The wreck of the MV Rena: spatio-temporal analysis of ship-derived contaminants in the sediments and fauna of Astrolabe Reef

ABSTRACT

The October 2011 sinking of the container ship MV Rena on Astrolabe Reef, New Zealand, provided a rare opportunity to examine the fate of shipwreck-derived contaminants on an offshore rocky reef and food chain. Analyses of trace metals, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and organotins indicated significant but localised contamination of Astrolabe Reef but not of nearby Mōtītī Island. Three years after the grounding, PAH concentrations were greater in sediments at Astrolabe (up to 131?mg kg^?1) than at control locations, while organotins from the ship's antifouling hull paint were found exclusively in Astrolabe Reef sediments and biota. Over 80% of Astrolabe sediment samples contained tributyltin at concentrations above guideline sediment levels (>0.07?mg kg^?1). Tributyltin and its decomposition products were also recorded in sea urchins, gastropods, lobster and fishes at concentrations up to 0.2?mg kg^?1. Wreck and cargo-derived metals, particularly copper, tin and zinc, were present in some Astrolabe sediment samples above Australia and New Zealand Environment and Conservation Council guideline concentrations. However, there appeared to be only limited transmission of metals through the food chain. Copper, tin and zinc were recorded at greater concentrations in Astrolabe sea urchins and gastropods compared to control specimens, while metal concentrations in other biota were comparable across impact and control sites. Despite over 3 years having passed since the Rena grounding, the data series does not show any upward or downward trends in contaminant concentrations on Astrolabe Reef. Consequently, there is uncertainty about the long-term implications of the Rena grounding for the ecology of Astrolabe Reef.     

Controls on reservoir heterogeneity of tight sand oil reservoirs in Upper Triassic Yanchang Formation in Longdong Area,southwest Ordos Basin,China: Implications for reservoir quality prediction and oil accumulation

Compared to conventional reservoirs, pore structure and diagenetic alterations of unconventional tight sand oil reservoirs are highly heterogeneous. The Upper Triassic Yanchang Formation is a major tight-oil-bearing formation in the Ordos Basin, providing an opportunity to study the factors that control reservoir heterogeneity and the heterogeneity of oil accumulation in tight oil sandstones.The Chang 8 tight oil sandstone in the study area is comprised of fine-to medium-grained, moderately to well-sorted lithic arkose and feldspathic litharenite. The reservoir quality is extremely heterogeneous due to large heterogeneities in the depositional facies, pore structures and diagenetic alterations. Small throat size is believed to be responsible for the ultra-low permeability in tight oil reservoirs. Most reservoirs with good reservoir quality, larger pore-throat size, lower pore-throat radius ratio and well pore connectivity were deposited in high-energy environments, such as distributary channels and mouth bars. For a given depositional facies, reservoir quality varies with the bedding structures. Massive- or parallel-bedded sandstones are more favorable for the development of porosity and permeability sweet zones for oil charging and accumulation than cross-bedded sandstones.Authigenic chlorite rim cementation and dissolution of unstable detrital grains are two major diagenetic processes that preserve porosity and permeability sweet zones in oil-bearing intervals. Nevertheless, chlorite rims cannot effectively preserve porosity-permeability when the chlorite content is greater than a threshold value of 7%, and compaction played a minor role in porosity destruction in the situation. Intensive cementation of pore-lining chlorites significantly reduces reservoir permeability by obstructing the pore-throats and reducing their connectivity. Stratigraphically, sandstones within 1 m from adjacent sandstone-mudstone contacts are usually tightly cemented (carbonate cement > 10%) with low porosity and permeability (lower than 10% and 0.1 mD, respectively). The carbonate cement most likely originates from external sources, probably derived from the surrounding mudstone. Most late carbonate cements filled the previously dissolved intra-feldspar pores and the residual intergranular pores, and finally formed the tight reservoirs.The petrophysical properties significantly control the fluid flow capability and the oil charging/accumulation capability of the Chang 8 tight sandstones. Oil layers usually have oil saturation greater than 40%. A pore-throat radius of less than 0.4 μm is not effective for producible oil to flow, and the cut off of porosity and permeability for the net pay are 7% and 0.1 mD, respectively.     

