Mathematical modeling of oil hydrocarbon transformations in different parts of the White Sea

The available observational data on variations of oil hydrocarbon concentrations in White Sea tributaries and in individual parts of the sea are analyzed, and the contributions of different external sources to marine environment pollution are evaluated. The results of calculations are used to determine the possible total input of hydrocarbons from additional potential sources—internal natural (production by microorganisms) and external anthropogenic (navigation and sea shipping), which are most active in the summer and autumn. The hydroecological CNPSi-model is used to reproduce the processes of pollution of nine areas in the White Sea by oil hydrocarbons and their subsequent biodegradation in the marine environment. The annual dynamics of hydrocarbon concentrations was calculated using the long-term annual observations of monthly variations of the temperature, light intensity, and transparency of water, data on the morphometry of sea areas (the squares, mean depths, and water volumes) and water exchange between the chosen areas, calculated by a hydrodynamic model. For large bays (Dvina, Kandalaksha), the calculated concentrations of oil hydrocarbons are shown to be in agreement with the available estimates (the mean and maximal concentrations). The annual variations of oil hydrocarbon concentrations; the biomasses, oxidation activity and bioproduction characteristics of oil hydrocarbon-oxidizing bacteria are characterized. The calculated internal fluxes of oil hydrocarbons (the inputs from different sources, horizontal transport, and biotransformation) were used to calculate their annual balances for individual areas and the sea as a whole, showing the balanced character of their fluxes with the total balance discrepancies for individual areas varying within 0.3–4.1%.     

The role of biogenic hydrocarbons in the assessment of oil pollution of freshwater bodies

The results of studying the concentrations and component composition of hydrocarbons and associated oxidized hydrophobic compounds in water bodies with different degrees of oil product pollution are given. It is shown that the role of biogenic hydrocarbons in the assessment of oil pollution of freshwater bodies, especially those having high biological productivity, can be quite significant. Such assessment requires the examination of their genesis by using the proposed gas-chromatographic and luminescent criteria. The most informative object for observations in the identification of oil and biogenic hydrocarbons for the assessment of chronic oil pollution of freshwater bodies is bottom sediment.     

Natural and anthropogenic hydrocarbons in the Antarctic marine environment

The Antarctic marine environment contains a range of hydrocarbons at low concentrations, which are generally biogenic in origin. All major classes of hydrocarbons have been found in the Antarctic ecosystem. At present, anthropogenic input is very low and difficult to resolve from background levels. Pollution in the Antarctic is limited to only a few sources and although contamination can be locally chronic it is very restricted in extent. To date there have been few studies of hydrocarbon pollution and those available have been patchy in spatial coverage and generally lack time-series data. The low levels of natural hydrocarbons and restricted human activity make the Antarctic ecosystem suitable as an indicator of global hydrocarbon pollution.     

Sulfuric Compounds in the Surface Layer of Bottom Deposits in the Mouth Reach of the Northern Dvina River

The distribution of reduced sulfuric compounds in the surface layer of bottom deposits in the Northern Dvina mouth was examined. The natural biogeochemical processes and anthropogenic pollution are found to cause the formation and accumulation of reduced sulfuric compounds (mostly pyrite and organic forms) in bottom deposits. The concentration of individual forms of sulfur and its total concentration are found to vary widely from year to year. The most intense accumulation of the total reduced sulfur is recorded near the wastewater discharge sites of pulp and paper mills.     

Oil Products in Bottom Sediments of Freshwater Bodies

The specific features of freshwater bodies are shown to facilitate the accumulation of oil products in bottom deposits. The oil product components are found to be represented by hydrocarbons and tars. The latter component can account for more than 50% of their total. The extent of bottom deposits pollution by oil products is assessed for a number of freshwater bodies in Russia.     

Assessing the state of water masses of the Southern Baikal in the zone of influence of Baikal PPM by many-year microbiological characteristics

Results of many-year (1990–2009) microbiological studies of waters in different parts of Southern Baikal subject to different anthropogenic load are presented. Long-term observation series made it possible to establish tendencies in variations of the structure and functional activity of microbiocenoses as the result of natural evolution and anthropogenic impact. The obtained microbiological data characterizes water quality and the level of technogenic disturbances near Baikal Pulp-and-Paper Mill. Water quality assessment by sanitary-bacteriological characteristics suggests that the water area near the discharge site of effluents from Baikal PPM chronically experiences bacterial pollution. No significant changes in the technogenic stress on Southern Baikal ecosystem have taken place since the 1990s.     

