Meiofaunal and bacterial community response to diesel additions in a microcosm study

Effects of low PAH-containing diesel were studied in a 60-day microcosm experiment at PAH concentrations 130, 1300 and 13,000μg/kg sediment. Nutrient fluxes, potential nitrification and meiofaunal community composition were analysed at three time points. Changed ∑NOx-fluxes indicated reduced sediment nitrification in Medium and High with time, in agreement with lowered potential nitrification rates in all treatments. Reduction in silicate and phosphate fluxes over time suggested severe effects on activity of meiofauna. Reduced activity increased the anoxic sediment layer, which could have contributed to the changed ∑NOx-fluxes. There were significant differences in meiofaunal community composition after 30 and 60days in Medium and High. Changes were due to increasing numbers of harpacticoids and the foraminiferan group Rotaliina, as well as decreasing numbers of Nematodes and the foraminiferan group Reophax. In spite of the low PAH-level, small additions of this diesel can still have pronounced effects on meiofaunal and bacterial communities.     

Prevalence and composition of fishing gear debris in the nests of northern gannets (Morus bassanus) are related to fishing effort

Bycatch and indirect mortality associated with global fishing operations affect non-target species. Northern gannets (Morus bassanus) and other seabirds incorporate marine debris, much of it originating in fisheries, into their nests, at times resulting in entanglement. We compared the prevalence and composition of marine debris in nests at two gannet colonies in Newfoundland before and after a basin-wide ground fish closure in 1992, and at the species' largest colony in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, where fishing effort is low. The proportion of nests with marine debris decreased following the fishery closure, and the proportion of nests with fishing gear was related exponentially to the number of gillnets set around breeding colonies. Assessing the composition of gannet nests could provide a useful index of the prevalence of fishing debris and could be used to assess entanglement risk of other animals in the marine environment over decadal scales.     

Evaluation for the ecological quality status of coastal waters in East China Sea using fuzzy integrated assessment method

This research presented an evaluation for the ecological quality status (EcoQS) of three semi-enclosed coastal areas using fuzzy integrated assessment method (FIAM). With this method, the hierarchy structure was clarified by an index system of 11 indicators selected from biotic elements and physicochemical elements, and the weight vector of index system was calculated with Delphi-Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) procedure. Then, the FIAM was used to achieve an EcoQS assessment. As a result of assessment, most of the sampling stations demonstrated a clear gradient in EcoQS, ranging from high to poor status. Among the four statuses, high and good, owning a ratio of 55.9% and 26.5%, respectively, were two dominant statuses for three bays, especially for Sansha Bay and Luoyuan Bay. The assessment results were found consistent with the pressure information and parameters obtained at most stations. In addition, the sources of uncertainty in classification of EcoQS were also discussed.     

Phytotoxicity induced in isolated zooxanthellae by herbicides extracted from Great Barrier Reef flood waters

To date there has been limited evidence anthropogenically sourced pollution from catchments reaching corals of the Great Barrier Reef (GBR). In this study, freshly isolated zooxanthellae were exposed to polar chemicals (chiefly herbicides) extracted from water samples collected in a flood plume in the GBR lagoon. Photosynthetic potential of the isolated zooxanthellae declined after exposure to concentrated extracts (10 times) from all but one of the sampling sites. Photosynthetic potential demonstrated a significant positive relationship with the concentration of diuron in the concentrated extracts and a significant inverse relationship with salinity measured at the sampling site. This study demonstrates that runoff from land based application of herbicides may reduce photosynthetic efficiency in corals of inshore reefs in the GBR. The ecological impacts of the chemicals in combination with other potential stressors on corals remain unclear.     

Geochemical quantification of semiarid mountain recharge

Analysis of a typical semiarid mountain system recharge (MSR) setting demonstrates that geochemical tracers help resolve the location, rate, and seasonality of recharge as well as ground water flowpaths and residence times. MSR is defined as the recharge at the mountain front that dominates many semiarid basins plus the often-overlooked recharge through the mountain block that may be a significant ground water resource; thus, geochemical measurements that integrate signals from all flowpaths are advantageous. Ground water fluxes determined from carbon-14 ((14)C) age gradients imply MSR rates between 2 x 10(6) and 9 x 10(6) m(3)/year in the Upper San Pedro Basin, Arizona, USA. This estimated range is within an order of magnitude of, but lower than, prior independent estimates. Stable isotopic signatures indicate that MSR has a 65% +/- 25% contribution from winter precipitation and a 35% +/- 25% contribution from summer precipitation. Chloride and stable isotope results confirm that transpiration is the dominant component of evapotranspiration (ET) in the basin with typical loss of more than 90% of precipitation-less runoff to ET. Such geochemical constraints can be used to further refine hydrogeologic models in similar high-elevation relief basins and can provide practical first estimates of MSR rates for basins lacking extensive prior hydrogeologic measurements.     

