Reclamation or succession—A case study of transformation of soils and vegetation in reclaimed areas or in areas left for succession as exemplified by the sand mine excavation (southern Poland)

The aim of the study was to evaluate the vegetation and initial soils forming in the area of the“Szczakowa”Sand Mine cast(located approx.50km NW away from Krakow in southern Poland)that have either been reclaimed or left for succession.In the course of …     

The effect of acid deposition on base cation cycling in a karstic-forested catchment： Evidence from strontium isotopes

Bedrock weathering and atmospheric deposition are the two primary sources of base cations （K^＋, Na^＋, Ca^2＋ and Mg^2＋） to forest ecosystems. Therefore, the key problem is to understand the relative inputs from these two sources and the cycling in the ecosystem. This study focuses on the effects of acid deposition on cation cycling in a small-forested karstic catchment in Guizhou Province. Sr isotope ratios were used as a tracer for understanding the transport process between the different cation pools： rock, soil, surface water, atmospheric deposition and plant. The samples of wet deposition, total deposition, throughfall, surface and ground waters, vegetation, and soil were monthly collected. The exchangeable Sr^2＋ and Ca^2＋ in soil samples were extracted by using 1 M ammonium acetate. The leaf-tissue samples were ashed at 550℃, and the residue was digested in ultrapure HClO4 and HNO3. All water samples were filtrated through 0.45 μm aperture filter paper. Base cation concentrations and Sr isotopic composition were analyzed for all the samples. The results show that acid deposition （average pH 4.9） frequently occurred in the studied region. Cation abundance follows an increasing manner from rainwater, throughfall, to surface water or ground water samples, suggesting that acid deposition at first eiuviates Ca^2＋ , Mg^2＋ and Sr^2＋ from leaf, then the exchangeable cations from soil, and at last cations accumulate in surface water or ground water.     

Arsenic mobility from arsenopyrite-rich gold mine waste in Snow Lake, Manitoba, Canada

Local water contamination by arsenic can be caused by gold mining activities as in Snow Lake, Manitoba. This project was to f＇md the source （s） and pathways of the arsenic contamination and describe arsenic attenuation in ground and surface water. The project was initiated because arsenic concentrations average 16.0 mg/L in one groundwater monitoring well （MW17）. One potential source of arsenic is the 50 year-old Arsenopyrite Residue Stockpile （ARS）, 100 m upgrade of MW17. Between 1948 and 1959, 250000 tons of cyanide treated, arsenopyrite concentrate were stored in a waste rock impoundment, which was left open until 2000 when it was capped with layers of waste rock, clay and silt to minimize water infiltration and the oxidative release of arsenic.     

Vertical distribution, stability and evolution of groundwater composition in granite suitable for storage of spent nuclear fuel

Granite with extremely low permeability has been selected to host a repository of spent nuclear fuel in the Czech Republic. Three boreholes were drilled in a test site of the Podlesi granite stock in the Krusne hory Mts. The holes were located 10 m apart. After hydraulic tests, four sections in one of the boreholes were separated by packers at depth of 69-111, 111-161, 161-220 and 220-300 m. Samples of groundwater from each section were periodically collected for chemical and isotopic analysis. Groundwater from fractures in the granite stock does not belong to a single and uniform groundwater body in spite of that the granite is chemically and mineralogically homogeneous. There are three water bodies, which are only partly hydraulically connected. They are： （1） The groundwater in the oxidation zone to a depth of about 111 m. （2） The groundwater of the zone of hydrolysis of alumosilicates from 111 to 220 m. （3） The groundwater of the zone of hydrolysis of alumosilicates below the depth of 220 m from a different fracture system than the water from the above sections. The total dissolved solids of water increase with depth. The Ca-SO4 component predominates in the near surface water body while Na-HCO3 component predominates in the two deeper water bodies. Water from the oxidation zone contains higher concentrations of iron and other trace metals. The chemical composition of water in the three water bodies changed during the 14 months of sampling. No steady state was reached during this time. The changes displayed systematic trends. The ratio Ca/Na increased and the ratio HCO3/SO4 decreased with time in the shallow water body. In contrast, the ratio CafNa decreased and HCO3/SO4 fluctuated without an obvious trend in the deeper water bodies. An unusually high concentration of dissolved organic carbon （DOC） was found in the lowest section of the test borehole. The concentration of DOC was 150 mg/L at the beginning of sampling. The isotopic composition was δ^13C=-27.6 ‰. The concentration of DOC dropped both towards the surface and with time.     

