CLOBAL CHARM OF THE CHANGJIANG RIVER DELTA

1SPLENDOROFHISTORICALCULTURE InChina,theChangjiang(Yangtze)RiverDelta①gen-erallymeansanadvancedproductivityandculture,whichaffectsdeeplynotonlythewholeChinabutal-sotheAsian-Pacificregion,evenEuropeandAfrica. 1.1CradlefortheCommunicationandPropagationofCivilization ThedevelopmentcourseoftheChangjiangRiverDelta'scultureisdevious,buttheNeolithicHemuduCultureexcavatedinYuyaoCityofZhejiangProvinceindicatestheadvancedpaddyriceculture;MajiabangCulture5000aB.P.andEastBridgeRuin…     

Application of swat model in the upstream watershed of the Luohe River

1INTRODUCTIONIntheHuanghe(Yellow) Riverbasin, soilerosionisaseriousproblem,whilerunoffandsedimentyieldsim-ulation hasnotbeenextensivelystudiedonthebasisofGIS(GeographicInformationSystem) and dis-tributedhydrologicalmodel.Inthisstudy,theLushiwatershed,whichislocatedattheupstreamoftheLushiHydrologicalStationintheLuoheRiver—thebiggesttributary oftheHuanghe Riveranddown-streamofXiaolangdiDam,isselectedasthestudyarea.ThelevelofsoilerosioninLushiwatershedismoderatein theHuangheRiverbas…     

Contaminant concentrations in sport fish from San Francisco Bay, 1997

In 1997, seven sport fish species were sampled from seven popular fishing areas in San Francisco Bay. Mercury exceeded a human health screening value in 44 of 84 (52%) samples. All collected samples of leopard shark and striped bass exceeded the mercury screening value of 0.23 microg/g wet weight. PCBs exceeded the screening value in 51 of 72 (71%) samples. DDT, chlordane, and dieldrin, had lower numbers of samples above screening values: 16 of 72 (22%) for DDT, 11 of 72 (15%) for chlordanes, and 27 of 72 (37%) for dieldrin. Concentrations of PCBs and other trace organics were highest in white croaker and shiner surfperch, the two species with the highest fat content in their muscle tissue. Fish from one location, Oakland Harbor, had significantly elevated wet weight concentrations of mercury, PCBs, DDTs, and chlordanes compared to other locations. Removal of skin from white croaker fillets reduced lipid concentrations by 27-49% and concentrations of trace organics by 33-40%.     

Effects of antifouling paint components (TBTO,copper and triazine) on the early development of embryos in cod (Gadus morhua L.)

To assess the risk of antifoulant use to the commercially important cod (Gadus morhua L.), fertilised cod eggs were exposed to triazine, copper and TBTO singly or combined in laboratory tests with running seawater. At the highest tested concentrations (11.5 microg Cu l(-1); 5 microg TBTO l(-1)) larval mortality was increased. The highest concentration of triazine (40 microg l(-1)) did not cause any significant mortality. Fertilised eggs that had been exposed to all the three chemicals singly for five days showed a higher buoyancy than the controls. No synergistic or antagonistic effects were indicated. Embryos/larvae exposed to 0.004-0.8 microg TBTO l(-1) did not show any changed respiration compared to the controls after hatching. It is concluded that existing known field concentrations of the three antifoulants are hardly expected to cause detectable effects on fish embryonic/larval development.     

Assessment of potential transport of pollutants into the Barents Sea via sea ice--an observational approach

The present estimates of ice drift in the Arctic include utilization of satellite imagery data (special sensor microwave/imager) and a reconstruction of air pressure for the period 1899-1998. A significant part of the sea ice in the Arctic Ocean has its origin in the Kara Sea and melts in the Greenland and the Barents Sea (BS). Consequently there may be a particular risk of pollutants in the Kara Sea entering the food webs of the Greenland and BS. The ice export from the Kara Sea between 1988 and 1994 was about 208,000 km2 (154 km3) per year. The import of ice into the BS was during the same period 161,000 km2 (183 km3) per year while the ice drift through the Fram Strait into the Greenland Sea was 583,000 km2 (1859 km3) per year. Ice which formed adjacent to the Ob and Yenisey rivers in early January, drifted into the BS within two years (with a probability of about 50%.     

