in der Isotopen-Wirkung kann durch das Modell von Rees (1973) für kontinuierlich ablaufende Sulfat-Reduktion erklärt werden. Geringes Nahrungsangebot und ungestörte, gleichbleibende Bakterien-Populationen in offenen Systemen neigen zur Erzeugung stärkerer Fraktionierungen.