Fluorine in drinking water and urine in the urban and rural areas of northwestern China——Its determination by a fluoride ion selective electrode

In this study, the author determined fluorine in drinking water and urine of residents who are divided into four age groups (5, 12, 35-44, 65-74 aged), living in Huangling City, Shaanxi Province and at 6 villages of Qin'an County, Gansu Province, P.R.China. Some residents are living in fluorine exposure areas. A total of 929 residents (463 females and 466 males) involved in the study were selected from 7 tap water systems. Drinking water samples were collected from each area and analyzed using the fluoride ...     

Comparison of organic pollutants in urban deposits of Guangzhou and Hong Kong metropolitan areas

With the rapid development of industrialization and urbanization in the Pearl River Delta region, organic as well as inorganic pollution is becoming a major environmental concern. Urban deposits including road dusts, corresponding gully sediments and topsoils proved to be useful tools for assessing the level and distribution of contaminants in metropolitan areas. Most of the previous studies utilizing urban deposits, however, focused on inorganic pollutants, while data on organic pollutants are rare. In this study, therefore, the organic pollutants in urban deposits of Hong Kong and Guangzhou were systematically investigated in terms of their abundance, composition and distribution. The road dusts, gully sediments and vehicular tunnel dusts as well as soils from different urban locations with variable traffic volumes （less than 1000 to more than 75000 AADT） were examined. The results indicated that vehicle-emitted particles were the major source of organic pollutants, while the contributions from background soils were very limited. Surprisingly, the soil in a remote island of Hong Kong with no vehicular traffic has also shown signs of pollution from vehicular particles likely through dry-wet atmospheric deposits. In general, the characteristics of organic pollutants in urban dusts from both cities are comparable although there were also some significant differences. For example, the amount of extractable organic matter in urban deposits of Hong Kong was significantly higher than that of Guangzhou. Differences in their extractable asphaltene contents not only reflected the differences in quality and types and fuels used in these cities, but also sample residence times, and thus different extents of weathering processes.     

Research on surface water environment planning of urban forest conservation in Jiufeng of Wuhan

Conservation of Urban Forest Site in Jiufeng is constructed as an ecotourism function urban forest conservation combining mountain and vegetation resource around. According to fieldwork, the conservation is located in the outskirts of the city where non-point pollution is dominant. In order to master the source intensity and its distribution, data from Quickbird remote sensing in 2004 and field collection are adopted to establish the environment database including data layers of districts, land use, map, soil map, DEM, water and road systems, soil property and economy. Traditional quantitative analysis of non-point pollution intensity has encountered with the following difficulties： （1） Large area of vegetation landscape reconstruction will create tremendous ecological benefits, but calculation of pollution decrease brought by reconstruction is difficult to achieve. （2） In conservation reconstruction will be implemented in the residential are step by step, i.e., of moving, repairing and centralization, which is a complex project with wide time span, leading to inaccurate prediction. （3） Construction of the conservation will speed up the development of local tourism, thus if a single society index is chosen to predict the pollution intensity, the development trend of the region could not be figured out completely. Consequently acreage of different planning land use is counted and models of urban and rural areas respectively help to compute unit pollution load. In the urban area, the pollution load of the same land use is regarded as the function of population density, clean frequency and precipitation, while in the rural area, SCS model, universal soil loss equation （USLE） and pollution transfer model are applied to compute unit pollution load of TN and TP. The results of total pollution load are TN 179.706 kg/a and TP 33.814 kg/a. For impracticability of routine planning measures, the project applies measures of distribution controlling against water erosion and soil loss and concentrated-dispersive controlling to lighten non-point pollution brought by living sewage.     

Acid rain in China—Input-output budgets of major ions in four forested catchments

Acid rain is one of China’s major environmental problems and emissions of sulphur and nitrogen are still increasing. The acid rain situation in China is somewhat different from what is seen in Europe and North America. Sulfur deposition is very high, but…     

Is area affected by flood or stagnant water independently associated with poorer health outcomes in urban slums of Dhaka and adjacent rural areas?

