Sorption of radioactive contaminants by sediment from the Kara Sea

The purpose of this study is to quantify some of the parameters needed to perform near-field modelling of sites in the Kara Sea that were impacted by the disposal of radioactive waste. The parameters of interest are: the distribution coefficients (Kd) for several important radionuclides, the mineralogy of the sediment, and the relationship of Kd to liquid-to-solid ratio. Sediment from the Kara Sea (location: 73 degrees 00'N, 58 degrees 00'E) was sampled from a depth of 287 m on August 23/24, 1992. Analysis of the material included mineralogy, grain size and total organic carbon (TOC). Uptake kinetics were determined for 85Sr, 137Cs, 241Am, 99Tc, 1251, 232U and 210Pb and distribution coefficients (Kd) were determined for these radionuclides using batch type experiments. Sorption isotherms, developed for 137Cs, 85Sr and 99Tc, were linear in each case. Increasing the liquid-to-solid ratio strongly increased uptake of 137Cs and moderately increased uptake of 99Tc. Analysis for anthropogenic radionuclides indicated the presence only of 239/240Pu in the sediment with the highest activity (at the top section of the core) being 0.420 Bq kg(-1). Other anthropogenic radionuclides were below detection limits.     

Spatial differences in persistent organochlorine pollutant concentrations between the Bering and Chukchi Seas (1993)

During August-September 1993, a joint Russian-United States expedition to the Bering and Chukchi Seas took place. Surface water samples were collected from 21 sites and separated into dissolved (duplicates) and suspended solids; 19 sediment and 6 air samples were also collected. These samples were analysed for 19 organochlorine pesticides, 11 chlorobenzenes and 113 PCB congeners. The report provides data on selected compounds which occured in > or = 75% of the water samples. Highest water concentrations were observed for HCH in open waters north and south of the Bering Strait, both regions being similar (alpha-HCH; 2.2 ng/L and lindane: 0.35 ng/L). Air levels observed were also constant (alpha-HCH; 0.041 ng/m3, lindane: 0.0093 ng/m3). Suspended solids and air particulares contributed little to the concentrations in their respective media, an observation common to all analytes except for the PCBs and the DDT residues. The sum of PCB concentrations in water were higher in the Bering Sea area compared to the Chukchi Sea (1.0 vrs 0.67 ng/L) and lower for air (0.46 vrs 0.23 ng/m3). Sum of DDT in water was higher in the Bering Sea than in the Chukchi Sea (0.23 vrs 0.15 ng/L) while in sediments and air, the Bering Sea concentrations were lower (0.95 vrs 1.6 ng/g and 36 vrs 56 pg/m3, respectively). Other organochlorine compounds for which data are presented include: pp'-DDE, pp'-DDT, dieldrin, HCB, 3 chlorobenzenes and 3 PCB congeners. Fluxes of all these chemicals through the Berin Strait are estimated; they ranged from 57 t/a (alpha-HCH) through 26 t/a (for sum of PCBs) to 0.2 t/a (pp'-DDE, dieldrin and 1,2,3-trichlorobenzene). Fugacity ratios for the HCHs and PCBs indicate the alpha-HCH is degassing in both the Bering and Chukchi Seas and that the gamma-isomer is degassing in the Bering Sea and is close to equilibrium (weakly absorbing) in the Chuchi Sea; the sum of PCBs are strongly absorbing in both areas.     

Can a pollution event be detected using a single biological effects monitoring method?

The trends of malformation prevalence in embryos of dab, Limanda limanda, in the southern North Sea after the year 1990 mirrored the drop in major pollutants in the rivers draining into the German Bight. Despite this general decline, we detected a pollution event in the southern North Sea in winter 1995/1996 employing the prevalence of malformations in pelagic dab embryos as an indicator. An abrupt rise in malformation prevalence in the embryos of dab, corresponded to a dramatic increase in DDT levels in parent fish from the same area, indicating a hitherto unnoticed introduction of considerable quantities of DDT into the system.     

Lysosomal membrane stability and metallothioneins in digestive gland of Mussels (Mytilus galloprovincialis Lam.) as biomarkers in a field study

The lysosomal membrane destabilization and the metallothionein content in the digestive gland cells of mussels (Mytilus galloprovincialis Lam.), collected along the east coast of the North Adriatic (Istrian and Kvarnerine coast, Croatia), were examined over a period of four years (1996–1999). The lysosomal membrane stability, as a biomarker of general stress, showed that the membrane labilization period in mussels from polluted, urban- and industrial-related areas was significantly decreased (p<0.05) when compared to mussels from control, clean sea water sites. In the harbour of Rijeka, the most contaminated site, the lysosomal membrane stability was reduced by more than 70% compared to the control. This method also proved to be a useful biomarker for detection of additional stress caused by short-term hypoxia that occurred once during this study inside the polluted and periodically quite eutrophic Pula Harbour. The concentration of metallothioneins in the mussel digestive gland, as a specific biomarker of exposure to heavy metals, did not reveal significant differences (p<0.05) between sites covered by this study.     

