Mercury contamination in Southern New England coastal fisheries and dietary habits of recreational anglers and their families: Implications to human health and issuance of consumption advisories

Total mercury (Hg) was measured in coastal fishes from Southern New England (RI, USA), and Hg exposure was estimated for anglers and family members that consumed these resources. Fish Hg was positively related to total length (n = 2028 across 7 fish species), and interspecies differences were evident among legally harvestable fish. Many recreational anglers and their families experienced excessively high Hg exposure rates, which was attributed to the enriched Hg content of frequently consumed fishes. Specifically, 51.5% of participants in this study had Hg exposures exceeding the US EPA reference dose, including 50.0% of women of childbearing years. These results are noteworthy given that Hg neurotoxicity occurs in adults and children from direct and prenatal low-dose exposure. Moreover, this study underscores the need for geographic-specific research that accounts for small-scale spatial variations in fish Hg and dietary habits of at-risk human populations.     

Early contamination of European flounder (Platichthys flesus) by PCDD/Fs and dioxin-like PCBs in European waters

Contamination levels and profiles of 7 polychlorinated-p-dioxins, 10 polychlorinated furans (PCDD/Fs) and 12 dioxin-like polychlorinated biphenyls (dl-PCBs) were investigated in juvenile European flounder (Platichthys flesus) captured in different nursery areas in the northeastern Atlantic coast across its geographical distribution range. The toxic equivalent concentrations (WHO-TEQ_fish) were also determined in order to evaluate which P. flesus population was more exposed to dioxin-like toxicity. Juveniles caught in the Sørfjord (Norway) showed the lowest WHO-TEQ_fish concentration (0.052 pg WHO-TEQ_fish g⁻¹ wet weight) whereas the highest value was observed in fish from the Wadden Sea (The Netherlands; 0.291 pg WHO-TEQ_fish g⁻¹ ww), mainly due to the greater contribution of 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin, the most toxic congener. Nonetheless, when comparing the results with existent tissue residue-based toxicity benchmarks, no adverse effects resulting from PCDD/Fs and dl-PCBs are expected to occur in flounder from the studied systems.     

Fish mortality by impingement on the cooling-water intake screens of Britain's largest direct-cooled power station

An estimated 5.66 x 10(7) fish (summed quarterly 95% confidence intervals: 3.01 x 10(7)-1.07 x 10(8)) weighing 258.4 t (143.2-467.9 t) were killed on the cooling-water intake screens of the 2400 MW Longannet Power Station (Forth estuary) in January 1999--December 2000. Abundance and number of species (40) collected were close to predictions for a power station of this size and latitude. Potential losses of equivalent adult whiting (Merlangius merlangus), cod (Gadus morhua), and plaice (Pleuronectes platessa) through deaths of juveniles were estimated at 353.1 t (208.0-603.2 t) worth approximately euro 429,266 (euro 246,592-752,765) in 1999--2000. Fish catch-per-trawl in the estuary was generally not noticeably greater during a year of low water withdrawal (coal miners' strike of 1984--1985) when compared to other years from 1982 to 2001, except for gobies (Pomatoschistus spp.). A fish-return system is being tested at Longannet to reduce mortality.     

Monitoring the sea change: preliminary assessment of the conservation value of nearshore reefs, and existing impacts, in a high-growth, coastal region of subtropical eastern Australia

In northern NSW, Australia, coastal populations are forecast to increase dramatically over the next 25 years (the "sea change"). However, management of the effects of development on marine communities is hampered by the lack of data on key habitats. Consequently, we developed a protocol to assess the biodiversity and current human impacts on nearshore reefs, habitats that will be readily affected by coastal development. We assessed four reefs adjacent to each of three population centres targeting fish, mollusc and sessile benthic communities, and debris loads. Community structure was highly variable over all spatial scales indicating that reefs should not be considered equivalent within the planning framework. While, debris loads were relatively low on most reefs, those with highest conservation value also had the highest debris loads suggesting potential conflict between human use and long-term sustainability of reefal communities. Without intervention, this situation will be exacerbated in the future.     

