Trace metals in sediment cores from Deception and Penguin Islands (South Shetland Islands, Antarctica)

This paper presents information on the levels of trace elements in sediments collected at Deception and Penguin Islands and tracks the sources of natural and anthropogenic inputs of metals into this sub-Antarctic region. The results suggest that natural processes, such as volcanic activity, hydrothermal processes and sediment transport, are more important than anthropogenic inputs in accounting for the metal concentrations measured in sediments at Deception Island. The higher levels of trace metals recorded in sediments at Penguin Island seem to reflect the composition of the source rocks of the island, which are dominated by the olivine-basalt group. Our findings show that human activities in the study areas may contribute to negligible levels of trace metals associated with anthropogenic inputs (e.g., Cr and Zn) in sediments, and these results can be used in the future as background levels related to low anthropogenic impacts.     

Arsenic and trace metal contents in sediment profiles from the Admiralty Bay, King George Island, Antarctica

Admiralty Bay (Antarctica) hosts three scientific stations (Ferraz, Arctowski and Macchu Picchu), which require the use of fossil fuel as an energy source. Fossil fuels are also considered the main source of pollution in the area, representing important inputs of major pollutants (organic compounds) and trace metals and metalloids of environmental interest. Accordingly, this work presents the results of As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb and Zn in sediment profiles from Admiralty Bay. The sediment results from Ferraz station were slightly higher than the other sampling sites. The highest contents were observed for Cu and Zn (from 44 to 89 mg kg⁻¹). Otherwise, by using enrichment factors and geochronology analysis, the most relevant enrichment was observed for As in the samples collected close to the Ferraz station, indicating that increasing As content may be associated with the activities associated with this site.     

Origin of the mass mortality of the flathead grey mullet (Mugil cephalus) in the Tanshui River, northern Taiwan, as indicated by otolith elemental signatures

A massive fish kill of approximately 50 tons of flathead grey mullet (Mugil cephalus) occurred in August 2006 in the Tanshui River, northern Taiwan. To clarify the origin of these mullets, 42 individuals were randomly collected to determine their ages by reading otolith annuli and to measure the trace elements in the otolith. The total lengths of the fish averaged 32.7 ± 4.4 cm, and most of the individuals were 2 years old, indicating that the mullets in the mass fish kill event were in the immature and growth stages. The Sr/Ca and Ba/Ca ratios of a subsample of 14 otoliths showed that half of the fish killed were estuarine residents, and the rest originated from marine and freshwater habitats. The multiple causes involved in this fish kill implied that additional unknown factors influenced the mullet populations on a large scale and induced them to move quickly and gather at this estuary.     

用ANSYS优化一米望远镜主镜18点底支承位置

一米级天文望远镜主镜常采用18点底支承设计,以降低主镜面在重力作用下产生的变形误差。为了确保镜面变形达到设计要求的精度,必须要设计出最佳的支承位置。综合利用有限元分析软件ANSYS提供的零阶、一阶、随机搜索等优化工具对支承位置进行优化分析,可以找到最佳设计,实践证明这是一种快速有效的优化方法。     

三轴无盲区望远镜机架方案

该文根据地平式、赤道式、双水平式机架的特点,提出了一种新型的三轴机架方案,在相对保持机架结构与力学性能的前提下可克服天顶盲区的问题.文中重点讨论了该机架的结构设计、跟踪模式以及卫星飞出天顶区后方位轴和高度轴的速度问题,推导了坐标转换和速度,加速度公式,并对实际卫星进行了计算分析.结果表明,这种三轴机架方案能够有效克服地平式机架的天顶盲区问题.     

