The role of sediments in the phosphorus cycle in Lake Lugano. I. Geochemical approach

The bottom sediment from three coring stations in Lake Lugano (Lago di Lugano) show major differences in their role in the P-cycles related to their geochemistry and characteristics of sedimentation. In the northern basin, the deepest sediment may be considered practically inactive, due to a permanently reduced condition at the sediment-water interface. In the southern basin, the sediments are active with respect to P-recycling with strong seasonal variations. One of the sites (Figino) behaves as a sink for P due to a high iron content and an important rate of detrital sedimentation.     

Microcosm experiments on the effect of nutrient enrichment and a soil layer on the development of freshwater plankton

We investigated the response of phytoplankton and zooplankton to experimental alteration of nitrate and phosphate levels in outdoor enclosures. Experiments were conducted in summer and winter and in the absence and presence of a layer of soil. The tubs (12 in all) except the two plain water controls were manured initially with a mixture of fresh cowdung (50g 1⁻¹), mustard oil cake (25 g l⁻¹) and poultry wastes (25 g l⁻¹; mostly excreta), prior to enrichment. Water samples were collected from the experimental tubs twice a week to measure selected physico-chemical and biological variables. Water temperature in the summer experiments ranged from 20–30 °C and during the winter experiments from 11–15 °C. The pH values ranged from 8.0 to 9.5 and the dissolved oxygen levels from 8.2–10.0 mg l⁻¹. The levels of soluble reactive phosphorus and nitrate nitrogen ranged from undetectable levels to 1800 μg l⁻¹ and 6000 μg l⁻¹, respectively. The increase in chlorophyll-a following enrichment was rapid (3–7 days) during summer, but slower in winter (7–14 days). The predominant phytoplankton species observed in the tubs belong to the genera Sphaerocystis, Chlorella, Scenedesmus, Cosmarium, Ulothrix, Zygnema, Gonium and Pandorina. The rotifer species observed were Brachionus calyciflorus, Rotaria neptunia, Lecane bulla, L. luna, L. unguitata, Euchlanis dilatata, Asplanchna intermedia, Pseudoharringia spp., Eosphora spp., Lepadella ovalis, Epiphanes brachionus, Hexarthra mira and Cephalodella gibba. The cladocerans observed were Macrothrix spp. and Alona spp.     

Water chemistry and water quality variation in the Danjiangkou Reservoir, as a function of water management for the Middle Route of South to North Water Divert Project, China

As the diversion dike of the Middle Route of the South to North Water Transfer Project （MRSNWTP）, the water quality and water quantity of Danjiangkou Reservoir is critical to the project. At present, the rates of industrial wastewater treatment and sewage discharge, which belongs to Chinese State Standard in the districts near the reservoir except Shiyan city, are less than 60% and 40% respectively. The point source pollutants will be controlled because of the project after some time, but the non-point source pollutants caused by vegetation degradation and water-soil erosion will not be controlled effectively in a long time. Water samples were collected from the Danjiangkou Reservoir during 2004 and 2005 and analyzed for trace metals, i.e., silver （Ag）, aluminum （Al）, arsenic （As）, barium （Ba）, bismuth （Bi）, calcium （Ca）, cadmium （Cd）, cobalt （Co）, chromium （Cr）, copper （Cu）, iron （Fe）, mercury （Hg）, potassium （K）, lithium （Li）, magnesium （Mg）, manganese （Mn）, molybdenum （Mo）, sodium （Na）, nickel （Ni）, lead （Pb）, antimony （Sb）, selenium （Se）, silicon （Si）, strontium （Sr）, vanadium （V）, zinc （Zn）, chemicophysical parameters and nutrients, i.e., temperature （T）, pH, dissolved oxygen （DO）, turbidity, total suspended solid （TSS）, nitrate/ammonia/ammonium-nitrogen （NO3^-/NH3/NH4^＋-N）, total nitrogen （TN）, dissolved inorganic nitrogen （DIN）, total phosphorus （TP）, potassium permanganate index （IMn）, biochemical oxygen demand （BOD）, dissolved inorganic carbon （HCO3^-）. Our results are water quality belongs to Chinese standard level II, trace metals are low, but they are accumulating, and many of which, i.e., As, Pb, will endanger reservoir water security.     

