Toxicological and chemical assessment of ordinance compounds in marine sediments and porewaters

Toxicological and chemical studies were performed with a silty and a sandy marine sediment spiked with 2,6-dinitrotoluene (2,6-DNT), 2,4,6-trinitrophenylmethylnitramine (tetryl), or 2,4,6-trinitrophenol (picric acid). Whole sediment toxicity was analyzed by the 10-day survival test with the amphipod Ampelisca abdita, and porewater toxicity tests assessed macro-algae (Ulva fasciata) zoospore germination and germling growth, sea urchin (Arbacia punctulata) embryological development, and polychaete (Dinophilus gyrociliatus) survival and reproduction. Whole sediments spiked with 2,6-DNT were not toxic to amphipods. The fine-grained sediment spiked with tetryl was also not acutely toxic. The tetryl and picric acid LC50 values in the sandy sediment were 3.24 and 144 mg/kg dry weight, respectively. The fine-grained sediment spiked with picric acid generated a U-shaped concentration-response curve in the amphipod test, with increased survival both in the lowest and highest concentration. Grain-size distribution and organic carbon content strongly influenced the behavior of ordnance compounds in spiked sediments. Very low concentrations were measured in some of the treatments and irreversible binding and biodegradation are suggested as the processes responsible for the low measurements. Porewater toxicity varied with its sedimentary origin and with ordnance compound. The sea urchin embryological development test tended to be the least sensitive. Tetryl was the most toxic chemical in all porewater tests, and picric acid the least toxic. Samples spiked with 2,6-DNT contained a degradation product identified as 2-methyl-3-nitroaniline (also known as 2-amino-6-nitrotoluene), and unidentified peaks, possibly degradation products, were also seen in some of the picric acid- and tetryl-spiked samples. Degradation products may have played a role in observed toxicity.     

期待很久的2004年9月28日M6．0级帕克菲尔德地震的震磁效应

1976年以来，在加利福尼亚帕克菲尔德地区沿圣安德烈斯断层上长约60km的闭锁-蠕动过渡带，布设了由7个采样同步的质子磁力仪构成的差动连接的台阵，对该地区的局部磁场进行了准确的测量。2004年9月28日的M6．0级帕克菲尔德地震的震中恰好位于这个台阵之内，此次地震在其中的5个台站的观测中产生了0．2nT～0．5nT的同震磁场变化。但是从地震发生前1个月、前1周及前数天的地磁观测数据中，都检测不到明显高于背景噪声水平的震前磁场变化（由于没有可检测出的形变、地震活动或孔隙压力变化数据，理论上也应观测不到震前磁场变化）。在地震破裂末端附近的一个台站也记录了0．01Hz-20Hz频带内的电场和磁场数据，借助于沿断层的北西延长线上距该台站约115km的另一个台站的观测数据，对来自电离层和磁层的同模式噪声进行了校正。校正后的数据中既没有发现1989年ML7．1级洛马普列塔地震前可能存在ULF频带（0．01Hz-20Hz）的异常磁噪声，也没有发现相同震级的希腊地震震前产生的电场变化。基于应变、位移和地震数据反演得到的地震一致滑动和可变滑动压磁模型，能够计算出与磁力仪台阵观测到的结果相符的磁场扰动。1993年以来，该区域内长期存在着与荷载增加一致的较高磁场变化，与之相伴的是由一个两色EDM台网和另一个较小的钻孔应变仪台网观测到的剪应变率的长期增长及表现在1992、1993和1994年各发生了一次M4．5～5．0级地震的地震活动性的增强。集成了所有这些数据建立的模型揭示了该区域在深度剖面上有增大的滑动，这也许对2004年9月28日M6．0级帕克菲尔德地震的最后发生起到了重要的作用。本次地震以及其他发生于圣安德烈斯断层系内其他地方的M5～7．3级地震的震前电场和磁场前兆的缺乏，表明了仅利用现有的这些电磁数据来对破坏性地震做出有意义的预测看来并不可能。     

Dynamic Analysis for the Global Performance of An SPM-Feeder-Cage System Under Waves and Currents

In the present study, the dynamic response of a coupled SPM-feeder-cage system under irregular waves and shear currents is analyzed. A numerical model is developed by using the commercial software Orca Flex. Hydrodynamics coefficients of the vessel are calculated by using a 3D diffraction/radiation panel program. First- and second-order wave forces are included in the calculations. Morison equation is used to compute the drag force on line elements representing the net. Drag coefficients are determined at every time step in the simulation considering the relative normal velocity between the structural elements and the fluid flow. The dynamic response of the coupled system is analyzed for various environments and net materials. The results of the study show the effects of solidity ratio of the net and vertical positions of the cage on the overall dynamic response of the system, confirming the viability of this type of configuration for future development of offshore aquaculture in deep waters.     

Detrital Zircon Records of the Banxi Group in the Western Jiangnan Orogen: Implications for Crustal Evolution of the South China Craton

The Neoproterozoic evolution of the Jiangnan Orogen is important for understanding the tectonic history of South China. As a volcanic-sedimentary sequence developed in the Nanhua rift, the Banxi Group preserves the records of important magmatic and tectonic events linked to the assembly and breakup of the Rodinia supercontinent. In this study, we report the results from whole-rock major-and trace-element concentrations, with zircon LA-(MC)-ICP-MS U-Pb ages, trace elements and Lu-Hf isotopic comp...     

