Carbon and nitrogen isotope composition of particulate organic matter in relation to mucilage formation in the northern Adriatic Sea

Carbon and nitrogen stable isotope ratios of particulate organic matter (POM) were studied approximately weekly during spring and summer 2003 and 2004 in the Gulf of Trieste (northern Adriatic Sea) in order to track the temporal variations and differences between two years. In parallel, particulate organic carbon (POC) and particulate nitrogen (PN), phytoplankton biomass (chlorophyll a), and N and P nutrients were monitored. All studied parameters, especially N and P nutrients and chlorophyll a, showed higher concentrations and larger variability in spring 2004. As a consequence the macroaggregates were produced in late spring 2004. The C and N isotope composition of POM was not directly linked to phytoplankton biomass dynamics. The δ¹³C_POC values covaried with temperature. In 2004, δ¹³C_POC variations followed the δ¹⁵N_PN values as well as the δ¹³C_DIC values which were probably more dependent on the photosynthetic use of ¹²C. Variations in δ¹⁵N_POM values were most probably the consequence of variations in N nutrient sources used in phytoplankton assimilation. The significant correlation between δ¹⁵N_PN values and nitrate concentrations in 2004 implies intense nitrate assimilation in the presence of higher nitrate concentration. This suggests nitrate as the key nutrient in the »new primary production«, later producing macroaggregates with a mean δ¹³C and δ¹⁵N values of − 19‰ and 5‰, respectively. A low fractionation factor ε, < 1‰, lower than that reported in other marine and lacustrine systems, was found probably to be a consequence of distinct phytoplankton species, i.e. several classes of autotrophic nanoflagellates, and specific growth conditions present in the Gulf of Trieste. The tentative use of C isotope composition of POM revealed a higher contribution of allochthonous organic matter in 2004 compared to 2003 due to higher riverine inflow.     

Species- and tissue-specific mercury bioaccumulation in five fish species from Laizhou Bay in the Bohai Sea of China

Mercury (Hg) concentrations in the tissues (muscle, stomach, liver, gills, skin, and gonads) of five fish species (mullet Liza ha em atocheil us, flathead fish Platycephalus indicus, sea bass Lateolabrax japonic u s, mackerel Scomberomorus niphonius and silver pomfret Pampus argenteus) collected from Laizhou Bay in the Bohai Sea of China were investigated. The results indicate that Hg bioaccumulation in the five fish was tissue-specific, with the highest levels in the muscle and liver, followed by the stomach and gonads. The lowest levels were found in the gills and skin. Fish at higher trophic levels (flathead fish and sea bass) exhibited higher Hg concentrations than consumers at lower trophic levels. Mercury bioaccumulation tended to be positively correlated with fish length in mullet, silver pomfret, mackerel, and flathead fish, but was negatively correlated with fish length in sea bass. The Hg concentrations in the muscles of all fish species in Laizhou Bay were within the permissible limits of food safety set by national and international criteria. However, the suggesting maximum consumption of sea bass is 263 g per week for human health.     

黔西南、桂北地区微细浸染型金矿床砷、锑、汞、铊元素及矿物组合特征

本文结合野外地质调查和有关的低温硫化物相平衡实验结果，对黔西南、桂北地区的浅成低温热液浸染型金矿床中与金共（伴）生的硫化物矿物组合、地球化学特征及其成矿作用机制进行了综合分析研究。研究表明，与金矿化共（伴）生的砷、锑、汞和铊等地球化学指示元素及其矿物组合不仅具有成生方面的联系，而且可以作为寻找金的一种特征的标型标志。     

城镇周边和江河沿岸土壤中Hg和Cd存在形式解析与生态风险评估

受人类活动和自然作用双重影响,土壤中重金属元素异常普遍存在,其中尤以城镇周边的Hg异常和大江河沿岸区域Cd异常最为典型。近年来,通常采用化学分步提取的方式,探讨土壤水溶态、离子交换态、有机态、铁锰氧化物态等形态中Hg、Cd等重金属元素含量的状况,进而分析其生态效应,但对土壤中Hg、Cd等重金属元素的自然存在形式缺乏深入探讨。本文以Hg、Cd两元素为重点,选择我国代表性城市和地区,采集城镇周边Hg异常区和江河沿岸Cd异常区的土壤样品,采用王水溶样原子荧光光谱法(AFS)测定Hg含量,采用盐酸-硝酸-氢氟酸-高氯酸溶样电感耦合等离子体质谱法(ICP-MS)测定Cd含量,同时配合其他相关实验手段,对Hg、Cd的自然存在形式进行解析;并以水稻中Hg、Cd含量为依据对Hg、Cd的生态效应进行了评价。结果表明:长春、南京、漳州和广州等城镇周边土壤Hg异常区Hg主体以硫化物形式存在,而且至少有一部分是以辰砂矿物形式存在,由此决定了土壤中Hg有效态在Hg全量中所占比例较小,土壤中Hg平均含量达到500μg/kg时,水稻籽实中Hg含量超过无公害食品标准的比例为3.4%,生态效应不甚敏感;长江、珠江等江河沿岸区域Cd异常区内Cd主要呈黏土吸附形式存在,由此导致50%左右的Cd以有效态形式存在,在土壤Cd全量中所占比例较大,当土壤中Cd平均含量达到1000μg/kg时,水稻籽实中Cd含量超过无公害食品标准的比例为43%,生态效应敏感。由此揭示出土壤中Hg、Cd等重金属元素生态效应敏感程度更直接地受到自然存在形式的影响。以辰砂矿物形式存在的Hg呈现"惰性",不容易被农作物吸收,故生态效应不敏感;以黏土矿物吸附形式存在的Cd活动性更强,容易被农作物吸收,故生态效应敏感。Hg、Cd等重金属元素被农作物乃至人体吸收后,其存在形式及其转化特性是评估该元素是否存在生态风险的关键。     

