Toxic effects of copper on larval development of the barnacle Balanus amphitrite

Experiments were conducted to assess the effects of copper on larval development in the barnacle Balanus amphitrite. In the first experiment, we compared the sensitivity of three naupliar stages to copper stress. Molting inhibition occurred at copper concentrations ranging from 32 μg l⁻¹ in nauplius II to 128 g l⁻¹ in nauplius VI. EC₅₀ for molting ranged from 97 μg l⁻¹ in nauplius II to 129 g l⁻¹ in nauplius VI. Decreased survival occurred at 128 μg Cu l⁻¹ in all of the naupliar stages tested, with LC₅₀ ranging from 145 in nauplius II to 213 μg l⁻¹ in nauplius VI. In the second experiment, we examined effects of copper on the development from nauplius II to cyprid. The larvae reached cypris stage only in treatments of 16 μg Cu l⁻¹. Our study therefore showed that molting was a more sensitive endpoint than survival, nauplius II was the most sensitive naupliar stage, and that whole larval development assay was more sensitive than assays using a particular larval stage. The results were discussed with respect to the use of this species in toxicity tests.     

Hepatic ethoxyresorufin O-deethylase (EROD) activity in flounder (Platichthys flesus) from contaminant impacted estuaries of the United Kingdom: continued monitoring 1999-2001

The determination of hepatic ethoxyresorufin O-deethylase (EROD) has been used to assess the induction of the mixed function oxygenase system (MFO) of flounder (Platichthys flesus) in UK estuaries. Induction of the MFO system denotes possible exposure to certain organic contaminants (e.g. polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, polychlorinated biphenyls) and its measure has been incorporated in national monitoring programmes. This study presents EROD monitoring data from 5 UK estuaries taken between 1999 and 2001 and builds on data from previous years. The results reveal that for all sampled estuaries EROD values have been significantly (p < 0.05) elevated on the majority of occasions in comparison with the reference estuary, the Alde in Suffolk, UK. However, the limited temporal scale of the reported monitoring does not allow any conclusions to be drawn with respect to trends in the data. Possible factors influencing the data (size, gender, seasonality, reproductive status, etc.) are discussed and recommendations for continued monitoring are made.     

Retreat dynamics of the eastern sector of the British–Irish Ice Sheet during the last glaciation

The findings of BRITICE-CHRONO Transect 2 through the North Sea Basin and eastern England are reported. We define ice-sheet marginal oscillation between ~31 and 16 ka, with seven distinctive former ice-sheet limits (L1–7) constrained by Bayesian statistical analysis. The southernmost limit of the North Sea Lobe is recorded by the Bolders Bank Formation (L1; 25.8–24.6 ka). L2 represents ice-sheet oscillation and early retreat to the northern edge of the Dogger Bank (23.5–22.2 ka), with the Garret Hill Moraine in north Norfolk recording a significant regional readvance to L3 at 21.5–20.8 ka. Ice-marginal oscillations at ~26–21 ka resulted in L1, L2 and L3 being partially to totally overprinted. Ice-dammed lakes related to L1–3, including Lake Humber, are dated at 24.1–22.3 ka. Ice-sheet oscillation and retreat from L4 to L5 occurred between 19.7 and 17.3 ka, with grounding zone wedges marking an important transition from terrestrial to marine tidewater conditions, triggered by the opening of the Dogger Lake spillway between 19.9 and 17.5 ka. L6 relates to ice retreat under glacimarine conditions and final ice retreat into the Firth of Forth by 15.8 ka. L7 (~15 ka) represents an ice retreat from Bosies Bank into the Moray Firth.     