Damage Identification of A TLP Floating Wind Turbine by Meta-Heuristic Algorithms

Damage identification of the offshore floating wind turbine by vibration/dynamic signals is one of the important and new research fields in the Structural Health Monitoring (SHM). In this paper a new damage identification method is proposed based on meta-heuristic algorithms using the dynamic response of the TLP (Tension-Leg Platform) floating wind turbine structure. The Genetic Algorithms (GA), Artificial Immune System (AIS), Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO), and Artificial Bee Colony (ABC) are chosen for minimizing the object function, defined properly for damage identification purpose. In addition to studying the capability of mentioned algorithms in correctly identifying the damage, the effect of the response type on the results of identification is studied. Also, the results of proposed damage identification are investigated with considering possible uncertainties of the structure. Finally, for evaluating the proposed method in real condition, a 1/100 scaled experimental setup of TLP Floating Wind Turbine (TLPFWT) is provided in a laboratory scale and the proposed damage identification method is applied to the scaled turbine.     

A new method for laboratory estimation of the transverse dispersion coefficient

We introduce a method for identifying the transverse dispersion coefficient in laboratory experiments based on the analytical solution of a pulse injection of a nonreactive solute in a soil column (cylindrical geometry) packed with a homogeneous porous medium. This method takes into account the effect of boundary conditions such as no flux on the column perimeter, and it does not need a priori knowledge of the longitudinal dispersion coefficient. Numerical applications of the method show that it is stable and robust and that the results are reasonably in accordance with those found using the classical maximum likelihood method.     

Defining and detecting undesirable disturbance in the context of marine eutrophication

An understanding of undesirable disturbance to the balance of organisms is needed to diagnose marine eutrophication as defined by EU Directives and OSPAR. This review summarizes the findings of the UK Defra-funded Undesirable Disturbance Study Team, which concluded that 'an undesirable disturbance is a perturbation of a marine ecosystem that appreciably degrades the health or threatens the sustainable human use of that ecosystem'. A methodology is proposed for detecting disturbance of temperate salt-water communities dominated by phytoplanktonic or phytobenthic primary producers. It relies on monitoring indicators of ecosystem structure and vigour, which are components of health. Undesirable disturbance can be diagnosed by accumulating evidence of ecohydrodynamic type-specific changes in: (i) bulk indicators; (ii) frequency statistics; (iii) flux measurements; (iv) structural indicators; and (v) indicator species. These are exemplified by (i) chlorophyll, transparency, dissolved oxygen, and opportunistic seaweed cover; (ii) HABs frequency; (iii) primary production; (iv) benthic and planktonic 'trophic indices'; (v) seagrasses and Nephrops norvegicus. Ecological Quality Objectives are proposed for some of these. Linking the diagnosis to eutrophication requires correlation of changes with nutrient enrichment. The methodology, which requires the development of a plankton community index and emphasizes the importance of primary production as an indicator of vigour, can be harmonized with the EU Water Framework Directive and OSPAR's Strategy to Combat Eutrophication.     

The use of time-series data in the assessment of macrobenthic community change after the cessation of sewage-sludge disposal in Liverpool Bay (UK)

Sewage sludge was disposed of in Liverpool Bay for over 100 years. Annual amounts increased from 0.5 million tonnes per annum in 1900 to approximately 2 million tonnes per annum by 1995. Macrofauna and a suite of environmental variables were collected at a station adjacent to, and a reference station distant from, the disposal site over 13 years, spanning a pre- (1990-1998) and post- (1999-2003) cessation period. Univariate and multivariate analyses of the time-series data showed significant community differences between reference and disposal site stations and multivariate analyses revealed station-specific community development post-disposal. Temporal variability of communities collected at the disposal station post-cessation was higher than during years of disposal, when temporally stable dominance patterns of disturbance-tolerant species had established. Alterations of community structure post-disturbance reflected successional changes possibly driven by facilitation. Subtle faunistic changes at the Liverpool Bay disposal site indicate that the near-field effects of the disposal of sewage sludge were small and therefore could be considered environmentally acceptable.     

Urban seagrass: status of Posidonia oceanica facing the Genoa city waterfront (Italy) and implications for management

A system of five adjacent Posidonia oceanica meadows facing the waterfront of Genoa city (Ligurian Sea, NW Mediterranean) was investigated over different spatial scales (meters-kilometers) using three environmental indices: conservation index (CI), substitution index (SI) and phase-shift index (PSI). CI revealed differences mostly at large spatial scale, distinguishing the poor condition of the meadows closest to Genoa centre and harbour from the comparatively healthy condition of the farthest meadows. SI showed differences mostly at small spatial scale (i.e., within meadows), suggesting the influence of local factors in the re-colonisation of regressed meadows by the seagrass Cymodocea nodosa and/or the invasive alga Caulerpa racemosa. Mapping of PSI showed that the meadows closest to Genoa centre and harbour have undergone a nearly total phase shift and have no real potential for recovery: attempts to re-establish P. oceanica there might be a waste of time and money. On the contrary, the meadows farthest from Genoa centre and harbour showed a comparatively low level of phase shift and could still fully recover given specific management actions.