Responses of coastal lagoon plant communities to levels of nutrient enrichment: A mesocosm study

An experiment was conducted to quantify the effects of different levels of nutrient enrichment on the plant communities of temperate coastal lagoons, specifically the lagoons of the northeast U.S. Ten mesocosms, each containing coastal water, lagoon sediments, and plants and animals found in natural lagoons, were subjected to five levels of enrichment. Two mesocosms served as controls, and received no experimental nutrient additions. The remaining 8 mesocosms were enriched in duplicate with ammonium plus phosphate at 1.0 and 0.11 mmol N or P m^?2 d^?1, 2.0 and 0.19 mmol N or P m^?2 d^?1, 4.0 and 0.35 mmol N or P m^?2 d^?1, and 8.0 and 0.67 N or P mmol m^?2 d^?1. At all levels of enrichment, and through much of the experiment, water column concentrations of dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN) were drawn down to background levels. Despite the efficient drawdown of added DIN even at the highest loadings, differences in plant biomass among the 5 treatments were difficult to detect. Enrichment at the highest loadings increased standing stocks of phytoplankton for one month mid-experiment. No significant effect of loading could be detected for dry biomass of eelgrass (Zostera marina), epiphytic material, drift macroalgae, or for all plant components combined. The experiment has demonstrated that the enrichment responses of coastal lagoons can be diverse, especially at intermediate loadings.     

Effects of stormwater nutrient discharges on eutrophication processes in nearshore waters of the Florida keys

Rainfall events cause episodic discharges of groundwaters contaminated with septic tank effluent into nearshore waters of the Florida keys, enhancing eutrophication in sensitive coral reef communities. Our study characterized the effects of stormwater discharges by continuously (30-min intervals) measuring salinity, temperature, tidal stage, and dissolved oxygen (DO) along an offshore eutrophication gradient prior to and following heavy rainfall at the beginning of the 1992 rainy season. The gradient included stations at a developed canal system (PP) on Big Pine Key, a seagrass meadow in a tidal channel (PC), a nearshore patch reef (PR), a bank reef at Looe Key National Marine Sanctuary (LK), and a blue water station (BW) approximately 9 km off of Big PIne Key. Water samples were collected at weekly intervals during this period to determine concentrations of total nitrogen (TN), ammonium (NH₄ ⁺), nitrate plus nitrite NO₃ ^? plus NO₂ ^?), total phosphorus (TP), total dissolved phosphorus (TDP), soluble reactive phosphorus (SRP), and chlorophyll a (chl a). Decreased salinity immediately followed the first major rainfall at Big Pine Key, which was followed by anoxia (DO <0.1 mg I^?1), high concentrations of NH₄ ⁺ (≈24 μM), TDP (≈1.5 μM), and chl a (≈20 μg I^?1). Maximum concentration of TDP (≈0.30 μM) also followed the initial rainfall at the PC, PR, and LK stations. In contrast, NH₄ ⁺ (≈4.0 μM) and chl a (0.45 μg I^?1) lagged the rain event by 1–3 wk, depending on distance from shore. The highest and most variable concentrations of NH₄ ⁺, TDP, and chl a occurred at PP, and all nutrient parameters correlated positively with rainfall. DO at all stations was positively correlated with tide and salinity and the lowest values occurred during low tide and low salinity (high rainfall) periods. Hypoxia (DO <2.5 mg I^?1) was observed at all stations follwing the stormwater discharges, including the offshore bank reef station LK. Our study demonstrated that high frequency (daily) sampling is necessary to track the effects of episodic rainfall events on water quality and that such effects can be detected at considerable distances (12 km) from shore. The low levels of DO and high levels of nutrients and chl a in coastal waters of the Florida Keys demand that special precautions be exercised in the treatment and discharge of wastewaters and land-based runoff in order to preserve sensitive coral reef communities.     