Impacts of wastewater irrigation on soils and crops in suburban area of Shiraz, Iran

This preliminary work reported here dealt with potential impacts of wastewater irrigation on soils and crops sampled along the Koshk River canal in the suburban area of Shiraz City, Iran. It also attempts to assess the extent of heavy metal contamination in soils and crops and human exposure risk. For this purpose, samples including soils and plants were collected from two wastewater irrigated sites and a tubewell-irrigated site （marked by A, B and C）. Concentrations of the six heavy metals Ni, Pb, Cd, Zn, Cr and Cu were determined by AAS. Physical and chemical properties of soil samples were also determined. The PLIs and CF for soils and HQ （Hazard quotient） for some vegetables were calculated. The results showed that organic matter content increased from 22% to 30 % in wastewater-irrigated soils as compared to tubewell water irrigated and admixture water irrigated ones. The soil pH was raised by 2 units as a result of wastewater irrigation at site A compared to sites B and C. Wastewater irrigation also result in relatively high concentrations of Ni, Pb and Zn （275.5, 441.3 and 177 mg/kg, respectively） in wastewater irrigated soils over tubewell water irrigated soils. These levels are higher than the maximum permissible limits in unpolluted soils, indicating that a degree of contamination has occurred. This was confirmed by calculated PLIs and contamination factors in soil samples, The results also showed some crops cultivated at sites A and B contained high levels of Ni and Cd beyond the maximum permissible concentrations and those cultivated at site C. The concentrations of these heavy metals are within or very close to the critical levels. HQ indices and daily intake calculated in respect of metal contents in some vegetables （spinach, lettuce and celery） showed that toxic risk due to Cd in these vegetables and crops was greater than one. This study generally concludes that although the content of heavy metals did not reach toxic level, extensive use of untreated wastewater drawn from the Koshk River has obviously increased the contamination of Ni and Pb in soils and Cd in some vegetables cultivated along the canal, causing potential health risk in the long-term scense for consumers or local residents.     

Adsorption and stabilization of organic carbon by mineral surfaces in soils

Soils are the largest carbon reservoir in the terrestrial system. Soils contain about three times more carbon than vegetation and twice as much as that present in the atmosphere. Soil organic matter （SOM） is very complex in composition and structure, formed of heterogeneous substances and generally associated with minerals in soils. SOM is classified as labile and stable fractions on the basis of residence time, determined not only by the chemical composition of SOM, but also by types of protection or bonds within soils. The stable carbon fraction is protected either physically or chemically. To understand the process of SOM stabilization, physicochemical properties of organic-mineral complexes were determined by Fourier transformed infrared （FTIR） with attenuated total reflectance （ATR） and diffuse reflectance （DRIFT）, atomic force microscopy （AFM）, and nuclear magnetic spectroscopy （NMR）. Humic acids and carboxylic acids with relatively short carbon chains were used as sorbates, and goethite, kaolinite, and montmorillonite as adsorbents. Humic acid was fractionated during adsorption on the minerals, which was highly influenced by the characteristics of minerals. For instance, long-chain aliphatic carbon was likely to be adsorbed onto the surface of kaolinite and montmorillonite, while goethite surface attracted carboxylic functional groups of humic acid.     

