Polychlorierte Dibenzo-p-dioxine, -furane (PCDD/F) und Analoga in Oberflächensedimenten und datierten aquatischen Sedimentkernen

Polychlorinated Dibenzo-p-dioxins, -furans (PCDD/F) and Analogues in Surface Sediments and Dated Aquatic Sediment Cores Aquatic sediments are the final sinks of unintentionally formed PCDD/Fs. Still not known are the conditions of formation of PCDD/Fs in the 8120 years old sediments in Japan and in 350 to 400 years old sediments in the Baltic. Sediments are means of source identification if transformation processes are taken into consideration in view of hydrological conditions. PCDD/Fs have been analysed 30 km from the source in sediments and over a distance of 50 km in benthos indicating a remarkable bioaccumulation potential. Elaborated data of the PCDD/F sediment contamination are missing as well as information on internal diagenetic processes, interactions at the sediment/water interface, and on the aerobic and anaerobic biodegradation and bioavailability of PCDD/Fs in sediments. Quality criteria for sediments and aquatic ecosystems remain to be elaborated.     

Organic matter characteristics in a Mediterranean stream through amino acid composition: changes driven by intermittency

Amino acid composition (quality) and abundance (quantity) of organic matter (OM) in an intermittent Mediterranean stream were followed during transitions from wet to dry and dry to wet conditions. Amino acids were analyzed in benthic material (epilithic biofilms, sand sediments, leaf material) as well as in the flowing water (dissolved organic matter, DOM). A principal component analysis and the estimation of the amino acid degradation index (DI) elucidated differences in amino acid composition and quality among the wet–drought–wet cycle. Amino acid content and composition were dependent on the source of OM as well as on its diagenetic state. The highest-quality OM (high DI and high N content) occurred on epilithic biofilms and the most degraded and lowest-quality OM occurred in sandy sediments. Differences between the pre- and post-drought periods were evident in DOM quality; autochthonous-derived material was predominant during the pre-drought (wet period preceding drying), while allochthonous inputs dominated during the post-drought period (wet period following drying). In contrast, benthic OM compartments were more stable, but benthic OM quality decreased continuously throughout the drought period. This study revealed that wet–drought–wet cycles resulted in subtle changes in benthic OM quality, and degradation of DOM was related to flow intermittency.     

Spatial and temporal variations in source,diagenesis, and fate of organic matter in sediments of the Netravati River,India

Organic matter (OM) such as organic nitrogen plays a substantial role in the global biogeochemical cycling of bio‐reactive components—amino acids (AA) in aquatic environments. Spatial and temporal variations in source, diagenesis, and fate of organic nitrogen such as AA in sediments of small tropical rivers and the role of oxbow/meandering loops under changing climatic conditions are poorly investigated. This study assessed the spatial and seasonal variations in OM composition, source, and diagenesis of a tropical small mountainous river—Netravati River, India, for 1 year. Water samples were determined for suspended particulate matter, and surface sediments were examined for bulk parameters, surface area (SA), and the L‐ and D‐enantiomers of AA. The L‐ and D‐enantiomers of AA displayed subtle seasonal variations in composition and depicted varying degrees of diagenesis. The concentration of D‐enantiomer of AA was high and showed substantial contributions from bacteria, terrestrial source, and in situ production. The D‐arginine was the most abundant D‐enantiomer of AA in the study area, possibly due to extracellular secretion by bacterial species and adsorption onto sediments, and thus, it was protected from degradation. Degradation index was more negative at the oxbow and meandering loop stations during the dry season suggesting that local geomorphologic settings steer the diagenesis of OM within the river. A negative relationship between gamma‐aminobutyric acid and organic carbon:surface area (OC:SA) ratio and a positive correlation between tyrosine and OC:SA ratio suggested accelerated loss of OM. Furthermore, the concentrations of most bulk parameters were higher in the lower reaches during monsoon and premonsoon seasons. Taken together, changes in seasons have an operational control in distinguishing the composition, source, and diagenesis of spatial OM distribution. Moreover, oxbows and river meandering loops influence the diagenetic processes in small tropical river systems.     

Airborne dust on the Arctic pack ice,its composition and fallout rate

Dust collected from snow samples on the Arctic pack ice approximately 500 km north of Alaska indicate lower fallout rates than previously reported for Arctic stations 1400 km to the east (3.3 and 14 μg/cm² yr, respectively). Either the lower frequency of southerly (off-shore) near surface winds at our sample sites off Alaska or the unknown influx of dust with upper level air masses could account for the difference in dust fallout. Irregardless, the airborne dust contribution to Arctic deep-sea sediments north of Alaska amounts to 1% or less. A consideration of the clay mineralogy and biogenous components of Arctic dust favors a global or distant source for most of the dust, especially the less than 2 μm fraction. No obvious industrial components were detected in the dust.     

