Fallout radionuclide tracers identify a switch in sediment sources and transport-limited sediment yield following wildfire in a eucalypt forest

Fire can alter sediment sources and transport rates in river basins, changing landforms and aquatic habitats and degrading downstream water quality. Variability in the response between environments, between fires, and with time since fire makes predicting the catchment-scale effect of individual fires difficult. This study applies the fallout radionuclides ¹³⁷Cs and ²¹⁰Pb_xs to trace the sources and transport of fine sediment through a river network following a wildfire of moderate to extreme severity in the 629-km² eucalypt-forested Nattai River water-supply catchment near Sydney, Australia. The tracer analysis showed that post-fire erosion caused a switch in fine (< 10 µm) sediment sources from 80% subsoil derived from gully and river bank erosion to 86% topsoil derived from hillslope surface erosion. The fine sediment phosphorus content increased 4–10 fold over pre-fire levels. Annual post-fire sediment yields estimated from suspended solids rating curves were 109–250 times higher than they would have been without fire. A large additional amount of sediment remained stored within the river network for at least four years, particularly in lower-gradient reaches. Analysis of a sediment core showed that surface erosion following a previous fire had supplied at least 29% of total catchment sediment yield over the past 36 years. It is concluded that wildfire can alter catchment sediment budgets in two ways. Firstly, a spatially-diffuse pulse of elevated erosion is associated with moderate or intense rainfall events in post-fire years. Secondly, pulses of elevated catchment sediment yield are driven by the timing and river sediment transport capacity of runoff events. Severe post-fire erosion and high interannual hydrologic variability can result in large sediment stores persisting within the river network for many years. Fallout radionuclide tracers are shown to be useful in quantifying fine sediment sources and transport dynamics following wildfire, and the contribution of wildfire to catchment sediment yield.     

Remediation of Radionuclide Pollutants through Biosorption – an Overview

The development of nuclear science and technology has led to the increase of nuclear wastes containing radionuclides to be released and disposed in the environment. Pollution caused by radionuclides is a serious problem throughout the world. To solve the problem, substantial research efforts have been directed worldwide to adopt sustainable technologies for the treatment of radionuclide containing wastes. Biosorption represents a technological innovation as well as a cost effective excellent remediation technology for cleaning up radionuclides from aqueous environment. A variety of biomaterials viz. algae, fungi, bacteria, plant biomass, etc. have been reported for radionuclide remediation with encouraging results. This paper reviews the achievements and current status of radionuclide remediation through biosorption which will provide insights into this research frontier.     

放射性核素大气弥散模式研究综述

放射性核素大气弥散模式可以模拟正常工况和事故工况下,放射性核素在不同尺度下的大气输送与扩散,为核电站选址、辐射环境监测和核事故应急提供科学依据。归纳了目前广泛用于模拟核素大气弥散的各种模式,介绍了这些模式的研究进展和适用范围。结果表明：对于区域范围小于2 km的弥散,一般可采用CFD（Computational fluid dynamics）湍流模式;对于20 km范围内的局地扩散,一般可采用高斯模式;而对于中尺度（20—200 km）和大尺度（200 km以上）弥散,则采用拉格朗日模式或欧拉模式。为了避免各种模式本身的局限性,采用嵌套模式将是较好的选择。最后,对放射性核素大气弥散模式发展前景进行了讨论。     

源项对FLEXPART模式模拟福岛核事故放射性物质长距离传输的影响

对包括拉格朗日粒子模式在内的大气扩散模式,提供准确的源项有助于获取更好的模拟结果。以日本福岛核电站2011年3月发生的核泄漏事故为研究对象,采用日本原子能机构Terada源项以及挪威大气研究所Stohl源项,利用FLEXPART(FLEXible PARTicle dispersion mode)模拟了放射性物质137Cs在全球大气中扩散传输的过程,并利用大气辐射监测数据讨论了基于两种源项模拟烟云的时空分布特征,探讨了源项对模拟结果的不确定性影响。结果显示:Terada源项及Stohl源项之间释放总量、释放速率、释放高度等虽然略有差别,但总体趋势描述相似,使得基于两源项的模拟烟云的扩散过程及影响区域基本一致。两模拟烟云在中纬度西风带作用下,均表现为自西向东扩散,经过太平洋、美洲大陆、欧洲,最后在整个北半球传输。基于两源项在亚洲—太平洋及北美大陆等近距离的模拟烟云的首次到达时间与首次监测时间吻合度较好,在全球尺度上基于Stohl源项的模拟在首次到达时间方面表现更优。其次,基于两源项进行全球尺度的模拟,近距离站点的模拟效果优于远距离站点模拟效果,且基于Stohl源项的模拟精度较好,Terada源项可能存在低估。另外模式进行全球尺度的模拟时,针对不同粒子数目对模拟结果的影响进行了分析,发现粒子数目的多寡对模拟精度有所影响,也影响模拟烟云扩散后期的疏密程度。     

