Patterns in benthic populations in the Milford Haven waterway following the 'Sea Empress' oil spill with special reference to amphipods

The macrobenthic fauna of the Milford Haven Waterway was studied in detail following the 'Sea Empress' oil spill in 1996. Contamination patterns indicated heaviest contamination of sediments by oil to have occurred in the lower reaches of the waterway, although water borne hydrocarbons are likely to have penetrated throughout the Haven. Generally, the communities showed little impact of contamination by oil, although some changes were evident at the population level. A decline in the amphipod fauna was observed throughout the Haven, with the genera Ampelisca and Harpinia and the family Isaeidae particularly affected. This was accompanied by increases in both the diversity and abundance of polychaete populations as opportunist species took advantage of the decline of the amphipod fauna. However, within five years of the spill the amphipod fauna has shown clear signs of recovery. The use of the polychaete/amphipod ratio as an indicator of oil pollution is discussed.     

Correlation between nitrate contamination and ground water pollution potential

AQUIPRO, a PC-based method, was used to assess aquifer vulnerability using digital water well logs. The AQUIPRO model is a parameter/factor weighting system for rating the pollution potential of an aquifer. This method uses the well depth, as well as the clay and partial clay thickness in a well, to generate pollution potential scores. In this model, aquifer protection increases as the AQUIPRO vulnerability scores increase and ground water pollution potential decreases. Computerized water well records of 2435 domestic wells with partial chemistry data were used to determine the ground water pollution potential of Kalamazoo County, Michigan. Theoretically, low AQUIPRO pollution potential scores should have more frequent occurrences of ground water contamination events than areas with high AQUIPRO scores with similar land-use, well construction, and well densities. The relative AQUIPRO scores were compared with the frequency of occurrences of nitrate-N in ground water wells. The average nitrate-N concentrations within each relative AQUIPRO vulnerability scores category were also compared. The results indicate that domestic wells containing 5 mg/L or more nitrate-N showed a positive correlation between the frequency of occurrences of nitrate-N and relative decrease of AQUIPRO (r2 = 0.99) vulnerability scores. In other words, as the ground water pollution potential increases, the occurrence frequency of nitrate-N also increases. Furthermore, the results show that as the relative AQUIPRO (r2 = 0.96) vulnerability scores decrease, the mean nitrate-N concentrations also increase.     

Environmental pollution and natural populations: a biomarkers case study from the Iberian Atlantic coast

The degradation of estuaries is a result of human activities which overloads the environment with substances of both industrial and/or natural origins. Bioindicators have been consistently used to interpret effects of contaminants in the environment. In this study, the use of biomarkers (particular measurable characteristics of a bioindicator organism) was used to evaluate the contamination by xenobiotics of Crangon crangon natural populations. The central aim was to evaluate the capability of a battery of biomarkers to discriminate sites with different types of contamination. The activity of the enzymes cholinesterases (ChE), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and glutathione S-transferases (GST) were used as biomarkers. In addition, the ChE form(s) present in the cephalotorax of C. crangon were characterised. Organisms were seasonally sampled from winter 2001/2002 to autumn of 2002, at "reference" sites and at sites that receive agricultural, industrial and/or urban effluents. Results obtained in the characterisation of ChE with different substrates and selective inhibitors demonstrate that the form of ChE present in the cephalotorax of C. crangon shows proprieties of vertebrates' AChE and therefore it may be classified as true AChE-like ChE. The battery of biomarkers exhibited seasonal and local variations, apparently related to agricultural, industrial or urban effluent contamination. The tested biomarkers proved to be able to discriminate sources of environmental contamination, and confirms C. crangon as a sensitive species suitable to be used as a bioindicator.     

震级与破裂长度统计关系研究

正本文在收集整理分析中国大陆1902—2014年132次板内浅源地震事件的相关数据(包括震级、发震时间、地点、断层类型、地震矩、地表破裂长度、余震分布长度、波谱反演得到的震源处破裂长度等)的基础上,给出了震级与震源破裂长度和余震分布长度的经验公式,并对震级与破裂长度之间的相关性进行     

Relationships between heavy metals and major cations along pollution gradients

Along some pollution gradients, animal tissue concentrations of several major, physiologically important cations vary greatly in a way that corresponds with levels of toxic metals. Changes in concentration from normal of these major cations can be as much as fourfold which may be an underlying cause of much of the stress experienced by these species in polluted environments.     

Relationship of pollution to rocky substratum polychaetes on the French Mediterranean coast

The distribution of Polychaetous Annelids (Serpulidae excluded) from infralittoral rocky shores of the French Mediterranean coast has been studied for 18 yr. Several hundred rock scrapings, each measuring 400 cm², have been made and the results analysed for species composition, Shannon-Weaver index of diversity and Sanders' similarity coefficient. These mathematical measures are well correlated with the degree of pollution. In the levels considered, the annelid settlements are structurally identical. No unique group of species was associated with the degree of pollution as is typical in the sediments. An index of biological detectors is proposed which is based on the premise of the sensitive modification of the polychaete population as a whole and is defined as the ratio of the amount of dominances of ‘polluted waters biological detectors’ (Platynereis dumerili, Theostoma oerstedi, Dorvillea rudolphi, …) to ‘pure water’ ones (Syllis spp., Amphiglena mediterranea). This ratio increases with the intensity of pollution and is always higher than 1 in a polluted environment.     

