Spatial and temporal variability of hard-bottom macrofauna in a disturbed coastal lagoon (Sacca di Goro, Po River Delta, Northwestern Adriatic Sea)

The sessile and mobile macrobenthos on artificial hard bottoms was studied in 12 stations of the Sacca di Goro lagoon, a brackish, highly stressed water basin in the delta of the river Po, open to the Northwestern Adriatic Sea. Three sampling surveys were carried out in June and September 2000 and June 2001 in order to make three types of temporal comparisons: (i) on a seasonal scale, before and after a summer dystrophic event; (ii) on an annual basis, before and after the works of excavation of a canal through the outer sand bank; (iii) on a multiannual scale, comparing the data with those of a survey carried out in 1988. The biocoenoses did not show large fluctuations after a moderately severe summer dystrophic crisis, while the digging of the canal caused clear changes in the macrobenthos community structure after one year. The long-term comparison showed a shift in the community patterns after a decade.     

岩浆硫化物矿床铂族元素的地球化学模式

引言岩浆硫化物矿石中铂族元素的浓度显示一个值得注意的数值范围,从一个矿床到另一个矿床可以有数量级的变化。例如Merensky层(布什维尔德杂岩体)的矿石,硫化物少于2(重量％),仅为萨德伯里矿石的1/15到1/20,而Pt和Pd的总量却是典型萨德拍里矿床的10     

The responses of different ethnic groups in the Sudan to rural-urban migration

The ethnic identities of the various population groups in the Sudan are a product of their specific natural and social environments. The migration of these groups to the towns, especially to Greater Khartoum, involves a drastic change of cultural norms and values. However, the capability of change and the subsequent results are strongly conditioned by the specific background of each ethnic group and by the conditions in its area of origin. This is being proved by a comparative study on three ethnic groups in the Sudan: the Nuba, the Zaghawa and the Hadandawa.     

加拿大铁建造中的金含量及地球化学

引言大约在一个世纪以前人们就在世界范围内发现了金矿床和铁建造具有共同伴生组合关系。金矿床中金的来源有同生的,也有后生的。在加拿大除了由砂矿床转变而来的金矿外,大多数金矿产在岩脉、剪切带和破碎带里。可见在金矿的沉淀过程中构造因素是十分重要的。铁建造是原来的化学沉积物,它一方面作为同生金的来源,另一方面,这些硬而脆的燧石质岩石又为矿脉的形成提供了一个有利的环境。岩石的构造控制了金的     

南极沿海伯尔顿盐湖双刺镰状水蚤盐度耐性的季节变化

双刺镰状水蚤Drepanopus bispinosus为南极沿海伯尔顿盐湖(Burton lake)中的越冬种类之一,其雌性性成熟大约于每年的初冬季节,在随后8个多月的生活史中,经历了一个盐度从33(5月份)到39(11月份)的环境变化.本文报道了该水蚤雌性成体对环境盐度适应的季节差异,动物在冬季的耐低盐能力较夏季强,从冬季到夏季,动物对盐度的适应范围明显地向高盐度方向偏移,这与环境盐度对动物的驯化有关.在低盐水中,动物的呼吸率增高,且夏季大于冬季,因而进一步证实了环境盐度的变化对动物盐度适应性的影响.     

Sources of salinity in ground water from Jericho area, Jordan Valley

One of the major problems in the lower Jordan Valley is the increasing salinization (i.e., chloride content) of local ground water. The high levels of salinity limit the utilization of ground water for both domestic and agriculture applications. This joint collaborative study evaluates the sources and mechanisms for salinization in the Jericho area. We employ diagnostic geochemical fingerprinting methods to trace the potential sources of the salinity in (1) the deep confined subaquifer system (K2) of Lower Cenomanian age; (2) the upper subaquifer system (K1) of Upper Cenomanian and Turonian ages; and (3) the shallow aquifer system (Q) of Plio-Pleistocene ages. The chemical composition of the saline ground water from the two Cenomanian subaquifers (K1 and K2) point to a single saline source with Na/Cl approximately 0.5 and Br/Cl approximately 7 x 10(-3). This composition is similar to that of thermal hypersaline spring that are found along the western shore of the Dead Sea (e.g., En Gedi thermal spring). We suggest that the increasing salinity in both K1 and K2 subaquifers is derived from mixing with deep-seated brines that flow through the Rift fault system. The salinization rate depends on the discharge volume of the fresh meteoric water in the Cenomanian Aquifer. In contrast, the chemical composition of ground water from the Plio-Pleistocene Aquifer shows a wide range of Cl- (100-2000 mg/L), Na/Cl (0.4-1.0), Br/Cl (2-6 x 10(-3)), and SO4/Cl (0.01-0.4) ratios. These variations, together with the high SO4(2-), K+, and NO3- concentrations, suggest that the salinity in the shallow aquifer is derived from the combination of (1) upconing of deep brines as reflected by low Na/Cl and high Br/Cl ratios; (2) leaching of salts from the Lisan Formation within the Plio-Pleistocene Aquifer, as suggested by the high SO4(2-) concentrations; and (3) anthropogenic contamination of agriculture return flow and sewage effluents with distinctive high K+ (80 mg/L) and NO3- (80 mg/l) contents and low Br/Cl ratios (2 x 10(-3)). Our data demonstrates that the chemical composition of salinized ground water can be used to delineate the sources of salinity and hence to establish the conceptual model for explaining salinization processes.     

A procedure for identifying significant environmental aspects in sea ports

A new methodology has been designed to identify and rank the significant environmental aspects in sea ports. The main objective of the Strategic Overview of Significant Environmental Aspects (SOSEA) is to help port managers to identify significant environmental aspects and to reinforce the awareness about them in order to prioritise work in environmental management. Developed in close collaboration with port environmental managers and tested in a set of ports, it is a user-friendly tool that can be applied in approximately half a working day. It is based on ISO 14001 vocabulary and requirements and it can be considered as the base for the implementation of any Environmental Management System for port communities.