Anthropogenic organic contaminants in the effluent of a combined sewer overflow: impact on Boston Harbor

Effluent from a large combined sewer overflow (CSO) in Boston and receiving waters near the CSO outfall were sampled during dry and wet weather conditions. Surficial sediments were also collected from the vicinity of the CSO and at nearby sites. The samples were analyzed for a variety of organic constituents including organic carbon and nitrogen, linear alkylbenzenes (LABs), coprostanol and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). As judged by the presence of waste-specific markers (LABs, coprostanol), the CSO effluent contains sewage under both dry and wet weather conditions. When rainfall occurs, the concentration of suspended solids and all organic constituents in the particulate phase increase, ultimately approaching those characteristic of untreated sewage. The concentrations of LABs and PCBs in the effluent are strongly correlated, indicating that PCBs in the CSO are derived from sewage inputs. During heavy rainfall, the vast majority (> 90%) of the hydrophobic organic substances are associated with suspended particulate matter, whereas during dry weather, a significant fraction resides in the operationally defined 'dissolved' phase. Estimates of the mass emission rates of CSO constituents show that > 70% of the suspended particles and > 90% of the particulate organic carbon, hydrocarbons and trace organics are discharged during wet weather. Particles in the receiving water appear to be strongly influenced by the CSO effluent during wet weather. Concentrations of PCBs in surficial sediments near the CSO are correlated with those of coprostanol and the LABs, indicating that these compounds are derived from similar sources. Based on the observed correlations, approximately 60-80% of the sedimentary PCBs originate from sewage. Comparison of sigma LAB/coprostanol ratios of effluent particles, surficial sediments and sewage sludges suggest that the vast majority of the marker compounds and the PCBs in sediments are not from the CSO, but are derived from one of two sewage treatment plants that discharged sludge into the harbor until 1991. The sludge-derived contaminants were probably carried by tidal currents into Dorchester Bay and deposited in shallow, quiescent embayments where sedimentation is favored. These results illustrate the potential importance of long-range transport of waste-derived contaminants in urban harbors and their rapid accumulation in localized depocenters.     

Developing water quality standards for coastal dolphins

The EU Habitats Directive requires Member States to consider the potential impact of sewage discharges on protected wildlife populations, but efforts to reduce these threats are constrained by the lack of appropriate water quality guidelines for wildlife. In Scotland, recommendations for higher discharge standards in areas frequented by bottlenose dolphins have been criticised on the basis of scientific uncertainty. This Viewpoint article outlines the background to this issue, and discusses whether the scientific frameworks used for assessing water quality standards for human bathers can realistically be used to develop water quality standards for coastal dolphins. Importantly, it highlights that widely accepted EU standards for human bathers are based on extremely limited scientific data, and argues that unrealistic demands for empirical data from wildlife populations should not prevent more precautionary measures being introduced to reduce disease risks to these species.     

Nodal elements of regional support frameworks for settlement

"The author extends his earlier work on the concept of a support framework for settlement (i.e., interconnected linear and nodal elements supporting the activities and needs of population within the settlement system), developed initially for the Caucasus region, to the entire country. A five-level hierarchy of urban nodes, ranging from highly developed agglomerations to small and medium-sized cities, is proposed which is used to analyze the level of urban support provided in the major economic regions of the USSR."     

汕头市广澳半岛沙丘岩非海滩岩的新证

汕头市韩江口以南的广澳半岛燕山期花岗岩低丘陵中，东端的好望角岬角与崎壁山之间的袋状海滩（外有现代海岸沙坝，内有老红砂沙堤）上方，其ＳＥＥ向向海的迎风坡海拔２０～３０ｍ处，又广澳镇东面尖石头山山脊两侧，其东向的向海迎风坡和面向的向陆背风坡凹形坡地海拔４０～８０ｍ处，不连续分布全新世碳酸盐胶结的沙丘岩残余岩体，厚２～１０ｍ，覆盖在花岗岩风化壳之上。单层厚２～１０ｃｍ。其下部以坡积物为主，夹有薄层民积物，上部以风积物为主，夹有薄层坡积物。胶结不紧。１４Ｃ年龄在距今２５００～２８００ａ之间［１，２］。文…     

Hard Burst Emission from the Soft Gamma Repeater SGR 1900+14

We present evidence for burst emission from SGR 1900+14 with a power-law high-energy spectrum extending beyond 500 keV. Unlike previous detections of high-energy photons during bursts from soft gamma repeaters (SGRs), these emissions are not associated with extraordinarily bright flares. Not only is the emission hard, but the spectra are better fitted by D. Band's gamma-ray burst (GRB) function rather than by the traditional optically thin thermal bremsstrahlung model. We find that the spectral evolution within these hard events obeys a hardness/intensity anticorrelation. Temporally, these events are distinct from typical SGR burst emissions in that they are longer ( approximately 1 s) and have relatively smooth profiles. Despite a difference in peak luminosity of greater, similar1011 between these bursts from SGR 1900+14 and cosmological GRBs, there are striking temporal and spectral similarities between the two kinds of bursts, aside from spectral evolution. We outline an interpretation of these events in the context of the magnetar model.