Historical contamination and sources of organochlorine pesticides in sediment cores from Quanzhou Bay, Southeast China

Three sediment cores were collected from the top to the mouth of Quanzhou Bay, Southeast China, in order to establish sources and historical trends of organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) in the region. The spatial distribution of OCPs in surface sediments implies that Quanzhou Bay received the contamination inputs not only from rivers near the shore, but also from outside the bay. The variation profiles of concentrations clearly showed that OCPs were widely used between 1960s and 1980s in China. A recent increasing trend was found in all cores despite their ban in China in 1983. Different ratios of (DDD+DDE)/DDTs indicated that DDTs at the top of the bay were mainly derived from long-term weather soils, while DDTs near the mouth of the bay were mainly derived from fresh inputs from outside the bay. Higher percentage of gamma-HCH in HCHs deposited after 1990 implies that lindane may have been used recently around Quanzhou Bay.     

Method for assessing the chronic toxicity of marine and estuarine sediment-associated contaminants using the amphipod Corophium volutator

Acute sediment toxicity tests do not test key life stage events such as moulting and reproduction and therefore do not reveal the longer-term effects of contaminant exposure. A laboratory method is described for determining the chronic toxicity of contaminants associated with whole sediments. The test is conducted using neonates of the estuarine amphipod Corophium volutator at 15 degrees C, salinity 25 psu and a 12 h light:12 h dark photoperiod. The endpoints are survival and growth after 28 days and survival, growth and reproduction of amphipods upon termination of test i.e. reproduction within all control vessels (ca 75 days). The sediment chronic toxicity test was used to investigate the effects of sediments spiked with environmentally relevant preparations of slightly weathered Alaskan North Slope crude oil, including a water-accommodated-fraction (WAF) and a chemically-dispersed (Corexit 9527) WAF. Sediment oil concentrations were quantified using ultra-violet fluorescence. The amphipods exposed to chemically dispersed oil had higher mortality and lower growth rates than control-, Corexit 9527- and WAF-exposed organisms, resulting in reduced reproduction. The described method supplements the standard acute sediment test and would be particularly useful when long-term ecological effects are suspected but acute tests reveal no significant mortality. The sediment chronic test reported herein has shown that sediment that was not evidently toxic during 10-day acute tests could have population-level effects on sediment-dwelling amphipods.     

Sediment geochemistry in coastal maritime Antarctica (Admiralty Bay, King George Island): Evidence from rare earths and other elements

We report the concentrations of 22 elements in short coastal sediment cores of Admiralty Bay (King George Island, Antarctica) determined by Neutron Activation Analysis. We focus the discussion on rare earth elements (REE) because their fractionation patterns in sediments relative to local sources may offer insights about weathering, transportation, deposition, and diagenetic processes. We found strong correlations between REE and Th, indicating detrital origin. Despite strong Eh gradients, the Th-normalized redox-sensitive elements (e.g., Eu, Ce, Fe, As, and others) showed little variability within the sedimentary environment. The exceptions were U (depleted in the upper few centimeters) and Br (enriched in the upper few centimeters). While U appears to be removed from seawater via uptake across the boundary of reducing sediments, the mechanisms driving Br accumulation are unclear, but perhaps related to increasing diatom production driven by regional warming. A comparison with published concentrations from rocks representing the regional eroding units showed that the characteristics of source rock could be recognized in the REE fractionation patterns in our sediments. These results imply no significant alteration during weathering and sediment transport in the coastal region of Admiralty Bay and the prevalence of strong periglacial erosion in ice-free areas of maritime Antarctica in spite of the relatively mild regional environmental setting (e.g., high moisture and high temperatures).     

Source and dispersal of suspended sediment in the macro-tidal Gulf of Kachchh

The macro-tidal Gulf of Kachchh, covering nearly 7000 km(2), is located about 150 km south of the Indus River mouth. In spite of semi-arid climate and lack of major rivers flowing into it, the Gulf is highly turbid with suspended sediment concentrations (SSC) during October-November 2002 ranging between 0.5 and 674 mgl(-1). Highly turbid waters are observed towards the northern portion of the mouth of the Gulf, at the head of the Gulf and adjacent to the numerous shoals present within the Gulf. Perennial high SSC in the Gulf is due to resuspension of sediments by strong tidal currents, shallow bathymetry and presence of fine-grained sediments on the sea floor. Numerical model studies show that there is a dynamic barrier in the central Gulf, which prevents the exchange of water and suspended sediments between the outer and inner Gulf. This dynamic barrier associated with strong east-west tidal currents restricts the turbid waters mainly to the northern Gulf, resulting in relatively clear waters (SSC<10 mgl(-1)) in the southern and central portions of the Gulf. Laser particle size distribution, clay mineralogy and geochemistry of the suspended matter show that the main source of sediments to the Gulf of Kachchh is the Indus River. Although the Indus discharge has been severely curtailed in the recent decades due to construction of numerous dams and barrages, the Gulf of Kachchh continues to receive resuspended sediments from the numerous meso and macro-tidal creeks of the Indus delta. The sediments at the head of the Gulf appear to be a mixture of sediments derived from the Indus as well as the numerous seasonal rivers draining the Rann of Kachchh.     