Vulnerability profiles of forested landscape to climate change in Bengal Duars region,India

This paper assesses village level vulnerability profiles of the forested landscape in Bengal Duars region. Vulnerability of forested landscape is addressed by indicator-based approach with finer details using GIS-based interactive model under present climate. The three integrant of vulnerability are inscribed: exposure, sensitivity and adaptive capacity, by taking into consideration of twenty-one environmental and socio-economic indicators are identified. Being located in the foothills of Eastern Himalaya sudden variation of slope in Bengal Duars region results in frequent flooding and huge damage to forested landscape. Change of climate, degradation of forest resources and socio-economic backwardness further enhances the degree of vulnerability. It has been detected that 61% of area in Bengal Duars is configured to be vulnerable to climate change. The most vulnerable areas are the forested cover in Jalpaiguri, Baikunthapur, Wildlife-II, Wildlife-III, and Buxa Tiger Reserve East and their surrounding landscape with more climatic variation, disrupted by anthropogenic and non-climatic activities and less access to infrastructural and socioeconomic facilities.     

Clay mineral variations in Holocene terrestrial sediments from the Indus Basin

We employed X-ray diffraction methods to quantify clay mineral assemblages in the Indus Delta and flood plains since ~ 14 ka, spanning a period of strong climatic change. Assemblages are dominated by smectite and illite, with minor chlorite and kaolinite. Delta sediments integrate clays from across the basin and show increasing smectite input between 13 and 7.5 ka, indicating stronger chemical weathering as the summer monsoon intensified. Changes in clay mineralogy postdate changes in climate by 5–3 ka, reflecting the time needed for new clay minerals to form and be transported to the delta. Samples from the flood plains in Punjab show evidence for increased chemical weathering towards the top of the sections (6–< 4 ka), counter to the trend in the delta, at a time of monsoon weakening. Clay mineral assemblages within sandy flood-plain sediment have higher smectite/(illite + chlorite) values than interbedded mudstones, suggestive of either stronger weathering or more sediment reworking since the Mid Holocene. We show that marine records are not always good proxies for weathering across the entire flood plain. Nonetheless, the delta record likely represents the most reliable record of basin-wide weathering response to climate change.     

侏罗纪末至白垩纪非海相介形类生物地层学:回顾与展望

以非海相介形类为依据而建立的侏罗纪末至白垩纪的生物地层学,尤其是欧洲所谓"Purbeck-Wealden层段"(提塘阶顶部至巴列姆阶/阿普特阶底部)和全球同期沉积层的生物地层学建立已久,但这一生物地层学存有很多问题与局限性。本文对中生代晚期(聚焦于早白垩世)的非海相介形类生物地层学的基本原理、历史、目前进展、存在问题和前景进行了综述。因为介形类的繁殖、扩散与成种机制已有比较成熟的研究,所以介形类的生物地层学的应用潜力被认识已久。然而,全球不同地区中生代晚期的非海相介形类众多的研究积累已构成了一个丰富但常常混乱和矛盾的文献库。这些问题不仅存在于介形类的分类鉴定中,也见于关于古环境和系统发育的解释中。虽然地区性的盆地内的介形类生物地层学研究已产生了好结果,并可能能够用于局部地区的高精度对比。但是在进行地区间(盆地间至全球)的对比时,其实用性广遭怀疑。在过去的二十年间,许多学者采用了将今论古的古生物学研究方法,努力修订和更新中生代晚期的非海相介形类的生物地层学与古环境意义,从而促进了地区间生物地层学研究和对比的发展。古生物学家认识到,对于许多非海相介形类动物来讲,它们的分布和扩散不仅仅局限于单个的水系或较小的地理区域,而是和现生的非海相介形类一样,晚侏罗世至白垩纪的非海相介形类动物和它们的卵可被较大的动物或风长距离搬运,跨越迁移的屏障,进行扩散。鉴于以上事实,地区间的对比必须涉及两大内容:分类学的应用与古环境背景。缺乏适用于地区—全球的稳定和一致的分类学系统是进行正确对比的重要障碍。由于大量地方性分类命名、地方性特有动物的假设、与壳体特征相关的分类和生态型认识的混乱,以及对种内变异尺度的统一认识的缺乏,导致了对生物分异度的过高或过低的估量。非海相白垩纪介形类的地层记录受到诸多因素的影响:分类单元的演化与灭绝、扩散事件、当地的环境变化和地区性至全球的气候变迁。在生物地层学的应用中,我们可以通过不同手段去把握同时代的Cytheroidea,特别是Cypridoidea中具重要地层意义的Cypridea属及其亲近者(即CypridoideaMartin,1940)的分类单元的形态变异度。解释种内变异时需要格外谨慎。区分生物自生(内因)导致的变异(遗传的和形态的变异)和环境(外因)导致的变异(生态表型)是一大难题。比较保守的分类学观念(分类单元很少,但变异极大(分类单元中包含了多种生态表型))有助于不同古环境间的(生物地层)对比。另一方法是运用随着时间的古环境变化及其对介形类组合的组成的影响来进行(生物地层)对比。古生物工作者已在利用受环境控制的周期性介形类组合变化建立对比关系方面进行了大量有意义的尝试,但这些工作仍处在争议中。建立全球生物地层学方法,建立统一而持久的分类概念这一目标可以达到,但不可能在短期内实现。用现代的思想(概念)理解和研究非海相介形类的古生物学和古生物地理学及新资料将有助于修订工作的进展。尽管我们对中生代的非海相介形类的演化和分布的认识还很不全面,但目前我们已取得了可喜的进展。盆地间至大陆间的对比是否可行,早已不是问题。目前和未来的指导原则无疑是发展以介形类为基础,并与其他的年代地层学和地质年代学资料及方案相结合的从地区至全球范围的地层对比系统。因为我们正在迈向一个非海相晚中生代介形类生物地层学的重新解释和应用的新时代,我们必须承认我们还有许多东西需要学习。     