Distribution and speciation of mercury in soil in the area of an ancient mercury ore roasting site,Frbejžene trate (Idrija area,Slovenia)

In the initial period of mining activities in the Idrija basin (the16^th and the first half of the17^th centuries), Hg ore processing was performed at various small-scale roasting sites in the woods surrounding Idrija, by roasting ore in earthen vessels. The recovery rate of this method was very low; about half of Hg was lost, causing soil contamination and considerable amounts of waste material that could potentially leach Hg into the surrounding environment. The main aims of present geochemical study were to determine the contents, vertical distribution and speciation of Hg in soils at the roasting site at Frbej?ene trate in order to verify the extreme pollution of ancient Hg ore roasting sites in the Idrija area and to establish their significance in the wider spatial contamination of soils and aquatic systems. Soil sampling was performed at the area of the former roasting site. The organic matter-rich surface soil layer (SOM) and underlying mineral soil were sampled at 63 sampling locations. Mercury speciation was performed using Hg thermo-desorption-AAS to distinguish cinnabar from potentially bioavailable forms. The results indicate extremely high Hg concentrations with a maximum of 37,000 mg/kg in SOM and 19,900 mg/kg in mineral soil. The established Hg median in soil was 370 mg/kg and in SOM 96.3 mg/kg. Spatial distributions of Hg in SOM and soil showed very high Hg contents in the central area and decreased rapidly with distance. The results of Hg thermo-desorption measurements indicated the presence of cinnabar (HgS) and Hg bound to organic or mineral soil matter. A significant portion (35–40%) of Hg in the investigated soil and SOM samples was comprised of non-cinnabar compounds, which are potentially bioavailable. It has been shown that soils contain high amounts of potentially transformable non-cinnabar Hg, which is available for surface leaching and runoff into the surrounding environment. Therefore, contaminated soils and roasted residues at the studied area are important for persistent Hg release into the aquatic ecosystem.     

Elemental and stable isotopic constraints on river influence and patterns of nitrogen cycling and biological productivity in Hudson Bay

Elemental (carbon and nitrogen) ratios and stable carbon and nitrogen isotope ratios (δ¹³C and δ¹⁵N) are examined in sediments and suspended particulate matter from Hudson Bay to study the influence of river inputs and autochthonous production on organic matter distribution. River-derived particulate organic matter (POM) is heterogeneous, nitrogen-poor and isotopically depleted, consistent with expectations for OM derived from terrestrial C3 vascular plant sources, and distinct from marine OM sources. Both δ¹³C and C/N source signatures seem to be transmitted to sediments with little or no modification, therefore making good tracers for terrigenous OM in Hudson Bay. They suggest progressively larger contributions from marine sources with distance from shore and secondarily from south to north, which broadly corresponds to the distribution of river inputs to Hudson Bay. Processes other than mixing of marine and terrigenous OM influence sedimentary δ¹⁵N values, including variability in the δ¹⁵N of phytoplankton in the Bay's surface waters due to differences in relative nitrate utilization, and post-production processes, which bring about an apparently constant ¹⁵N-enrichment between surface waters and underlying sediments. Variability in the δ¹⁵N of phytoplankton in the Bay's surface waters, in contrast, seems to be organized spatially with a pattern that suggests an inshore–offshore difference in surface water nitrogen conditions (open- vs. closed-system) and hence the δ¹⁵N value of phytoplankton. The δ¹⁵N patterns, supported by a simple nitrate box-model budget, suggest that in inshore regions of Hudson Bay, upwelling of deep, nutrient-rich waters replenishes surface nitrate, resulting in ‘open system’ conditions which tend to maintain nitrate δ¹⁵N at low and constant values, and these values are reflected in the sinking detritus. River inflow, which is constrained to inshore regions of Hudson Bay, appears to be a relatively minor source of nitrate compared to upwelling of deep waters. However, river inflow may contribute indirectly to enhanced inshore nutrient supply by supporting large-scale estuarine circulation and consequently entrainment and upwelling of deep water in this area. In contrast to previous proposals that Hudson Bay is oligotrophic because it receives too much fresh water (Dunbar, 1993), our results support most of the primary production being organized around the margin of the Bay, where river flow is constrained.     