长江中下游浅水湖泊沉积物腐殖质组分赋存特征

应用化学方法,对长江中下游浅水湖泊表层沉积物有机质含量、腐殖质组成及结合形态进行了研究.结果表明:①长江中下游浅水湖泊11个沉积物的有机质含量变化较大.在0.98%-11.0%之问波动.污染程度重的沉积物中有机质含量均较污染程度轻的高.其有机质的分布特征与沉积物污染程度和湖泊周边的人类活动有关.②腐殖质组成中,胡敏酸(...     

Biochemical Study of Brackish-Water Marine Ecosystems

The concentrations and the elemental and biochemical composition of dissolved and particulate organic matter (OM) characteristic of southern and Arctic seas are presented. The rate of OM transformation in the production–decomposition cycle and that of the phosphate cycle are estimated from the activity of the redox enzymes of the electron-transport system and that of phosphatase. Carbohydrates and protein are shown to be the main biochemical components in the water of all the seas under study in dissolved and particulate OM, respectively. The contribution of carbohydrates to particulate OM under the conditions of intense primary production is demonstrated to be comparable to that of protein. High concentrations of lipids are shown to be characteristic of the coastal ecosystems in the middle Caspian Sea and northwestern shelf of the Black Sea because of severe pollution in these areas. It is noted that at higher trophic levels, the ecosystem of the Caspian Sea intensely assimilates allochthonous OM, and that the Black Sea ecosystem transfers considerable amounts of OM to the hydrogen sulfide zone.     

Elemental and stable isotopic constraints on river influence and patterns of nitrogen cycling and biological productivity in Hudson Bay

Elemental (carbon and nitrogen) ratios and stable carbon and nitrogen isotope ratios (δ¹³C and δ¹⁵N) are examined in sediments and suspended particulate matter from Hudson Bay to study the influence of river inputs and autochthonous production on organic matter distribution. River-derived particulate organic matter (POM) is heterogeneous, nitrogen-poor and isotopically depleted, consistent with expectations for OM derived from terrestrial C3 vascular plant sources, and distinct from marine OM sources. Both δ¹³C and C/N source signatures seem to be transmitted to sediments with little or no modification, therefore making good tracers for terrigenous OM in Hudson Bay. They suggest progressively larger contributions from marine sources with distance from shore and secondarily from south to north, which broadly corresponds to the distribution of river inputs to Hudson Bay. Processes other than mixing of marine and terrigenous OM influence sedimentary δ¹⁵N values, including variability in the δ¹⁵N of phytoplankton in the Bay's surface waters due to differences in relative nitrate utilization, and post-production processes, which bring about an apparently constant ¹⁵N-enrichment between surface waters and underlying sediments. Variability in the δ¹⁵N of phytoplankton in the Bay's surface waters, in contrast, seems to be organized spatially with a pattern that suggests an inshore–offshore difference in surface water nitrogen conditions (open- vs. closed-system) and hence the δ¹⁵N value of phytoplankton. The δ¹⁵N patterns, supported by a simple nitrate box-model budget, suggest that in inshore regions of Hudson Bay, upwelling of deep, nutrient-rich waters replenishes surface nitrate, resulting in ‘open system’ conditions which tend to maintain nitrate δ¹⁵N at low and constant values, and these values are reflected in the sinking detritus. River inflow, which is constrained to inshore regions of Hudson Bay, appears to be a relatively minor source of nitrate compared to upwelling of deep waters. However, river inflow may contribute indirectly to enhanced inshore nutrient supply by supporting large-scale estuarine circulation and consequently entrainment and upwelling of deep water in this area. In contrast to previous proposals that Hudson Bay is oligotrophic because it receives too much fresh water (Dunbar, 1993), our results support most of the primary production being organized around the margin of the Bay, where river flow is constrained.     

