Correlation between plasmid DNA damage induced by PM_(10) and trace metals in inhalable particulate matters in Beijing air

Based on the study of Beijing PM10 bioreactivity with the newly developed plasmid DNA assay method, and analysis for trace elements of PM10, the cause of plasmid DNA damage by PM10 was investigated. The study showed that plasmid DNA oxidative damages by PM10 are of difference in different seasons at various areas. The concentrations of TM50 of PM10 in whole samples respectively collected at urban and comparison sites during winter were 900 μg mL?1 and 74 μg mL?1, while those in their corresponding soluble fractions were 540 μg mL?1 and 86 μg mL?1. In contrast, TM50 contents of PM10 from summer whole samples at urban areas and comparison sites were 116 μg mL?1 and 210 μg mL?1, whereas those in their soluble fractions were 180 μg mL?1 and 306 μg mL?1. The difference of bioreactivity of Beijing PM10 resulted from the variation of trace elements. The oxidative damage of plasmid DNA caused by Pb, Zn, As in PM10 (whole sample) was relatively strong. TM50 and Mn, V, Zn display stronger correlation in the soluble fraction. It implies that Zn could be the major trace element in Beijing PM10 which contributes to oxidative damage to plasmid DNA.     

Analysis of recent vessel arrivals and ballast water discharge in Alaska: toward assessing ship-mediated invasion risk

Ships are a dominant vector for biological invasions through ballast water discharge (BWD) and hull fouling. Here, we provide a first comprehensive analysis of shipping in Alaska, summarizing (a) the number, type and origin of vessel arrivals to Alaska for 2003 and 2004, (b) the spatial and temporal variation in vessel traffic, and (c) the available data on ballast water discharge in order to prioritize locations for tracking biological invasions. Most arrivals were passenger vessels, followed by ferries and fishing vessels, all of which carried little ballast water. Regional and seasonal patterns in arrivals and BWD were unevenly distributed among vessel types. The majority of vessels reporting BWD were from foreign ports, and most of this ballast was untreated. The largest volumes of ballast were from tankers at Valdez and Kenai Peninsula ports. Although Alaska has few documented invasions, opportunities for ship-mediated transfer now appear high and warrant further scrutiny.     

逆冲和消减地震的应力触发及圣安德烈斯南部及其邻区逆冲和走滑断层的相互作用

指出逆冲地震的触发、抑制和丛集的主要特性可以用库仑破裂应力变化来解释。解释中我们采用了一套代表模型及详细实例。虽然地表破裂的逆冲断层使得大部分周围地壳的应力降低，但逆冲盲断层的滑动却使得某些附近区域，特别是震源断层上方的应力增加。这样逆冲盲断层可以触发浅部次生断层的滑动，并产生广泛分布的余震。短逆冲破裂对于触发大小相差不多的邻近逆冲断层特别有效。我们的计算结果表明，在加利福尼亚中部连续的逆冲序列中，1983年Mw6．7级科林加地震使得1983年Mw6．0级努涅斯地震和1985年Mw6．0级凯特尔曼山地震破裂与库仑破裂应力分别接近了10bar和1bar。理想化的应力变化计算与伴随大逆冲事件的地震活动性分布一致，这与前人的研究结果是一致的。俯冲带破裂的计算结果促使了俯冲前缘隆起发生正断层事件，并有利于地震破裂带周围及其下倾延伸区发生逆断层事件。这些特性在1957年Mw9．1级阿留申地震和其他大逆冲地震是明显的。我们进一步研究了能得到详细滑动模型的1960年Mw9．5和1995年Mw8．1级智利地震引起的破裂面上的应力变化。计算的库仑破裂应力增加为2-20bar，与余震地点和震后滑动密切相对应，而应力降低10bar的地区余震缺失。我们也提出主走滑系统的滑动调制了附近逆冲和走滑断层的应力。我们计算得到圣安德烈斯断层上1857年Mw7．9级蒂洪堡地震以及后续震间滑动使得科林加断层接近破裂约1bar，但抑制了全部海岸山岭的逆冲断层。1857年的地震也促使于1952年发生Mw7．3级科恩县地震的怀特沃尔夫逆冲断层接近破裂约10bar，但抑制了自1857年以来从来没有破裂的左旋加洛克断层上的滑动。于是我们有充分理由认为，应力转移在很宽的时间和空间尺度上对逆冲断层的地震活动性有控制作用。     

