Selenium content in soils from Murcia Region (SE,Spain)

The objective of this study was to determine the selenium content in soils from the Region of Murcia (SE, Spain) and to study the possible relationship between mineralogical composition, soil properties and selenium content. In addition, generic reference level (GRL) for selenium was determined according to Spanish legislation. For this study, 490 samples were selected in areas subjected to agricultural activity or abandoned agricultural soils with natural vegetation. Five different zones were established in order to study selenium variability. Four different mineralogical groups were established, based on significant relationship with the mineralogical composition, and each sample was included in one mineralogical group. The results showed that the concentration of selenium is correlated with the electrical conductivity, sulphate content and with the mineralogical composition, particularly positively with quartz and in a negative way with calcite percentage. In addition, selenium level was positively correlated with the phyllosilicate content. Established GRL for selenium varies with the mineralogical group, having a great transcendence from the legal and economic points of view.     

L'archivage des activités humaines par les neiges et glaces polaires : le cas du plomb

The investigation of the occurrence of lead in dated snow and ice from Greenland and Antarctica has played a major role in our understanding of the history of the pollution of the atmosphere of our planet by this metal. Such studies have however proved to be very demanding, mainly because of the extreme purity of polar snow and ice. Reliable measurements can be obtained only if ultra-clean and highly sensitive procedures are used, as pioneered by Clair Patterson. The Greenland data show evidence of large-scale pollution of the atmosphere of the Northern Hemisphere for lead as early as two millennia ago during Greco–Roman times, especially because of mining and smelting activities in southern Spain. It peaked at the end of the 1960s, with lead concentrations in snow about 200 times higher than natural values, before declining during recent times because of the fall in the use of leaded gasoline. Lead pollution in Antarctica was already significant at the end of the 19th century as a consequence of whaling activities, the traffic of coal-powered ships crossing the Cape Horn, and mining activities in South America, South Africa and Australia. After declining because of the opening of the Panama Canal, the great economic depression and World War II, it reached a maximum during the 1980s, with lead concentrations 20 times higher than natural values. Other studies focus on past natural variations of lead in ancient ice dated from the last climatic cycles. To cite this article: C. Boutron et al., C. R. Geoscience 336 (2004).     

铅离子污染对桂林红黏土力学性质影响的试验研究

桂北地区铅锌矿产资源的开采对红黏土土层产生了不同程度的污染,为研究铅离子污染对桂林红黏土力学性质的影响,对其重塑样进行三轴不固结不排水剪切试验,测试获得了不同铅离子浓度、作用时间、围压下的应力-应变关系曲线、弹性模量、抗剪强度参数的变化规律。研究结果表明：铅离子污染对桂林重塑红黏土的力学性质有着显著的影响,随着铅离子浓度的增加,土体力学性质随之衰减,并在浓度最大值（1.0%）时达到最低;铅离子污染红黏土应力-应变曲线均呈硬化型,但是随着铅离子浓度的增大,以及围压的增大,其硬化的趋势均有所减弱;弹性模量、抗剪强度随着浓度的变化有着明显的衰减,但是抗剪强度参数在所选的作用时间梯度内其变化并不明显,说明铅离子污染能够在较短时间内完成对土体结构的主体破坏。     

渤海海洋线虫与底栖桡足类数量之比的应用研究

在渤海的22个站位，分3个航次采集未受扰动的沉积物样品，进行了小型底栖动物中两个主要类群自由生活海洋线虫和底栖桡足类数量变动和两者数量之比评价沉积物有机污染环境的研究。结果表明：对于同一航次的不同重复，数量变动差异显著或极显著；在同一个站位24h，6次重复取样，两者数量的变异系数较大；在应用该比值进行沉积物有机污染评价时，在同一站位该比值波动较大。     

Radium tracing of submarine groundwater discharge (SGD) and associated nutrient fluxes in a highly-permeable bed coastal zone, Korea

In order to estimate submarine groundwater discharge (SGD) and SGD-driven nutrient fluxes, we measured the concentrations of nutrients, ²²⁴Ra, and ²²⁶Ra in seawater, river water, and coastal groundwater of Yeongil Bay (in the southeastern coast of Korea) in August 2004 and February 2005. The bottom sediments over the shallow areas of this bay are composed mainly of coarse sands. Large excess concentrations of ²²⁴Ra, ²²⁶Ra, and Si supplied from SGD were observed in August 2004, while these excess concentrations were not apparent in February 2005. Based on the mass balance for ²²⁴Ra, ²²⁶Ra, and Si, which showed conservative mixing behavior in seawater, SGD was estimated to be approximately 6 × 10⁶ m³ day^− 1 (seepage rate = 0.2 m day^− 1) in shallow areas (< 9 m water depth) in August 2004, which is much higher than the SGD level typically found in other coastal regions worldwide. During the summer period, SGD-driven nutrients in this bay contributed approximately 98%, 12%, and 76% of the total inputs for dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN), phosphorus (DIP), and silicate (DSi), respectively. Our study implies that the ecosystem in this highly permeable bed coastal zone is influenced strongly by SGD during summer, while such influences are negligible in winter.     

