Effects of heavy metals on the development and survival of abalone Haliotis midae larvae

Despite a growing abalone Haliotis midae industry in South Africa, few studies have measured the effects of heavy metals on larval survival and growth in the face of recent increases in marine pollution. The aim of this study was to quantify the effect of copper on survival and zinc on development of H. midae larvae. Larvae 24 hours old were exposed to either copper (0–30 μg l^–1) or zinc (0–200 μg l^–1) for 48 h before mortality or larval development respectively were quantified. Copper significantly reduced survival, with an LC₅₀ of 5.58 μg l^–1 (5.07–6.15, 95% CI). Although the concentrations of zinc used in the study did not have a significant effect on mortality, there was a significant effect on the incidence of abnormal larvae with an EC₅₀ of 102.25 μg l^–1 (96.68–105.94, 95% CI). At concentrations above the EC₅₀, more than 50% of the larvae showed severe developmental abnormalities. Results suggest that copper poses the greatest risk to abalone larvae as the LC₅₀ was similar to the target concentration for this metal for South African coastal waters. By contrast, zinc is potentially less problematic, with the EC₅₀ for larval development being four times the target concentration for this metal.     

Oil and gas development exposure and conservation scenarios for Greater sage-grouse: Combining spatially explicit modeling with GIS visualization provides critical information for management decisions

During the last quarter-century, global demand for energy has increased by more than 60%, and a similar increase is anticipated to occur by 2030 (Raymond, Deming, & Nichols, 2007). In the U.S., oil and gas development is projected to continue across western states within sage-grouse habitat. Greater sage-grouse, recently a candidate species for protection under the Endangered Species Act (ESA), have well documented negative responses to oil and gas disturbance. In this study, we create spatially-explicit oil and gas future development scenarios, baseline and high, and link them to sage-grouse population and habitat maps to quantify future exposure risk within Western Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies (WAFWA) sage-grouse management zones (MZ) I and II. We then analyze recent land use decisions from the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) along with enacted policy from the State of Wyoming to estimate how these management actions might minimize the exposure risk of sage-grouse to oil and gas development into the future. Our results show that BLM and Wyoming conservation plans could reduce the exposure of sage-grouse to oil and gas development from 15-27% to 11–17% (31–37% reduction) in MZ I and from 15-27% to 5–9% (64–68% reduction) in MZ II. Our estimates of exposure to future oil and gas development, and conservation measures designed to ameliorate those threats, represent the upper and lower extents of potential impacts within scenarios. Our work demonstrates how spatial modeling and GIS visualization can be used by managers to assess likely outcomes of conservation decisions.     

Geochemistry of the Eocene Jijuntun Formation oil shale in the Fushun Basin,northeast China: Implications for source-area weathering,provenance and tectonic setting

Within the fault-bound Fushun Basin of northeastern China, the Eocene Jijuntun Formation hosts extensive deposits of thick lacustrine oil shale. Systematic sampling and geochemical analysis of these deposits has revealed that the parent rocks of the oil shale underwent moderate chemical weathering; and that its mineralogy and trace and rare earth element geochemistry were mainly controlled by parent rock composition, with no synsedimentary changes in the source terrain. Based on source rock and tectonic setting discrimination diagrams, we concluded that the parent rocks of the oil shale were mostly basalts of the Paleogene Laohutai Formation. These basalts originated in a continental back arc environment and contain abundant nutrient elements such as Fe, P, Ni, Cu and Zn, all of which are essential for the growth of aquatic photoautotrophs in lakes. Continuous, high primary productivity in the Jinjuntun lacustrine depocentre, combined with a stable tectonic setting and underfilled sedimentary environment, were key factors in the genesis of its oil shale.     

Radium tracing of submarine groundwater discharge (SGD) and associated nutrient fluxes in a highly-permeable bed coastal zone, Korea

In order to estimate submarine groundwater discharge (SGD) and SGD-driven nutrient fluxes, we measured the concentrations of nutrients, ²²⁴Ra, and ²²⁶Ra in seawater, river water, and coastal groundwater of Yeongil Bay (in the southeastern coast of Korea) in August 2004 and February 2005. The bottom sediments over the shallow areas of this bay are composed mainly of coarse sands. Large excess concentrations of ²²⁴Ra, ²²⁶Ra, and Si supplied from SGD were observed in August 2004, while these excess concentrations were not apparent in February 2005. Based on the mass balance for ²²⁴Ra, ²²⁶Ra, and Si, which showed conservative mixing behavior in seawater, SGD was estimated to be approximately 6 × 10⁶ m³ day^− 1 (seepage rate = 0.2 m day^− 1) in shallow areas (< 9 m water depth) in August 2004, which is much higher than the SGD level typically found in other coastal regions worldwide. During the summer period, SGD-driven nutrients in this bay contributed approximately 98%, 12%, and 76% of the total inputs for dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN), phosphorus (DIP), and silicate (DSi), respectively. Our study implies that the ecosystem in this highly permeable bed coastal zone is influenced strongly by SGD during summer, while such influences are negligible in winter.     

