Endocrine Disrupters in the Aquatic Environment: An Overview

Although a relatively new area of environmental research, the field of endocrine disruption has grown very rapidly, and currently many hundreds, perhaps even a few thousand, papers are published annually on the many different aspects covered by the field. As far as endocrine disruption in wildlife is concerned, most attention has been focused on aquatic organisms, for two reasons. Firstly, the aquatic environment receives most of the pollutants intentionally released into the environment, through effluents from wastewater treatment plants, and secondly because many of the best documented examples of endocrine disruption in wildlife are of partially or completely aquatic species. These two reasons are probably not unconnected, of course. Hence, aquatic organisms can receive continuous exposure to endocrine‐disrupting chemicals throughout their lives, albeit usually to low concentrations of these chemicals. Analysis of effluents has identified many of the endocrine‐disrupting chemicals present, and shown that these are both natural and man‐made, and vary greatly in potency. Most attention has been directed to identifying the main estrogenic chemicals, because many of the effects reported in wildlife appear to be a consequence of ‘feminization’ of males. However, chemical analysis of effluents has also demonstrated that chemicals with other types of endocrine activity are present, such as androgens, anti‐androgens, progestagens, etc. The effects (if any, of course) of such chemicals on aquatic organisms are unknown, and largely uninvestigated, presently. Much of the biological research has centred on the effects of estrogenic chemicals, especially to fish. These effects, such as elevated vitellogenin concentrations and intersexuality, have to date been studied almost exclusively at the level of the individual, and hence whether endocrine‐disrupting chemicals cause population‐level consequences is largely unknown (the undeniable effects of TBT on molluscs, leading to local extinctions, being the exception). It is my opinion that rather too much of the recent research has not advanced our understanding of endocrine disruption a great deal, and we are probably not much further forward now than we were five years or so ago. It is surely time to tackle some of the outstanding, unresolved issues, such as the impact of endocrine disruption at the population level, and the issue of how organisms respond when exposed to complex mixtures of endocrine active chemicals. Such research will not be easy, and will require multidisciplinary teams, including people with expertise in areas not yet involved in the field of endocrine disruption, such as mathematical modellers. However, until such research is done, it will not be possible to decide how important an issue endocrine disruption is to wildlife, and how that importance compares to the other factors adversely affecting wildlife, such as habitat loss, climate change, and the introduction of exotic species and novel diseases.     

工业磷矿石主要化学组分含量近似数学模型

深入研究云南、中国及世界各地磷矿石物质成分基础上,揭示中外工业磷矿石化学组分与矿物化学组成的对应关系,建立工业磷矿石中主要化学组分含量之间函数定量数学模型。文中列举大量典型实例,可广泛应用于不同成因、产地的工业磷矿石化学组分分析、测试与预测,为磷矿石物质成分与质量研究构架一条快捷通道。     

鄂尔多斯盆地北部古风化壳岩石-流体反应动力学模拟研究

古风化壳在油气储集、运聚中占重要地位，如华北、鄂尔多斯、塔里木盆地等地区重要油气藏的形成，与其碳酸盐岩顶部古风化壳密切相关。综合应用流体动力学、化学动力学及化学热力学理论，对古风化壳风化期岩石-流体相互作用过程动态模拟，重现古风化壳风化期流体动力场和化学动力场，从而达到定量预测古风化壳风化期物性参数（如孔隙度、渗透率等）变化的目的，最终为储层定量评价提供参数。岩石-流体反应动力学模拟是通过计算机对岩石与流体相互作用过程作一个动态再现，具有重要理论价值与实际意义     

五道梁大气气溶胶的化学组成和浓度及其季节变化

利用１９９３年９－１０月和１９９４年４－５月及７－８月在青藏高原五道梁采集的大气气溶胶元素浓度资料，分析了气溶胶化学组成的总体特征和浓度及其季节变化。结果表明：五道梁低层大气中气溶胶在总体上保持自然大气的组成，以地壳土壤元素为主，由人类活动造成的污染轻微，春季的气溶胶浓度约为秋季的１．７５倍，夏季可能与秋季接近，基本上反映了五道梁低层大气气溶胶浓度的季节变化特征。按元素质量深度的季节变化特征可将其     

Chemical weathering in the drainage basin of a tropical watershed (Nsimi-Zoetele site, Cameroon) : comparison between organic-poor and organic-rich waters

This study deals with the weathering processes operating at the scale of a small catchment (Nsimi-Zoetele, Cameroon) and is focused on the role of organic colloids on mineral weathering and transport of elements in natural waters. Samples of river, spring and groundwaters from Nsimi-Zoetele were filtered through membranes of decreasing pore size (0.22 μm, 0.025 μm, or: 300,000 Da, 5000 Da) to separate colloidal fractions from the truly dissolved one. Major and trace elements and dissolved organic carbon (DOC) were analysed in each fraction. Two kinds of waters can be distinguished in the catchment: clear and coloured waters. Clear waters exhibit low concentrations of major and trace elements and DOC. Elements are carried in these solutions in a true dissolved form except Al and rare earth elements (REEs). By contrast, the higher abundances of Al, Fe and trace elements in coloured waters are controlled by the colloidal fraction. Thermodynamic equilibrium calculations show that clear waters are in equilibrium with kaolinite and iron oxi-hydroxide which are major minerals in the weathered soil. For coloured waters, the aqueous speciation of Ca, Mg, Cu, Fe, Al, La and Th was calculated taking into account the complexes with humic acids. Speciation calculations for Cu, Fe, Al, La, Th show a strong complexation with humic acids, in good agreement with the results of the filtration experiments. By contrast, although filtration experiments show a strong control of major cations by organic matter (for example 75% for Ca), speciation calculations reveal that their complexes with humic ligands do not exceed a few percent of total dissolved elements. This discrepancy is explained as an artefact induced by the organic colloids and occurring during the filtration procedure. Finally, both filtration experiments and speciation calculations show that organic matter plays an important role in natural DOC-rich waters. Organic acids increase significantly the dissolution rates of silicates and oxi-hydroxides and thus the amounts of solutes and of complexed elements leaving the catchment.     