Sediment quality of the lower St. Johns River, Florida: an integrative assessment of benthic fauna, sediment-associated stressors, and general habitat characteristics

Sediment quality of the lower St. Johns River (LSJR) estuary, Florida was evaluated using synoptic data on benthic community structure, levels of potential stressors (chemical contaminants, ammonia and sulfide), and other basic habitat characteristics (depth, dissolved oxygen, salinity, temperature) collected at seven stations, three times a year from July 2000-July 2002. Un-ionized ammonia and hydrogen sulfide were detected at toxic levels on at least one sampling occasion at four stations. Chemical contamination of sediment at probable bioeffect levels also was observed at four stations. Concentrations of pesticides or other chemical substances typically associated with human activities (e.g., PCBs) were detectable at all stations, though not always present at concentrations likely of causing significant bioeffects. A total of 251 taxa and 9783 individuals were identified and enumerated from the benthic infaunal samples. Polychaete worms and molluscs dominated the benthic fauna at all seven stations. The opportunistic and pollution-tolerant polychaete Streblospio benedicti was the most abundant species overall (from all samples combined), appearing as a dominant at five of the seven stations. Overall, the sites sampled as part of this study indicate a highly stressed benthos resulting from multiple anthropogenic impacts.     

Sources, sinks and resuspension of suspended particulate matter in the eastern English Channel

Seasonal observations on the nature and concentration of suspended particulate matter (SPM) are presented for a cross-section of the English Channel, between the Isle of Wight (UK) and Cotentin peninsula (France) i.e. the western boundary of the eastern English Channel. The highest concentrations of suspended material are found adjacent to the English coastline, whereas the offshore waters are associated with low concentrations. Seasonal variations in the concentration and nature of suspended material are identified, with highest concentrations in winter. At this time, the suspended particles are characterised generally by peaked grain size spectra and an enrichment in coarse silt particles; in summer, the distributions are generally flat. The diatom communities found within the suspended matter indicate that material resuspended in the coastal zone and the estuarine environments is transported offshore. SPM fluxes (based upon the observed SPM concentrations and the output from a 2-D hydrodynamic model) from the western Channel through the Wight–Cotentin Section, ranged between 2 and 71×10⁶ t a⁻¹ with a mean of around 20×10⁶ t a⁻¹ over the period of the observations (1994–1995). These fluxes are comparable to the order of magnitude and mean value reported as output through the Dover Strait. Therefore, it is possible that the eastern English Channel may be characterised as an area of fine-grained sediment ‘bypass'. This interpretation is corroborated by: (a) the absence of fine-grained sediment deposits over the area; and (b) correlation between the potential resuspension time of the fine particles and the seabed sediment distribution.     

RHEOLOGICAL PROPERTIES OF SEDIMENT SUSPENSIONS FROM ECKERNFRDE AND KIELER FRDE BAYS,WESTERN BALTIC SEA

1 INTRODUCTION Fluid mud is defined as a dense suspension of fine-grained sediment particles averaging in density between 1.03 to 1.30 g/cm3 and between 10 to 480 g/l in concentrations by weight (Ingliss and Allen, 1957). It overlies a substrate of densit…     

基于PSCF与CWT方法的赣江新区大气污染物潜在源区个例分析

利用TrajStat软件和GDAS全球同化气象数据,对江西省赣江新区2011—2020年四季72 h气团后向轨迹进行聚类分析,并结合PM2.5和O3逐小时浓度数据,运用潜在源贡献因子分析法（PSCF）和浓度权重轨迹分析法（CWT）分析了2016年12月2—10日一次污染天气过程中大气污染物输送对赣江新区上空污染物浓度的贡献。结果表明,赣江新区2011—2020年四季气团后向轨迹中占比最大的均为短支气流,其中春季的短支气流来源于东侧,其他季节均来源于东北方向的安徽省,夏季和冬季的长支气流与季风的季节性变化一致。在2016年12月2—10日的污染天气过程中,赣江新区的PM2.5潜在源区主要分布于江西省北部、湖北省东南部,O3潜在源区主要分布于江西省北部、湖北省南部和湖南省东北小部分地区;同时天气形势显示,赣江新区处在槽后脊前,湖北省东南部存在偏强西北风,为大气污染物向赣江新区的输送创造了条件。     

用于有机废水处理的改性膨润土的制备新方法研究

提出一套不同于传统工艺的有机化膨润土制备方法,并首次采用COD(化学需氧量)与XRD(X射线衍射)双重指标衡量有机化膨润土的合成效果。COD测试表明,选择合适的改性剂种类和用量,是制备废水处理用有机化膨润土的两个前提。XRD分析说明,新工艺制备的有机化膨润土中蒙脱石的d001明显增大,有机改性剂长链分子已经插入蒙脱石矿物层间,合成效果良好。新的有机化膨润土合成工艺省去了过滤、洗涤、烘干、粉碎等步骤,能耗大大降低,成本优势明显,能够有力地促进有机化膨润土在废水处理领域的规模化应用。     

Swash zone sediment fluxes: Field observations

This paper describes newly obtained, high-frequency observations of beach face morphological change over numerous tidal cycles on a macrotidal sandy beach made using a large array of ultrasonic altimeters. These measurements enable the net cross-shore sediment fluxes associated with many thousands of individual swash events to be quantified. It is revealed that regardless of the direction of net morphological change on a tidal time scale, measured net fluxes per event are essentially normally distributed, with nearly equal numbers of onshore and offshore-directed events. The majority of swash events cause net cross-shore sediment fluxes smaller than ± 50 kg m^− 1 and the mean sediment flux per swash event is only O(± 1 kg m^− 1) leading to limited overall morphological change. However, much larger events which deposit or remove hundreds of kilograms of sand per meter width of beach occur at irregular intervals throughout the course of a tide. It was found that swash–swash interactions tend to increase the transport potential of a swash event and the majority of the swash events that cause these larger values of sediment flux include one or more interactions. The majority of the larger sediment fluxes were therefore measured in the lower swash zone, close to the surf/swash boundary where swash–swash interactions are most common. Despite the existence of individual swash events that can cause fluxes of sediment that are comparable to those observed on a tidal time scale, frequent reversals in transport direction act to limit net transport such that the beach face volume remains in a state of dynamic equilibrium and does not rapidly erode or accrete.