Geological control factors of micro oil distribution in tight reservoirs

Understanding the oil distribution characteristics in unconventional tight reservoirs is crucial for hydrocarbon evaluation and oil/gas extraction from such reservoirs. Previous studies on tight oil distribution characteristics are mostly concerned with the basin scale. Based on Lucaogou core samples, geochemical approaches including Soxhlet extraction, total organic carbon (TOC), and Rock-Eval are combined with reservoir physical approaches including mercury injection capillary pressure (MICP) and porosity-permeability analysis, to quantitatively evaluate oil distribution of tight reservoirs on micro scale. The emphasis is to identify the key geological control factors of micro oil distribution in such tight reservoirs. Dolomicrites and non-detrital mudstones have excellent hydrocarbon generation capacity while detritus-containing dolomites, siltstones, and silty mudstones have higher porosity and oil content, and coarser pore throat radius. Oil content is mainly controlled by porosity, pore throat radius, and hydrocarbon generation capacity. Porosity is positively correlated with oil content in almost all samples including various lithologies, indicating that it is a primary constraint for providing storage space. Pore throat radius is also an important factor, as oil migration is inhibited by the capillary pressure which must be overcome. If the reservoir rock with suitable porosity has no hydrocarbon generation capacity, pore throat radius will be decisive. As tight reservoirs are generally characterized by widely distributed nanoscale pore throats and high capillary pressure, hydrocarbon generation capacity plays an important role in reservoir rocks with suitable porosity and fine pore throats. Because such reservoir rocks cannot be charged completely. The positive correlation between hydrocarbon generation capacity and oil content in three types of high porosity lithologies (detritus-containing dolomites, siltstones, and silty mudstones) supports this assertion.     

Missing the boat: Critical threats to coral reefs are neglected at global scale

Coral reefs have experienced a global decline due to overfishing, pollution, and warming oceans that are becoming increasingly acidic. To help halt and reverse this decline, interventions should be aimed at those threats reef experts and managers identify as most severe. The survey included responses from 170 managers, representing organizations from 50 countries and territories, and found that respondents generally agreed on the two major threats: overfishing and coastal development. However, resource allocation did not match this consensus on major threats. In particular, while overfishing receives much attention, coastal development and its attendant pollution are largely neglected and underfunded. These results call for a re-examination of how resources are allocated in coral reef conservation, with more attention given to aligning how money is spent with what are perceived to be the primary threats.     

小秦岭太峪水系沉积物重金属污染生态危害评价

以金矿开发影响的黄河二级支流太峪水系沉积物为研究对象,沿河采集16个表层沉积物样品,分层采集垂向剖面10件水库沉积物样品,测定了样品中重金属元素Hg、Pb、Cd、Cr、As、Cu和Zn的含量,采用Hakanson潜在生态指数法和Tomlinson污染负荷指数法评价重金属元素污染程度和潜在生态风险。结果表明,矿业活动是太峪水系沉积物重金属元素污染的主要因素;变异系数、富集系数和最高污染系数均反映Hg、Pb、Cd是太峪水系沉积物的特征污染重金属元素,Cr和As的质量分数接近地区背景值;太峪水系表层沉积物受到重金属元素的极强污染,山区段污染较山外更严重;整个流域的Hg、Pb、Cd具有很强的潜在生态危害,Cr、As、Zn的潜在生态危害轻微;太峪水系沉积物垂向各层沉积物都受到重金属元素的极强污染,生态问题以Hg、Pb、Cd的潜在生态危害为主,其污染和生态危害程度都高于流向上的沉积物。潜在生态危害指数评价突出了不同元素的毒性和危害程度,而污染负荷指数法侧重于样本空间上的污染程度,二者互补使用有利于实际问题的全面评价。     

秦岭某钼矿区开发对东川河流域Cd的影响

为了探索矿业活动对河流水质产生的影响,以秦岭某大型钼矿区下游的东川河流域为研究对象,通过现场采样与室内测试的方法,分析了地表水、沉积物、岩矿样品中重金属Cd的含量特征。采用污染超标倍数法、地累积指数法及Hakanson潜在生态风险评价法分别对东川河流域的河水和底泥样品进行了污染现状评价和生态风险程度评价,最后讨论了Cd的来源。结果表明:东川河主沟16个河水采样点位中,有11个点位的Cd含量明显高于未受矿业活动影响的对照区各点位Cd含量值,Cd含量变异系数达到95.65%,并且从上游到下游各点位Cd含量呈偏态分布,说明东川河流域Cd受矿业活动影响显著。东川河主沟16个河水采样点中有15个Cd含量满足地表水Ⅱ类水标准,比重为93.75%,可以判断东川河整体水质较好。仅5号点位超Ⅱ类水质标准,污染超标倍数为1,为轻度污染。地累积指数分析结果表明,东川河主沟11个底泥样品均存在不同程度的污染:污染最严重的10号点位达到中度-强污染级别;污染最轻的8、9、13号点位为无污染-中度污染;大多数点位为中度污染。东川河主沟11件底泥样品重金属Cd的潜在生态危害指数平均值为120.27,表明东川河主沟底泥总体达到强生态风险程度。酸性矿山废水、原生地质背景、底泥释放、大气干湿降尘等是造成东川河流域Cd重金属污染的主要污染源。     