基于脂质生物标志物评估河道型水库表层沉积物有机质来源

水电开发导致河岸生境破碎化程度加剧和水库沉积物截留问题日益突出,而目前关于河道型水库有机质(OM)溯源及分布特征的研究较少,进而造成OM在水库复杂环境介质中迁移机理尚不清楚。本研究将脂质生物标志物分析方法应用于大渡河瀑布沟水库表层沉积物,经过气相色谱-质谱法对沉积物OM脂质组分进行了分析,将其量化并分为自然、成岩、热源和污水标志物4种来源。结果表明:OM平均含量坝前(10.7%±4.8%)>坝后(7.3%±0.9%)>库中(6.7%±1.8%),说明水库对沉积物OM的截留有显著影响。可提取脂质组分主要来源于自然标志物(45.9%±13.9%),碳偏好指数、陆源/水生比和陆生与水生植物输入比显示OM主要来源于陆生高等植物,占自然定量分子的70.5%±9.1%。此外,坝前汉源城镇下游D6和D7点位人为标志物(44.6%±25.1%)分子明显比自然标志物(24.2%±3.7%)含量高,并进一步通过比例研究强调了污水标志物的贡献率较为突出(31.6%±12.8%),这与该地住宅区生活污水处理设施覆盖率较低相关,表明OM污染源组成变化与水库滞留效应的耦合作用有关。     

Cd, Cr, Cu, Ni and Pb in the water column and sediments of the Ob-Irtysh Rivers, Russia

Concentrations of Cd, Cr, Cu, Ni and Pb were determined in filtered water, suspended particulate matter, and bottom sediments from a 2000 km section of the Ob and Irtysh Rivers. Dissolved Cd, Cr, Cu and Ni concentrations are similar to, or higher than, results from other Russian Arctic and large world river-estuaries. Concentrations of Cd, Cr, Cu, Ni and Pb in suspended particulate matter are generally comparable to results from other Russian Arctic and large world rivers and estuaries. Comparison of trace metal ratios in crustal material and suspended particulate matter and bottom sediment suggests that the source of Cr, Cu and Ni is continental weathering. Particulate Cd and Pb are elevated relative to their crustal abundance, suggesting a source of these metals to the Ob-Irtysh in addition to continental weathering.     

湖泊沉积有机碳同位素与环境变化的研究进展

湖泊沉积有机质稳定碳同位素（δ^13Corg)在区域气候与环境变化方面的应用近年来发展迅速,成果令人瞩目,保存在各类湖泊岩芯中的δ^13Corg记录揭示了晚更新世以来大气CO2浓度的变化、湖泊水位波动、湖区生态与植被的变迁以及气温变化等重要环境信息,由于造成δ^13Corg值变化的影响因素较多,确定个湖与环境变化有关的主导因素时常有赖于其它证据的帮助,诸如地球化学、古湖沼学、孢粉学、分子同位素地层学等等,前人通过研究来自不同类型湖泊、具不同曲线形态特征的δ^13Corg记录,提出了多种环境解释模型,本文对此作了归纳和评述。鉴别和澄清湖泊沉积有机质的源物质以及有机物源随环境变化而发生过的变化,是研究δ^13Corg记录环境意义至关重要的基础性工作,由于有机质含量、碳氮比值、氢指数、生物残留物鉴别等常能提供有关有关湖泊有机质来源、产率、成岩作用等方面的有用信息,这方面的研究结果应该尽可能一并提供,以利于恰当地应用现有的环境解释模型,或者建立个湖新模型,单体生物标志化合物鉴别通常也能为区分湖积有机质中陆生、水生、细菌生等不同碳的来源提供有用信息,特定化合物同位素分析技术近年来成功地应用于建立单体生物标志化合物碳同位素地层学,为湖积有机碳同位素在生态环境演变研究方面的应用提供了思路,我国许多湖泊的湖底沉积岩芯尚未钻取,那些对过去全球变化研究有价值的δ^13Corg记录有待我们去获取和研究。     

Accumulation of Polychlorinated Biphenyls in the Sheksninskii Pool of the Rybinsk Reservoir

Specific features of polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) distributions in bottom sediments, benthos, and fish of the Sheksninskii Pool of the Rybinsk Reservoir are discussed. It is shown that 95% of the total PCB is accumulated in bottom sediments. Mapping of PCB-polluted bottom sediments with allowance for the sediment type and bed relief is proposed. The obtained data along with coefficients of accumulation in the bottom sediments–benthos–fish chain were used to evaluate the maximum concentration of PCB in bottom sediments at which the environmental risk of fish metabolism disturbance will be minimum. It is shown that once the PCB discharge into the water body is completely eliminated, their presence in the system will still be an ecological hazard for 25–30 years.     

