In situ impact of petrochemicals on the photosynthesis of the seagrass Zostera capricorni

We used photosynthetic activity (measured as chlorophyll a fluorescence) and photosynthetic pigment concentrations to assess the effect of pulsed exposures of aged crude oil (Champion Crude), dispersant (VDC) and an oil+dispersant mixture on the seagrass Zostera capricorni Aschers in laboratory and field experiments, using custom-made chambers. Samples were exposed for 10 h to 0.25% and 0.1% concentrations of aged crude oil and dispersant as well as mixtures of 0.25% oil+0.05% dispersant and 0.1% oil+0.02% dispersant. During this time and for the subsequent four day recovery period, the maximum and effective quantum yields of photosystem II (Fv/Fm and DeltaF/Fm' respectively) were measured. In the laboratory experiments, both values declined in response to oil exposure and remained low during the recovery period. Dispersant exposure caused a decline in both values during the recovery period, while the mixture of aged crude oil+dispersant had little impact on both quantum yields. In situ samples were less sensitive than laboratory samples, showing no photosynthetic impact due to dispersant and oil+dispersant mixture. Despite an initial decline in DeltaF/Fm', in situ oil-exposed samples recovered by the end of the experiment. Chlorophyll pigment analysis showed only limited ongoing impact in both laboratory and field situations. This study suggests that laboratory experiments may overestimate the ongoing impact of petrochemicals on seagrass whilst the dispersant VDC can reduce the impact of oil on seagrass photosynthesis.     

Herbicides implicated as the cause of severe mangrove dieback in the Mackay region, NE Australia: consequences for marine plant habitats of the GBR World Heritage Area

Herbicides, particularly diuron, were correlated with severe and widespread dieback of the dominant mangrove, Avicennia marina (Forsk.) Vierh. var. eucalyptifolia (Val.) N.C. Duke (Avicenniaceae), its reduced canopy condition, and declines in seedling health within three neighbouring estuaries in the Mackay region of NE Australia. This unusual species-specific dieback, first observed in the early 1990s, had gotten notably worse by 2002 to affect >30 km(2) of mangroves in at least five adjacent estuaries in the region. Over the past century, agricultural production has responded well to the demands of increasing population with improvements in farm efficiency assisted by significant increases in the use of agricultural chemicals. However, with regular and episodic river flow events, these chemicals have sometimes found their way into estuarine and nearshore water and sediments where their effects on marine habitats have been largely unquantified. Investigations over the last three years in the Mackay region provide compelling evidence of diuron, and possibly other agricultural herbicides, as the most likely cause of the severe and widespread mangrove dieback. The likely consequences of such dieback included declines in coastal water quality with increased turbidity, nutrients and sediment deposition, as well as further dispersal of the toxic chemicals. The implications of such findings are immense since they describe not only the serious deterioration of protected and beneficial mangrove habitat but also the potential for significant direct and indirect effects on other highly-valued estuarine and marine habitats in the region, including seagrass beds and coral reefs of the Great Barrier Reef lagoon. This article reviews all key findings and observations to date and describes the essential correlative and causative evidence.     

地下水中砷元素的形成及其控制因素

研究了长江中下游地区和吉林省地区地下水中砷元素形成和主要控制因素及其分布规律。结果表明,地下水中砷主要以H_3ASO_3、H_2AsO_4~-、HA_3O_4~(2-)等形式存在。它的形成和分布与含水介质及其上覆土层的砷含量、地下水的酸碱度、地下水的迳流条件、氧化还原环境、有机物质及铁锰等有密切的关系。     

Introduction to the PICES practical workshop: objectives,overview of the study area,and projects conducted by the participants

We coordinated a collaborative research project to investigate environmental conditions in Vancouver Harbour, British Columbia, Canada, between 23 May and 7 June 1999. This special volume of Marine Environmental Research presents a collection of papers giving results of these studies. The project was part of a practical workshop sponsored by the Marine Environmental Quality (MEQ) committee of the North Pacific Marine Science Organization (PICES). Twenty-four scientists from PICES countries (USA, Canada, Russia, Japan, Korea, and China) participated. A wide variety of data was collected, including community structure of benthic invertebrates and fish, evaluation of fish health using biological markers and exposure data, evaluation of contaminant exposure in inter-tidal invertebrates, imposex in gastropods, and information about natural toxins produced by algae. The workshop provided an opportunity for PICES participants to gain an improved appreciation of the approaches and techniques used by other member countries to assess the effects of marine pollution. The purpose of this introductory paper is to briefly describe the project, provide background information on how it was organized, and give an overview of our knowledge about the harbour's environment.     

Organic and trace metal contaminants in sediments and English sole tissues from Vancouver Harbour,Canada

As part of a multinational workshop on marine environmental quality, sediments were collected from seven sites in Vancouver Harbour and analyzed for polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and organochlorines (OCs), and for trace metals. English sole were collected from five sites, and muscle was analyzed for trace metals and liver for OCs. As expected, sediment PAH and OC concentrations and tissue OC concentrations were higher at sites east of the First Narrows, compared to the outer harbor and reference sites. Sediment PAH concentrations east of the First Narrows were similar to concentrations at moderately contaminated sites in Puget Sound, south of Vancouver Harbour. In contrast, concentrations of OCs in sediments and tissue were low to moderate, even at relatively contaminated sites within Vancouver Harbour. Although several trace metals in sediments were higher than in contaminated sediments from Puget Sound, trace metals measured in fish muscle were lower.     

钻探用金刚石强度的初步研究

随着近代钻探技术的发展,金刚石作为一种主要钻探磨料,已越来越广泛地应用于地质、冶金、煤炭、石油等钻探工程。     

青海省土地承载力的系统动力学研究

以资源——资源生态——资源经济科学的理论为基础,对青海省土地资源人口承载力系统条件的综合分析,针对各类资源之间的平衡关系、农业结构与资源结构的匹配关系、单产潜力的预测与总生产潜力的仿真,进行人口与资源关系的综合研究,建立该地区土地资源人口承载力的动态模型。     

对流岩浆混合中的自组织作用

对流岩浆混合是热液和组分作用于熔融体密度引起的。我们通过二维数字模拟研究了组分浮力在对流岩浆混合中的作用。在我们的模拟中,观察到了两种自组织作用现象:(1)与流动逆转相伴随的局部暂时未混合事件;(2)在对流单元中心延续很久的分异作用(眼球状构造)。分异作用的级序统计量、级序比率与强度、对于使混合与自组织现象定量化,是组分场的有益抽象。级序比率和强度的轨迹揭示了吸引子的行为,并提供了控制混合和自组织作用演化的简洁方式。组分浮力与热液浮力之比由参数Rr给出:当Rr=0时,意味着被动混合;当Rr>0时,意味着动力混合。既形成于被动混合也形成于动力混合中的眼球状构造趋向于使混合率减小。流动逆转和仅存在于动力混合中的未混合事件进一步减慢了混合。然而,因为一个强而持久的眼球状构造形成于被动混合中,被动混合比以小的Rr值混合更慢。在高的Rr(Rr>1)情况下,由于始态的重力稳定性,混合一般被组分浮力所妨碍。