This study investigated the association of flood/stagnant water (FSW) with various health outcomes among respondents living in urban slums of Dhaka and adjacent rural areas. We also assessed the differences of individual-, household- and area-level characteristics between the FSW-affected and non-affected areas. Bangladesh as a whole and slums in the megacity of Dhaka in particular are severely affected by the FSW. Data were collected from 3,207 subjects (aged 10+ years) through baseline surveys conducted in March 2008 and 2009. Twelve big slums in Dhaka and three adjacent villages were selected as study areas. Face-to-face interviews using a multidimensional pre-tested questionnaire were conducted by the trained university graduates. We performed various types of analyses ranging from the simple frequency analysis to the multivariable-adjusted logistic regression modelling. Our empirical findings suggest that slums were more affected by the FSW as compared to the rural areas. People living in the FSW-affected areas were more vulnerable in terms of individual-, household- and area-level characteristics than non-affected people. Age was also significantly associated with various health outcomes. According to multivariable analyses controlled for various factors, the FSW-affected people reported significantly higher likelihoods of health symptoms (namely fever, cold/cough, weakness), communicable diseases (namely diarrhoea and gastric disease) and poor mental well-being as compared to the non-affected people. Only the burden of non-communicable diseases was lower in the FSW-affected areas than the non-affected areas. Our findings lead us to conclude that the FSW-affected area is an independent risk factor for various physical and mental health problems. Urban slums are more affected than rural areas by the FSW. Therefore, we underscore the necessities of well-designed and comprehensive public health interventions focusing on individual, community and higher levels of interventions to reduce the FSW-related health and other consequences among the people living in the FSW-affected areas and urban slums in the rapidly growing city of Dhaka, Bangladesh.     

Distribution and speciation of mercury in surface water in Wanshan Hg-mined areas, Guizhou Province, China

Mercury as a toxic element poses environmental concerns, especially in historically Hg-mined districts. The Wanshan Hg mine located in the eastern part of Guizhou Province, southwestern China, ranks the largest Hg-producing district in China. Mining at Wanshan was initiated in 221 B.C., but ceased in 2001. Approximately 22000 tons of Hg, 6000 tons of cinnabar and large quantities of mine-wastes had been produced at Wanshan. Significant quantities of calcines, which were piled irregularly near the old mine processing sites and retorts, continue to impact the local environments in the Wanshan area. In this study, a regional contamination of mercury in surface waters collected from the Meizixi, Dashuixi, Huandao and Gaolouping rivers, whose upstreams or branches originate from the hilly karstic area and receive drainage arising from the calcines, was investigated by determining all Hg species in a base-flow and a flood-flow season. Reactive, dissolved, particulate, and total Hg concentrations in surface water varied from 0.60 to 400 ng/L, 11 to 430 ng/L, 1.4 to 9210 ng/L, and 15 to 9260 ng/L, respectively. Total methylmercury in water samples ranges from 0.31 to 25 ng/L. The concentrations of total Hg and particulate Hg in water samples collected during the flood season are higher than those in the base-flow season, whereas, the concentrations of dissolved and reactive Hg are lower with the peak values observed in water samples collected in the base-flow season. A strong positive correlation between total Hg and particulate Hg is noticed in the water samples collected from Hg-mined areas with the proportion higher than 80%.     

Optimization of area–volume–elevation curve using GIS–SRTM method for rainwater harvesting in arid areas

The major limitation in planning water harvesting is the lack of knowledge in the estimation of surface area and storage volume at any depth of dam reservoir. The area–volume–elevation (AVE) curve of a reservoir plays a key role in estimating the most suitable depth, optimum surface area and highest capacity of reservoir storage. The existing methods to estimate the AVE curve are costly and time-consuming and require laborious work. This study attempts to develop a method to optimize the AVE curve for earth dams, using the digital elevation model generated by the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM) data, and integrate it with the geographic information system (GIS), known as the GIS–SRTM. The proposed method was tested using field data in the Western Desert of Iraq, which is an arid environment. Three constructed small earth dams were selected for this study. The AVE curves were extracted for Horan 2 (H2), Al-gara 2 (G2) and Al-gara 4 (G4) earth dams. Comprehensive analyses have been carried out to evaluate the performance of the AVE curves using the proposed GIS–SRTM method and the field data. From the comparison, the proposed GIS–SRTM method was able to produce reliable AVE curves with a relative error less than 20%. Additionally, the proposed method was less time-consuming and the AVE curves can be visualized immediately. The proposed GIS–SRTM method is relatively supportive in analyzing spatial data to select the optimal site for rainwater harvesting and prevent excessive evaporation losses.     