An evaluation of hemolymph cholinesterase activities in the tropical scallop,Euvola (Pecten) ziczac,for the rapid assessment of pesticide exposure

The use of sequential measurements of hemolymph cholinesterase activities as a non-invasive biomarker of seasonal organophosphate/carbamate exposure was investigated for the tropical scallop, Euvola (Pecten) ziczac. Overall activities of both acetylcholinesterase and butyrylcholinesterase were relatively high compared to studies with bivalve tissues. Acute in vivo experiments showed inhibition of hemolymph acetylcholinesterase activity at concentrations of the organophosphate insecticide chlorpyrifos of 0.1, 1 and 10 ng l(-1). Monthly sampling of hemolymph from scallops at two sites in Bermuda over a 15 month period showed seasonal acetylcholinesterase and butyrylcholinesterase inhibition. Direct and indirect evidence suggests that this inhibition did not relate to biochemical or physiological changes associated with gonad maturation and spawning, but rather reflected diffuse contamination of the marine environment by cholinesterase inhibitors or increased bioavailability of such inhibitors at these times. Repetitive sampling of scallop hemolymph for cholinesterase activities represents a rapid, sensitive and non-invasive method for assessing seasonal, sublethal pesticide exposure in these commercially important bivalves and suggests a wider use in marine pollution monitoring.     

Analyses of organic and inorganic contaminants in Salton Sea fish

Chemical contamination of fish from the Salton Sea, a quasi-marine lake in Southern California, could adversely impact millions of birds using the Pacific Flyway and thousands of humans using the lake for recreation. Bairdiella icistia (bairdiella), Cynoscion xanthulus (orangemouth corvina), and Oreochromis spp. (tilapia) were sampled from two river mouths and two nearshore areas of the Salton Sea. Muscle tissues were analyzed for a complete suite of 14 trace metals and 53 pesticides. Fish muscle tissues had concentrations of selenium ranging between 1.89 and 2.73 microg/g wet weight. 4,4'-DDE accounted for 94% of the total DDT metabolites. Total DDTs ranged between 17.1 and 239.0 and total PCBs between 2.5 and 18.6 ng/g wet weight. PCB congeners 132, 138, 153, 168, and 180 comprised over 50% of the total PCBs. Given the potential implementation of a commercial fishing at the Salton Sea in the future, the presence of persistent organic pollutants and selenium warrants further research into the effects of these mixtures on fish populations, and on wildlife and humans consuming fish.     

New CO and Millimeter Continuum Observations of the z = 2.394 Radio Galaxy 53W002

The Chandra X-Ray Observatory observed the Crab Nebula and pulsar during orbital calibration. Zeroth-order images with the High-Energy Transmission Grating (HETG) readout by the Advanced CCD Imaging Spectrometer spectroscopy array (ACIS-S) show a striking richness of X-ray structure at a resolution comparable to that of the best ground-based visible-light observations. The HETG-ACIS-S images reveal, for the first time, an X-ray inner ring within the X-ray torus, the suggestion of a hollow-tube structure for the torus, and X-ray knots along the inner ring and (perhaps) along the inward extension of the X-ray jet. Although complicated by instrumental effects and the brightness of the Crab Nebula, the spectrometric analysis shows systematic variations of the X-ray spectrum throughout the nebula.     

Discovery of High Proper-Motion Ancient White Dwarfs: Nearby Massive Compact Halo Objects?

We present the discovery and spectroscopic identification of two very high proper-motion ancient white dwarf stars, found in a systematic proper-motion survey. Their kinematics and apparent magnitude clearly indicate that they are halo members, while their optical spectra are almost identical to the recently identified cool halo white dwarf WD 0346+246. Canonical stellar halo models predict a white dwarf volume density that is 2 orders of magnitude less than the rho approximately 7x10-4 M middle dot in circle pc-3 inferred from this survey. With the caveat that the sample size is very small, it appears that a significant fraction, approximately 10%, of the local dark matter halo is in the form of very old, cool, white dwarfs.     

南非陆相二叠系-三叠系界线研究进展

从岩石地层研究着手,介绍了南非卡鲁盆地内综合地层研究的相关成果.在生物地层方面,脊椎动物和植物化石的研究在该区具有传统优势,孢粉化石的研究则是在最近几年才取得较大进展,在陆相界线地层研究中菌孢化石在二叠系-三叠系界线处约1 m厚的地层内的富集事件属首次报道.在地球化学地层方面,南非有机碳同位素在二叠系-三叠系界线附近的变化趋势与海相二叠系-三叠系界线地层存在相似的对应关系,可以作为海、陆相界线地层对比的辅助标志.在磁性地层方面,南非卡鲁盆地内的磁极性存在从反向到正向然后再反转(R-N-R)的变化,二叠系-三叠系界线则位于第一反向极性带的顶部.同时,结合目前全球陆相二叠系-三叠系界线的研究现状及特点,分析了陆相界线地层研究中存在的基本问题,指出华南地区可能为突破传统观念的研究地区,陆地事件地层研究意义重大.