Diagnosis of trace metal contamination in sediments: the example of Ensenada and El Sauzal, two harbors in Baja California, Mexico

Total metal concentrations in sediments from within Ensenada and El Sauzal Harbors are generally higher than at the mouths. Grain-size analyses suggested that this enrichment could be due to the presence of fine-grained sediments in the inner part of the harbors rather than to anthropogenic perturbations. The (Me/Al)(sample) ratios for Pb, Co, Ni and Fe were significantly higher for Ensenada Harbor relative to El Sauzal Harbor, whereas the ratios for Cd, Mn, Zn and Cu were statistically equivalent for both harbors. Calculated enrichment factors [EF(Me)=(Me/Al)(sample)/(Me/Al)(shale)] indicated that the metals showing slight enrichment were those associated with anthropogenic contamination (Pb, Zn), or probably related to primary productivity in the water column (Cd, Co). The levels of most of the metals were not greatly enriched, a consideration that is of the utmost importance when contamination issues are at stake.     

青岛市水环境污染及其防治对策

通过分析近几年青岛市地表，地下水水质监测资料，总结水环境污染地区分布规律，摸清水环境污染形成原因，对当前防污治污工作提出了对策建议。     

The Effects of Environmental Conditions on Concentration and Emission of Ammonia in Chicken Farms during Summer Season

This paper presents a field study conducted in northwest Turkey and characterizes the NH₃ concentration and emission measured in summer season from three chicken farms. The influence of environmental conditions on NH₃ concentration and emission was also investigated in this study. Ammonia concentration, temperature, relative humidity and airflow rate were continuously recorded for four sequential days. The environmental conditions were measured using a multifunction temperature and humidity‐meter with a hot wire probe. Portable multiple gas detectors with electro‐chemical sensors were used to measure NH₃ concentration. The NH₃ emission rates for houses were calculated by multiplying simultaneously measured NH₃ concentrations and air flow rates. The average daily mean (ADM) house concentrations of house 1 (H1), house 2 (H2), and house 3 (H3) were measured as 4.43, 3.71, and 6.20 ppm, respectively. NH₃ concentration was inversely proportional to temperature (r = ?0.279), relative humidity (r = ?0.063) and airflow rate (r = ?0.554) for all monitored houses. The ADM house NH₃ emission was 135 g/(h house) for H1, 255 g/(h house) for H2, and 117 g/(h house) for H3. The combined average emission rate in this study (0.26 g/(d bird)) was lower than the emission rate measured in chicken farms in the USA. However, our results were comparable to rates calculated in European studies because house design, ventilation system and bird diet applied in Turkish chicken farms are very similar to those employed in European countries. The NH₃ emissions were significantly correlated to NH₃ concentrations (r = 0.45, p ≤ 0.001) and airflow rates (r = 0.97, p ≤ 0.001). A clear diurnal pattern was obtained for NH₃ concentrations rather than NH₃ emissions at the end of the study.     

Diffusive equilibrium in thin films provides evidence of suppression of hyporheic exchange and large‐scale nitrate transformation in a groundwater‐fed river

The hyporheic zone of riverbed sediments has the potential to attenuate nitrate from upwelling, polluted groundwater. However, the coarse‐scale (5–10 cm) measurement of nitrogen biogeochemistry in the hyporheic zone can often mask fine‐scale (<1 cm) biogeochemical patterns, especially in near‐surface sediments, leading to incomplete or inaccurate representation of the capacity of the hyporheic zone to transform upwelling NO₃^?. In this study, we utilised diffusive equilibrium in thin‐films samplers to capture high resolution (cm‐scale) vertical concentration profiles of NO₃^?, SO₄^2?, Fe and Mn in the upper 15 cm of armoured and permeable riverbed sediments. The goal was to test whether nitrate attenuation was occurring in a sub‐reach characterised by strong vertical (upwelling) water fluxes. The vertical concentration profiles obtained from diffusive equilibrium in thin‐films samplers indicate considerable cm‐scale variability in NO₃^? (4.4 ± 2.9 mg N/L), SO₄^2? (9.9 ± 3.1 mg/l) and dissolved Fe (1.6 ± 2.1 mg/l) and Mn (0.2 ± 0.2 mg/l). However, the overall trend suggests the absence of substantial net chemical transformations and surface‐subsurface water mixing in the shallow sediments of our sub‐reach under baseflow conditions. The significance of this is that upwelling NO₃^?‐rich groundwater does not appear to be attenuated in the riverbed sediments at <15 cm depth as might occur where hyporheic exchange flows deliver organic matter to the sediments for metabolic processes. It would appear that the chemical patterns observed in the shallow sediments of our sub‐reach are not controlled exclusively by redox processes and/or hyporheic exchange flows. Deeper‐seated groundwater fluxes and hydro‐stratigraphy may be additional important drivers of chemical patterns in the shallow sediments of our study sub‐reach. © 2015 The Authors. Hydrological Processes Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.