Prediction of the consumption rates for juvenile Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar L.) on the scale of habitat patches: Development of empirical models based on stomach contents

Rivers and streams are unstable environments in which estimation of energetic costs and benefits of habitat utilization are the daunting exercise. Empirical models of food consumption may be used to estimate energetic benefits based on abiotic and biotic conditions in patches of habitat. We performed thirty daily surveys of fish stomach contents to estimate the consumption rates for juvenile Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) in a river. The data were used to assess whether variations of daily consumption rates existed within the river, and to develop empirical models that could predict fish consumption rates using abiotic and biotic conditions as independent variables. Daily consumption rates based on stomach content surveys in the field (range: 0.15–1.49 g dry/(100 g wet day)) varied significantly depending on habitat patch (500–1000 m²), summer period, and sampling year. Variables such as water temperature, numerical density of salmon, water depth and moon phase explained 83–93% of the variations in daily food consumption rates. Daily consumption rates tended to increase with water temperature and depth, and were also higher near a full moon. However, they tended to decrease with the numerical density of salmon. Our work suggests that empirical models based on independent variables that are relatively simple to estimate in the field may be developed to predict fish consumption rates in different habitat patches in a river.     

Impact of reservoirs and channelization on lowland river macroinvertebrates: A case study from Central Europe

In order to assess and compare the ecological impacts of channelization and shallow lowland reservoirs, macroinvertebrate communities of a lowland metapotamal river below reservoirs with epilimnial release were studied. The study was carried out in the Dyje River (Czech Republic) at five sites located from 1.5 to 22.5 km downstream of the reservoir outfall. The five sites differed in the degree of channel modification from natural muddy banks to riprap regulation. Seven samples were collected during the years 1998 and 1999 at each site using a semiquantitative method. The data were processed using multivariate analyses and methods for assessing the ecological and functional structure of communities. Altogether, 261 species of benthic macroinvertebrates were recorded including several rare and threatened taxa. Based on the results of principal component analysis (PCA), most of the variability within the species data (the first PCA axis) was explained by the degree of channel modification, from natural muddy banks with aquatic vegetation to a man-made riprap. The second axis was strongly correlated with current velocity. The sites differed in species richness, total abundances, proportion of individual functional feeding groups, pattern of the distribution of the current preference groups, and values of several biotic indexes, all of which also corresponded to the degree of channel modification. Thus, the morphological man-made modifications of the river channel were found to be the main factor affecting lowland river macroinvertebrates and their biodiversity. Our results suggest that the biggest threat to benthic macroinvertebrate diversity of lowland rivers comes from channelization. The impact of reservoirs can be completely overwhelmed by the impact of channelization, especially when muddy banks with aquatic vegetation present a substantial part of habitat diversity and significantly contribute to the total species pool.     

Effects of copper and the sea lice treatment Slice on nutrient release from marine sediments

Copper-based antifoulant paints and the sea lice treatment Slice^® are widely used, and often detectable in the sediments beneath farms where they are administered. Ten-day, whole sediment mesocosm experiments were conducted to examine how increasing sediment concentrations of copper or Slice^® influenced final water column concentrations of ammonium-nitrogen (NH₄-N), nitrate + nitrite-nitrogen (NO_X-N) and phosphate-phosphorus (PO₄-P) in the presence of the non-target, benthic organisms Corophium volutator and Hediste diversicolor. Nominal sediment concentrations of copper and Slice^® had significant effects on the resulting concentrations of almost all nutrients examined. The overall trends in nutrient concentrations at the end of the 10-day incubations were highly similar between the trials with either copper or Slice^®, irrespective of the invertebrate species present. This suggests that nutrient exchange from the experimental sediments was primarily influenced by the direct effect of copper/Slice^® dose on the sediment microbial community, rather than the indirect effect of reduced bioturbation/irrigation due to increased macrofaunal mortality.     

