Spatial and temporal dynamics of stream water particulate and dissolved N, P and C forms along a catchment transect, NE Scotland

The dynamics of dissolved and particulate N, P and organic C were examined for field drains, through a headwater (4 km²), into a mesoscale stream (51 km²) and river (1844 km²) catchment. Distributions of N and P forms were similar in the agricultural headwater and field drains; annual P fluxes of particulate and dissolved forms were of equal magnitude, whilst N was dominated by NO₃–N. Across all scales organic P was an important, often dominant, component of the dissolved P. Temporal variation in nutrient concentrations and proportions was greatest in the headwater, where storms resulted in the generation of large concentrations of suspended particulate matter, particulate and dissolved P, particularly following dry periods. The data suggest that groundwater and minor point source inputs to the mesoscale catchment buffered the temporal variability in hydrochemistry relative to the headwater. Summer low flows were associated with large PO₄–P concentrations in the mesoscale catchment at a critical time of biological sensitivity. At the largest river catchment scale, organic forms of C, N and P dominated. Inorganic nutrient concentrations were kept small through dilution by runoff from upland areas and biological processes converted dissolved N and P to particulate forms. The different processes operating between the drain/headwater to the large river scale have implications for river basin management. Given the prevalence of organic and particulate P forms in our catchment transect, the bioavailability of these fractions needs to be better understood.     

Bottom layer anoxia in the central part of the Gulf of Trieste in the late summer of 1983

Anoxic conditions in the near-bottom layer below the pycnocline were observed in September 1983 causing mass mortality of benthic macrofauna in the central part of the Gulf of Trieste. The vertical transport of particulate organic matter and decomposition of abundant pelagic and benthic organic matter during the summer produced a low oxygen level in the near-bottom layer below the pycnocline when this layer was sufficiently close to the bottom. A high sea water temperature and vertical stability contributed to the development of anoxic conditions in September 1983 in the near-bottom layer.     

Particle Size Distribution Analysis of Chemical Oxygen Demand Fractions with Different Biodegradation Characteristics in Black Water and Gray Water

The study investigated the particle size distribution of major organic pollutants in black water and gray water fractions of domestic sewage. Particle size distribution was assessed by means of a filtration/ultrafiltration sequence together with laser diffraction. Emphasis was placed upon the correlation between the size distribution of chemical oxygen demand (COD) and its biodegradation characteristics obtained by respirometric analysis. Particle size distribution analysis provided specific fingerprints for COD, total organic carbon (TOC), carbohydrates, proteins, and color for black water and gray water: Aside from significant difference between COD contents, the more concentrated COD was predominantly in particulate form in black water, whereas soluble COD accounted for nearly 60% of the total in gray water. TOC and carbohydrate exhibited a similar pattern. Size distribution of particulate matter yielded different characteristics for the two fractions and indicated that settleable matter should be considered as a significant portion in assessing biodegradation. Particle size distribution of COD, although not directly related, gave an accurate image of biodegradation, indicating that particle size was basically the main parameter for differentiating and predicting major COD fractions with different biodegradation characteristics. It explained the dual hydrolysis mechanism associated with the black water based on the existence of a significant settleable COD fraction.     

Microbial food web contributions to bottom water hypoxia in the northern Gulf of Mexico