填料配比及环境因素对人工湿地去除氨氮效果的影响

选择火山灰、沸石和无烟煤作为人工湿地除氨氮填料,对不同比配的填料进行污水除氨氮吸附实验,筛选出最优填料配比。并对最优配比方案进行了p H值、有机质对去除氨氮的影响实验。实验结果证明火山灰、沸石和无烟煤的配比为1:1:2时处理污水中的氨氮效果最好。p H值在4~7范围内去除氨氮效果理想,有机质草酸对去除氨氮影响不大、但有葡萄糖存在时去除氨氮效果明显降低。     

湖泊湿地生态地球化学评价的标准体系

湖泊湿地生态地球化学评价的研究重点为湖泊湿地生态系统中的重金属、植物营养元素及一些有机污染物,评价标准体系相应地包括水质基准、营养物基准、水体沉积物质量基准、饮用水卫生标准、土壤环境质量标准、食品卫生标准、湖泊水库富营养化标准等。     

湖泊湿地生态地球化学评价的标准体系

湖泊湿地生态地球化学评价的研究重点为湖泊湿地生态系统中的重金属、植物营养元素及一些有机污染物,评价标准体系相应地包括水质基准、营养物基准、水体沉积物质量基准、饮用水卫生标准、土壤环境质量标准、食品卫生标准、湖泊水库富营养化标准等.     

Roadway construction in karst areas: management of stormwater runoff and sinkhole risk assessment

In karst-rich regions, it is inevitable that roadways cross karst landscapes. Road building across such terranes faces environmental and engineering challenges because of impacts on water quality from stormwater runoff and concerns of sinkhole collapse under or near roadways. When highway runoff drains rapidly into subsurface conduit networks through open sinkholes and/or sinking streams, the impact of the runoff on the karst aquifer can be qualitatively evaluated by mixing cell models. Formulation of a comprehensive stormwater runoff management plan prior to roadway construction can minimize the associated adverse impacts. The commonly used best management practices help manage the stormwater runoff effectively in some sites. Site-specific management plans are preferable for other sites because of concerns of flooding and land stability. Proactive measures should be taken to identify areas of the greatest sinkhole collapse risk along the proposed route and the associated groundwater drainage patterns.     

The interrelationships among trace element cycling,nutrient loading,and system complexity in estuaries: A mesocosm study

Biogeochemical interactions between a suite of trace elements and nutrients were examined in a series of experimental mesocosm experiments to understand how multiple stressors affect estuarine environments and how these effects are modified by the complexity of the system used to examine them. Experimental treatment included additions of nutrients and trace elements separately and combined, along with a gradient in experimental system complexity. Eight mesocosm experiments were carried out from 1996 through 1998. Increased nutrients generally decreased dissolved trace element concentrations, in large part through an increase in phytoplankton biomass, but also by increasing the concentration of metals in the particles. Trace element additions increased dissolved nutrients by decreasing phytoplankton biomass. The presence of sediments reduced both dissolved trace element and nutrient concentrations. Other complexity treatments had weaker effects on both dissolved nutrients and trace elements. Many of the observed effects appeared to be seasonal, occurring only in spring, or their magnitude was greater in spring. This may be linked to a change from phosphorus to nitrogen limitation that often occurs in the Patuxent River estuary in the late spring or early summer period.     

Metal pollution assessment and multivariate analysis in sediment of Anzali international wetland

Anzali international wetland located in southwestern Caspian Sea coast is one of the most important wetlands of Iran from environmental and ecological points of view. Metal concentrations (Cu, Zn, Cr, Fe, Mn, Pb, Ni, Cd, and Li) in 41 surface sediment samples from Anzali wetland were determined. Assessment of ecological risk of sediment samples as well as their degree of contamination revealed considerable ecological risk and moderate degree of contamination in eastern part of the study area. Multivariate statistical analyses were used to identify metal content relationship and their origin. Higher enrichment factors of Cd, Pb, and Zn exhibited probable effects on human activities. Based on sediment quality guidelines (SQGs), moderate potential toxicity levels of sediment samples were identified. A new sediment quality index named sediment toxicity degree was developed based on the results of the multivariate statistical analysis to assess metal toxicity in surface sediments of aquatic systems. Results showed higher sensitivity of the new index (ST_d) to assess toxic effect of heavy metals on sediments and better capability to differentiate zones with different levels of risk within the study area than that of some other indices such as SQG-Q.     