洞庭湖主要河口区表层沉积物与河蚬中砷的污染特征及风险评价

水体砷污染及其健康危害已成为一个备受关注的环境问题.本研究通过测定洞庭湖主要河口区表层沉积物砷含量、河蚬砷及砷形态（亚砷酸盐As（Ⅲ）、砷酸盐As（Ⅴ）、甲基砷酸MMA、二甲基砷酸DMA和砷甜菜碱AsB）含量,对表层沉积物砷的潜在生态风险和河蚬食用健康风险进行评价.结果表明,洞庭湖主要河口区表层沉积物砷含量在11.47~61.20 mg/kg之间,其水平分布规律表现为：南洞庭湖>东洞庭湖>西洞庭湖.河蚬砷含量范围为6.36~11.15 mg/kg,各砷形态含量排序为：AsB > As（Ⅴ） > DMA > As（Ⅲ） > MMA,各样地间不存在显著性差异.应用潜在生态风险指数法对表层沉积物中砷的潜在生态风险进行评价,各样地的潜在生态风险指数均值为23.09,潜在生态风险程度属于轻微级别.同时,利用致癌风险指数（CR）和危熵系数（HQ）评价经河蚬摄入无机砷给人体带来的潜在健康风险.洞庭湖主要河口区河蚬中无机砷的致癌风险CR_iAs值达到了1.36×10^-3~3.43×10^-3（平均值为2.24×10^-3）,均显著超过USEPA推荐的可接受风险水平上限值（1×10^-4）,其危熵系数HQ_iAs值达到3.01~7.61（平均值为4.98,约为标准值的5倍）,说明长期食用当地河蚬具有较高的致癌和非致癌健康风险.本研究结果对于了解洞庭湖沉积物和底栖动物的砷污染现状和风险水平具有重要意义,为该流域的砷污染控制及治理提供科学依据.     

PCB exposure in sea otters and harlequin ducks in relation to history of contamination by the Exxon Valdez oil spill

Exposure to contaminants other than petroleum hydrocarbons could confound interpretation of Exxon Valdez oil spill effects on biota at Prince William Sound, Alaska. Hence, we investigated polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in blood of sea otters and harlequin ducks sampled during 1998. PCB concentrations characterized by lower chlorinated congeners were highest in sea otters from the unoiled area, whereas concentrations were similar among harlequin ducks from the oiled and unoiled area. Blood enzymes often elevated by xenobiotics were not related to PCB concentrations in sea otters. Only sea otters from the unoiled area had estimated risk from PCBs, and PCB composition or concentrations did not correspond to reported lower measures of population performance in sea otters or harlequin ducks from the oiled area. PCBs probably did not influence limited sea otter or harlequin duck recovery in the oiled area a decade after the spill.     

Impact of road building on gully erosion risk: a case study from the Northern Ethiopian Highlands

Although obvious in the field, the impact of road building on hydrology and gullying in Ethiopia has rarely been analysed. This study investigates how road building in the Ethiopian Highlands affects the gully erosion risk. The road between Makalle and Adwa in the highlands of Tigray (northern Ethiopia), built in 1993–1994, caused gullying at most of the culverts and other road drains. While damage by runoff to the road itself remains limited, off‐site effects are very important. Since the building of the road, nine new gullies were created immediately downslope of the studied road segment (6·5 km long) and seven other gullies at a distance between 100 and 500 m more downslope. The road induces a concentration of surface runoff, a diversion of concentrated runoff to other catchments, and an increase in catchment size, which are the main causes for gully development after road building. Topographic thresholds for gully formation are determined in terms of slope gradient of the soil surface at the gully head and catchment area. The influence of road building on both the variation of these thresholds and the modification of the drainage pattern is analysed. The slope gradient of the soil surface at the gully heads which were induced by the road varies between 0·06 and 0·42 m m^?1 (average 0·15 m m^?1), whereas gully heads without influence of the road have slope gradients between 0·09 and 0·52 m m^?1 (average 0·25 m m^?1). Road building disturbed the equilibrium in the study area but the lowering of topographic threshold values for gullying is not statistically significant. Increased gully erosion after road building has caused the loss of fertile soil and crop yield, a decrease of land holding size, and the creation of obstacles for tillage operations. Hence roads should be designed in a way that keeps runoff interception, concentration and deviation minimal. Techniques must be used to spread concentrated runoff in space and time and to increase its infiltration instead of directing it straight onto unprotected slopes. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Study on consumption efficiency of soil water resources in the Yellow River Basin based on regional <Emphasis Type="Italic">ET</Emphasis> structure