Computing least air pollution exposure routes

Personalized routing counts on traveler’s preferences which are usually based on different criteria, such as shortest, fastest, least traffic, or less expensive (e.g., less fuel cost, toll free). However, people are increasingly becoming concerned about the adverse health effects of exposure to air pollution in chosen routes. Exposures to elevated air pollution concentrations particularly endanger children, pregnant women, elderly people, and people with asthma and other respiratory conditions. Choosing routes with least air pollution exposure (APE) is seen as one approach to minimize the level of pollution exposed, which is a major public health issue. Routing algorithms use weights on segments of road networks to find optimum routes. While existing weights are commonly distance and time, among a few others, there is currently no weight based on APE to compute least APE routes. In this paper, we present a weight function that computes weight based on APE. Two different approaches, geostatistical and non-geostatistical, were used to compute APE weight. Each approach was evaluated, and the results indicate that the APE weight is suitable for computing least APE routes.     

Selenium content in soils from Murcia Region (SE,Spain)

The objective of this study was to determine the selenium content in soils from the Region of Murcia (SE, Spain) and to study the possible relationship between mineralogical composition, soil properties and selenium content. In addition, generic reference level (GRL) for selenium was determined according to Spanish legislation. For this study, 490 samples were selected in areas subjected to agricultural activity or abandoned agricultural soils with natural vegetation. Five different zones were established in order to study selenium variability. Four different mineralogical groups were established, based on significant relationship with the mineralogical composition, and each sample was included in one mineralogical group. The results showed that the concentration of selenium is correlated with the electrical conductivity, sulphate content and with the mineralogical composition, particularly positively with quartz and in a negative way with calcite percentage. In addition, selenium level was positively correlated with the phyllosilicate content. Established GRL for selenium varies with the mineralogical group, having a great transcendence from the legal and economic points of view.     

辽宁地区活动断裂对输油管道影响的研究

本文对辽宁地区６个输油管道段两侧１０ｋｍ范围内的断层活动性进行了研究，其中有５条晚更新世－全新世断裂与管道相交，交叉点共有８处。在此基础上，重点研究了跨断层输油管道的震害特点，给出了不同地震烈度下剪切与弯曲破坏概率及震害预测结果。     

The Role of Planetary Boundary-Layer Parameterizations in the Air Quality of an Urban Area with Complex Topography

The effect of different planetary boundary-layer (PBL) parameterization schemes on the spatial distribution of atmospheric pollution over the complex topography of the greater Athens area is investigated. Four PBL schemes originally implemented in a numerical meteorological model and a fifth one simulating the urban effect are examined. Two different atmospheric conditions are analyzed; a typical summer and a typical winter pollution episode. The relative importance of chemical and physical processes of the pollution predictions is discussed using process analysis. It is revealed that, for primary pollutants, a local scheme seems more adequate to represent the maximum observed concentrations while, completely different in structure, a non-local scheme reproduces the mean observed values in the basin. Concerning secondary pollutants, peak concentration differences, due to the different PBL schemes, are smoothed out. Nevertheless, the PBL scheme selection shapes the horizontal and the vertical extension of maximum values. The non-local and semi non-local schemes are superior to the others, favouring strong vertical mixing and transport towards the surface. The stronger turbulence accommodated effectively by the semi non-local urban scheme enhances ozone production along the sea-breeze axis and preserves the high ozone concentrations during the nighttime hours in the urban core.     

Towards an operational use of space imagery for oil pollution monitoring in the Mediterranean basin: a demonstration in the Adriatic Sea

Studies of operational pollution carried out by European commission - Joint Research Centre in the Mediterranean Sea for the years 1999-2004 are briefly introduced. The specific analysis of the Adriatic Sea for the same period demonstrates that this area has been characterized by a relevant number of illegal discharges from ships. After setting the historical background of the project AESOP (aerial and satellite surveillance of operational pollution in the Adriatic Sea), the content, partners and aim of the project are presented. Finally, the results of the first phase of the AESOP project are presented. The results seem very encouraging. For the first time in the Adriatic, real time detection of oil spills in satellite images and an immediate verification by the Coast Guard has been undertaken. An exploratory activity has also been carried out in collaboration with the University of Ljubljana to use automatic information system (AIS) to identify the ships detected in the satellite images.