The temporal variation of indoor pollutants in photocopying shop

The paper includes the identification of the main factors responsible for the temporal variations of indoor pollutants during three daily intervals in a photocopying shop. The measurements of concentration levels of total volatile organic compounds, ozone, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, ammonia, perchloroethylene and non-methane hydrocarbons were performed. The individual concentrations of target pollutants were subjected to principal component analysis (PCA) using a software XLSTAT 2014.1.10. Pearson correlation model indicated the relatively weak correlation between the investigated pollutants in a photocopying environment. PCA extracted three principal components (PCs) from the indoor air pollution data set. Obtained PCs explained 56.72 % of the total variance. The summarized biplots showed which pollutants are responsible for photocopying indoor pollution per sampling day/sampling point/time interval/number of measurement. The results pointed out that the main PCs were related to the usage of toners, electrostatic discharge, heating of photocopiers as well as general intensifying of photocopying processes.     

Seasonal and spatial variability of water quality parameters in the Port of Genoa, Italy, from 2000 to 2007

This paper presents the results of the statistical analysis of a set of physico-chemical and biological water quality parameters, monthly collected from 2000 to 2007 in the Genoa Harbour area (Ligurian Sea). We applied multivariate methods, such as principal component analysis (PCA) and dynamic factor analysis (DFA) for investigating the spatial and temporal variability and for providing important background information on pollution problems in the region. PCA evidenced the role of the sewage and river discharges and of the exchanges with the open sea in determining the harbour water quality. DFA was used to estimate underlying common trends in the time series. The DFA results partly show a general improvement of water quality over the 8-years period. However, in other areas, we found inter-annual variations but no significant multi-annual trend. Furthermore, we included meteorological variables in our statistical analyses because of their potential influence on the water quality parameters. These natural forcings explain part of the variability in water quality parameters that are superimposed on the dominating anthropogenic pollution factors.     

Water chemistry in Onega Lake and its tributaries

The results of studies of water chemistry carried out in the water body in 1965–2009 are presented. This period features a considerable industrial and agricultural rise in the lake drainage basin, followed by a decline since the 1990s, manifesting themselves in the dynamics of some hydrochemical characteristics of water bodies. The multipurpose use of Onega Lake is shown to cause its pollution and eutrophication. The results of studies are used to evaluate the major components of the external load onto the lake and trends in variations of chemical characteristics under the effect of natural and anthropogenic factors.     

北京市朝阳区大气降尘磁学特征及对空气污染物浓度的指示

应用环境磁学方法研究了2008年奥运会前后北京市朝阳区大气降尘及对照点表土样品的磁学特征.结果表明,所有样品中载磁矿物主要为低矫顽力的亚铁磁性矿物(主要为磁铁矿).但大气降尘样品的磁性颗粒粒度较表土偏粗;磁性矿物含量高于表土样品,大气降尘除来自于自然源外,更多为来自于人为因素的结果.大气降尘磁化率与空气污染物浓度随时间的变化曲线特征一致,说明大气降尘样品的磁学监测可以快速、准确地反映城市空气污染程度及其变化,同时揭示出北京市朝阳区大气降尘样品夏季主要来源于工业和交通,冬季主要受控于集中供暖期间煤燃烧排放的废气.快速的磁化率测量可以对空气污染指数有良好的指示作用.环境磁学参数随时间的变化特征显示,奥运期间各项污染物临时减排措施落实到位,对空气质量明显改善发挥了根本性作用.     

Studying seasonal dynamics of surface water pollution in Lower Volga Basin

The results of environmental monitoring of surface-water quality in the Lower Volga Basin are given. The results of regular observations are differentiated. Water pollution is assessed based on the criterion of seasonal occurrence of chemicals in water at gage sections classified by zonal principle. An integrated estimate demonstrates considerable variations within a year and an increase in the normal annual concentrations of some pollutants of both natural and anthropogenic origin.     