Groundwater recharge and evolution of water quality in China’s Jilantai Basin based on hydrogeochemical and isotopic evidence

We investigated major ions, stable isotopes, and radiocarbon dates in a Quaternary aquifer in semi-arid northwestern China to gain insights into groundwater recharge and evolution. Most deep and shallow groundwater in the Helan Mountains was fresh, with total dissolved solids <1,000 mg L^?1 and Cl^? <250 mg L^?1. The relationships of major ions with Cl^? suggest strong dissolution of evaporites. However, dissolution of carbonates, albite weathering, and ion exchange are also the major groundwater process in Jilantai basin. The shallow desert groundwater is enriched in δ¹⁸O and intercepts the local meteoric water line at δ¹⁸O = ?13.4 ‰, indicating that direct infiltration is a minor recharge source. The isotope compositions in intermediate confined aquifers resemble those of shallow unconfined groundwater, revealing that upward recharge from intermediate formations is a major source of shallow groundwater in the plains and desert. The estimated residence time of 10.0 kyr at one desert site, indicating that some replenishment of desert aquifers occurred in the late Pleistocene and early Holocene with a wetter and colder climate than at present.     

Groundwater for urban water supplies in northern China – An overview

 Groundwater plays an important role for urban and industrial water supply in northern China. More than 1000 groundwater wellfields have been explored and installed. Groundwater provides about half the total quantity of the urban water supply. Complete regulations and methods for the exploration of groundwater have been established in the P.R. China. Substantial over-exploitation of groundwater has created environmental problems in some cities. Some safeguarding measures for groundwater-resource protection have been undertaken. Received, August 1997 · Revised, February 1998 · Accepted, April 1998     

Bioavailability of heavy metals in urban particles

Urban particles, as one of the toxic air pollutants, are important issues concerning air quality and public health, especially in large cities like Guangzhou （China）. Toxicological studies implicated heavy metals （particularly water-soluble metals） as a health hazard of particles. Once absorbed into human lung tissues, heavy metals are likely released from the particles and do harm to human body even in low concentrations. Thus, evaluating the bioavailability of heavy metals in urban particles is quite necessary. The particle samples used in this study were collected from a building roof in Guangzhou. Three different methods, sequential extraction procedure and two leaching tests, were employed to investigate the bioavailability of heavy metals in the particles. The sequential extraction scheme is specific for analyzing the chemical speciation of metals in particles, which consists of four fractions： F1： soluble and exchangeable metals; F2： carbonates, oxides and reducible metals; F3： bound to organic matter, oxidisable and sulphidic metals; and F4： residual metals. Leaching tests, GB 5086.2-1997 and TCLP, are standard methods developed by China-EPA and US-EPA and widely used in evaluating the toxicity of solid wastes. They were applied to gain additional information about more easily mobilized form of metal. Heavy metals in extraction solution, including Cu, Zn, Pb, Cd, Cr, and Ni, were analyzed by ICP-MS. According to the data from the total concentration analysis, the relative contents of 6 heavy metals in particles follow the order of Pb〉Zn〉Cu〉Cr〉Ni〉Cd. The results of sequential extraction showed that more than 50% of Cu, Zn and Cd were distributed in the F1, F2, and F3. This indicated that the bioavailability of Cu, Zn and Cd in the particles is much higher than that of Pb, Cr, and Ni. Leaching tests revealed that the concentrations of heavy metals in leachate are relatively lower than the regulatory level. The results of TCLP are much higher than those of GB 5086.2-1997, mainly due to the low pH value of the extraction fluid.     