Based on the regional water resources character, the concept of soil water resources is first redefined, and then associated with their transfer relationship in the hydrological cycle, Evapotranspiration (ET)-based consumption structure and consumption efficiency of soil water resources are analyzed. According to ET’s function in productivity, the consumption efficiency of soil water resources is divided into three classes: high efficient consumption from vegetation transpiration, low efficient consumption from soil evaporation among plants with high vegetation coverage and inefficient consumption from soil evaporation among plants with low vegetation coverage and bare soil evaporation. The high efficient and low efficient consumption were further classified as productive consumption. The inefficient consumption is considered non-productive consumption because it is significant in the whole hydrological cycle process. Finally, according to these categories, and employing a WEP-L distributed hydrological model, this paper analyzes the consumption efficiency of soil water resources in the Yellow River Basin. The results show that there are 2078.89×10⁸ m³ soil water resources in the whole basin. From the viewpoint of consumption structure, the soil water resources are comprised of 381.89×10⁸ m³ transpiration consumption from vegetation and 1697.09×10⁸ m³ evaporation consumption from soil among plants and bare soil. From the viewpoint of consumption efficiency, soil water resources are composed of 920.11×10⁸ m³ efficient consumption and 1158.86×10⁸ m³ of inefficient consumption. High efficient consumption accounts for 41.5 percent of the total efficient consumption of the whole basin, low efficient for 58.5 percent. Furthermore, consumption efficiency varies by region. Compared with ET from different land use conditions, the whole basin appears to follow the trend of having the greatest proportion of consumption as inefficient consumption, followed by low efficient consumption, and then the least proportion as high efficient consumption. The amount of inefficient consumption in some regions with vegetation is less than in other regions without vegetation. The amount of inefficient consumption in grasslands is much greater than in forestlands. However, the proportion of low efficient consumption is the greatest in crop fields. The amount of high efficient consumption in grasslands and forelands is similar to the corresponding low efficient consumption. However, the low efficient consumption in grasslands is larger than in the forelands. Therefore, when adjusting the utilization efficiency of soil water resources, vegetation coverage and plant structure should be modulated in terms of the principle of decreasing inefficient consumption, improving low efficiency ET and increasing high efficiency ET according to area character. Supported by the Project of the National 973 Program of China (Grant Nos. 2006CB403404 and G1999043602), the Project of the National Science Research for the 11th Five-Year Plan (Grant No. 2006BAB06B06), and the Innovation Team Project of the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No.50721006)     

Delineation of flooding risk hotspots based on digital elevation model,calculated and historical flooding extents: the case of Ouagadougou