Partial colony mortality reflects coral community dynamics: a fringing reef study near a small river in Okinawa, Japan

The relative performance of (i) percent live cover, (ii) colony density, (iii) generic richness, (iv) partial colony mortality, and (v) colony size of hard corals were evaluated to determine which variables best discriminated the coral communities near a small river in Okinawa, Japan. An analysis of their variance was undertaken across a combination of sites at three depths, at increasing distance from a river's influence (Zatsun River). The river provides a periodic and localized input of sediment and fresh water to the adjacent coral reef; the effects of which we assume attenuate at increasing distance from the river mouth. The mean frequency of partially dead coral colonies (i.e., the proportion of live coral colonies that were partially dead) presented the clearest and most reliable response to river affect, and the power to discriminate among sites improved steadily with increasing depth. Spatial examination of the prevalence of partial mortality, regardless of how long ago the infliction occurred, provides a clear window to long-term processes involving population and community change and indeed the reef building capacity of the communities.     

Ecological consequences of dredged material disposal in the marine environment: a holistic assessment of activities around the England and Wales coastline

This study provides a holistic perspective on the ecological effects of dredged material disposal, both intertidally and subtidally. A number of numerical techniques (univariate, distributional, multivariate and meta-analysis) were used to assess impacts at 18 different disposal sites. The analyses revealed that ecological effects associated with dredged material disposal were dependent on the numerical techniques used, and that impacts were disposal-site specific. Disposal-site communities were generally faunistically impoverished to varying degrees, and impacts following intertidal placement were comparable to those of subtidal placement. We conclude that any assessment of the consequences of dredged material disposal to the coastal environment must take account of site-specific variation in prevailing hydrographic regimes and in ecological status, along with information on the disposal activity itself (mode, timing, quantity, frequency and type of material). As would be expected, variability in the latter presents a significant challenge in attempts to generalise about environmental and ecological impacts.     

The effect of the "Prestige" oil spill on the plankton of the N-NW Spanish coast

Chlorophyll, primary production, zooplankton biomass and the species composition of phytoplankton and zooplankton were studied in 2003, after the Prestige shipwreck. The information obtained was compared to previous data series available for the area affected by the spill. A large data series on plankton variables for the N-NW Spanish coast existed, and therefore a realistic evaluation of the effects by comparison with the range of natural variability could be carried out. We emphasized the evaluation of impact during the spring bloom, the first important biological event after the spill. Some minor changes were observed occasionally, but they did not show any clear pattern and were more related to the natural variability of the ecosystem than to effect of the spill. Plankton community structure did not undergo any changes. Only a few species were more abundant during spring 2003 than in previous years. No significant changes were detected in the planktonic community during productive periods, such as the spring bloom and the summer blooms related to intrusions of East North Atlantic Central Waters. The lack of evidence of the effects of the spill on planktonic communities is discussed in terms of the characteristics of the fuel, the high dynamics of the water masses, the biological mechanisms through which the fuel from the surface waters is transferred to the sea floor and, particularly, the influence of the natural variability by means of large and meso-scale hydrographic processes in the area under study. At the present time it is not possible to determine any minor effects the spill may have had on the plankton owing to the great variability of the planktonic cycles and the short-term impact of the oil from the Prestige on the pelagic system.     

