Spatial distribution and ecotoxicity of petroleum hydrocarbons in sediments from the Galicia continental shelf (NW Spain) after the Prestige oil spill

The distribution of aliphatic and aromatic hydrocarbons was determined in surface sediments collected at 36 stations along the Galicia continental shelf (NW Spain), following the Prestige oil spill. Sampling was performed in December 2002, just after the accident, and in February and September 2003. Concentrations of PAHs (summation operator 13 parent components) were in the range of 0.9-422 microg/kgdw, the highest values being close to coastal urban areas (e.g. Pontevedra and A Coru?a), whereas in the stations of the area most heavily impacted by the spill (off Costa da Morte) concentrations were in the range of 14.8-89.6 microg/kgdw, with a certain predominance of alkylated compounds, which may suggest a mixture of petrogenic and pyrolytic sources. The detailed study of petrogenic molecular markers (e.g. steranes and triterpanes) showed the occurrence of an old (weathered) petrogenic chronic pollution in the shelf sediments but not of the Prestige oil, with the possible exception of few stations in the area of Costa da Morte. This was attributed to the heavy nature of the spilled oil that was barely dispersed in the water column and mainly stranded on the coast or sedimented in the form of oil patches. The addition of increasing amounts of fuel oil to a representative sediment sample showed that the molecular indices were indicative of the presence of the Prestige oil when the amount was above 1g/kg of sediment. The toxicity of selected samples (showing the higher PAH concentrations) was tested using the bivalve embryogenesis bioassay. Embryogenesis success reached high values in all cases (80-88%, with 86% in the control), indicating a lack of toxicity in the sediments and supporting the conclusion that the patchiness of the fuel eventually reaching the seafloor reduced its impact on the benthic communities of the Galician shelf.     

Foraminiferal responses to polluted sediments in the Montevideo coastal zone, Uruguay

A study of foraminiferal assemblages was carried out in 24 sediment samples collected from the Montevideo coastal zone (south-eastern coastal region of South America) to assess the response of the benthic foraminifera to the polluted sediments. The area is affected by different pollutants such as sewage, hydrocarbons and heavy metals derived from different sources. Biological data were analyzed with multivariate techniques of cluster analysis and a principal component analysis (PCA) was performed for abiotic factors. The results allowed the recognition of different species assemblages corresponding to different sub-environments, which reflected the prevalent ecological conditions. The Montevideo Bay, particularly, its inner part showed an extremely poor foraminiferal fauna-including a totally azoic station-and high percentages of abnormal tests, when compared with the adjacent Punta Carretas and Punta Yeguas zones. Mean faunal density showed a strong relationship with organic matter, oxygen and heavy metal concentrations, as well as redox potential and pH values of each sub-environment. Although the adjacent zones presented a moderate pollution degree, it was noticed that a positive effect on the foraminiferal density specially on Ammonia tepida, caused by the sewage pipe located in Punta Carretas, a pure organic contamination. Differences among foraminiferal assemblages seemed to be related to the combined action of the several kinds of pollutants and the natural abiotic variables, like the rapid salinity changes that occurred in this area.     

Biomarkers of exposure and effect in the Brazilian flounder Paralichthys orbignyanus (Teleostei: Paralichthyidae) from the Patos Lagoon estuary (Southern Brazil)

Biomarkers of exposure (liver metallothionein-like proteins content and catalase and glutathione S-transferase activities) and effect (liver lipoperoxidation and blood cell DNA damage) of contaminants were analyzed in the Brazilian flounder Paralichthys orbignyanus from the Patos Lagoon estuary (Southern Brazil). Flounders were collected for a year in two sites: "Coroa do Boi" (polluted site) and "Saco do Justino" (non-polluted site). Results indicated that micronucleated cells frequency was the best biomarker to distinguish flounders from the two sites. Taken together, data from DNA damage analyses (micronucleus test and comet assay) indicated that flounders from the non-polluted site efficiently repaired the DNA breaks, contrary to those from the polluted site, which probably had their DNA repair system inhibited or exhausted. Furthermore, data from enzyme activities (catalase and GST) and lipid peroxidation indicated that flounders from the polluted site were under oxidative stress in summer and autumn.     

Use of biliary PAH metabolites as a biomarker of pollution in fish from the Baltic Sea

During field campaigns of the BEEP project (Biological Effects of Environmental Pollution in Marine Coastal Ecosystems) in 2001-2002, metabolites of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) were determined in bile samples from three fish species, flounder (Platichthys flesus), perch (Perca fluviatilis) and eelpout (Zoarces viviparus), from four separate areas in the Baltic Sea. Two determination methods were applied: fixed wavelength fluorescence (FF) for pyrene-type metabolites and high-performance liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection (HPLC). There was a good correlation between the FF method and 1-OH pyrene determined by HPLC. Normalisation of the FF data for absorbance at 380 nm or bile protein concentrations greatly increased variance in one third and decreased it in two thirds of the cases and resulted in a loss of significant differences (protein normalisation) between the sampling stations, but normalisation of the HPLC data had little effect on the results. The biliary PAH metabolite content was usually higher in males than in females. In perch and eelpout the biliary PAH contents were at similar levels, whereas in flounder the levels were lower. The sampling areas arranged in decreasing order of biliary PAH contents were: Wismar Bay > Gulf of Gdansk > Lithuanian coast > Kvadofj?rden (reference area). It is concluded that FF with un-normalised data is a reliable and simple method for monitoring purposes and only one sex of a selected species should be used.     