Urban development in East Germany — specific features of urban transformation processes

The aim of this paper is to analyse the main characteristics of post-socialist urban development in East Germany, especially the differences compared to urban development in other East and Central European countries. In spite of the many similar problems and processes in urban development, specific features of East Germany are characterised by the rapid growth of suburbia, especially in the first phase of transition, by the proceeding activities of urban renewal and revitalisation, and by a lower level of social polarisation and socio-spatial segregation as compared to other post-socialist countries. Important conditions for urban development in East Germany exist in special support programmes, high subsidies and other financial transfers as well as in engaged planning conceptions of the local authorities. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Acid rain in China-Input-output budgets of major ions in four forested catchments

Acid rain is one of China＇s major environmental problems and emissions of sulphur and nitrogen are still increasing. The acid rain situation in China is somewhat different from what is seen in Europe and North America. Sulfur deposition is very high, but there is also very high deposition of calcium and other base cations. The sources of atmospheric Ca are not well understood, although it is important for understanding long term impacts of acid deposition. The fate of S, N and Ca^2＋ in the catchment is crucial for the future development of the acidification situation of soils and waters in China. Very few studies presenting catchment input-output ion budgets in Chinese natural environments exist and there are several unknown factors regarding processes. Here, we present annual input-output budgets for three years （2001-2003） for major ions for four forested catchments in China receiving different loads of acid deposition. For the two sites receiving the highest SO4^2- inputs, the input-output budget for the upper 50 cm of soil is approximately balanced. For the most remote site the soil is a net sink for SO4^2-, suggesting that the pool of adsorbed SO4^2- in the soil is building up. This is in agreement with the fact that the site so far has received only moderate SO4^2- inputs. For the southemmost, the subtropical site there is a loss of SO4^2- in the soil, which at least partly may be related to high uptake from the dense and highly productive forest at the site. The Ca^2＋ budgets for the upper 50 cm of soil show large variations both within and between sites. For most locations there is production of Ca^2＋ in the soil that can be explained by weathering, and variation between years related to hydrology that can be explained by ion exchange. However, at some plots at the site receiving very high inputs of both SO4^2- and Ca^2＋, there is an unknown sink of Ca^2＋ in the soil at some plots.     

The assessment of health impact caused by energy use in urban areas of China: an intake fraction–based analysis

The Indian Ocean Tsunami of December 2004 caused inundation of seawater along the Northern coast of Tamil Nadu, India, resulting in loss of 8,000 people with extensive damage to properties. The paper describes the inundation of seawater in two northern districts, namely Kancheepuram and Villupuram districts, which showed distinct patterns of inundation of seawater and run-up levels due to variations in geomorphic features. TUNAMI N2 model was used to predict the seawater inundation for earthquakes occurred in 1881 at Car Nicobar, Sumatra 2004 and a worst-case scenario. The coastal areas with beaches having gentle slope showed more inundation compared with coastal areas having varied slope and habited by sand dunes and coastal vegetation. Appreciable inundation of seawater with tsunami simulated for 1881 Car Nicobar indicated that proximity to the source plays a major role besides earthquake parameters in causing inundation. The worst-case scenario generated from subduction zone of Car Nicobar using Sumatra 2004 earthquake parameters revealed extreme vulnerability of coasts of both the districts to giant tsunamis.     

Ground ice recharge via brine transport in frozen soils of Victoria Valley, Antarctica: Insights from modeling δO and δD profiles

Soils in the McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica contain ice and considerable amounts of salt. Ice often occurs at shallow depth throughout the Dry Valleys and other areas of hyperarid permafrost, notably on Mars. This common occurrence of shallow ice is enigmatic; however, since according to published sublimation models it should disappear relatively quickly (at rates of order 0.1 mm a⁻¹) due to vapor loss to the atmosphere. This loss may be offset by recharge from snowmelt infiltrating and freezing in the soil. Herein, we present a first quantitative estimate of this recharge based on measured vertical profiles of δD and δ¹⁸O that reveal considerable detail about the sources and sinks of ice. We model these profiles, taking into account the salt content and a soil temperature record along a 1.6 m depth profile of ∼10 ka old ice-cemented soils in Victoria Valley, Antarctica. The stable isotopes of ice are enriched in heavy isotopes at the top of the ice cement (20 cm depth); both δD and δ¹⁸O values plotted against depth exhibit a concave upward curve. At depth, the isotope composition is similar to that of Lake Victoria and modern meteoric water. The concave shape of the isotope profile is suggestive of downward advection-dispersion of snowmelt water enriched in heavy isotopes into the ice cement. Our advection-dispersion model, coupled with field data, enables us to quantify the advective flux and dispersion of melt water into the ice. The advective velocity and dispersion coefficient depend on the time since advection began and the ice-to-brine ratio; they are, respectively, of the order of 10⁻¹¹-10⁻¹⁰ m s⁻¹ and 10⁻¹²-10⁻¹¹ m² s⁻¹. These values suggest that over the ∼10 ka time period, a total of 190 mm water infiltrated into the ice-cemented ground. The isotope composition and deuterium excess values of the uppermost ice cement can be modeled from snowmelt water enriched in salts using open system-Rayleigh fractionation. To develop the isotopic signature of the upper ice cement requires evaporation of ∼95% of the snowmelt water. Based on 190 mm brine infiltrating into the soil requires an initial total of ∼4 m of snowmelt water. This corresponds to ∼0.4 mm a⁻¹ suggesting that, under the current climate condition, water from snowmelt is sufficient to compensate modeled sublimation rates, and therefore conserve ground ice in Victoria Valley.     