Nutrients from the Mississippi/Atchafalaya Rivers greatly stimulate biological production in the ‘classical’ food web on the inner shelf of the northern Gulf of Mexico. Portions of this production, especially large diatoms and zooplankton fecal pellets, sink and decompose in the bottom water, consuming oxygen and contributing to the annual development of an extensive zone of bottom water hypoxia, typically >15,000 km² since 1993. The microbial food web is also active in the Mississippi River plume, but consists of small organisms that sink slowly. This ‘recycling’ food web has not been considered as a significant contributor to vertical flux and hypoxia. However, gelatinous zooplankton, especially pelagic appendicularians such as Oikopleura dioica, mediate the conversion of microbial web organisms to organic particles with high sinking rates. When pelagic appendicularians are abundant in coastal regions of the northern Gulf of Mexico, they stimulate the rapid vertical transfer of microbial web productivity in the surface layer, which is only 5–15 m thick in the coastal hypoxic region, to the sub-pycnocline layer that becomes hypoxic each summer. In this paper we present results from two studies examining the significance of this pathway. In both 2002 and 2004, we observed high production rates of appendicularians in coastal waters. Discarded gelatinous houses and fecal pellets from the appendicularian populations often provided more than 1 g m⁻² d⁻¹ of organic carbon for the establishment and maintenance of hypoxia in the northern Gulf of Mexico. This source of organic matter flux is especially important in regions far from the river plumes and during periods of low river discharge. Autotrophic elements of this food web are primarily supported by recycled inorganic nutrients originating in the Mississippi and Atchafalaya Rivers. Sources of dissolved organic matter (DOM) supporting the heterotrophic components of this microbial food web may include in situ production, the Mississippi/Atchafalaya Rivers, and Louisiana's coastal wetlands. If significant, the latter source provides a possible link between Louisiana's high rates of coastal land loss and the large hypoxic zone observed along the coast during summer. Both of the latter DOM sources are independent of phytoplankton production stimulated by inputs of riverine inorganic nutrients.     

Pestizide in Oberflächenwässern — Befunde in Talsperren und in Uferfiltraten Pesticides in Surface Water — Analytical Results for Drinking Water Reservoirs and Bank Filtrate Waters

The results of a series of investigations are presented, performed by the governmental chemical laboratory Karlsruhe (CLUA) in order to determine pesticides in drinking water for purposes of food monitoring. 231 samples of 8 municipal water supplies (groundwater wells/no bank filtrate) and 34 private water supplies close to the bank of the river Rhine (groundwater wells/partly bank filtrate) were analysed. The sampling sites were located between Mannheim and Greffern, Germany. In 1986 high amounts of atrazine and simazine were determined in the drinking water wells of several private water supplies, especially at the sampling sites in the south. The likewise high chloride content of the samples was taken as a proof of bank filtrate contributing to the water. The decrease of atrazine load in the river water of the Rhine since 1987 has its parallel in the analytical results for the concerned drinking water wells. Obviously the pesticide contamination of water from bank filtrate pumping wells is mainly depending on the pesticide load of the river water. The application of fertilizers and pesticides in the fields seems not to be a significant source of the pesticide contamination of dringing waters derived from bank filtrate water. For reasons of public health a monitoring of pesticide content in bank filtrate pumping wells of private water supplies is recommended.     

Copper,zinc, cadmium,nickel, iron and manganese in the Southern Bight of the North Sea

Ni, Cd, Cu, Zn, and Fe were determined in water and suspended matter samples and Mn in suspended matter samples from the Southern Bight region of the North Sea. Four distinct areas, comprising the Rhine estuary, the Dutch coastal waters, the centre of the Bight, and the English coastal water can be distinguished on the basis of the distribution of the trace metals. The total concentrations of all metals were high in the Rhine estuary, decreased in a seaward direction to reach very low values, comparable to continental shelf water, in the centre of the Bight, and increased again towards the English coast. Elevated concentrations of dissolved Cu, Ni, Cd and Zn near the English coast are not only due to river inputs. Over the entire region, the fraction of Cd, Ni and Zn in solution was consistently more important than the fraction in the suspended particulate phase. In contast, the fraction of Fe and Mn in the solid phase was consistently greater than the fraction in solution. Total concentrations of Fe, Mn and Cu are more dictated by the suspended particulate matter concentration than Cd, Ni and Zn.     