地球化学示踪在现代土壤侵蚀研究中的应用

土壤侵蚀导致土地退化、农产品产量和品质下降、水环境污染等诸多问题 ,引起各方面的广泛关注 ,而且这个问题随着持续增长的人口压力和农业生产方式深刻变革的影响而日益严重。由于目前广泛使用的高差法、遥感研究法、RUSLE、野外调查法、水土流失监测点法等土壤侵蚀研究方法存在着一些不足 ,因此 ,核素地球化学示踪法、稀土元素示踪法、土壤地球化学指标法等地球化学示踪方法应运而生 ,在土壤侵蚀研究中发挥其独特作用。在比较了各种传统的土壤侵蚀研究方法的优势和不足的基础上 ,作者认为 :1 137Cs、 2 10 Pb可用于研究 30、 40年左右平均土壤侵蚀速率 ,7Be可用于示踪季节性土壤侵蚀和一次降雨事件的土粒运移 ,并说明这些核素的示踪原理和侵蚀速率的定量依据 ;2人为施放稀土元素 ( REE)示踪法适合定量一次或多次降雨事件的侵蚀速率 ,可用于土壤侵蚀理论的研究 ,尤其适合于室内模拟实验的研究 ;3土壤磁化率法和土壤理化性质指标法研究土壤侵蚀是一种处于起步阶段的侵蚀研究方法 ,适用于土壤质量退化研究 ,但要用于土壤侵蚀研究特别是侵蚀速率的定量研究还很不成熟。     

Cs baseline levels in the Mediterranean and Black Sea: A cross-basin survey of the CIESM Mediterranean Mussel Watch programme

The common mussel Mytilus galloprovincialis was selected as unique biomonitor species to implement a regional monitoring programme, the CIESM Mediterranean Mussel Watch (MMW), in the Mediterranean and Black Seas. As of today, and upon standardization of the methodological approach, the MMW Network has been able to quantify ¹³⁷Cs levels in mussels from 60 coastal stations and to produce the first distribution map of this artificial radionuclide at the scale of the entire Mediterranean and Black Seas. While measured ¹³⁷Cs levels were found to be very low (usually <1 Bq kg⁻¹ wet wt) ¹³⁷Cs activity concentrations in the Black Sea and North Aegean Sea were up to two orders of magnitude higher than those in the western Mediterranean Basin. Such effects, far from representing a threat to human populations or the environment, reflect a persistent signature of the Chernobyl fallout in this area.     

Sedimentary geochemical evidence for recent eutrophication of Lake Chenghai, Yunnan, China

Geochemical anomalies and stable isotope ratios (¹⁸O, ¹³C) in authigenic carbonates and organic matter (¹³C) from a 660-year sediment core from Lake Chenghai, southern China, provide a continuous history of recent lake eutrophication. The multi-proxy geochemical and isotopic record can be divided into a three-part history of contrasting limnological development, including: (1) a clear-water, oligotrophic open lake system (1340 and 1690 AD); (2) an environmentally unstable, hydrologically closed, oligotrophic lake system (1690–1940 AD); and (3) an increasingly eutrophic, closed lake system marked by higher organic matter, nitrogen, CaCO₃, and pigment concentrations, and lower ¹⁸O and ¹³C values in authigenic calcite (1940–1999 AD). The unanticipated lowering of ¹⁸O and ¹³C of authigenic calcite during eutrophication is thought to be the result of disequilibrium water–carbonate fractionation of oxygen and carbon isotopes during periods of elevated primary production, pH, and [CO₃ ^2–] activities in the water column. The recent eutrophication of Lake Chenghai indicated by these geochemical proxies is essentially simultaneous with large-scale human migration and the application of agricultural fertilizers in the catchment area during the 20th century.     

放射性核素大气弥散模式研究综述

放射性核素大气弥散模式可以模拟正常工况和事故工况下,放射性核素在不同尺度下的大气输送与扩散,为核电站选址、辐射环境监测和核事故应急提供科学依据。归纳了目前广泛用于模拟核素大气弥散的各种模式,介绍了这些模式的研究进展和适用范围。结果表明：对于区域范围小于2 km的弥散,一般可采用CFD（Computational flu...