Critical gaps and implications of risk communication in the global agreements—SFDRR,SDGs, and UNFCCC: 3 select case studies from urban areas of tropics in South Asia

Natural Hazards - There has been a consistent rise in urban disasters, particularly in developing countries located in tropical areas. Among various challenges of disaster risk management and...     

People of German descent in CIS States — areas of settlement,territorial autonomy and emigration

Until 1989 the ethnic Germans tended to live in Kazakhstan, Central Asia and South-West Siberia. Not only German but also Russian and Ukrainian residents in Kazakhstan and Central Asia have been induced to leave. In South-West Siberia attempts are beeing made to keep the ethnic Germans there. Two autonomous German districts have been established. The mass scale emigration to Germany has, however, affected these areas, too. That means that not only push factors are effective but also pull factors play a role. They concern the privileged immigrant status of Aussiedler in Germany. The economic damage suffered by Siberia on account of this kind of undifferentiated drain of workers and specialists puts whole economic regions in jeopardy. The German Home Office tried to support the re-establishment of the German Volga Republic which was dissolved by Stalin in 1941. Some German unprofessionally organised economic projects and severe diplomatic mistakes actually strengthened the nationalistic Russian opposition so that the reestablishment failed. An improvement of the ethnic Germans' perspectives in the CIS is only possible if Germany makes use of the tried and tested instruments of development aid and regional planning. German consulates and trade agencies should be opened in the Volga region, and in Siberia. It is necessary to establish a Siberian-German bank and Russian-German universities. A special programme should provide support for well-qualified people whose knowledge and skills are vital for a continuation of the ethnic Germans' economy and culture.     

Experience in classification of ore-bearing metasomatic and hydrothermal rocks in the Eastern Aldan—Stanovoi Shield

The available stored, published, and original materials on the ore-bearing mesomatites developed in the eastern Aldan—Stanovoy Shield are systematized with their classification according to their formation and facies affiliation. Data on the age, structural localization, mineral composition, metallogenic specialization, and genesis of the ore–bearing formations are disc ussed with consideration for their spatial distribution patterns.     

Writ in water—Unwritten histories obtained from carbonate deposits in ancient water systems

Calcium carbonate deposits from ancient water systems such as aqueducts are a hidden archive for archaeology and environmental sciences. These deposits formed wherever carbonate-rich water was in contact with a water-containing structure and recorded water composition, temperature, biological content, the operation or nonoperation of a water system segment, flow discharge and velocity, the shape of disappeared segments of water structures, the number of years a water supply system was active, disruptions of the water supply and water management such as repairs, adaptations and cleaning. Indirectly, urban development, resilience, population- and socioeconomic dynamics can be studied through the stratigraphy of carbonate in water systems. Carbonate archives can also give insight into long-term changes in paleoclimate and on environmental pollution, deforestation, extreme floods, droughts, earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. Archaeological and environmental investigations of carbonate deposits can provide data with up to daily resolution over decades to centuries. Although absolute dating of carbonate from water systems is still problematic, each study on the aqueduct of an ancient city, together with its carbonate deposits, provides its own microstory in Roman life.