Distributions and characteristics of dissolved organic matter in temperate coastal waters (Southern North Sea)

The spatial and temporal distributions of chromophoric dissolved organic matter (CDOM) and dissolved organic carbon (DOC) was studied in the East-Frisian Wadden Sea (Southern North Sea) during several cruises between 2002 and 2005. The spatial distribution of CDOM in the German Bight shows a strong gradient towards the coast. Tidal and seasonal variations of dissolved organic matter (DOM) identify freshwater discharge via flood-gates at the coastline and pore water efflux from tidal flat sediments as the most important CDOM sources within the backbarrier area of the Island of Spiekeroog. However, the amount and pattern of CDOM and DOC is strongly affected by various parameters, e.g. changes in the amount of terrestrial run-off, precipitation, evaporation, biological activity and photooxidation. A decoupling of CDOM and DOC, especially during periods of pronounced biological activity (algae blooms and microbial activity), is observed in spring and especially in summer. Mixing of the endmembers freshwater, pore water, and open sea water results in the formation of a coastal transition zone. Whilst an almost conservative behaviour during mixing is observed in winter, summer data point towards non-conservative mixing.     

Input-output Balances of Nutrients and Plankton in a Flooded Area of the Lower Odra

The retention of particulate matter of the Odra River in flooded areas was estimated by determining suspended particulate matter (SPM) elimination and particle-bound nutrient retention in a polder area of the Lower Odra Valley national park. Water and suspended matter samples collected before, during, and after the 1997 summer flood at the inlet and the outlet of the investigated polder (Polder A/B close to Schwedt) offer the opportunity to balance the matter retention inside the floodplain. The maximum level of retained SPM (more than 80%) was calculated for the record flood of summer 1997, while in ordinary winter floods retention differs between 33% and 70%. Basic properties of the flowing particles like settling velocity, density, loss on ignition etc. change on their way through the polder area. In the investigated Polder A/B a retention of at least 50% of particle-bound phosphorus which was independent of the incoming suspended matter load from the Odra River was observed. The retention of particle-bound nitrogen and carbon varied seasonally to different extents. The presented balance demonstrates that particle-bound nutrient retention in polders is an important factor in the self-purification process of the river system. Some additional effort was done to study changes of plankton composition: during a joint field experiment in spring 1998, the authors determined biological parameters (abundance and biomass of phytoplankton and zooplankton) of water samples at polder inflow and outflow points.     

The Effects of Nutrients on Natural Organic Matter (NOM) Removal in Biological Activated Carbon (BAC) Filtration

Effective biodegradation of organic compounds is one of the major objectives while optimizing biological drinking water treatment processes. Enhancing the biological activated carbon (BAC) filter performance with nutrient addition was studied using chemically pre-treated and ozonated lake water. Three parallel pilot-scale biofilters were operated: one with phosphorus addition, one with a mixture of inorganic nutrients addition, and one as a reference. The addition of nutrients had no statistically significant influence on the natural organic matter (NOM) removal when monitored by total organic carbon (TOC), UV absorbance, and assimilable organic carbon (AOC). However, the addition of nutrients significantly increased the heterotrophic plate count (HPC) bacteria of the filter effluent, while the adenosine triphosphate (ATP) analysis of the attached bacteria did not show any increase in BAC filters. It seemed that in BAC filters the bacterial growth was limited by phosphorus, but the increased bacteria could not attach themselves during the relatively short acclimatization period.     

Spatial and temporal variation in particle size and particulate organic matter content in suspended particulate matter from peatland‐dominated catchments in Finland