Delineation of flood risk hotspots can be considered as one of the first steps in an integrated methodology for urban flood risk management and mitigation. This paper presents a step-by-step methodology in a GIS-based framework for identifying flooding risk hotspots for residential buildings. This is done by overlaying a map of potentially flood-prone areas [estimated through the topographic wetness index (TWI)], a map of residential areas [extracted from a city-wide assessment of urban morphology types (UMT)], and a geo-spatial census dataset. The novelty of this paper consists in the fact that the flood-prone areas (the TWI thresholds) are identified through a maximum likelihood method (MLE) based both on inundation profiles calculated for a specific return period (T_R), and on information about the extent of historical flooding in the area of interest. Furthermore, Bayesian parameter updating is employed in order to estimate the TWI threshold by employing the historical extent as prior information and the inundation map for calculating the likelihood function. For different statistics of the TWI threshold, the map of potentially flood-prone areas is overlaid with the map of residential urban morphology units in order to delineate the residential flooding risk urban hotspots. Overlaying the delineated urban hotspots with geo-spatial census datasets, the number of people affected by flooding is estimated. These kind of screening procedures are particularly useful for locations where there is a lack of detailed data or where it is difficult to perform accurate flood risk assessment. In fact, an application of the proposed procedure is demonstrated for the identification of urban flooding risk hotspots in the city of Ouagadougou, capital of Burkina Faso, a city for which the observed spatial extent of a major flood event in 2009 and a calculated inundation map for a return period of 300 years are both available.     

基于DEMETER卫星原位等离子体参量的 震前异常提取方法研究及震例分析

基于法国DEMETER卫星等离子体分析仪和Langmuir探针观测到的原位等离子体参量, 研究了参量随纬度变化、 空间插值、 空间差值、 滑动中值、 相关性分析等5种异常提取方法, 并将这些方法应用于2006年1月—2010年4月期间国内6.0级以上、 国外部分7.0级以上29次地震的震例分析中. 由于等离子体参量具有一定的相关性, 因此对于震中附近的轨道数据大于等于2个参量出现异常时, 本研究才将其视为震前异常. 通过研究发现, 29次地震中有15次出现电离层原位等离子体参量的震前异常, 异常时间大约为1—7天, 震中东西两个方向均可能出现异常, 但异常区域多偏向磁赤道.     

中东亚干旱区全新世气候变化的西风模式—以湖泊研究为例

综述了亚洲中部干旱区湖泊研究的古气候记录.发现湖泊记录的全新世有效湿度在大框架上具有一致性变化.据此,选择了其中年代可靠、代用指标湿度意义明确、时间分辨率较高的8个地点的记录,半定量地集成了中东亚干旱区全新世期间湿度的变化.结果表明,亚洲内陆干旱区全新世气候变化具有较清晰的阶段性变化,大约8cal kaBP以前的早全新世气候干旱,8-4cal kaBP的中全新世气候湿润,从距今5-6cal kaBP以来湿润程度逐步降低到晚全新世,但晚全新世比早全新世湿润.内陆干旱区的全新世湿度变化框架与最新获得的亚洲季风变化模式存在较大差异,因此推论出,北大西洋海洋表面的温度变化可能是中东亚干旱区湿度的主要影响因素.     

Estimation of the PM2.5 effective hygroscopic parameter and water content based on particle chemical composition: Methodology and case study

Particle hygroscopicity plays a key role in understanding the mechanisms of haze formation and particle optical properties. The present study developed a method for predicting the effective hygroscopic parameter k and the water content of PM_(2.5) on the basis of the k-K?hler theory and bulk chemical components of PM_(2.5). Our study demonstrated that the effective hygroscopic parameter can be estimated using the PM_(2.5) mass concentration, water-soluble ions, and total water-soluble carbon. By combining the estimated k and ambient relative humidity, the water content of PM_(2.5) can be further estimated. As an example, the k and water content of PM_(2.5) in Beijing were estimated utilizing the method proposed in this study. The annual average value of k of PM_(2.5) in Beijing was 0.25±0.09, the maximum k value 0.26±0.08 appeared in summer, and the seasonal variation is insignificant. The PM_(2.5) water content was determined by both the PM_(2.5) hygroscopicity and the ambient relative humidity(RH). The annual average mass ratio of water content and PM_(2.5) was 0.18±0.20, and the maximum value 0.31±0.25 appeared in summer. Based on the estimated water content of PM_(2.5) in Beijing, the relationship between the PM_(2.5) water content and RH was parameterized as: m(%)=0.03+(5.73×10~(-8)) ×RH~(3.72).This parametric formula helps to characterize the relationship between the PM_(2.5) mass concentration and atmospheric visibility.     