Application of oxidative stress indices in natural populations of Perna viridis as biomarker of environmental pollution

Oxidative stress indices were measured in gills and digestive glands of Perna viridis collected from three coastal locations in Goa i.e., Bambolim, Marmugao Harbour and Malim. In addition to lipid peroxidation, the activities of antioxidant enzymes such as superoxide dismutase, catalase, glutathione peroxidase, glutathione reductase and glutathione S-transferase and two non-enzymatic antioxidants (ascorbic acid and reduced glutathione) were investigated in order to understand their variation with respect to pollution status of the sampling locations. We observed a significant increase in lipid peroxidation and antioxidant enzymes of both the tissues at Mormugao Harbour and Malim, suggesting that the animals at these two locations are at higher level of oxidative stress as compared to those at Bambolim. Conversely, low levels of non-enzymatic antioxidants such as ascorbic acid and reduced glutathione, observed at Mormugao Harbour and Malim indicate that the animals may use these compounds to counteract stress in the tissues. This study shows that changes in lipid peroxidation, superoxide dismutase, catalase, glutathione reductase, glutathione S-transferase and reduced glutathione in tissues of P. viridis can be used as molecular biomarkers in environmental monitoring programs.     

Link between sewage-derived nitrogen pollution and coral disease severity in Guam

The goals of this study were to evaluate the contribution of sewage-derived N to reef flat communities in Guam and to assess the impact of N inputs on coral disease. We used stable isotope analysis of macroalgae and a soft coral, sampled bimonthly, as a proxy for N dynamics, and surveyed Porites spp., a dominant coral taxon on Guam’s reefs, for white syndrome disease severity. Results showed a strong influence of sewage-derived N in nearshore waters, with δ¹⁵N values varying as a function of species sampled, site, and sampling date. Increases in sewage-derived N correlated significantly with increases in the severity of disease among Porites spp., with δ¹⁵N values accounting for more than 48% of the variation in changes in disease severity. The anticipated military realignment and related population increase in Guam are expected to lead to increased white syndrome infections and other coral diseases.     

结构阻尼与材料阻尼的关系

针对固体材料在弹性阶段的内阻尼,采用材料粘弹性本构关系,通过有限单元法建立了考虑剪切变形影响的杆单元阻尼矩阵,得到了材料拉压粘滞系数和剪切粘滞系数之间的关系。我们可以通过实验测试材料的损耗因子或粘滞阻尼系数(材料阻尼),像结构质量矩阵、刚度矩阵一样通过比较确切的计算得到弹性阶段结构内阻尼的阻尼矩阵(结构阻尼),而且此阻尼矩阵既基于材料阻尼实验测试,又便于数学处理,且物理意义明确。其次,本文分析了材料阻尼对结构阻尼比影响,得到了材料损耗因子与结构模态阻尼比间的关系,并通过10层钢筋混凝土剪切型框架结构进一步给出了具体的数值结果。     

Relationship between global seismicity and solar activities

The relations between sunspot numbers and earthquakes (M≧6), solar 10.7 cm radio flux and earthquakes, solar proton events and earthquakes have been analyzed in this paper. It has been found that: (1) Earthquakes occur frequently around the minimum years of solar activity. Generally, the earthquake activities are relatively less during the peak value years of solar activity, some say, around the period when magnetic polarity in the solar polar regions is reversed. (2) the earthquake frequency in the minimum period of solar activity is closely related to the maximum annual means of sunspot numbers, the maximum annual means of solar 10.7 cm radio flux and solar proton events of a whole solar cycle, and the relation between earthquake and solar proton events is closer than others. (3) As judged by above interrelationship, the period from 1995 to 1997 will be the years while earthquake activities are frequent. In the paper, the simple physical discussion has been carried out. These results supported the exploration and studies of some researchers to a certain extent. This work is supported by Foundation of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (major item).     

First records, pathways and distributions of four new Ponto-Caspian amphipods in France

In Europe, the number of establishment of non-native species, especially from Ponto-Caspian area, has dramatically increased over the past decades and induced important changes in macroinvertebrate assemblages, mainly in large rivers. However, although many Ponto-Caspian species were established in adjacent countries, only two Ponto-Caspian amphipods were formally observed in French hydrosystems since 1996. To update our knowledge on the present distribution of the Ponto-Caspian species in France, we collected amphipods from 203 sites in the Rhine, Meuse and Seine River basins in 2008 and again in 2009. Thirteen amphipod species were found in the study area. Among them, four were first formally recorded in France (Dikerogammarus haemobaphes, Dikerogammarus bispinosus, Echinogammarus ischnus, and Echinogammarus trichiatus). Our study revealed three different corridors used by these species to arrive in France. We also observed a different pattern of colonization for each species, which might indicate some between-species differences in their preferences for environmental conditions. The snapshot of the early distributions of these recently established species may hence be used to study the invasion pattern in France in order to manage their potential impact in and outside France.     