Properties of suspended particulate matter play a vital role in transport processes, but information from boreal lowland river systems with high organic loads is limited. This study analysed data from 2 years of sampling at 30 locations in Finland (204 samples in total) using suspended particulate matter samplers to determine effective and absolute particle size and organic fractions. Mean d₅₀ value was 22 and 49 µm for absolute and effective particle size, respectively. The organic fraction content ranged from 2.1% to 36% (mean 9.6%), highlighting the importance of particle organic matter for suspended particulate matter flux in the region. The results indicated that the suspended particulate matter particle size distribution and load in the study region is dominated by composite particles. There were considerable spatial and temporal variations in transport of organic fractions, effective particle size and degree of aggregation (range 1.5–93%). Headwaters and, in particular, late summer and spring flood conditions with flow peaks produced the largest composite particles, whereas agriculture‐dominated sites produced smaller but more tightly compacted particles. Organic plant fibres appeared to play a vital role in floc formation in peat‐covered catchments, whereas in agriculture‐dominated catchments, land use‐derived aggregates dominated the composition. This study provides empirical evidence of the importance of effective particle size measurement in understanding the dynamics of suspended particulate matters in boreal lowland river systems. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Spatial contributions of diffuse inputs and within-channel processes to the form of stream water phosphorus over storm events

Concentrations of suspended particulate matter (SPM), NO₃-N and P fractions: PO₄-P, dissolved organic P (DOP), particulate P (PP) and bioavailable exchangeable P were examined over 5 storm events in two nested agricultural catchments in NE Scotland: a (51 km²) catchment and its headwater (4 km²). NO₃-N showed anticlockwise hysteresis for all storms in both catchments. In contrast, the headwater showed strong clockwise hysteresis of SPM, dissolved and particulate P concentrations, but which weakened through summer to spring. Less pronounced hysteresis of P forms in the larger catchment was attributed to a combination of factors: a less energetic system, nutrient leaching from the floodplain, a point source of a small sewage treatment works and the occurrence of coarser soil and sediment parent materials with less P adsorption and transport capacity. The headwater exhibited a strong ‘first flush’ effect of sediment and dissolved P, particularly following dry conditions, received a significant transfer of readily-solubilized organic P from the surrounding soils in late summer and after manure applications in winter, and was the likely cause of large sediment associated P signals observed in the 51 km² catchment. Our results suggest that steeper gradient headwaters should be targeted for riparian improvements to mitigate soil erosion from headwater fields. The efficiency of riparian erosion controls is also dependant on the size of the store of fine sediment material within the stream channel and this may be large.     

Hydrochemical Characteristic of the Littoral Zone of Lake Onega

The article presents the results of hydrochemical studies of two areas, open and closed, in the littoral zone of Lake Onega, carried out in 2013–2014. The results show that water of river and slope runoff, enriched with both biogenic elements and allochthonous organic matter, persist over a long time in spring in the littoral zone. In the summer, water chemistry at open shores is similar to that in lake pelagic zone, while the closed areas of littoral zone show the effect of biological processes. In the period of autumn homothermy, river and slope waters have no considerable effect on coastal water quality.     

The Multiscale TROPIcal CatchmentS critical zone observatory M-TROPICS dataset II: Land use,hydrology and sediment production monitoring in Houay Pano,northern Lao PDR

Mountain regions of the humid tropics are characterized by steep slopes and heavy rains. These regions are thus prone to both high surface runoff and soil erosion. In Southeast Asia, uplands are also subject to rapid land-use change, predominantly as a result of increased population pressure and market forces. Since 1998, the Houay Pano site, located in northern Lao PDR (19.85°N 102.17°E) within the Mekong basin, aims at assessing the long-term impact of the conversion of traditional slash-and-burn cultivation systems to commercial perennial monocultures such as teak tree plantations, on the catchment hydrological response and sediment yield. The instrumented site monitors hydro-meteorological and soil loss parameters at both microplot (1 m²) and small catchment (0.6 km²) scales. The monitored catchment is part of the network of critical zone observatories named Multiscale TROPIcal CatchmentS (M-TROPICS). The data shared by M-TROPICS in Houay Pano are (1) rainfall, (2) air temperature, air relative humidity, wind speed, and global radiation, (3) catchment land use, (4) stream water level, suspended particulate matter, bed particulate matter and stones, (5) soil surface features, and (6) soil surface runoff and soil detachment. The dataset has already been used to interpret suspended particulate matter and bed particulate matter sources and dynamics, to assess the impact of land-use change on catchment hydrology, soil erosion, and sediment yields, to understand bacteria fate and weed seed transport across the catchment, and to build catchment-scale models focused on hydrology and water quality issues. The dataset may be further used to, for example, assess the role of headwater catchments in large tropical river basin hydrology, support the interpretation of new variables measured in the catchment (e.g., contaminants other than faecal bacteria), and assess the relative impacts of both climate and land-use change on the catchment.     