Site responses based on ambient vibrations and earthquake data: a case study from the meizoseismal area of the 2001 Bhuj earthquake

The 2001 Mw 7.6 earthquake sourced in the Kachchh rift of northwest India led to extensive damage in the city of Bhuj, located ~70 km southwest of its epicenter. The building stock of this densely populated city was a mix of modern, single, and multistoried structures as well as traditional and non-engineered abodes, most of which were not designed to withstand severe shaking effects. Although there was extensive liquefaction and ground failure in the meizoseismal area, they were not observed in Bhuj, but the damage was severe here. In this study, we apply horizontal to vertical spectral ratio method to ambient vibrations (HVSR-AV) to obtain fundamental resonance frequency (f0) and H/V peak amplitude (A0) to examine if site response had any significant role in the observed damage. The patterns of H/V curves as well as spatial distributions of f0 (0.6–1.4 Hz) and A0 (1.5–4.4) suggest absence of any strong impedance contrast within the subsurface. Similar results obtained for ambient vibrations and earthquake signals suggest the efficacy of the HVSR-AV method as most useful for regions of low-level seismicity. The weathered sandstone that is generally exposed in the city represents the resonating layer whose thickness is approximately estimated as ~66–155 m, based on 1D assumption. The current set of available data precludes any quantitative modeling, but our preliminary inference is that site effects were not significant during the 2001 earthquake damage observed in Bhuj.     

The impact of the spatial variability in bottom roughness on tidal dynamics and energetics, a case study: the M 2 surface tide in the North European Basin

A modified version of the 3D finite-element hydrostatic model QUODDY-4 is used to quantify the changes in the dynamics and energetics of the M ₂ surface tide in the North European Basin, induced by the spatial variability in bottom roughness. This version differs from the original one, as it introduces a module providing evaluation of the drag coefficient in the bottom boundary layer (BBL) and by accounting for the equilibrium tide. The drag coefficient is found from the resistance laws for an oscillatory rotating turbulent BBL over hydrodynamically rough and incompletely rough underlying surfaces, describing how the wave friction factor as well as other resistance characteristics depend on the dimensionless similarity parameters for the BBL. It is shown that the influence of the spatial variability in bottom roughness is responsible for some specific changes in the tidal amplitudes, phases, and the maximum tidal velocities. These changes are within the model noise, while the changes in the averaged (over a tidal cycle) horizontal wave transport and the averaged dissipation of barotropic tidal energy may be of the same orders of magnitude as are the above energetic characteristics as such. Thus, contrary to present views, ignoring the spatial variability in bottom roughness at least in the North European Basin is only partially correct: it is valid for the tidal dynamics, but is liable to break down for the tidal energetics.     

The impact of the spatial variability in bottom roughness on tidal dynamics and energetics,a case study: the M 2 surface tide in the North European Basin

A modified version of the 3D finite-element hydrostatic model QUODDY-4 is used to quantify the changes in the dynamics and energetics of the M ₂ surface tide in the North European Basin, induced by the spatial variability in bottom roughness. This version differs from the original one, as it introduces a module providing evaluation of the drag coefficient in the bottom boundary layer (BBL) and by accounting for the equilibrium tide. The drag coefficient is found from the resistance laws for an oscillatory rotating turbulent BBL over hydrodynamically rough and incompletely rough underlying surfaces, describing how the wave friction factor as well as other resistance characteristics depend on the dimensionless similarity parameters for the BBL. It is shown that the influence of the spatial variability in bottom roughness is responsible for some specific changes in the tidal amplitudes, phases, and the maximum tidal velocities. These changes are within the model noise, while the changes in the averaged (over a tidal cycle) horizontal wave transport and the averaged dissipation of barotropic tidal energy may be of the same orders of magnitude as are the above energetic characteristics as such. Thus, contrary to present views, ignoring the spatial variability in bottom roughness at least in the North European Basin is only partially correct: it is valid for the tidal dynamics, but is liable to break down for the tidal energetics.