Relocation of the Yellow River as revealed by sedimentary isotopic and elemental signals in the East China Sea

The Yellow River (YR) supplies a large amount of nutrients and fresh water to the northern Chinese marginal seas, and greatly influences the ecosystem and current patterns. The relocation of the YR outlet from the southern Yellow Sea (YS) to the Bohai Sea in 1855 was demonstrated using northern East China Sea (ECS) sediment characteristics. Both isotopic (δ¹³C, δ¹⁵N) signals and C/N ratios in the organic matter (OM) indicate that prior to 1750, the predominant source of OM to the sediments was terrestrial. The terrestrial influences continuously weakened until 1855, when the YR estuary moved; after 1855, the OM was characterized by oceanic sources. Major elements (Al, Ti, Fe, Mn) and trace elements (Ni, Cr, Cu, Pb) had a much closer association with Malan loess prior to 1855, as >90% of the YR sediment was loess-derived. These results reveal that the relocation of the YR induced significant changes in the current patterns of the northern China Seas in the last 250 years; however, more studies are needed to further examine these linkages.     

The molecular and isotopic effects of hydrothermal alteration of organic matter in the Paleoproterozoic McArthur River Pb/Zn/Ag ore deposit

The molecular distribution and compound specific stable carbon and hydrogen isotope ratios were measured on solvent extractable hydrocarbons from the Late Paleoproterozoic McArthur River, or “Here's Your Chance” (HYC) Pb/Zn/Ag ore deposit in the Northern Territory of Australia. Five samples were collected from the McArthur River mine on a northeast–southwest transect in order to sample a gradient of hydrothermal alteration. One sample was taken from the unmineralized W-Fold Shale unit immediately below the HYC ore deposit. δD of n-alkanes, branched alkanes and bulk aromatic fractions were measured, and δ¹³C of n-alkanes, polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and bulk kerogen were measured to assess the isotopic effects of a varying degree of hydrothermal alteration on different components of HYC organic matter (OM). Relative to n-alkanes in Barney Creek Formation sediments that did not undergo mineralization, HYC n-alkanes are enriched in deuterium (D) by 50–60‰. This is likely to be a result of equilibrium hydrogen exchange during ore genesis with a highly D-enriched fluid that originated in an evaporitic basin. Trends with distance along the sample transect are ambiguous, but from the northernmost to southernmost point, n-alkanes are less D-enriched, and PAHs are less abundant and less ¹³C-enriched. This could be due to decreasing hydrothermal alteration effects, decreasing delivery of highly altered OM by the mineralizing fluid, or both. The carbon isotopic composition of HYC PAHs is inconsistent with a Barney Creek Fm source, but consistent with an origin in the underlying Wollogorang Formation. PAHs are ¹³C-depleted relative to n-alkanes, reflecting a kerogen source that was ¹³C-depleted compared to n-alkanes, typical for Precambrian sediments. PAHs are more ¹³C-depleted with increasing molecular weight and aromaticity, strengthening the case for a negative isotopic effect associated with aromatization in ancient sediments. Together, these data are consistent with a an ore deposition model in which fluids originated in an evaporitic deposit lower in the basin and interacted with metals and OM in the Tawallah Group at temperatures above 250 °C and a depth of ~ 6 km before ascending along a flower structure associated with the Emu Fault and cooling to 200 ± 20 °C before reaching Barney Creek sediments.     

A century of variations in some zooplankton and zoobenthos organisms in Lake Comabbio (Northern Italy) ‘read’ from their remains in the lake sediment

To follow the variations of zooplankton and benthos during the last 100 years in Lake Comabbio (Northern Italy), the remains present in a sediment core were examined.Alona andChydorus decreased in recent years for the submerged macrophytes extinction.Bosmina was more abundant in recent sediments than in older sediments. In the past, benthonic population density was low as well as at present.     

武汉东湖沉积物中酸挥发性硫化物(AVS)的深度分布及其影响因素

提要沉积物中酸挥发性硫化物(AVS)是硫化物的生成、氧化和扩散等综合作用的反映,有机物的供给、硫酸盐的还原等因素都能影响其分布特征。本文对武汉东湖三个污染程度不同站点的AVS深度分布特征进行了研究,结果表明,AVS含量在一定深度沉积物中具有最大值,东湖沉积物中AVS的深度分布具有两种不同的模式,Ⅰ站和Ⅱ站AVS浓度峰在5cm左右的表层沉积物中,且AVS还原层深度较狭窄,而Ⅲ站AVS浓度峰处于10-20cm深度范围,沉积物中有机质负荷的差异是导致这种分布特征的重要原因。沉积物中有机质含量对AVS的深度分布具有重要影响,高有机质负荷导致AVS浓度峰向表层迁移,且AVS还原层分布于较狭窄的深度范围,对方涛等对流-扩散模型的应用表明,该模型在高有机质负荷沉积物中(Ⅰ、Ⅱ站)AVS深度分布的应用较为理想,然而低有机质负荷沉积物中(Ⅲ站)不能准确反映AVS的深度分布特征,说明其应用范围具有一定的局限性。     