The restricted buffer capacity of a south Baltic estuary — The oder estuary

In the river Oder high-waters of the river with high nutrient loads and low biological activity mainly occur during winter. Thus, a remarkable portion of the annual load passes the estuary untransformed. During summer high level of biological activity is observed in the whole estuary, but while more than 10 mol/l dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN) is found in the Großes Haff, where the theoretical water-residence time is only 1 month, in the western part of the estuary, where the water-residence time is approximately 3 months, all DIN is transformed into organic matter.The transformed nutrients settle partly as biological products, but they are released again in these shallow waters due to biological and physical degradation, and transported into the Baltic Sea.This behaviour may explain why in the sediments of the Oderhaff with a sedimentation rate of 1 mm/year only 1% of the annual nutrient load of the Oder river can be found.     

Assessing Organic Carbon and Suspended Matter Runoff in the Yenisei Basin

The concentrations of organic matter that enters the aquatic environment in dissolved form, organic matter fractions adsorbed on suspended mineral particles, and the total concentration of suspended matter in the Yenisei water were studied using rapid optical methods. Spectral characteristics of light attenuation and absorption by river water and its filtrates were analyzed in summer. Total discharges of organic carbon and suspended matter by the river were evaluated.     

Effects of terrestrial runoff on the ecology of corals and coral reefs: review and synthesis

This paper reviews and evaluates the current state of knowledge on the direct effects of terrestrial runoff on (1) the growth and survival of hard coral colonies, (2) coral reproduction and recruitment, and (3) organisms that interact with coral populations (coralline algae, bioeroders, macroalgae and heterotrophic filter feeders as space competitors, pathogens, and coral predators). The responses of each of these groups are evaluated separately against the four main water quality parameters: (1) increased dissolved inorganic nutrients, (2) enrichment with particulate organic matter, (3) light reduction from turbidity and (4) increased sedimentation. This separation facilitates disentangling and understanding the mechanisms leading to changes in the field, where many contaminants and many responses co-occur. The review also summarises geographic and biological factors that determine local and regional levels of resistance and resilience to degradation. It provides a conceptual aid to assess the kind of change(s) likely to occur in response to changing coastal water quality.     

溶解氧对低洼盐碱地鱼塘物质循环的影响

对黄淮海平原低洼盐碱地鱼塘中溶解氧与物质循环之间的关系进行了初步研究. 结果表明池塘水体中的溶解氧含量取决于水体中藻类的光合作用及其它生物的耗氧作用扰动的方式时间可显著改变水体中溶解氧的含量. 池塘水体中异养细菌的数量变动除与水体中的有机物质含量等有关外与水体中溶解氧的含量密切相关. 尤其在底泥中这种变化更加明显. 池塘水体中的氨化作用强度磷的转化强度明显地呈现出受水体中的溶解氧含量影响. 当水体中的溶解氧含量增加时导致细菌的现存量及活性的增加使得氨化作用强度磷的转化强度也显著增加这种情况在底泥中表现的更加明显. 池塘水体中反硝化作用强度反硫化作用强度的变化则与水体中溶解氧含量的变化相反. 当水体中溶解氧的含量减少时水体中的反硝化作用强度反硫化作用强度反而大大增加. 这种作用在底泥中表现得也非常明显.     