Benthic marine pollution around McMurdo Station, Antarctica: A summary of findings

McMurdo Station is the United States Antarctic Research Program's (USARP) centre for scientific and logistical support for most of the continent and is the largest settlement in Antarctica. Over 30 years of human presence with shipping, air-transport, scientific, and municipal activities have resulted in severe but localized nearshore marine benthic pollution. This review will summarize the results of 3 years of research which has documented concentrations of chemical contaminants, changes in community patterns, and the toxicity of sediments to invertebrate species and infaunal communities. The primary contaminants are petroleum hydrocarbons in the sediments of Winter Quarters Bay, the site of shipping activities and a former dumpsite. Total hydrocarbon levels in sediments in Winter Quarters Bay were comparable to the most polluted harbours in temperate latitudes. However, a steep gradient of pollution existed: stations less than 1 km away were nearly pristine. Benthic invertebrate communities changed dramatically along this contamination gradient. The results of both field and laboratory bioassay experiments with contaminated sediments found that biological changes observed in benthic communities around McMurdo Station were most likely caused by hydrocarbons, PCBs, and PCTs. A primary goal of polar pollution research is to determine the response and tolerance of Antarctic biota to physical and chemical anthropogenic disturbance, and the mitigation of negative effects. To this end, future work should include continued monitoring of changes in chemical and community patterns, studies of the physiological responses of Antarctic invertebrates to chemical contamination, and further comparisons of anthropogenic and natural disturbances to benthic communities.     

太湖表层沉积物重金属元素的来源分析

根据太湖MS岩芯重金属元素与Al的线性回归分析及元素/Al、V/Al比率散点图变化规律,讨论了太湖沉积物中重金属元素的来源特征。结果表明:20世纪20年代中期以前,重金属元素主要为自然来源;20年代中期—70年代中期,尽管沉积物中Al、Fe、Zn、Mn、V、Cr等重金属元素含量随沉积物粒度变粗而明显下降,但除Hg受到一定程度的人为污染之外,其它重金属元素仍以自然来源为主,物源有所变化;70年代末期以来,沉积物中重金属元素人为污染逐渐加重,Pb、Cu、Zn、Hg、As等元素既有流域母质来源,又受到一定程度的人为污染。     

Inputs and sources of hydrocarbons in sediments from Cienfuegos bay, Cuba

The spatial distribution of aliphatic and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) was investigated in sediments from the Cienfuegos bay. The highest anthropogenic hydrocarbon inputs were found near the city of Cienfuegos with an unresolved complex mixture (UCM) of aliphatic hydrocarbons and alkylated PAHs, indicative of petrogenic inputs. Parent PAHs, which are typical of high-temperature combustion processes, were evenly distributed in the whole basin and largely prevailing in the southern part of the Cienfuegos city. Biomarker fingerprints assign the sources of pollution to mixes of national and non-national crude oils. The overall levels of anthropogenic hydrocarbons are relatively high compared to relevant areas worldwide and reveal a moderate/high level of hydrocarbon pollution. The Cienfuegos bay sediments received over a period of 5 yr, 50 T/yr of petrogenic unresolved hydrocarbons (UCM) and 2 T/yr of PAHs, being deposited the 80% in the sediments of the north basin.     

Sequential analysis of hydrochemical data for watershed characterization

A methodology for characterizing the hydrogeology of watersheds using hydrochemical data that combine statistical, geochemical, and spatial techniques is presented. Surface water and ground water base flow and spring runoff samples (180 total) from a single watershed are first classified using hierarchical cluster analysis. The statistical clusters are analyzed for spatial coherence confirming that the clusters have a geological basis corresponding to topographic flowpaths and showing that the fractured rock aquifer behaves as an equivalent porous medium on the watershed scale. Then principal component analysis (PCA) is used to determine the sources of variation between parameters. PCA analysis shows that the variations within the dataset are related to variations in calcium, magnesium, SO4, and HCO3, which are derived from natural weathering reactions, and pH, NO3, and chlorine, which indicate anthropogenic impact. PHREEQC modeling is used to quantitatively describe the natural hydrochemical evolution for the watershed and aid in discrimination of samples that have an anthropogenic component. Finally, the seasonal changes in the water chemistry of individual sites were analyzed to better characterize the spatial variability of vertical hydraulic conductivity. The integrated result provides a method to characterize the hydrogeology of the watershed that fully utilizes traditional data.     