Origin of shallow ground water in an alluvial aquifer as determined by isotopic and chemical procedures

In this study, we identify the origin of shallow ground water that supports regionally unique plant and wildlife habitats in a riparian and reservoir-fringe system using isotopic and chemical procedures. This study was conducted where Little Stony Creek flows into East Park Reservoir on the east front of the Coast Range, northern California. Little Stony Creek water, Hyphus Creek water, Franciscan Complex regional ground water, Great Valley Group regional ground water, and local shallow ground water were collected during wet and dry seasons and were analyzed for deuterium, oxygen-18, temperature, pH, redox potential, conductivity, and major cation and anion concentrations. Turnover in the local flow system is rapid indicating that local shallow ground water is dependent on recent recharge. Local shallow ground water is recharged primarily by Little Stony Creek water and Franciscan Complex ground water. In the wet season, Little Stony Creek is the more prominent source of local shallow ground water, and the ratio of Little Stony Creek water to Franciscan Complex ground water decreases with distance from the channel. In the dry season, Franciscan Complex ground water is the more prominent source of local shallow ground water, and the ratio of Little Stony Creek water to Franciscan Complex ground water decreases with distance down the valley. Franciscan Complex ground water discharges to local shallow ground water throughout the year, primarily because the local flow system is a regional low that lies perpendicular to the Franciscan Complex ground water flowpath. Little Stony Creek is a more prominent source of ground water in the wet season than in the dry season because Little Stony Creek flows continuously through the alluvial reach in the wet season and intermittently through the alluvial reach in the dry season. Extensive ground water withdrawals from the Franciscan Complex flow system could reduce the amount of water available to the local flow system, particularly during the dry season, and could substantially reduce the geographic extent of the regionally unique plant and wildlife habitats.     

Ground water dependence of endangered ecosystems: Nebraska's eastern saline wetlands

Many endangered or threatened ecosystems depend on ground water for their survival. Nebraska's saline wetlands, home to a number of endangered species, are ecosystems whose development, sustenance, and survival depend on saline ground water discharge at the surface. This study demonstrates that the saline conditions present within the eastern Nebraska saline wetlands result from the upwelling of saline ground water from within the underlying Dakota Aquifer and deeper underlying formations of Pennsylvanian age. Over thousands to tens of thousands of years, saline ground water has migrated over regional scale flowpaths from recharge zones in the west to the present-day discharge zones along the saline streams of Rock, Little Salt, and Salt Creeks in Lancaster and Saunders counties. An endangered endemic species of tiger beetle living within the wetlands has evolved under a unique set of hydrologic conditions, is intolerant to recent anthropogenic changes in hydrology and salinity, and is therefore on the brink of extinction. As a result, the fragility of such systems demands an even greater understanding of the interrelationships among geology, hydrology, water chemistry, and biology than in less imperiled systems where adaptation is more likely. Results further indicate that when dealing with ground water discharge-dependent ecosystems, and particularly those dependent on dissolved constituents as well as the water, wetland management must be expanded outside of the immediate surface location of the visible ecosystem to include areas where recharge and lateral water movement might play a vital role in wetland hydrologic and chemical mixing dynamics.     

唐山地震前后地下水位动态图象及其形成演化模式

对唐山地震前后地下水位动态图象的生成方法、时空演化特征及其形成演化模式的研究表明,唐山地震前后地下水位动态图象正负区和异常特征区的时空演化具有明显的规律性和阶段性。负值区的演化具有“收缩—扩展—急速扩展—发震”的特征;异常特征区的演化显示“迁移—扩展—稳定—发震—消失”的特征;滑动变差值显示“增大—减小—发震—急速减小”的变化过程。探讨了地下水位动态图象演化与构造变形、断层运动和上地幔物质上涌的关系,提出了唐山地震地下水位动态图象“场—区—源”的演化模式     

山东地下水动态观测井对2007年印尼8.5级地震的响应特征

根据山东地下水动态观测井记录的2007年9月12日印尼苏门答腊南部海域8.5级地震的水震波资料,对不同类型仪器对水震波的响应特征及其影响因素进行了分析,认为影响其记震能力的主要因素是井孔含水层系统的水文地质条件、地质构造环境和观测仪器的类型.