Mercury,organic-mercury and selenium in small cetaceans in Taiwanese waters

Total Hg (∑Hg), organic-Hg (O-Hg) and Se bioaccumulations in small cetaceans distributed in Taiwanese waters of the Taiwan Strait and the southwestern Pacific have been investigated for the first time. The results could represent the baseline metal concentrations of marine mammals in the southwestern Pacific, where volcanic activities are possibly the major source of mercury to the environments. Muscle samples of four species of small cetaceans were collected from animals accidentally caught by tuna-longline fisheries from 1994 through 1995. In total, 53 pantropical spotted dolphins, Stenella attenuata, nine spinner dolphins, S. longirostris, five bottlenose dolphins, Turiops truncatus and four Risso's dolphins, Grampus giseus were analyzed. In addition, two stranded pantropical spotted dolphins were investigated. Cold vapour AAS and ICP-MS were used in the analysis of Hg and Se, respectively. Significant species difference was found in the four species of small cetaceans. Among them, the pantropical spotted dolphin showed the highest mean concentration (mg/kg wet wt.) of both ∑Hg (3.64±2.19) and O-Hg (2.79±1.23), whereas the Risso's dolphin had the highest mean concentrations of Se (1.77±1.29). There was no significant sex difference with respect to metal bioaccumulation in the samples of S. attenuata. Significant correlations between body length (BL) and ∑Hg, as well as O-Hg concentrations were observed in pantropical spotted (Sa) and spinner dolphins (Sl). The linear relationships were Sa: ∑Hg=−8.290+0.066BL, r=0.421; Sl: ∑Hg=−2.735+0.025BL, r=0.875; Sa: O-Hg=−3.723+0.036BL, r=0.408; and Sl: O-Hg=−3.017+0.025BL, r=0.870. However, a demethylation phenomenon that decreasing the percentage of O-Hg coupled with increasing levels of Se was observed when the ∑Hg concentrations in the muscle tissues of dolphins reached 4 mg/kg wet wt.     

Characterization and composition of heavy metals and persistent organic pollutants in water and estuarine sediments from Gao-ping River, Taiwan

The objective of this study was to determine the concentrations and possible sources of heavy metals and persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in water and estuarine sediments from Gao-ping River in order to evaluate the environmental quality of aquatic system in southern Taiwan. High concentrations of heavy metals including Cr, Zn, Ni, Cu and As, ranging from 10.7 to 180 mg/kg-dry weight (dw), were detected in sediments from Gao-ping River. When normalized to the principal component analysis (PCA), swinery and electroplating wastewaters were found to be the most important pollution sources for heavy metals. Of various organochlorine pesticide (OCP) residues detected, aldrin and total-hexachlorocyclohexane (HCH) were frequently found in sediments. The total concentrations of OCPs were in the range 0.47-47.4 ng/g-dw. Also, the total-HCH, total-cyclodiene, and total-dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) were in the range 0.37-36.3, 0.21-19.0, and 0.44-1.88 ng/g-dw, respectively. The polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) concentrations in sediments from Gao-ping River ranged between 0.37 and 5.89 ng/g-dw. The PCB concentrations are positively correlated to the organic contents of the sediment particles. alpha-HCH was found to be the dominant compound of HCH in the sediments, showing that long-range transport may be the possible source for the contamination of HCH in sediments from Gao-ping River. In summary, trace amounts of POPs in estuarine sediments from Gao-ping River were detected, showing that there still exist a wide variety of POP residues in the river sediments in Taiwan. These POP residues may be mainly from long-range transport and weathered agricultural soils, while heavy metal contamination is primarily from the swinery and industrial wastewaters.     

Shellfish from Todos os Santos Bay, Bahia, Brazil: treat or threat?

This study determined the concentrations of major and trace elements in shellfish (oysters, clams and mussels) and conducted an assessment of the health risks due to the consumption of contaminated seafood. Samples were collected at 34 sites along Todos os Santos Bay, Brazil. The elements were determined by ICP OES and Hg by Direct Mercury Analysis. Relatively high concentrations of trace elements (As, Zn, Se and Cu) were found in seafood tissues. Potential daily intake of As, Co, Se, Zn and Cu associated to shellfish consumption suggested relevant non-carcinogenic risk for all studied locations. Copper was the element that posed the greatest non-carcinogenic risk, while Pb posed the highest carcinogenic risk. Health risks for humans were greatest from the consumption of mussels. Contaminated shellfish offer the greatest risk for children, subsistence fishers and subsistence shellfish consumers.     

小型光电人卫跟踪仪的摆动叉式ALT—ALT跟踪机架

人卫跟踪仪一般采用地平式跟踪机架，由于这种机架固有的天顶盲区，致使观测数据不连续而造成卫星精密定轨的困难。讨论了小型光电人卫跟踪仪的ALT-ALT机架原理，分析证明采用这种机架形式没有天顶盲区、跟踪速度和加速度较小。同时提出了一种新颖的摆动叉式ALT-ALT跟踪机架，具有全天覆盖无遮挡、体积紧凑小巧等优点，其力学性能也十分优良，适合小型光电人卫跟踪仪和流动观测仪器使用。