Survival of two species of amphipods in aqueous extracts of petroleum oils

Aqueous extracts of two petroleum oils, No. 2 fuel oil and Southern Louisiana crude, were tested on two amphipods, Gammarus muccronatus and Amphithoe valida, for survival. The oils were toxic at concentrations of 0.8 ppm (fuel oil) and 2.4 ppm (S. Louisiana crude). Mortalities increased with the concentration and length of exposure. Few or no young were produced at these and higher concentrations (breeding adults were decreasing rapidly in numbers). The amphipods are more sensitive to aqueous extracts of these oils than benthic polychaetes and shrimp, for which data are available.     

Sediment toxicity and the distribution of amphipods in Commencement bay,Washington, USA

The toxicity of 175 sediment samples from Commencement Bay, Washington, was measured by the survival of marine infaunal amphipods (Rhepoxynius abronius) during ten-day exposure to test sediment. Survival was high in sediment from offshore, deeper parts of the Bay, including two designated dredge material disposal sites. Within each of the major industrialized waterways there was a wide range in amphipod survival. Both acutely toxic and relatively nontoxic samples were collected from various areas within the Hylebos, Blair, Sitcum and City Waterways. Habitat differences, sedimentation rates, proximity to contaminant sources and sinks, and disruption of the seabed by prop scour and dredging could contribute to this variation in toxicity. Community structure data show a correlation between amphipod distribution and sediment toxicity, with lower amphipod density and species richness in the waterways than in the deeper part of the Bay. Phoxocephalid amphipods, a family that includes the bioassay species, were ubiquitous in the deeper Bay, but absent from the waterways. This correlation between laboratory and field results indicates the ecological relevance of the sediment bioassay.     

丰镇井水位变化与降雨量的关系研究

在结合丰镇井区域水文地质条件的基础上,分析了井水位变化与降雨量的关系。研究结果表明：开展水位（年初值、年末值、年极大值、年极小值、年际变幅和极值变幅）与年降雨量的关系研究,对区域震情的跟踪和判定具有十分重要意义。     

地震与磁暴主相最低点时刻的相关性

利用磁暴研究地震,特别是预测大地震的报道经常见诸公共媒体,引发诸多质疑.本研究以地震和磁暴(主相最低点)时刻的先后关系为研究对象,在不同时间窗、不同磁暴大小条件下,统计不同震级的地震与磁暴发生之间的时差及对应的地震比例,发现该比例随震前时间窗的增加或磁暴强度的减弱而不断增大,与起始震级基本无关.讨论磁暴对后续地震的"预...     

Relationship between subsidence and volcanic load,Hawaii

A computer analysis of tide-gage records in the northeast Pacific indicates that the active volcanic islands of eastern Hawaii are subsiding at a rate considerably faster than the eustatic rise of sea level. The rate of absolute subsidence increases progressively toward the center of current activity on the Island of Hawaii. Honolulu, Oahu, appears to be stable; Kahului, Maui, is subsiding at 1.7 mm per year; and Hilo, Hawaii, is subsiding at 4.8 mm per year. This subsidence is apparently related to downbowing of the crust throughout a zone 400 km in diameter by the weight of volcanic material added to the crust by active volcanoes, principally Mauna Loa and Kilauea on the Island of Hawaii. The Hawaiian Arch encircles the subsiding zone and may be uplifted by material moving down and outward from the zone of subsidence. The annual volume of subsidence is about 270×10⁶ m³, whereas the average annual volume of erupted basalt on the Island of Hawaii (based on historic records back to about 1820) is about 50×10⁶ m³. The great excess of subsidence over volcanic addition cannot be reconciled by isostatic models, and is apparently the result of other processes operating in the volcano and its basement thet are poorly understood. Probably the more important of these processes are intrusions and submarine volcanism, both of which are providing additional unseen load on the volcanoes. Furthermore, the rate of eruption may be uplifted by material moving down and outward from the zone of subsidence may be overestimated due to localized downslope movement of the margins of the islands.     

地磁数据处理与地震关系之探

研究了上海崇明、佘山和杭州这3个地磁台的观测资料在2004年4月21日南黄海ML4．0级、5月26日浙江省舟山群岛ML4．3级和11月15日南黄海％4．6级地震前的异常变化特征,结果表明：杭州台和崇明台数字化地磁观测资料分钟值空间差值于4月14日～17日、4月30日、5月8日出现的异常信息很可能是震磁异常信息;杭州台和余山台数字化地磁观测资料分钟值、模拟观测21时值Z分量地磁场相关系数R值分别在震前2天、24天和震前5天、15天出现了超出2σ值的震磁异常变化：崇明和余山地磁台数字化地磁Z分量分钟值的空间差值异常信息在4月21日南黄海尬4．0级地震前后有所显示。但在5月26日舟山群岛ML4．3级地震前不太明显,可能与谈两个地磁台站相距较近日震中距较近有美．