Liver histopathology in Baltic flounder (Platichthys flesus) as indicator of biological effects of contaminants

Results are presented of a study on liver histopathology in Baltic flounder (Platichthys flesus) carried out in 2001 and 2002 in four coastal sampling areas of the Baltic Sea: Kv?d?fj?rden (Swedish east coast, reference area), Klaipeda-Butinge (Lithuanian coast), Gulf of Gdansk (Polish coast), and Wismar Bay (German coast) within the framework of the EU-funded BEEP project. Liver lesions were diagnosed and categorised using standardised methodologies and, for a spatial and temporal assessment of the prevalence and types of lesions detected, a scoring system was applied, involving the calculation of mean histopathology lesion scores. 83.0% of the 436 female flounder examined (size range: 20-43 cm total length, age range: 2-8 years) were affected by liver lesions, out of which 74.3% were assigned to the category of non-specific, 3.4% to the category of early toxicopathic non-neoplastic, 4.6% to the category of pre-neoplastic and 0.7% to the category of neoplastic lesions. Mean lesions scores were highest in the areas at the Lithuanian and Swedish coast and there is indication of an impact of the age structure of the flounder populations studied, the sampling season as well as of contaminant effects.     

Beach morphodynamics forcements in oiled shorelines: Coupled physical and chemical processes during and after fuel burial

In November 2002, the sinking of the Prestige oil tanker off the Galician coast (N.W. Spain) caused the largest ecological catastrophe in the history of Spain, affecting the coast called the 'Costa da Morte' (Galicia, N.W. Spain). This work is focused on the study of the oil contamination of the intertidal area of two beaches located on this stretch of coast. The study of twenty cores extracted from both beaches has identified fuel embedded in the sedimentary column up to a depth of 2.38 m (this being the maximum depth of extraction). This, along with the presence of oil below the groundwater indicates the existence of a new factor which determines the burial of oil: the morphodynamic behaviour of the beach. Furthermore, this morphodynamic variation conditions the physical appearance of the buried oil. Four different types have been identified: tar-balls (cm), particles (mm), oil coatings on sediment grains and on emulsion, with distribution patterns conditioned by the degree of wave exposure. The analysis of the information obtained have permitted the development of a conceptual model of the burial and oil evolution in the sedimentary column in relation to wave exposure, and thus to the morphodynamic variability of the beach.     

Influence of salinity and fish species on PAH uptake from dispersed crude oil

The use of chemical oil dispersants to minimize spill impacts causes a transient increase in hydrocarbon concentrations in water, which increases the risk to aquatic species if toxic components become more bioavailable. The risk of effects depends on the extent to which dispersants enhance the exposure to toxic components, such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH). Increased salinities can reduce the solubility of PAH and the efficiency of oil dispersants. This study measured changes in the induction of CYP1A enzymes of fish to demonstrate the effect of salinity on PAH availability. Freshwater rainbow trout and euryhaline mummichog were exposed to water accommodated fractions (WAF), and chemically-enhanced water accommodated fractions (CEWAF) at 0 per thousand, 15 per thousand, and 30 per thousand salinity. For both species, PAH exposure decreased as salinity increased whereas dispersant effectiveness decreased only at the highest salinity. Hence, risks to fish of PAH from dispersed oil will be greatest in coastal waters where salinities are low.     

Biomarker responses in flounder (Platichthys flesus) and mussel (Mytilus edulis) in the Klaipeda-Būtinge area (Baltic Sea)

During the EU project BEEP a battery of biomarkers was applied in flounder (Platichthys flesus) and the blue mussel (Mytilus edulis) collected at three locations off the Lithuanian coast (Baltic Sea) in June and September 2001 and 2002. The elevated biomarker responses in specimens sampled in September 2001 were apparently related to the extensive dredging activities in the Klaipeda port area and subsequent dumping of contaminated sediments. High concentrations of organic pollutants (organochlorines and PBDEs) were also measured in the tissues of both indicator species. In addition, response levels of genotoxicity, cytotoxicity, immunotoxicity as well as concentrations of PAH metabolites in the bile of flounder showed elevations in 2002 after an oil spill in the Būtinge oil terminal in November 2001. In flounder, biomarker measurements 10 months after the spill indicated recovery processes but in mussels a high level of genotoxicity could still be observed 22 months later. The present study illustrates the usefulness of the multi-biomarker approach in the detection of biological effects of pollution in this region of the Baltic Sea.