Towards developing sediment quality assessment guidelines for aquatic systems: An Australian perspective

Sediment at the sediment‐water interface of natural and man‐made waterways forms an integral part of the ecosystem because it is affected by a continuous flux of physical, chemical and biological components between the sediment, interstitial water and the overlying water column. Aquatic sediments contain records of past and present urban and rural runoff, chemical discharges and spills. In recent years sediment quality has received increasing attention following identification of the role of sediment as both a sink for pollutants and as a contaminant source with potential impacts on the quality of receiving waters. Research has indicated that the processes leading to remobilization of contaminated sediments in upstream reaches of a waterway may, through time, exert a significant influence on water quality in the downstream reaches. This, together with the cumulative effects due to contaminant input from point and non‐point source discharges, have dramatic effects on water quality and thus on ecosystem structure and functioning.

The problems associated with elevated concentrations of many hazardous organic and inorganic compounds have resulted in the establishment of aquatic sediment quality criteria and management guidelines in many overseas countries, with the objectives being the reduction and elimination of adverse environmental effects and human health risks associated with contaminated sediments. Whereas more than 70% of the Australian population is clustered around the coastal waterways, little is known about the role of sediments as a repository of environmental pollutants and/or as a source of adverse impacts on water quality and the health of our rivers. The paucity of knowledge on the quality of aquatic sediment highlights the need for the development of coherent guidelines for sediment quality assessment and management of contaminated sites, which are consistent with Australian environmental conditions and land use features.

A comparative evaluation of sediment quality information from eight coastal rivers along the east coast of Australia, presented in this paper, indicates the possibility for establishing a framework for regional sediment quality assessment. This may be achievable by using textural and compositional attributes of bottom sediments in depositional areas to develop databases on the loading and concentration trends of nutrients and contaminants. Regional variability in sediment quality determinants are shown to reflect the influence of catchment hydrology, lithology and land use on nutrient and contaminant concentration trends. Locally, the loading and partitioning behaviour of sediment‐bound contaminants is largely controlled by the nature and the extent of interactions occurring at the sediment‐water interface within individual depositional units.

The concept of ‘Sediment Effect Zone’ is introduced to provide a compartmental approach to the characterization of aquatic sediments and depositional environments in different hydrologic zones. This approach offers a rational basis for follow‐up chemical and biological assessments to establish sediment quality standards and management guidelines. Because of the complex influences of environmental, methodological and statistical factors on defining the sediment variability, the need for implementing proper quality control measures from early stages of design of a sediment quality assessment program is highlighted.     

气候变化对中国木本植物物候的可能影响

本文根据我国的３０年的物候资料和气候资料的统计分析，论证了气温是影响中国木本植物物候的主要因子，在此基础上建立了物候与年平均气温的线性统计模式，又利用此模式分析计算了未来全球年平均气温升高０．５－２．０℃和未来大气中ＣＯ２浓度倍增而增暖情况下，我国主要木本植物物候期的大致变幅。     

A Holocene record of climate change,fire ecology and human activity from montane Flat Top Bog,Maui

A sediment core from a high-elevation bog on Maui in the Hawaiian Islands contains evidence for drier conditions between 9.4–5.8 kyr BP, followed by a wetter interval between 5.8–2.2 kyr BP, and a variable late Holocene. These precipitation changes may be a reflection of vertical displacements of the upper boundary of the mid-Pacific Trade Wind Inversion (TWI) cloud layer. Fires, probably volcanically ignited, occurred in the forests prior to human arrival. Polynesian activity in this high-elevation, remote site was apparently limited, with no pollen, charcoal, or sedimentological evidence for local anthropogenic disturbance. After European contact, grass fires increased and introduced plant species invaded the site. Values for Cd, Cu, Pb, and Zn in sediments throughout the Holocene indicate low trace-metal deposition from atmospheric particulates at the site, even in the twentieth century.This paper is one of a series of papers guest edited by Dr. Mark Brenner on tropical paleolimnology     

Influence of Temporal Variations in River Discharge, pH, Alkalinity and Ca on the Speciation and Concentration of Heavy Metals in Some Mining Polluted Rivers

Dissolved (dialysis in situ) and total concentrations ofCu, Zn, Cd and Al in eight mining polluted rivers in the Røros area, central Norway, were determinedby atomic absorption spectrometry (flame and graphite furnace) and compared to pH, Caconcentration and alkalinity through seasonal variations in river discharge. Totalconcentrations of the metals were highest during early spring flood and during summer andautumn rain episodes. Dissolved concentrations also increased as the spring floodproceeded, but small discharge peaks within this 2 month period as well as a considerableautumn flood episode appeared to lower rather than to raise the dissolved metal concentrations.Consequently the dissolved fractions of Zn, Cd and Al showed a significant negative correlationwith river discharge, and were low at the discharge peaks. Possibly high sediment concentrationsoccurring at high flood conditions more than counteracted desorption induced by pHdecrease, and led to decreased dissolved fractions through adsorption. Cu speciationon the other hand seemed to be more closely linked to pH. Alkalinity and Ca concentration,both assumed to protect aquatic life from metal pollution, were significantly lowerduring episodes with high Cu and Al total concentrations.     