GIS Spatial-Temporal Modeling of Water Systems in Greater Toronto Area, Canada

Modeling landscape with high-resolution digital elevation model (DEM) in a geographic information system can provide essential morphological and structural information for modeling surface processes such as geomorphologic process and water systems. This paper introduces several DEM-based spatial analysis processes applied to characterize spatial distribution and their interactions of ground and surface water systems in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA), Canada. The stream networks and drainage basin systems were derived from the DEM with 30 m resolution and the regularities of the surface stream and drainage patterns were modeled from a statistical/multifractal point of view. Together with the elevation and slope of topography, other attributes defmed from modeling the stream system, and drainage networks were used to associate geological, hydrological and topographical features to water flow in river systems and the spatial locations of artesian aquifers in the study area. Stream flow data derived from daily flow measurements recorded at river gauging stations for multi-year period were decomposed into “drainage-area dependent“ and “drainage-area independent“ flow components by two-step “frequency“ and “spatial“ analysis processes. The latter component was further demonstrated to relate most likely to the ground water discharge. An independent analysis was conducted to model the distribution of aquifers with information derived from the records of water wells. The focus was given on quantification of the likelihood of ground water discharge to river and ponds through flowing wells, springs and seepages. It has been shown that the Oak Ridges Moraine (ORM) is a unique glacial deposit that serves as a recharge layer and that the aquifers in the ORM underlain by Hilton Tills and later deposits exposed near the steep slope zone of the ridges of ORM provide significant discharge to the surface water systems (river flow and ponds) through flowing wells, springs and seepages. Various statistics (cross- and auto-correlation coefficients, fractal R/S exponent) were used in conjunction with GIS to demonstrate the influence of land types, topography and geometry of drainage basins on short- and long-term persistence of river flows as well as responding time to precipitation events. The current study has provided not only insight in understanding the interaction of water systems in the GTA, but also a base for further establishment of an on-line GIS system for predicting spatial-temporal changes of river flow and groundwater level in the GTA.     

Long-term thermal stability study of the typical embankment along the Qinghai-Tibet Railway in warm permafrost regions北大核心CSCD

Using the long-term ground temperature monitoring data of the permafrost zone along the Qinghai-Tibet Railway from 2006 to 2020,three types of typical roadbed structures were analyzed. Traditional embankment（TE）,U-shaped crushed rock embankment（UCRE）and crushed rock revetment embankment（CRRE）were included the three types of typical roadbed,which were selected to the long-term monitoring sections within the warm permafrost zones. The evolution of ground temperature field,mean annual ground temperature （MAGT）and annual maximum ground temperature（AMGT）in the depth range of 20 m under the embankment were analyzed and studied since 15 years of operation. The monitoring and analysis results show that：the growth rate of MAGT under the left and right shoulders of the TE is always higher than that of the same depth in the natural site. The MAGT under the UCRE is always lower than the natural site and always maintains a certain difference,whereas,the difference in ground temperature under the left and right shoulders is also not negligible. The MAGT of the left shoulder in the CRRE is not much different from that of the natural hole,while the MAGT of the right shoulder is always lower than that of the natural hole,and the differ in ground temperature between the left and right shoulders is smaller than that of the UCRE. The artificial permafrost table（APT）under the TE is always lower than that of in the natural site. Both the UCRE and CRRE,the APT in the left and right shoulders of them has been elevated into the embankment,and the differ of APT between the left and right shoulders is about 1. 0~1. 5 m. the differ of APT between the left and right shoulders in the CRRE is slightly lower than that of UCRE. Overall,because of the influence of thermal disturbance about engineering and climate warming,the TE in the warm permafrost zones cannot keep the thermal stability of permafrost under the embankment. Some active-cooling and reinforcement measures need to be taken. Both of the UCRE and CRRE,have a certain active-cooling effect on the permafrost under embankment,but the differ in ground temperature between the left and right shoulders still needs to be taken seriously. © 2022 Science Press (China).     

Environmental behaviors of mercury and lead in the soil of polymetallic deposit areas in western Hunan Province

Western Hunan Province is one of the most typical assembling areas of cryogenic metallic deposit in China, as well as a main ore-forming zone for some heavy metals. In the region, Hg and Pb pollution was caused by abnormally high concentrations of Hg, Pb in the natural environment and Hg, Pb exploiting/smelting and other human activities, which make the damage to human health more complicated. Generally, heavy metal pollutants in soil are often long-lasting and consequent, with their emission and/or transport into the environment, resulting in growing hazards to human health posed by elevated heavy metal concentrations in air, water, and food. Therefore, monitoring and understanding their behaviors in soil environment is the most important and urgent task. In this paper, the environmental behaviors and pollution characteristics of soil polluted by Hg and Pb in typical Hg and Pb mining areas in western Hunan were studied. Main results are presented as follows： （1） Western Hunan Province is a high regional geochemical abnormal region on Hg and Pb. The concentrations of Hg and Pb in soils in mercury mining areas were 1 315 and 3. l times higher than the average background of soils in China, respectively. While those in soils in lead mining areas are 14.1 and 6.1 times higher. By using the index of geoaccumulation （Igeo）, it was found that either mercury mining area or lead mining area in western Hunan Province has been polluted by the two elements, the majority of soils in mercury mining areas are seriously polluted by Hg, moderately or light polluted by Pb, while the majority of soils in lead mining areas are moderately or moderately-highly polluted by Pb and moderately-highly polluted by Hg. （2） By the BCR extraction procedures, both Hg and Pb in soils are dominated by residual form, followed by organic-sulfide form. Fe-Mn oxides and acid-exchangeable form are rather low. The total concentrations and each species of Hg and Pb in soils show positive correlations with the concentrations of sands, and negative ones with the concentrations of clays in soils.     