江苏省淮安市典型湿地底泥营养盐分布特征及污染评价

江苏淮安具有丰富的湿地资源。文章基于区内典型湿地底泥调查结果,开展营养盐含量特征及污染评价研究。结果表明:湿地底泥总氮、总磷、有机质含量分别为0.26~6.51 g/kg、0.36~3.98 g/kg、0.52％~10.17％,具有较大变异性;总体来看,公园池塘、湖泊底泥的营养盐含量最高,沟渠、水产养殖场底泥中营养盐含量次之,河流水系沉积物中营养盐含量最低。湿地底泥有机碳、总氮、总磷含量之间均呈显著正相关,反映它们的来源、迁移转换过程具有一定的相似性。其中,湖泊底泥C/N平均值(8.6)较小,有机物主要来源于湖泊内水生藻类植物;公园池塘、河流、沟渠、水产养殖场底泥具有较大的C/N平均值(9.9~11.9),有机物来源主要受陆源物质影响。底泥中有机氮、有机指数和污染指数的评价结果显示,研究区底泥受到不同程度的污染,成因与区内畜禽养殖、农田施肥等农业活动密切相关。建议推进研究区畜禽养殖污染和粪污资源化利用,实施科学施肥,减少化肥使用量。     

基于压力-状态-响应模型的扎龙湿地健康水循环评价研究

在剖析湿地健康水循环概念内涵的基础上,建立了湿地健康水循环压力-状态-响应概念模型,并运用此模型构建湿地健康水循环评价的指标体系。该指标体系探索了压力与湿地健康水循环变化之间的关系,并提出了相应的改善措施,有利于湿地管理工作的顺利开展。湿地健康水循环评价模型采用模糊模式识别模型,各指标权重利用层次分析法确定。根据评价指标的选择原则,选取9个评价指标,提出了5级评价标准,对扎龙湿地8年的湿地水循环状况进行了评价,明确各年的健康状况及限制因子。评价结果与实际进行对比分析,证明评价结果是正确的。     

Evaluation of the removal of heavy metals in a natural wetland impacted by mining activities in Mexico

This research is focused on evaluating heavy metals (Cd, Cu, Fe, Mn, Pb, and Zn) uptake and removal by Eleocharis ovata, Cyperus manimae, Typha dominguensis, and Pteridium aquilinum in a natural wetland impacted by mining activities. We analyzed heavy metals content and distribution in native plants, soils, and water of a semipermanent natural wetland in Taxco de Alarcón, Guerrero, and we also determined the physicochemical characteristics of the water. Translocation factor (TF) and bioconcentration factor (BCF) were evaluated. Results showed that physical and chemical conditions are favorable for plants development. Correlation analysis showed a good and positive relation (0.95) between Cu and Pb in soils and plants. In the analyzed matrices: Zn (0.62–2.20 mg/L) exceeded the permissible limits in water, high concentrations of Pb and Zn (26.57–525.67 and 266.67–983.33 mg/kg, respectively) were detected in the studied soils, and Pb exceeded the normal range for E. ovata and P. aquilinum in the analyzed plants. Uptake of heavy metals in the tissues of different species was found in the following order: root > leaf. Data of TF and BCF showed that E. ovata is a tolerant plant with respect to heavy metals exposure since TF value was greater than 1. This study showed that E. ovata could be considered as a bioaccumulator of heavy metals in contaminated soils.     

Quantitative assessment of drought in a lacustrine wetland based on a water balance model

Upstream inflow decline and excessive water withdrawal are the major reasons for failure in maintaining ecological functions of wetlands and could lead to wetland drought and degradation. Quantitative evaluation of wetlands drought constitutes the basis for managing and scheduling water resources and guaranteeing biological safety. In the study, we proposed a Palmer wetland drought index (PWDI) based on the water balance model that describes wetland hydrological characteristics linked to its located basin to describe drought-reflected ecological characteristics in lacustrine Baiyangdian Wetland and compared it with Palmer drought severity index (PDSI). The results presented that PWDI is able to reflect the worst drought in history, and the drought is mainly affected by water stored in the wetland, but PDSI is inadequate for evaluating the wetland drought. The PWDI methodology provides a clear, objective approach for describing the intensity of drought and can be readily adapted to characterize drought on an operational basis.     