云南白水台钙华水池中水化学日变化及其生物控制的发现

为弄清云南白水台泉及其下游钙华水池中水化学的日变化,选取1号泉及其流经的两个钙华水池(6号和10号)作为研究对象并对其水温、pH值和电导率进行了自动监测。根据Ca2 、HCO3-与电导率存在的线性关系,用WATSPAC软件计算了水中方解石的饱和指数和PCO2。监测发现:泉水不存在显著的水化学日动态变化,而两个钙华水池表现出显著的日动态变化。其中10号钙华水池在白天温度较高时水中的CO2大量逸出并通过水下水生植物的光合作用加速了水中碳酸钙的沉积。6号钙华水池水生植物生长茂盛,其叶片和部分枝干露出水面,因而光合作用主要发生在空中,所以此处水化学表现为白天pH值降低和电导率升高的反常现象,即由温度主导的根呼吸作用,在白天释放更多的CO2进入水体而使沉积下来的碳酸钙重新溶解。     

土壤侵蚀治理范式与生态学理论的耦合关系

目前土壤侵蚀已经成为全球普遍关注的环境问题, 土壤侵蚀治理范式是近年水土保持研 究中的一个热点。本文探讨了“范式”在科学研究中的变迁过程以及对土壤侵蚀防治的重要意义, 并且讨论了土壤侵蚀防治范式与生态学范式之间的耦合关系, 指出生态学思想对土壤侵蚀科学 的发展有重要的借鉴作用, 强调在进行土壤侵蚀研究过程中必须考虑生态因子。土壤侵蚀过程和 生态过程是相互渗透在一起, 它们之间所表现的是相辅相成的耦合关系, 生态学中的自然均衡思 想、系统非平衡态理论、等级缀块动态理论都深刻的影响着土壤侵蚀科学的发展并且都得到不同 程度的应用。在土壤侵蚀研究过程中必须重视生态环境平衡思想。     

ASSESSMENT OF 17β-ESTRADIOL IN AQUATIC ENVIRONMENTS AROUND KLANG VALLEY, MALAYSIA

This study was conducted to assess the existing concentration of 17β-estradiol(E2)in the surface water samples collected from rivers and lakes around Klang Valley,Malaysia.E2,which is a natural feminizing chemical produced in female organisms,regularly used to compare with other environmental estrogens because they behave similarly and react effectively as a hormone at a very low concentration.It was found that the average concentration of E2 in the aquatic environment of Klang Valley was(14.08 ±3.67)pg/mL,which was 14 times higher than those in the Japanese aquatic environment in this study.The river system had the average concentration of(20.02±5.26)pg/mL while the lake had an average concentration of(5.91±3.39)pg/mL.The E2 concentration was presumed high if the sources occurred nearby the area.Current levels of E2 in the aquatic environment may possess threats to existing aquatic organisms.Since high level of E2 has been discovered in the aquatic environment around Klang Valley,further studies and monitoring of E2 and other EDCs concentrations are needed to determine their levels in Malaysian aquatic environment and help to control these chemicals pollution in the aquatic environment.     

用离子色谱法测定金矿区水样中常规无机离子

利用DX－120离子色谱仪进行阴阳离子的精密度和准确度测定，100mg/L时相对标准偏差范围为1．00％－3．80％，回收经95．83％－105．00％；5mg／L时相对标准偏差范围为1．18％－4．57％，回收率92．40％－103．20％，完全达到实际要求。用该离子色谱仪测定甘肃阳山金矿山水样中常规无机离子，数据表明该区域水质较好，所测离子浓度都未超过饮用水标准。     

水资源中氯代烃污染物的去除方法

随着工业化的发展。氯代有机溶剂使用越来越广泛。并且难于去除。在20世纪90年代初期，人们就已认识到用Fe^0恢复污染的地下水的潜力。国外正在研究帮使用扔几种还原挥发性氯代烃的还原反应介质，尤其要提高的是双金属反应系统，反应速度快，而且脱Cl中国难解产物少，目前国也只停留在实验室研究阶段，个别做了地上反应器的验证实验，它的脱Cl机理、介质钝化和完全脱Cl问题还有待于进一步研究。