Surface and adsorptive properties of wood char particles in soil

Char and soot （black carbon, BC） are highly surface-active materials that can play an important role in contaminant fate and bioavailability in soils and sediments. This report summarizes our research on the influence of adsorbate structure and BC properties on adsorption of organic compounds, and the possible attenuation of BC surface activity by humic substances in the environment. The BC was a maple wood char formed at 400 ℃ in air and under other conditions. The solutes were polar and apolar aromatic compounds. The following points will be discussed. （1） By comparing adsorption to nonporous graphite, it was shown that molecular sieving effects （steric restriction） in the char micropore system occur in the order of increasing substitution on the benzene ring and in the order of increasing fused ring size. （2） By accounting for hydrophobic and steric effects it was shown that aromatic rings substituted with strongly pi-electron-accepting functional groups, such as nitro, undergo pi-pi electron donor-acceptor （EDA） interactions with the pi-donor polyaromatic （graphene） surface of the char. The free energy of adsorption due to pi-pi EDA interactions correlated with the free energy of molecular complexation in chloroform with model compounds representing the graphene surface （napthalene, phenanthrene, pyrene）. （3） A series of chars were prepared of different polarity （O content） but similar surface area and pore size distribution by varying temperature and atmosphere. Single- and bi-solute experiments showed that polar interactions with surface O are not a significant driving force for adsorption of polar compounds. Rather, surface O attracts water molecule clusters that inhibit adsorption of both polar and nonpolar compounds by competition. （4） Aging of char particles in a soil-water suspension strongly reduced char SA and sorption of added benzene. Studies were conducted with dissolved humic （HA） acid, HA-char co-precipitates, Ala＋-HA-char co-flocculates, and soybean oil representing humic lipid components.     

Effects of tree species and soil depths on ethylene and methane consumption in tropical and temperate forest soils

To date our knowledge is limited with regard to the responses of ethylene and methane consumption by forest soils to tree species and soil types, and to the effect of presence of ethylene on atmospheric methane consumption. The soils at depths from tropical and temperate forests in China were used to study the responses of ethylene and methane consumption to tree species and soil types. The ethylene and methane consumption by soils beneath each forest floor was measured under the same oxic conditions, along with main properties of forest soils. The accumulation of ethylene was studied in the soil slurry （soil/water, 1/2.5）. In temperate soils under spruce and birch forests, maximal consumption rates of ethylene and methane were observed in the 2.5-5.0 cm and 5.0-7.5 cm soil layers, respectively （P〈0.05）. However, a maximal consumption of both occurred in the 0-2.5 cm soil layer under temperate Korean pine forest （P〈0.05）. Contrary to temperate forest soils, there was a significant lower consumption of ethylene and methane in tropical forest soils at less than 20 cm depths under a seasonal rainforest and secondary rubber forest （P〈0.05）. Hence, the potential of ethylene and methane consumption in the 0-20 cm soil profile was variable with tree species and soil types. According to ethylene formation in the soil slurry, there was greater accumulation of ethylene in the 0-2.5 cm soil under temperate forests than under tropical forests, and its accumulation under spruce and birch forests was more than under Korean pine forest （P〈0.05）. The presence of extrinsic ethylene can significantly inhibit the consumption of atmospheric methane by forest soils.     