Discovery of A-type Granite Zone and Its Geodynamic Significance in the Western Kunlun Mts., China

l. IntroductionGranite distributes widely in western KunlunMts. Many researches have been conducted byscientists (Wang Yuzhen et.al., l987; Zhang Yuquanet.al., l989, Fang Xilian et.al., I990, Jiang Chunfaet.al., 1992; Pan Yusheng, l992, Xu Ronghua et.al.,l 994; Jing Daogui et.al., l996, Zhang Yuquan et.al.,l998). But all of the researches have been donealong Sino-Pakistan road and Xinjiang-Tibet roadt"ith fOcus on isotopic dating of the intrusion andconducted a few on origin and tect…     

The Relative Impact of Regional Scale Land Cover Change and Increasing CO2 over China

A series of 17-yr equilibrium simulations using the NCAR CCM3 (T42 resolution) were performed to investigate the regional scale impacts of land cover change and increasing CO2 over China. Simulations with natural and current land cover at CO2 levels of 280,355, 430, and 505 ppmv were conducted. Results show statistically significant changes in major climate fields (e.g. temperature and surface wind speed) on a 15-yr average following land cover change. We also found increases in the maximum temperature and in the diurnal temperature range due to land cover change. Increases in CO2 affect both the maximum and minimum temperature so that changes in the diurnal range are small. Both land cover change and CO2 change also impact the frequency distribution of precipitation with increasing CO2 tending to lead to more intense precipitation and land cover change leading to less intense precipitation-indeed, the impact of land cover change typically had the opposite effect versus the impacts of CO2. Our results provide support for the inclusion of future land cover change scenarios in long-term transitory climate inodelling experiments of the 21st Century. Our results also support the inclusion of land surface models that can represent future land cover changes resulting from an ecological response to natural climate variability or increasing CO2. Overall, we show that land cover change can have a significant impact on the regional scale climate of China, and that regionally, this impact is of a similar magnitude to increases in CO2 of up to about 430 ppmv. This means that that the impact of land cover change must be accounted for in detection and attribution studies over China.     

SPECIFIC DEGRADATION OF WATERSHEDS

An extensive database of reservoir sedimentation surveys throughout continental United States is compiled and analyzed to determine specific degradation SD relationships as function of mean annual rainfall R, drainage area A, and watershed slope S. The database contains 1463 field measurements and specific degradation relationships are defined as function of A, R and S. Weak trends and significant variability in the data are noticeable. Specific degradation measurements are log normally distributed with respect to R, A, and S and 95% confidence intervals are determined accordingly. The accuracy of the predictions does not significantly increase as more independent variables are added to the regression analyses.     

STRUCTURE AND COMPOSITION OF A WATERSHED-SCALE SEDIMENT INFORMATION NETWORK

A "Watershed-Scale Sediment Information Network" (WaSSIN), designed to complement UNESCO’s International Sedimentation Initiative, was endorsed as an initial project by the World Association for Sedimentation and Erosion Research. WaSSIN is to address global fluvial-sediment information needs through a network approach based on consistent protocols for the collection, analysis, and storage of fluvial-sediment and ancillary information at smaller spatial scales than those of the International Sedimentation Initiative. As a second step of implementation, it is proposed herein that the WaSSIN have a general structure of two components, (1) monitoring and data acquisition and (2) research. Monitoring is to be conducted in small watersheds, each of which has an established database for discharge of water and suspended sediment and possibly for bed load, bed material, and bed topography. Ideally, documented protocols have been used for collecting, analyzing, storing, and sharing the derivative data. The research component is to continue the collection and interpretation of data, to compare those data among candidate watersheds, and to determine gradients of fluxes and processes among the selected watersheds. To define gradients and evaluate processes, the initial watersheds will have several common attributes. Watersheds of the first group will be: (1) six to ten in number, (2) less than 1000 km2 in area, (3) generally in mid-latitudes of continents, and (4) of semiarid climate. Potential candidate watersheds presently include the Weany Creek Basin, northeastern Australia, the Zhi Fanggou catchment, northern China, the Eshtemoa Watershed, southern Israel, the Metsemotlhaba River Basin, Botswana, the Aiuaba Experimental Basin, Brazil, and the Walnut Gulch Experimental Watershed, southwestern United States.     

2004年苏门答腊-安达曼地震图小波分析及其在海啸早期预警中的应用

试图利用小波变换在地震图开始部分检测长周期成分。分析了2004年12月6日苏门答腊—安达曼M_w9.2级地震和2005年3月28日尼亚斯M_w8.7级地震的位移地震图。小波分析能够在S波到达台站前清楚地区分两次地震的长周期W震相的振幅。结果显示,2004年地震W震相的振幅明显更大。这一方法可以用于快速识别具有引发海啸可能的巨大地震。     

特大地震大小的快速估计法

将根据初至地震P波的宽带记录(即在宽频范围内的记录)得出的体波震级m_B重新引入国际地震实践中能更快地估计大地震的大小。国际地震学与地球内部物理学协会(IASPEI)震级测定工作组做出的这一建议以及与未来震级测量标准相关的其他建议于2005年10月2～8日在智利召开的IASPEI大会上被IASPEI地震观测与解释委员会采纳。