Potential source and diagenetic signatures of oceanic dissolved and particulate organic matter as distinguished by lipid biomarker distributions

Potential biogenic sources of ultrafiltered dissolved and suspended particulate organic matter (UDOM and POM, respectively) from the Sargasso Sea (SS) and North Central Pacific (NCP) Ocean were investigated using lipid biomarker compounds. Organic carbon (OC) concentrations were ~ 20–40 times greater in UDOM than POM and decreased with depth. However, total OC-normalized lipid concentrations were 2–3 orders of magnitude higher in POM than in UDOM. Particulate total lipids decreased 3–10-fold with depth, compared to 10–20% for dissolved total lipids. Total fatty acids (FA), the most abundant lipids, showed similar patterns as total lipids, comprising ~ 62–88% of the total lipids analyzed in UDOM and ~ 57–84% in POM.FA were dominated by straight-chain saturated compounds followed by monounsaturated, polyunsaturated, and branched FA. Polyunsaturated FA were enriched in POM vs. UDOM and in surface vs. deep waters for both UDOM and POM, likely reflecting the algal origins and greater reactivity of surface-derived materials. In both UDOM and POM, sterols of planktonic origin dominated, including cholest-5-en-3β-ol (C₂₇Δ⁵), 24-methylcholesta-5,24(28)E-dien-3β-ol (C₂₈Δ^5,24(28)) and 24-ethylcholest-5-3β-ol (C₂₉Δ⁵), with varying contributions from cholesta-5,22E-3β-ol (C₂₇Δ^5,22), 24-methylcholesta-5,22E-3β-ol (C₂₈Δ^5,22) and 24-ethylcholesta-5,22E-3β-ol (C₂₉Δ^5,22).Factor analysis of lipid biomarkers showed major differences between the UDOM and POM pools and for each pool as a function of depth, but not between the SS and NCP. While UDOM and POM biomarkers were both dominated by autochthonous sources, differences between the two pools suggest potential effects from some combination of source and diagenetic factors. The lipid biomarker data are further evaluated relative to previous studies of radiocarbon (¹⁴C) and elemental (C:N:P) characteristics of UDOM and POM in the SS and NCP.     

Export fluxes of biogenic matter in the presence and absence of seasonal sea ice cover in the Chukchi Sea

Drifting sediment traps were deployed at 9 stations in May-June (ice-covered conditions) and July-August (ice-free conditions) 2004 in the Chukchi Sea to investigate the variability in export fluxes of biogenic matter in the presence and absence of sea ice cover. Measurements of chlorophyll-a (Chl-a), particulate organic carbon (POC), particulate nitrogen (PN), phytoplankton, zooplankton fecal pellets, and the stable carbon isotope composition (δ¹³C) of the sinking material were performed along Barrow Canyon (BC) and a parallel shelf-to-basin transect from East Hanna Shoal (EHS) to the Canada Basin. POC export fluxes were similarly high in the presence (378±106 mg C m⁻² d⁻¹) and in the absence of ice cover (442±203 mg C m⁻² d⁻¹) at the BC stations, while fluxes were significantly higher in the absence (129±98 mg C m⁻² d⁻¹) than in the presence of ice cover (44±29 mg C m⁻² d⁻¹) at the EHS stations. The C/N ratios and δ¹³C values of sinking organic particles indicated that POC export fluxes on the Chukchi continental shelf were mostly composed of freshly produced labile material, except at the EHS stations under ice cover where the exported matter was mostly composed of refractory material probably advected into the EHS region. Chl-a fluxes were higher under ice cover than in ice-free water, however, relatively low daily loss rates of Chl-a and similar phytoplankton carbon fluxes in ice-covered and ice-free water suggest the retention of phytoplankton in the upper water column. An increase in fecal pellet carbon fluxes in ice-free water reflected higher grazing pressure in the absence of ice cover. Elevated daily loss rates of POC at the BC stations confirmed other indications that Barrow Canyon is an important area of carbon export to the basin and/or benthos. These results support the conclusion that there are large spatial and temporal variations in export fluxes of biogenic matter on the Chukchi continental shelf, although export fluxes may be similar in the presence and in the absence of ice cover in highly productive regions.     

Distribution of particulate organic carbon in the central Arabian Sea

Particulate organic carbon (POC) of 161 water samples collected from 8 depths (surface to 1000 m) at 21 stations was measured. The POC concentrations ranged from 154 to 554 ¼g per litre at the surface and decreased in the upper 300 m water column. At greater depths (> 300 m), POC concentrations increased and were similar (145 to 542 ¼g1^?1) to those observed at surface. Deep water POC maximum was embedded within the oxygen minimum layer and was also associated with high phosphate-phosphorus. The POC contents increased, whereas oxygen decreased as the distance away from the shore increased. Phytoplankton biomass was a major source of POC. The observed pattern of POC is discussed with respect to some physicochemical and biological factors.     

PM2.5监测及评价研究进展

综合阐述了近年来国内外PM2.5的监测方法、观测站网建设发展,以及PM2.5对人体健康、大气环境及天气、气候等方面的影响研究,并对国内外PM2.5空气质量标准差异进行了比较分析,提出了加强PM2.5监测及影响评价的建议.