不同水位垂直流人工湿地中植物及微生物特征

利用4个连续进水的垂直流人工湿地,比较分析水位对污染物去除效果的影响,研究湿地中植物对氮磷去除的贡献,阐析湿地中脱氮功能菌数量的演变规律。3个湿地栽种黄花鸢尾,水位分别控制在19、51和84cm,另一个湿地不栽种植物,水位为51cm。结果表明,水位对氮和有机物的去除有显著影响(p<0.05),栽种植物的湿地中,51cm水位时总氮去除率(67.4%～79.2%)最高,19cm水位时氨氮(85.3%～93.0%)和COD(81.8%～92.9%)去除效果最好。试验中黄花鸢尾均生长良好,植物吸收对总氮(Total nitrogen,简称TN)和总磷(Total phosphorus,简称TP)去除的贡献分别为19.2%～27.3%和14.7%～19.2%;植物地上部分发挥更重要作用,其TN和TP含量及对TN和TP的吸收量均高于地下部分。湿地表层基质中3种脱氮功能菌数量均随运行时间的增加而显著提高,亚硝化细菌和硝化细菌数量分别为10~4～10~6和10~5～10~7 MPN/g,随水位升高而减少;反硝化细菌数量为10~3～10~6 MPN/g,随水位升高而增加。     

The impact of the nitrogen carryover effect on economic activity and the environment

 The economic and environmental consequences of soil nitrogen tests can have significant impacts on agricultural production. Some of these are explored here. The pre-side-dress soil N-test is evaluated for a hypothetical farmer growing corn at the ARS Sustainable Agriculture Demonstration Farm site in southern Maryland. For a farmer not currently using a soil N-test, adoption of this technology can lead to the enhancement of net farm income and the reduction in nitrogen loss to the environment. This will transpire only if the farmer is currently underestimating nitrogen carryover by more than 25% or applying nitrogen fertilizer based solely on an expected plateau-yield goal. Received: 13 February 1997 · Accepted: 13 May 1997     

Grazing experiments and model simulations of the role of zooplankton in Phaeocystis food webs

A combined empirical and modelling study was conducted to further examine the potential importance of grazing by zooplankton in pelagic food webs in which Phaeocystis is a significant or dominant component. Laboratory experiments were designed to measure ingestion of Phaeocystis and other potential prey items which co-occur with Phaeocystis. Grazers included copepods and ciliates, and prey included Phaeocystis colonies and solitary cells, diatoms, ciliates, bacteria, and detritus. These data were expressed in the model currency of nitrogen units, and fit to hyperbolic tangent equations which included minimum prey thresholds. These equations and literature data were used to constrain a food web model whose purpose was to investigate trophic interactions rather than to mimic actual events. Nevertheless, the model output was similar to the general pattern and magnitude of development of Phaeocystis–diatom communities in some environments where they occur, e.g. north Norwegian waters. The model included three forms of nitrogen, three phytoplankton groups, bacteria, two zooplankton groups, and detritus, with detailed flows between compartments. An important component of the model was inclusion of variable prey preferences for zooplankton. The experiments and model simulations suggest several salient conclusions. Phaeocystis globosa colonies were eaten by a medium-sized copepod species, but ingestion appeared to be strongly dependent upon a proper size match between grazer and prey. If not, colonies were eaten little if at all. Phaeocystis solitary cells were ingested rapidly by ciliate microzooplankton, in agreement with prior literature observations. In contrast, detritus was eaten comparatively slowly by both ciliates and copepods. Both types of zooplankton exhibited apparent minimum prey thresholds below which grazing did not occur or was inconsequential. Model simulations implied that transitions between life cycle stages of Phaeocystis may potentially be important to phytoplankton–zooplankton interactions, and that relative rates of ingestion of Phaeocystis by various zooplankton may have significant impacts upon material fluxes through and out of Phaeocystis–diatom ecosystems. Indirect effects of trophic interactions appear to be equally significant as direct effects.     