Evaluation of groundwater quality and pollution in Daqing Oilfield

Daqing Oilfield is located in the northeast of Songnen Plain in Daqing City, Heilongjiang Province, which is a petrochemical industry gathering place based on petroleum refining, chemical industry, chemical fiber and fertilizer. In recent years, the quantity demand of petroleum and petrochemical production for groundwater in Daqing Oilfield is growing, and it’s of great significance to analyze and study the quality and pollution degree of groundwater for groundwater exploitation, utilization and protection. In this paper, groundwater quality of Daqing Oilfield evaluated by Nemerow Index is poor, and most points are Class IV groundwater; When evaluating groundwater pollution by hierarchical ladder method, the results show that the severe and extremely severe pollution points account for 34.48% in shallow phreatic water and 20% in deep confined water, showing that shallow groundwater is more seriously polluted than the deep. The main components influencing the quality of groundwater in the study area are total hardness, total dissolved solids, Cl-, SO42- and so on, which are affected by both the native environment and human activities; The main pollution components in groundwater are nitrite and nitrate nitrogen which are affected by human activities. Daqing Oilfield groundwater pollution is characterized by inorganic pollution, while organic components related to human activities contribute less to the groundwater pollution currently.     

Contrasting water–rock interaction behaviors of antimony and arsenic in contaminated rivers around an antimony mine,Hunan Province,China

Although antimony (Sb) and arsenic (As) exhibit similar geochemical behavior and toxicity in the environment, growing evidence suggests that their water–rock interaction behavior in contaminated rivers is quite different. Twenty-nine river water samples were collected between September and November 2018 from contaminated rivers around an antimony mine in Hunan Province, China. The concentrations of As and Sb were inversely proportional to the water flow distance. The rates and magnitudes of Sb decrease were more prominent than those of As. Silicate mineral dissolution from rocks such as silicified limestone increased the As and Sb concentration of in-mine-district (IMD) water. Dissolution of carbonate minerals, ion exchange, and competitive adsorption were the major water–rock interactions, resulting in rapidly decreasing As and Sb concentration in IMD direct impacted water and IMD indirect impacted water. The behaviors of As and Sb during water–rock interaction were dissimilar for areas dominated by carbonate and silicate minerals.     

黄原胶改性微米铁修复地下水中Cr(Ⅵ)污染的试验

为了解决微米铁的重力沉降问题,提高微米铁修复地下水Cr（Ⅵ）污染的原位修复效果,本文利用黄原胶对微米铁进行改性,并通过沉降实验探究改性微米铁浆液的稳定性,同时选择Cr（Ⅵ）作为目标污染物,探究黄原胶改性微米铁去除地下水Cr（Ⅵ）污染的降解能力。实验结果显示：当黄原胶的投加质量浓度分别为0.0、1.0、1.5、2.0、2.5、3.0、6.0 g/L时,改性微米铁浆液的悬浮稳定性逐渐得到加强,在5 h沉降实验结束时,对应的相对分光光度值分别为0.05、0.25、0.46、0.57、0.65、0.73和0.87;黄原胶具有抑制微米铁吸附Cr（Ⅵ）的能力,其可促进Cr（Ⅵ）的还原,提高Cr（Ⅵ）的去除率;随着黄原胶投加质量浓度的增加,对应的Cr（Ⅵ）去除率分别为33.4%、41.2%、47.4%、51.1%、53.0%、63.9%和64.1%;6.0 g/L黄原胶改性的微米铁浆液具有最佳的悬浮稳定性,黄原胶的投加提高了微米铁的反应活性,但当黄原胶投加质量浓度超过3.0 g/L时,其对Cr（Ⅵ）的去除率没有显著提高;黄原胶投加质量浓度越大,黄原胶的缓冲作用就越明显。     

某Cr(Ⅵ)污染场地修复的PRB反应材料及结构设计研究

渗透反应格栅(permeable reactive barrier,PRB)在国外被广泛应用于场地尺度的地下水污染修复,因其无须外源动力、不占地面空间、运行成本低等优势在国内受到广泛关注。不同场地水文地质条件、污染物类型、污染羽分布具有差异性,前期场地调查、反应材料的筛选、反应墙尺寸结构的设计对于PRB的有效运行至关重要。本文以PRB修复河南某Cr(Ⅵ)污染场地为例,详细阐述场地调查、材料筛选、材料反应参数确定、PRB结构优化等方面的研究过程及成果,可为后续PRB修复技术的应用提供参考。研究结果表明:PRB修复技术适用于该场地,铸铁与活性炭混合材料为最佳修复材料;反应门长40 m(反应材料厚2 m,上下游分别为2 m厚砾石层),东西两侧隔水墙长为60 m的U型漏斗-门系统型PRB,可有效捕获并修复污染羽,工程成本远低于连续反应墙式PRB,为该场地修复最优PRB结构类型。