Dispersion and immobilization of pollutants in Cretaceous sandstones where U ore was mined by sulfuric acid leaching

The uranium deposit Straz pod Ralskem in the northern part of the Czech Republic was exploited by underground acidic leaching between 1968 and 1996. More than 14000 tons of uranium were produced during this period. More than 4 million tons of H2SO4, 300 thousand tons of HNO3, 120 thousand tons of NH3 and other chemicals were injected in Cenomanian sandstones. The mining has resulted in a large contamination of ground waters. Lateral hydrodynamic dispersion of the pollutants and migration of pollutants across aquitard are a potential hazard to drinking water supply and to surface aquatic environment, Chemical leaching was done by forced circulation of a technological acid solution introduced to the sandstones through injection drill holes and withdrawal of the enriched resulting solution by production wells. The solution is reacting not only with uranium ore, but also with minerals of the rock environment. Hydrogen ions are replaced by uranium and other cations leached from the rock, especially Fe, Al, Be and As. Ammonia remaining after the precipitation of the yellow cake （ammonium diuranate） was rejected underground in spite of that it serves no purpose in the underground leaching. High concentrations of Al, Be, As and ammonium ions in ground water became the most serious ecological pollutant. Modelling of the hydrodynamic dispersion of the pollutants predicts the future risks to local water supplies in 200 to 500 years. A possible way to reduce the risk is an immobilization of the pollutants in deeper parts of the sandstone aquifer. We found that modeling of the geochemical reactions using classical hydrochemical models give unrealistic results because of formation of colloidal particles.     

Studies on environment protection of vanadium exploitation in open air

Vanadium, improving mechanism and jointing capacity of steel products, is a kind of excellent additive during steel-making and its industry gets support from national industry policy. On account of shallow buried depth and low technique request of exploitation, there is much exploitation by local people lacking system management and technique guidance in area rich in vanadium since years ago, which damages regional environment dramatically. Accordingly, taking stone coal-vanadium as an example, the paper focuses on environment impact on water environment and eco-environment caused by exploitation in open air. Impact of exploitation on surface water mainly includes mining drainage and eluviated water of stock yard. According to civilian exploitation in the area, the rock suffers man-made disturbance, therefore, water quality indicators of mining drainage like heavy metal, permanganate, CI, SO4^2-, F are able to be analogies of ground water quantity in the region since the primary component of drainage is surrounding rock ground water. Water monitoring result of local well shows as follows： pH 6.68, SO4^2- 5.76 mg/L, F- 0.005 mg/L, Fe 0.025 mg/L, Mo 8.08 μg/L, Ni 5.91 μg/L, Co 0.61 μg/L, and all of them reach corresponding standard of water quality. Ground water turns into acid mine water by oxygenation after it discharges and with the help of sulfur the acid water contains nocuous elements which permeate in groundwater and surface water arousing pollution. The value of pH in the range of standard indicates that the acidification of mine water is relatively weak in the diggings. Eco-environment damage is another aspect that cannot be ignored, it acts as： （1） peeling work and establishment construction destroy landform; （2） stack of waste soil and rock occupies amounts of land; （3） various exploitation activities like vegetation peeling, landform change will enlarge the scope or enhance the intensity of soil erosion, which destroys eco-environment by leading water and soil loss;     

Assessment of heavy metals contamination in soils of Dexing region, Jiangxi Province, China

Heavy metal contamination has attracted huge concern due to its toxicity, abundance and persistence in the environment, and subsequent accumulation in soil, sediment and water. Mining is one of the most important sources of heavy metals in the environment. Mining-milling operations and disposal of tailings （the finely ground remains of milled ores） in addition to smelting and metal refining provide significant sources of pollution. Mining and mineral processing in the Dexing region of China have been carried out for over forty years and have contaminated the soils with heavy metals, Many studies were conducted to assess and establish the extent of heavy metal contamination in the soils due to mining. The aim of this work was to assess the environmental impact of mining on soils in the Dexing region and to identify the main factors involved in heavy metals dispersion. A 4800 km^2 study area was assessed with respect to its heavy metals on the basis of the current guideline values. In order to assess the extent of heavy metals contamination resulting from past mining activities in the Dexing region, 919 soil samples were collected and analyzed for As, Hg, Cd, Cr, Zn, Cu and Pb, Heavy metals levels were determined using inductively couple plasma-atomic emission spectrometry and X-ray fluorescence spectrometry. Results of soil samples reported concentrations between 1.790-899 mg/kg for As, 0.034-4.980 mg/kg for Hg, 0.043-8.330 mg/kg for Cd, 10-666 mg/kg for Cr, 25-18500 mg/kg for Zn, 6-1825 mg/kg for Cu, and 16-1312 mg/kg for Pb, respectively. The maximum values of As, Hg, Cd, Cr, Zn, Cu and Pb concentration in soils were up to 60, 33, 41, 7, 185, 52 and 37 times higher than the tolerable level, respectively. Meanwhile, the single-factor pollution index and Nemerow pollution index were used to assess the environment quality of heavy metals contamination.     