10Be in Arctic Ocean sediments

The¹⁰Be deposition rate in two Arctic Ocean cores, ～80°N, was measured to be ≤0.6 atoms cm^?2 sec^?1, much less than the¹⁰Be deposition rate reported for other oceanic regions. Possible causes for the low¹⁰Be deposition in the Arctic are: (1) latitudinal variation in the¹⁰Be delivery rate from the stratosphere; (2) the presence of an ice cover on the Arctic, which may inhibit the transfer of atmospherically supplied¹⁰Be from sea surface to sediments; and (3) locally low scavenging efficiency of sedimentary particles for¹⁰Be in the Arctic.     

Effect of deposit feeders on migration of137Cs in lake sediments

Illite clay particles with adsorbed¹³⁷Cs were added as a submillimeter layer to the surface of silt-clay sediments contained in rectangular Plexiglas cells stored in a temperature-regulated aquarium, in order to trace the effect of the oligochaete, Tubifex tubifex, and the amphipod, Pontoporeia hoyi, on mass redistribution near the sediment-water interface. A well-collimated NaI gamma detector scanned each sediment column (～10 cm deep) at daily or weekly intervals for six months, depicting the time evolution of radioactivity with and without added benthos. In a cell with tubificids (～5 × 10⁴ m^?2), which feed below 3 cm and defecate on surface sediments, the labeled layer was buried at a rate of 0.052 ± 0.007 cm/day (20°C). When labeled particles entered the feeding zone,¹³⁷Cs reappeared in surface sediments creating a bimodal activity profile. In time, the activity tended toward a uniform distribution over the upper 6 cm, decreasing exponentially below to undetectable levels by 9 cm. In a cell with amphipods (～1.6 × 10⁴ m^?2) uniform activity developed rapidly (～17 days) down to a well-defined depth (1.5 cm). The mixing of sediments by Pontoporeia is described by a simple quantitative model of eddy diffusive mixing of sediment solids. The value of the diffusion coefficient, 4.4 cm²/yr (7°C) was computed from a least squares fit of theoretical to observed profile broadening over time. In a cell without benthos, small but measurable migration of¹³⁷Cs indicated an effective molecular diffusion coefficient of 0.02 cm²/yr.     

Oxygen regime of rivers in Volga,Ob, and Lena basins

A close negative correlation was found to exist between oxygen concentration in winter and the latitude in rivers in the basins of the Ob and Volga. This can be explained by an increase in the duration of the freeze-up period (during which oxygen is consumed for oxidation of organic matter (OM) in water and bottom sediments) in the direction from the south to the north, while the input from oxygen from the atmosphere and photosynthesis is practically zero. No inverse relationship was found to exist between dissolved oxygen and the latitude, because in rivers of mountain and semimountain types, typical of this basin, organic matter (OM) does not accumulate in bottom sediments and the conditions of atmospheric circulation are better than in lowland rivers. The magnitude of seasonal variations in oxygen in lowland rivers is greater than in mountain ones because of an abrupt drop in oxygen concentration in slowly flowing rivers in winter and the saturation of their water by oxygen from photosynthesis in summer.     

Scavenging of thorium isotopes in the Arctic regions: implications for the fate of particle-reactive pollutants

The sources of inorganic pollutants to the Arctic areas are reviewed using previously published results. The removal of particle-reactive pollutants is discussed using thorium scavenging as an analog. The scavenging of 234Th from the upper water column (approximately 100 m) and sediment inventory of 230Th from the deep Arctic waters is compared to different ocean basins in the subarctic areas. Such a comparison shows that 234Th is in equilibrium with its parent, 238U, in certain regions of the Canada Basin of the Arctic Ocean, while it is deficient in other regions of the arctic as well as in sub-polar ocean basins. This implies that the particle-reactive pollutants in the deep Arctic of the Canada Basin are less likely to be removed from the deep waters and will eventually be transported out of this area. We have utilized the 230Th inventory in sediments from the Arctic area to determine the removal rates of particle-reactive nuclides. The 230Th inventory in the deep Arctic Ocean of the Canada Basin is much lower than the Norwegian Sea and the Fram Strait of the Arctic as well as all other sub-polar world oceans. These observations suggest that any pollutants into the deep Arctic areas of the Canada Basin are less likely to be removed locally and may be transported out of this area. In those areas, the colloidal material could potentially play a major role in the removal of particle-reactive contaminants.