Predicting effects of toxic chemicals in the marine environment

Ecological risks are typically characterized in risk assessment procedures by considering the ratio between exposure concentrations and critical effect concentrations. In OECD countries, critical effect concentrations are typically derived from laboratory-based ecotoxicity tests using well-defined protocols on a limited number of species. More and more countries in the tropics are adopting this approach in environmental assessment, protection, and management. In this article we consider a number of issues associated with such an approach, and in particular potential problems with extrapolating effects on individuals observed in laboratory-based ecotoxicological investigations to effects on ecosystems. It is hoped that by making explicit some of the assumptions made in the potential limitations of these tests, we can better target our limited resources to protect valuable and vulnerable systems.     

Intrinsic bioremediation of a petroleum-impacted wetland

Following the 1994 San Jacinto River flood and oil spill in southeast Texas, a petroleum-contaminated wetland was reserved for a long-term research program to evaluate bioremediation as a viable spill response tool. The first phase of this program, presented in this paper, evaluated the intrinsic biodegradation of petroleum in the contaminated wetland. Sediment samples from six test plots were collected 11 times over an 11-month period to assess the temporal and spatial petroleum concentrations. Petroleum concentrations were evaluated using gas chromatography-mass spectrometer analyses of specific target compounds normalized to the conservative biological marker, C(30)17alpha,21beta(H)-hopane. The analyses of specific target compounds were able to characterize that significant petroleum biodegradation had occurred at the site over the one-year period. Total resolved saturate and total resolved aromatic hydrocarbon data indicated the petroleum was degraded more than 95%. In addition, first-order biodegradation rate constants were calculated for the hopane-normalized target compounds and supported expected biodegradation patterns. The rapid degradation rates of the petroleum hydrocarbons are attributed to conditions favorable to biodegradation. Elevated nutrient levels from the flood deposition and the unconsolidated nature of the freshly deposited sediment possibly provided a nutrient rich, oxic environment. Additionally, it is suggested that an active and capable microbial community was present due to prior exposure to petroleum. These factors provided an environment conducive for the rapid bioremediation of the petroleum in the contaminated wetland.     

基于图像处理技术自动判别雷达异常产品

对雷达产品的实时监控是中国气象局气象探测中心运行监控实时业务工作的重要内容之一,因此实现自动化识别雷达异常产品具有重要的现实意义和研究价值。论述基于图像处理技术实现自动识别雷达异常产品,详细介绍系统实现模型及雷达数据异常自动识别算法,其中主要阐述了特征提取、迭代学习器等相关内容。通过对检测出的雷达产品异常产品分析表明,基于图像处理技术的雷达产品异常自动识别系统可以高效的、实时的检测出异常雷达产品,便于技术人员快速发现雷达异常并及时修复,也可作为雷达维修或雷达升级改造的依据,提高雷达的使用效率。     

天气雷达与地面自动站降水观测一致性校验分析

将地面观测的降水划分为10～25、25～50、50～100mm/h3个量级区间,利用2010年5-10月天气雷达组网小时降水量产品和综合气象观测系统运行监控平台(ASOM)中国家级台站自动气象站小时降水量资料,采用3倍标准差法,按上述3个等级逐月分别确立了两类设备降水观测差值的阈值参数,进而建立了天气雷达与地面自动气象站降水观测结果的一致性实时校验技术.采用该技术进一步对2011年5-10月国家级台站自动气象站观测的降水结果进行了检验,结果表明:自动站降水数据正确率可达85％以上,可以有效进行自动站观测降水实时检验.     

Biomagnification in marine systems: the perspective of an ecologist

Biomagnification is the process where xenobiotic substances are transferred from food to an organism resulting in higher concentrations compared with the source. It is widely believed that this is a general phenomenon for marine food webs. An analysis of 148 papers with biomagnification in the title shows that under half show biomagnification. Of studies on metals only organic mercury shows biomagnification and most metals are regulated and excreted and do not biomagnify. Of the studies on organic compounds 67% claimed to show biomagnification. However, bioconcentration (uptake from the surrounding water) is the most usual way that organic compounds are accumulated in organisms from invertebrates to and including fish. Only in sea-birds and marine mammals is food intake the major route and where biomagnification can be clearly shown. Body concentrations of organic compounds vary with lipid content and thus in order to compare across species normalisation to uniform lipid content should be done. Yet often this is not done so data purporting to show biomagnification merely relate to differing lipid content in the different species studied. Finally suggestions are made as to how data can be collected to better interpret the process of biomagnification in marine food webs.