Mesoscale Vortex Generation and Merging Process： A Case Study Associated with a Post-Landfall Tropical Depression

An observational analysis of satellite blackbody temperature (TBB) data and radar images suggests that the mesoscale vortex generation and merging process appeared to be essential for a tropical-depression-related heavy rain event in Shanghai, China. A numerical simulation reproduced the observed mesoscale vortex generation and merging process and the corresponding rain pattern, and then the model outputs were used to study the related dynamics through diagnosing the potential vorticity (PV) equation. The t...     

金川铜镍硫化物矿床F1断裂系统演化及其意义

金川铜镍硫化物矿区构造活动频繁且复杂,查明矿区构造规律,是实现深部找矿突破的必经途径之一.文章在充分挖掘区域及以往勘查资料的基础上,通过野外实地调查,对矿区内成矿后断裂系统——F1断裂系统分析研究,发现F1断层角砾岩呈棱角状,深部产状北倾,断层发育在龙首山岩群一侧,无法仅靠现今的叠置关系解释F1的演化.结合潮水盆地研究...     

卫星遥感测深:建模新机理

本文提出了一种能克服以往遥感测深技术固有缺陷的遥感测深建模新机理。光谱观察量表明:水体出射辐射亮度是由水体散射决定而不是底层反射决定,除非水深非常浅并且透明或底层反射率高。对这种现象的观察,有可能导致开发一种能适用于混浊和较深的沿岸水域的水体散射水体散射遥感测深模型。对陆地卫星TM和SPOT-XS的卫星传感数据和实地观测数据的分析表明,该模型能比底层反射模型更好地描述从水体中反射的辐射亮度和水深的关系。本文还提出了用实测光谱量计算水体衰减系数的方法,及为消除大气影响把该系数应用于模型校准的方法。另外,应用该水体散射理论,给出了最大可测水深的数值表达式。     

基于植被状态指数的全国干旱遥感监测试验研究(Ⅰ)--资料分析与处理部分

在收集处理了了1981～1994年连续504旬的由NOAA AVHRR第1、2通道的反射率计算得的NDVI时间系列数据,以及1980～1994年全国102个固定农气观测站的旬土壤湿度资料(-20cm)和相应测站的田间持水量资料基础上,分析了全国NDVI及植被状态指数VCI的时空变化特征,发现NDVI值随季节(旬)分别表现为“双峰型”和“单峰型”的变化,在第17～27旬之间达到极大值,并与作物生长有关,VCI的变化与NDVI的变化呈相反趋势;对资料因站点的分布和密度以及时序位相等差异可能影响资料代表性的探讨认为：因旱情发展有一个过程,故NDVI、SHI的时空特性应该不会影响其分析结果的代表性。综合分析了资料的时空代表性,为干旱遥感监测模型的建立作准备。     

天然硫化物矿物对地球深部热能的热电转化效应研究

金属硫化物半导体矿物在地壳中分布广泛,其中一些禁带宽度较窄的硫化物矿物,如黄铁矿、黄铜矿和斑铜矿等,在地热梯度下产生的天然热电势可将地球内部热能转化为电能。本文选取黄铁矿、磁黄铁矿、方铅矿、黄铜矿、斑铜矿以及斑铜矿-赤铁矿-辉铜矿集合体等天然硫化物矿物样品,研究了其热电特性。研究结果表明,300～700K下,除磁黄铁矿具有低塞贝克系数和超高电导率而表现出金属导体的电输运行为外,黄铁矿和黄铜矿为n型半导体,斑铜矿和斑铜矿-赤铁矿-辉铜矿集合体为p型半导体,具有150～500μV/K的显著塞贝克系数和5～95 S/cm的电导率,说明样品在地热梯度下具有产生显著热电效应的能力。根据激光闪射法测得的热扩散率以及样品的理论比热、密度计算热导率,斑铜矿及硫化物矿物集合体样品表现出小于1 W/(m·K)的低热导率,说明样品在局部热源影响下可形成较大温差。根据热电基本理论和地热梯度构建天然热电效应模型,对硫化物半导体矿物集合体产生的天然热电势、额外地表电流密度及热电转换效率进行了模拟计算得出经验公式,发现硫化物半导体矿物在300～650 K条件下能产生100 m V左右的天然热电势,产生的最大热电转化率可达4‰,且可以通过偶极电流源模型计算矿物体产生的额外地表电流密度。研究认为硫化物半导体矿物可能作为天然热电转换介质深刻影响地球内部能量的转化与传递过程。