Impact of Vegetation on Main Hydrological Processes：A Field Study and Its Implication for Water Quality

The impact of vegetation cover on groundwater table was assessed with the observed water level fluctuations at two monitored wells in stalled on a bare ground and a vegetated land,respectively．Substantial differences in water table behavior were observed under two land cover scenarios．Ingeneral,the water level in the east grass (EG） well was lower and had much less response to rainfall events than the WNG well mainly due to the difference in the land cover．The effect of vegetation was to lower the water level in the EG well through ET and thus reduce groundwater recharge,which in turn reduced the chemical loads to the creek．The daily and accumulative ET values were estimated with both the Penman-Monteith method and a water table recession model．It is suggested that while the Penman-Monteith method closely modeled hourly ET cycles during the day,it underestimated actual ET during an intensive mid-summer growing period,and especially underestimated actual ET when the water table was close to the landsurface．With the water table recession model,the amount of ET was estimated at its maximum ET of 7．6 mm when the water table was near the groundsurface and then decreases exponentially to zero around day 33 during a dry period with the accumulative ET of 93．9 mm,or 2．84 mm／day．The results from this study clearly demonstrate that landuse and vegetation coverage have significant effects on ET,groundwater recharge and implications for a basin-scale water cycle and chemical loads to rivers and streams．     

Radon level in different types of underground buildings in China

Total and bioavailable concentrations of rare earth elements （REEs） in the latesol of Hainan Province, China, were measured by ICP-MS, and the distribution characteristics of REEs were discussed in various latesol profiles. The results show that the total concentrations of REEs were higher than the average statistical data of the whole China. The correlation coefficients between the total and bioavailable concentrations of REEs were from 0.66 to 0.95 （P〈0.001, n=63）. This suggests that it is necessary to study the bioavailable and total heavy metal concentrations in soils in order to assess the ecological and environmental effects, and to provide scientific information on REEs application as micro-elemental fertilizers, and consequently their potential health risks. The percentage of the bioavailable concentrations in the latesol derived from some kinds of parent materials was up to 50%, indicating that it was unnecessary to apply REE micro-elemental fertilizers in the soils.     

Relationship between pollen assemblages in surface soil and modern vegetation and climate in the western Tianshan Mountains,Xinjiang北大核心CSCD

Based on the pollen spectrum characteristics of 46 surface samples collected in the western Tianshan Mountains of Xinjiang and a plant community quadrat survey, we analyzed the relationship between pollen assemblages and modern climate and vegetation distribution in the region. The results showed the surface pollen assemblages were consistent with the distribution of modern vegetation. Based on the results of cluster analysis, the study area could be divided into three pollen assemblage zones（mountain steppe zone, desert vegetation zone and typical desert zone）. In general, pollen assemblage can roughly reflect the main characteristics of local vegetation, but there are significant differences in the percentage of some pollen types and the coverage of related plants. The pollen of Picea and Pinus in arbor plants, Ephedra in shrub plants, Chenopodiaceae and Artemisia in herb plants were high represented due to the influence of natural wind, water flow and their own pollen yield. While Rosaceae pollen in shrubs and Poaceae in herbs were less representative in a modern plant community with its own dominant species;The Artemisia and Chenopodiaceae（A/C）ratio can distinguish the desert zone from the mountain steppe zone, and could clearly reflect the aridity level. However, when using this indicator to reconstruct the climate environment, it is necessary to combine the characteristics of pollen assemblage and the influence of changes in vegetation composition and other factors to distinguish;Altitude, average annual precipitation, and average annual temperature all affect the distribution of surface pollen in the area. © 2022 The authors.     