植草沟滞蓄城市道路雨水的试验及模拟

为定量分析植草沟的水文性能,优化其设计参数取值,通过植草沟滞蓄城市道路雨水的试验设施开展模拟径流试验,验证了SWMM （storm water management model）模型模拟植草沟滞蓄效果的可行性,通过模型情景分析提出了设施的优化设计参数,评估了设施对提高道路排水标准和长期径流削减的影响。研究结果表明:SWMM模型对模拟植草沟水文性能具有较好的精度,对较小的降雨重现期和边坡比,较大的滞蓄深度、植被覆盖率和面积负荷比,植草沟的滞蓄能力更强,建议其设计降雨重现期不超过10年,滞蓄深度为10 cm以上,边坡比至少为3,植被覆盖率为0.5以上,面积负荷比为5%以上。模拟北京某城市道路采用植草沟设施后,可将3年、5年、10年的排水标准分别提高到15年、20年、30年,在长达64年的运行中,植草沟几乎可消纳自身及汇水区域内所有径流,可为道路植草沟的设计和应用提供参考。     

Contribution of cation exchange property of overflow wetland peat to removal of NH4+ discharged from some Finnish peat mines

The importance of adsorption on peat for decreasing NH₄⁺ was estimated in four overland flow areas (OFA) in northern Finland, where peat mining water is purified by conducting it across a natural mire of a given size. The effective cation exchange capacity (ECEC) values of peat in the OFAs ranged from 21.4 to 92.7 meq per 100g, being generally highest in the surface 0–15 cm. It was estimated that about 4.6–5.8% of the peat cation exchan e sites could be occupied by NH₄⁺, corresponding to a NH₄⁺ retention capacity of about 0.18 to 0.77 g kg⁻¹ dry peat. Assuming that the retention was attributable to the 0–15 cm surface peat layer alone, the calculated NH₄⁺ retention potential of OFA peat should have lasted under 6 months with the loadings imposed on the OFAs and the decreases in NH₄⁺ amounts in peat mining water considered here. The actual duration of peat capacity to retain NH₄⁺ in the OFAs has, however, already been shown in this research to be longer, and apparently will be so also in future, probably as a result of two processes: nitrification and subsequent N loss through denitrification, and biological assimilation. Hence, cation exchange capacity of OFA was an important property that contributed to surface water protection against eutrophication by N.     

Attrition efficiency in the decontamination of stormwater sediments

The purpose of this research is to propose a laboratory method based on attrition and sieving for the treatment of runoff water sediments in the aim of developing a pilot unit. The attrition process serves to remove fine particles and pollutants from the surface of coarse stormwater sediment particles. In all cases, the efficiency of pollutant removal is dependent upon various parameters, including cutoff threshold, residence time, solid density, temperature and impeller speed. This article presents the optimization of these various parameters along with method efficiency; for this work, several sediments have been tested. The results indicate that an attrition scrubber may be effectively used to remediate contaminated sediment and that reuse is definitely possible. A model of the method will also be proposed to study the behavior of fine particles and pollutants.     

Comparison of Bio-P module and the Modified Bio-P module in the step-feed biological nutrient removal process

The Modified Bio-P module was evaluated in terms of the kinetic rate expression and engineering parameters, comparing the measured data of full-scale plant with simulated data. To simulate step-feed BNR (Biological Nutrient Removal), the ASM3 (Activated Sludge Model 3) with the EAWAG Bio-P Module (The Swiss Federal Institute for Environmental Science and Technology) and the ASM3+Modified Bio-P module were used. The RMSEs (root mean square error) of the T-N (total nitrogen) concentration of the effluent levels of measured and simulated examples were 2.29 for ASM3+Bio-P and 1.28 for ASM3+Modified Bio-P. In the case of T-P (total phosphorus), the RMSEs were 0.28 for ASM3+Bio-P and 0.25 for ASM3+Modified Bio-P. The annual removal rates for T-N were 0.77 for the measured, 0.69 for the Bio-P, and 0.74 for the Modified Bio-P samples, while the annual removal rates for T-P were 0.64 for the measured, 0.72 for the Bio-P, and 0.60 for the Modified Bio-P cases. With simulated data, the Modified Bio-P model was a better fit for the field data compared to Bio-P. The Modified Bio-P module reproduced the step-feed process more effectively than the Bio-P module.     