The distribution and transformation of oil hydrocarbons in Onega Lake bottom sediments

The distribution of oil hydrocarbons in bottom sediments of Onega Lake was examined. Their qualitative and quantitative composition was examined by methods of IR-spectroscopy and chromatography-mass spectrometry. The background concentrations of oil hydrocarbons in bottom sediments are evaluated and the polluted area is determined. The major regularities in oil hydrocarbon transformations under natural conditions and anthropogenic impact are identified. The quantitative development of the bacterial groups that take part in the transformation of complex organic substances and oil product derivatives in the case of emergency pollution of Petrozavodsk Bay water area by oil products is demonstrated.     

Distribution and sources of aliphatic hydrocarbons in surface sediments of Sergipe River estuarine system

The assessment of aliphatic hydrocarbons was performed in the Sergipe River estuarine system, northeastern Brazil. Aliphatic hydrocarbons concentration ranged from 9.9 ug g?1 up to 30.8 ug g?1 of dry sediment. The carbon preference index (CPI, based on nC?? to nC?? range), indicated predominance of petrogenic input in two of the sites analyzed (P4 and P5). The unresolved complex mixture (UCM) was found to be present in seven of the nine sites sampled (except for P4 and P5). Overall, the results of this work suggest that there is a mix of organic matter sources to the sediment. Although the coast of Sergipe has an intense off shore petroleum exploration and the Sergipe River crosses the entire city of Aracaju, the capital city of Sergipe, non-significant anthropogenic fingerprint was assessed.     

The choice of oil-pollution criteria for organogenic bottom sediments by chromatography-mass-spectrometry

The results of studying the hydrocarbon composition of organogenic bottom sediments of oil-polluted lakes and lakes of similar types remote from centers of anthropogenic activity are given. To correctly assess the oil pollution of organogenic materials one has to take into account the presence of native hydrocarbons in their composition and to choose the main criterion of oil pollution based on the presence of specific oil components not characteristic of aquatic ecosystems in their natural state. The most promising among such components are alkylbenzenes С₁₅–С₂₅, which slowly degrade under the conditions typical of northern aquatic ecosystems and can be retained for a long time by organogenic matrix.     

Anthropogenic transformations of the hydrological-ecological state of rivers in the Russian Arctic

The dynamics of time and space variations in the composition of the aquatic medium is estimated and correlated with the governing factors of anthropogenic impact. The role of anthropogenic component is shown to be determining in the formation of the hydrochemical regime in Russian Arctic rivers.     

Hydrocarbons in the modern sediments of the Caspian Sea

The presented results have been obtained in a study of the concentrations and composition of aliphatic and polycyclic hydrocarbons in bottom sediments of Volga delta branches and in its shallow zone (2009–2010), as well as the Caspian Sea proper (2010–2013). Oil hydrocarbon pollution has been found to manifest itself mostly in Volga delta branches, which, despite the low concentrations (up to 54.5 μg/g), showed higher hydrocarbons share in C_org (up to 33.8%), while the composition of alkanes suggested their oil genesis. The geochemical barrier the Volga–the Caspian Sea prevents anthropogenic hydrocarbons from entering the open parts of the Caspian. Bottom sediments in the shallow zone of the Northern Caspian, represented by coarse-grained material, are now polluted by oil hydrocarbons to a lesser extent compared with other areas. The highest concentrations of aliphatic hydrocarbons (up to 178 μg/g) were recorded in the deepsea bottom sediments of Derbent Depression and in depressions of the Middle and Southern Caspian. These areas show a higher concentration of C_org (up to 9.884%) and a low concentration of hydrocarbons in C_org (up to 0.16%), while odd high-molecular homologues (n-C₂₅–C₃₁) dominate in the composition of alkanes.