Human impact in a tourist karstic cave (Aracena, Spain)

 Human intrusion on the Cave of Marvels (southwestern Spain) has produced a series of effects on the water (fall in the level of the pools due to pumping from nearby wells), the air (increased temperature and CO₂ concentration as well as decreased relative humidity) and the rock. In addition, plant colonization, favored by the lighting system, has irreversibly altered numerous speleothems. The processes of degradation are especially intense in the sectors with less air volume and limited ventilation. The analysis of the cave deposits by scanning electron microscopy and thin section analysis revealed that floral pollution constitutes one of the most aggressive agents against the calcite and aragonite precipitates, being responsible for biochemical and biophysical degradation of the first order. Received: 18 December 1995 · Accepted 10 September 1996     

George Dury 1916–96: an appreciation

G.H. Dury was one of the outstanding figures in postwar geography and geomorphology. Although known chiefly for his research into the impact of climatic change on streams, he made important contributions to the study of pediments, of deep‐weathering, and of climatic extremes and fluctuations. He also did innovative work in historical and regional geography, and contributed greatly to geographical education in both universities and high schools. Dury played a central role in the transformation of the discipline and continued to challenge it after his retirement.     

Mass Movement of Mancos Shale Crust Near Caineville, Utah: A 30-year Record

Rates of soil creep were studied periodically over a 30-year period in southeastern Utah on Mancos Shale badland slopes averaging 35 degrees. More intensive studies were carried out over a 10-year period on slopes averaging 40 degrees. On the 35 degree slope the average rate of movement was 2.71 cm yr⁻¹.On the 40 degree slopes, rates varied from 3.14 to 5.94 cm yr⁻¹.
Individual rates of movement varied widely, but average movement of a given line was consistent. No statistical differences in rates of movement were found between north- and south-facing slopes.
About two-thirds of the total movement occurred during the winter/spring period; episodes of rapid movement coincided with years in which storms deposited at least 0.6 cm of precipitation per day for at least two consecutive days. Downslope rotation of nails indicates that creep involves only the top few centimeters of soil.     

Storsteinsfjellbreen: Variations in Mass Balance from the 1960s to the 1990s

When the Norwegian State Power Board decided to plan an extensive water power development in the mountainous areas southeast of Narvik in northern Norway, a large mapping project was started. Detailed maps were constructed at a scale of 1:10 000 from aerial photographs taken in 1960. Several hydrometric stations were installed, and three glaciers were selected for mass balance observations. Storsteinsfjellbreen was the largest of these, and a special glacier map with 10 m contours was printed in four colours, to be used in the field work. Mass balance studies were carried out initially during one 5-year period (1964–68), and also later during another 5-year period (1991–95).
Results from these periods are compared with similar data from the Swedish glacier Storglaciären, about 45 km to the southeast. For all the years except one (1968), the net balance of these glaciers shows a similar pattern: positive years and negative years are synchronous.
A new glacier map was made from a special aerial survey in 1993 at the same scale and of similar accuracy as the first map, so a comparison could be made to calculate the change in glacier volume from 1960 to 1993. From digital terrain models it could be shown that the glacier surface had dropped more than 60 m vertically on the tongue, while the thickness increased above the equilibrium line by up to 20 m. The overall mass loss amounted to 16.8×10⁶ m³ water during 33 years, which corresponds to an extra 2.6 l·s⁻¹·km⁻² (litres per sec. per sq. km) delivered to the river, in addition to the "normal" discharge
due to annual precipitation, which is 36 l·s⁻¹·km⁻² in the area.
A copy of the new glacier map is enclosed with this article.     

Geochemical fractionation of heavy metals in Chilka Lake (east coast of India)—a tropical coastal lagoon

Chilka lake, the largest coastal lagoon of Asia is one of the most dynamic ecosystems along the Indian coast. Historically the lagoon has undergone a considerable reduction in surface area due, in part, to input from natural processes but mostly due to human activities. The purpose of this investigation is to document the heavy metals' affinity for specific geochemical phases in the recently deposited sediments in the lagoon. Thirty-three samples were collected and analyzed for different geochemical phases of Fe, Mn, Cu, Cr, Ni, Pb, and Zn utilizing a sequential extraction scheme. In the nonlithogenous fraction, the exchangeable fraction was not geochemically significant, having <2% of the total metal concentration for all the elements. However, the carbonate fraction contained the following percentages of the total concentration: <1% Fe, 13% Mn, 6% Cu, 4% Cr, 8% Ni, 13% Pb, and 12% Zn, suggesting the detrital origin of the sediments. Reducible and organic matter-bound fractions were the significant phases in the nonlithogenous fraction, containing 9% Fe, 16% Mn, 15% Cu, 16% Cr, 16% Ni, 14% Pb, and 14% Zn in the former and 4% Fe, 3% Mn, 17% Cu, 3% Cr, 14% Ni, 15% Pb, and 14% Zn in the latter. The phenomenon has been attributed to the scavenging affinity of Fe-Mn oxides and affinity for sorption into organic matter of the lagoon sediments. The lithogenous, residual fraction generally considered as a guide for natural background values was determined to contain 87% Fe, 67% Mn, 61% Cu, 77% Cr, 61.3% Ni, 56% Pb, and 60% Zn of the total concentrations.