The role of biodegradable particulate and colloidal organic compounds in biological nutrient removal activated sludge systems

The efficiency of denitrification and enhanced biological phosphorus removal in biological nutrient removal activated sludge systems is strongly dependent on the availability of appropriate carbon sources. Due to high costs of commercial compounds (such as methanol, ethanol, acetic acid, etc.) and acclimation periods (usually) required, the effective use of internal substrates is preferred. The aim of this study was to determine the effects of slowly biodegradable compounds (particulate and colloidal), as internal carbon sources, on denitrification, phosphate release/uptake and oxygen utilization for a full-scale process mixed liquor from two large wastewater treatment plants located in northern Poland. Since it is difficult to distinguish the effect of slowly biodegradable substrate in a direct way, a novel procedure was developed and implemented. Four types of one- and two-phase laboratory batch experiments were carried out in two parallel reactors with the settled wastewater without pre-treatment (reactor 1) and pre-treated with coagulation–flocculation (reactor 2). The removal of colloidal and particulate fractions resulted in the reduced process rates (except for phosphate release). The average reductions ranged from 13 % for the oxygen utilization rate during the second phase of a two-phase experiment (anaerobic/aerobic), up to 35 % for the nitrate utilization rate (NUR) during the second phase of a conventional NUR measurement.     

耦合湿地模块的流域水文模型模拟效率评价

耦合湿地模块的流域水文模型是开展流域湿地变化的水文效应及其水文功能评估的有效工具,其模拟效率直接关系到模拟精度和应用价值。选取中国湿地主要分布区之一的嫩江流域,利用PHYSITEL/HYDROTEL模型平台,构建孤立湿地和河滨湿地模块并与流域水文模型耦合,并从拟合优度指数和模拟效率角度评价了耦合湿地模块的流域水文模型模拟效率。结果表明,耦合湿地模块的流域水文模型,拟合和验证期间模型的拟合度指数均有所提高,嫩江富拉尔基和大赉水文站控制流域的Nash-Sutcliffe系数和克林效率系数平均提高了3.08%和4.64%,均方根误差和相对偏差平均降低了12.72%和55.93%,且整个研究时段模拟结果的流量指数总体更接近于观测的径流数据。可见,耦合湿地模块的流域水文模型可提高水文过程模拟精度,更好地定量评估湿地水文功能,为流域水资源精准调控与湿地修复保护提供重要支撑。     

Utilization of palm oil mill effluent for polyhydroxyalkanoate production and nutrient removal using statistical design

The optimization for poly-β-hydroxyalkanoate production was carried out with nutrient removal efficiency for total organic carbon (TOC), phosphate, and nitrate from palm oil mill effluent waste. The experiment was conducted in a fabricated fed-batch reactor and the data obtained was analyzed using central composite rotatable design and factorial design for response surface methodology as a systematic approach for designing the experiment statistically to obtain valid results with minimum effort, time, and resources. The analysis of numerical optimization with propagation of error showed that 66 % of poly-β-hydroxyalkanoate production can be obtained with nutrient removal of TOC and nitrate by 19 and 3 %, respectively. However, phosphate removal efficiency was not found to be much effective. More over, the chemical oxygen demand: nitrogen phosphate (509 g/g N), chemical oxygen demand: phosphate (200 g/g P), air flow rate (0.59 L/min), substrate feeding rate (20 mL/min), and cycle length (20 h) were the optimized variables for maximum poly-β-hydroxyalkanoate production and nutrient removal.