Protein‐like fluorescence intensity as a possible tool for determining river water quality

The results of a comparison between chemical water quality determinants and river water fluorescence on the River Tyne, NE England, demonstrate that tryptophan‐like fluorescence intensity shows statistically significant relationships between nitrate, phosphate, ammonia, biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) and dissolved oxygen. Tryptophan‐like fluorescence intensity at the 280 nm excitation/350 nm emission wavelength fluorescence centre correlates with both phosphate (r = 0·80) and nitrate (r = 0·87), whereas tryptophan‐like fluorescence intensity at the 220 nm excitation/350 nm emission wavelength centre correlates with BOD (r = 0·85), ammonia (r = 0·70) and dissolved oxygen (r = ?0·65). The strongest correlations are between tryptophan‐like fluorescence intensity and nitrate and phosphate, which in the Tyne catchment derive predominantly from point and diffuse source sewage inputs. The correlation between BOD and the tryptophan‐like fluorescence intensity suggests that this fluorescence centre is related to the bioavailable or labile dissolved organic matter pool. The weakest correlations are observed between tryptophan‐like fluorescence intensity and ammonia concentration and dissolved oxygen. The weaker correlation with ammonia is due to removal of the ammonia signal by wastewater treatment, and that with dissolved oxygen due to the natural aeration of the river such that this is not a good indicator of water quality. The observed correlations only hold true when treated sewage, sewerage overflows or cross connections, or agricultural organic pollutants dominate the water quality—this is not true for two sites where airport deicer (propylene glycol, which is non‐fluorescent) or landfill leachate (which contains high concentrations of humic and fulvic‐like fluorescent DOM) dominate the dissolved organic matter in the river. Mean annual tryptophan‐like fluorescence intensity agrees well with the General Water Quality Assessment as determined by the England and Wales environmental regulators, the Environment Agency. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Spatial and temporal variance of river discharge on Okinawa (Japan): inferring the temporal impact on adjacent coral reefs.

Land-use changes and associated river discharges in coastal tropical regions present a global threat to coral reef environments. This study investigated the temporal variation in biological oxygen demand (BOD5) and suspended particulate matter (SPM) at the mouths of seven rivers on Okinawa Island (Japan) over 20 years. We report strong positive relationships between human population densities within river catchment areas and both average BOD5 concentration (r2 = 0.968; p < 0.001) and SPM (r2 = 0.659; p < 0.003) at the mouths of the rivers. At the reef adjacent to one river (Hija River, 50.2 km2 catchment area) we applied moving window analysis to assess an optimal sampling strategy for elucidating transitional boundaries in coral composition from the river mouth to a point where the effect of river discharge was minimal. The optimal window width for Okinawan rivers was five 1 m2 quadrats spaced over 5 m intervals. This sampling strategy clearly showed dissimilarity spikes in coral community composition up to 400 m from the Hija River mouth, beyond which no significant differences in coral composition were detected using analysis of similarities (ANOSIM). We developed a simple diffusion model linking the rivers' maximum discharge rate, and the average concentration of BOD5 and SPM with the spatial impact on the coral communities. The diffusion model can aid in predicting negative shifts in coral communities expected to result from detrimental land-use changes and is an important tool for monitoring coral reefs.     

Effects of turbidity caused by nutrient loading on benthic dynamics

The benthic response to nutrient loading of the water column was determined in the transition from early to mid-summer in a semi-enclosed, shallow estuarine ecosystem of the Baltic Sea. The procedure involved the inoculation of an in situ mesocosm with nitrogen and phosphorus to induce hypertrophic conditions, and comparison of this treated compartment with an untreated control. Sediment activity was assessed as oxygen turn-over, and measured in the laboratory with a simulated in situ polarographic flow-through method. Nutrient addition induced the development of pelagic organisms, particularly phytoplankton and protozoa, which resulted in turbidity within the water column. The latter appeared to depress benthic primary productivity. On the other hand, the greater organic matter load, upon sedimenting, caused increased biological respiration of the sediment. Chemical oxygen demand was unaffected by the increased organic matter input.