Early diagenesis of nurtrients （C, N, P and Si） stored in sediments of two reservoirs in southwestern China

Damming is a common anthropogenic intervention along the course of rivers, which is defined as ＂artificial-lake effect＂, both in China and across the world. Today as many as 48000 dams and/or reservoirs are in operation in the Changjiang River （Yangtze River） drainage area, and more are being constructed. While damming is well known to affect riverbome nutrient loads, and thus the riverine ecosystems owing to removal of carbon fixation, and removal of particles in reservoir sediments, there is limited information on the detailed early diagenesis of sediments in reservoirs including the regeneration processes of nutrients deposited in sediments and exchange flux across the sediment-water interface, which is important for mass balance of riverbome nutrients. In the present study, two large-size reservoirs, Wujiangdu Reservoir （WJDR） and Dongfeng Reservoir （DFR）, located on the main steam of the Wujiang River and with uniformity hydrography and discrepancy biogeochemical activity （e. g. primary production）, were selected for a comparative study on the detailed processes of nutrient regeneration. Water, pore water and sediment were sampled from these two reservoirs and dissolved organic carbon （DOC）, NH4^＋, NO3^-, PO4^3-, dissolved silica （DSi） in the overlying water and pore water, and total organic matter in sediments were determined. The results of correlation analysis suggested that in these two reservoirs, processes of nutrient regeneration near the sediment-water interface were significantly different. As a result of rapid decomposition of algae-derived ＂labile＂ organic matter in upper sediments, nutrient regeneration processes and upward fluxes in WJDR are dramatically stronger than those of DFR. NH4^＋ upward flux from sediment in WJDR was about 17 times higher than that in DFR. PO4^3- flux in WJDR is about 13 times above that in DFR. DOC flux in WJDR is larger that in DFR by 5 times, and DSi by 1 time.     

Stabilities of heavy metals in soils treated with red mud

This paper discussed the stabilities of heavy metals in soils treated with red mud. Soil has been polluted by heavy metals more and more seriously during recent several decades, and they are harmful to mankind and animals. The current tendency is to develop in-situ technique by using industrial processing waste as additives to stabilized heavy metals to minimize the disturbance of contaminated soils. Soil samples were collected from the Niujiaotang mining area, Guizhou Province, southwestern China. They were farmed soils polluted weakly by fly ash （QBT） and polluted badly by waste water （BXT） from smelter, respectively. One of the red mud samples （BRM） was collected from Bayer process and the other （CRM） from confederate process in the Alumina Plant of Guizhou. Free metal ion concentrations were analyzed with Donnan Membrane Technique and predicted with ECOSAT. The concentrations of free heavy metal ions in QBT increased after appending CRM, but decreased when adding BRM. The more the red mud was added, the higher the concentration would be, and the free concentrations of nickel and cadmium ions would vary more greatly than those of copper and zinc ions. When appending red muds into BXT, the free concentrations of copper and zinc ions varied little. While those of free nickel and cadmium decreased obviously at the ratio of 2.00%. The variation of the concentration was still biggish after appending BRM at the ratio of 0.50%, but smaller than that of 2.00%. The concentrations of free cadmium ions increased after adding CRM at the ratio of 0.50%. All experimental processes were modeled through ECOSAT. The predicted and measured results were consistent, except for zinc. Contributions of soil sorbents to the heavy metal adsorptions were also modeled through ECOSAT. The sorbents in soil included soil organic matter, iron hydroxides, clay and the Donnan gel of soil organic matter. Compared to the soils without red muds, no matter what kind of red mud and how much was added in soil, the contributions changed slightly.     

Contamination and distribution of heavy metals in urban soil in Zhangzhou City, Fujian, China

The urban environment quality is of vital importance as the majority of people now live in cities. Due to the continuous urbanization and industrialization with rapidly increasing economy in China, metals are continuously emitted into soils, imposing a great threat on human health. Urban soils might be affected by industrial activities, transport, agricultural practice, and waste disposal. An extensive survey was conducted in the highly urbanized Zhangzhou City （Fujian Province, China） using a systematic sampling strategy. Concentrations of Hg, Cd, Pb, Zn, Cu, As, Cr and Ni were measured on 108 topsoil samples collected from parks （0-15 cm）, residential areas and suburban agricultural soils. Statistic approach （cluster analysis） was adopted for identification of natural and anthropogenic influence on heavy metal contents. The maps of metal concentrations in surface soils were made based on geographical information system （GIS） data. All of these aim at assessing the distribution of these heavy metals in the urban environment.