Mechanistic evaluation of the sorption properties of endocrine disrupting chemicals in sewage sludge biomass

This study investigated the sorption behaviour of two endocrine disrupting chemicals; 17β-estradiol (E2) and 17β-ethinylestradiol and their thermodynamic properties in an activated sludge biomass. The partition coefficient values measured for E2 and EE2 at varying temperatures range from 245–604 L/kg ( log K_d 2.39–2.78) and 267–631 L/kg (Log K_d 2.43–2.80), respectively. The K_d values were inversely related to temperature. The average percentages of E2 and EE2 adsorbed to the solid phase at 4.3 % dry solid were 87.2 % and 92.5 %, respectively. Sorption of E2 and EE2 to the activated sludge biomass was found to be spontaneous and entropy retarded with ΔG values in the range of ?13 to ?16 KJ/mol and ΔS value of?105.2J/mol/K and 96.7 J/mol/k for E2 and EE2, respectively. The enthalpy changes for E2 and EE2 were ?45.7KJ/mol and ?43.4KJ/mol respectively, demonstrating that the sorption process is exothermic. The values of the enthalpy changes also show that the mechanism of sorption is physisorption with some element of chemisorption.     

Rise of Buoyant Emissions from Low-Level Sources in the Presence of Upstream and Downstream Obstacles

Field and laboratory studies have been conducted to investigate the effect of surrounding buildings on the plume rise from low-level buoyant sources, such as distributed power generators. The field experiments were conducted in Palm Springs, California, USA in November 2010 and plume rise from a 9.3 m stack was measured. In addition to the field study, a laboratory study was conducted in a water channel to investigate the effects of surrounding buildings on plume rise under relatively high wind-speed conditions. Different building geometries and source conditions were tested. The experiments revealed that plume rise from low-level buoyant sources is highly affected by the complex flows induced by buildings stationed upstream and downstream of the source. The laboratory results were compared with predictions from a newly developed numerical plume-rise model. Using the flow measurements associated with each building configuration, the numerical model accurately predicted plume rise from low-level buoyant sources that are influenced by buildings. This numerical plume rise model can be used as a part of a computational fluid dynamics model.