Deposition Rates of Terrestrial and Marine Organic Carbon in the Osaka Bay, Seto Inland Sea, Japan, Determined Using Carbon and Nitrogen Stable Isotope Ratios in the Sediment

Carbon and nitrogen stable isotope ratios (¹³C and ¹⁵N) of surface sediments were measured within Osaka Bay, in the Seto Inland Sea in Japan, in order to better understand the sedimentation processes operating on both terrestrial and marine organic matter in the Bay. The ¹³C and ¹⁵N of surface sediments in the estuary of the Yodo River were less than –23 and 5 respectively, but increased in the area up to about 10 km from the river mouth. At greater distances they became constant (giving ¹³C of about –20 and ¹⁵N about 6). It can be concluded that large amounts of terrestrial organic matter exist near the mouth of the Yodo River. Stable isotope ratios in the estuary of the Yodo River within 10 km of the river mouth were useful indicators allowing study of the movement of terrestrial organic matter. Deposition rates for total organic carbon (TOC) and total nitrogen (TN) over the whole of the Bay were estimated to be 63,100 ton C/year and 7,590 ton N/year, respectively. The deposition rate of terrestrial organic carbon was estimated to be 13,200 (range 2,000–21,500) ton C/year for the whole of Osaka Bay, and terrestrial organic carbon was estimated to be about 21% (range 3–34) of the TOC deposition rate. The ratio of the deposition rate of terrestrial organic carbon to the rate inflow of riverine TOC and particulate organic carbon (POC) were estimated to be 19% (range 3–31) and 76% (range 12–100), respectively.     

便携式Li-K分析仪的研制及其在锂辉石中锂的分析应用

我国锂钾主要矿产资源大多分布在西部偏远地区,其勘查找矿或综合利用迫切需要现场快速分析技术的支持。本文介绍了自行开发的便携式Li-K分析仪的主要性能及其在锂辉石中锂的分析应用。Li-K分析仪是一种基于大气压的液体阴极辉光放电光谱仪,以待测液体为放电阴极,实现了样品中Li、K等元素的原子化和激发。该仪器以光纤传导CCD光谱仪作为检测器,其波长范围为345~1015 nm,分辨率3 nm;以Li 670.78 nm和K 769.90 nm分析谱线,在仪器最佳工作条件下测定Li、K的精密度(RSD,n=14)均低于2%,检出限为0.03μg/m L,检测范围0.1~10μg/m L。研究表明,不同酸度和酸的类型对谱线强度影响较大,且存在显著的样品基体效应,标准曲线法分析锂辉石中Li的结果偏差高达267%;而标准加入法可克服基体效应的影响,获得与ICP-OES一致性较好的分析结果,为现场开展固体样品中Li的测定奠定了基础。     

低温氮吸附法测试煤中微孔隙及其意义

用低温氮吸附法测试了26个煤样的微孔隙,并对结果作了分析,得出以下认识:低温氮吸附法测出的最小孔的直径只有0.6nm,有利于更深入地了解煤的微孔隙特征;超微孔比微小孔所占比表面积大得多,占主要地位;煤层中吸收状态的甲烷应引起重视,游离、吸附状态的甲烷比通常认为的要少。     

摄食水平和温度对军曹鱼幼鱼生长及氮收支的影响

研究了不同摄食水平(从饥饿至饱食)和温度(21℃、27℃和33℃)对军曹鱼幼鱼(平均初始体重约10g)生长和氮收支的影响,并建立了生长-摄食/温度关系和不同摄食水平和温度条件下的氮收支方程。结果表明,在实验的温度范围内,军曹鱼幼鱼特定生长率均随摄食水平的增加呈显著增长趋势,生长-摄食关系在33℃时表现为线性相关,在27℃和21℃时表现为减速增长趋势,采用对数函数定量描述;在实验的摄食范围内(饥饿组除外),军曹鱼特定生长率随温度增加呈增长或先升后降的变化趋势,两者间的关系均采用二次函数定量描述。在实验的温度范围内,随摄食水平增加,军曹鱼幼鱼食物转化效率在水温33℃和21℃时呈增长趋势,在水温27℃时呈先升后降的变化趋势;在实验的摄食范围内(饥饿组除外),军曹鱼幼鱼食物转化效率随温度增加呈增长或先升后降的变化趋势,饱食时虽然食物转化效率最大值出现在33℃时,但方差分析显示33℃和27℃之间无显著性差异,其他摄食水平组在27℃时有最大值。在实验的摄食水平和温度范围内,军曹鱼幼鱼的排泄氮随摄食水平和温度的增加均呈显著增长趋势。