Levels of organochlorine pesticide residues in some organs of the Ganges perch, Lates calcarifer, from the Ganges-Brahmaputra-Meghna Estuary, Bangladesh

Levels of organochlorine pesticide residues (p,p′ DDT, DDD, DDE, Aldrin, Dieldrin, Lindane, Heptachlor and BHC) were analysed in the dry and wet seasons in four organs (muscle, liver, gut and egg samples) of Ganges Perch, Lates calcarifer, collected during October–November–December, 1996 and May–June–July, 1997 from the Ganges–Brahmaputtra–Meghna estuary. The residues were analysed by using gas-chromatography (GC) in electron capture detector (ECD) mode and were verified by thin layer chromatography (TLC). Among the four organs analysed, the residues were found in the order egg > gut > muscle > liver. The pesticide residues were found in the order ∑DDT > Heptachlor >Dieldrin > Aldrin. Higher levels of residues were found during the dry season due to high lipid content in fishes. A positive correlation was observed between the pesticide residues (∑DDT and ∑OCs) and lipid contents of fish, and the correlation was found to be linear. The concentrations of pesticide residues in muscle, liver and gut were below the FAO/WHO (1993) recommended permissible limit except in eggs.     

Tectonic Evolution and Hydrogeological Characteristics of the Khanaser Valley,Northern Syria,Derived from the Interpretation of Vertical Electrical Soundings

The Khanaser Valley was geoelectrically thoroughly surveyed through a grid which consisted of twelve VES profiles. The tectonically-oriented Pichgin and Habibullaev method was enhanced to be applicable in areas of rugged relief and topography. The enhanced profiles were tectonically interpreted and subsurface structures within the Khanaser Valley were delineated. Accordingly, a tectonic evolutional scenario of the valley was established and its hydrogeological characteristics were derived. An approach for groundwater exploration in areas of prominent relief and topography in dry areas such as the Khanaser Valley was established and its validity was estimated.     

40Ar-39Ar age of carbonatite-alkaline magmatism in Sung valley, Meghalaya, India

⁴⁰Ar-³⁹Ar analyses of one alkali pyroxenite whole rock and two phlogopite separates of calcite carbonatites from the Sung Valley carbonatite-alkaline complex, which is believed to be a part of the Rajmahal-Bengal-Sylhet (RBS) flood basalt province, yielded indistinguishable plateau ages of 108.8 ± 2.0Ma, 106.4 ± 1.3Ma and 107.5 ± 1.4Ma, respectively. The weighted mean of these ages, 107.2 ± 0.8 Ma, is the time of emplacement of this complex. This implies that Sung Valley complex and probably other such complexes in the Assam-Meghalaya Plateau postdate the main flood basalt event (i.e., the eruption of tholeiites) in the RBS province by ∼10Ma.     

Sustainable landscape management in Slovenia: Environmental improvements for the Velenje coal mining community 1991–2000

The Velenje area (almost 200 km² with over 31,000 inhabitants) is based on the Šalek Valley, which became a leading area of industrialisation and urbanisation after the Second World War, with consequent pollution problems. Various industrial plants polluted the river Paka while more serious hazards arose through the coal mine which is a still causing landscape subsidence and the thermal power station in the neighbourhood of Šoštanj which is a major source of sulphur dioxide and nitrogen oxide pollution. In 1987 there was an ecological protest which marked the beginning of a sustainable development strategy for the community. During the past decade programmes have dealt with the degradation of air, soil and water to achieve cleaner air, a transformation in landuse and enhancement the river's formerly weak self-purifying capabilities. This article examines the changes in the valley since the attention of the authorities was drawn to the deterioration of living conditions. Despite the pressures of transition which have seen unemployment rising to over ten percent, significant environmental improvements have been made and the area stands as a model for the rest of the country. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

汶川县南沟滑坡与防治

滑坡位于汶川县城关镇南沟,属深层牵引式土质滑坡。该滑坡正处于活动期,一旦大规模活动,将危及县政府等几十个机关、学校和居民的安全,给数千人的生命、财产带来极大的损失。本文提出了筑坝、排水、封山育林等具体防治方案和措施。     

WORLD DELTAS AND THEIR EVOLUTION

In August 1998, an international symposium on the world deltas was held in New Orleans, Louisiana, USA. This symposium attracted discussion about more than 25 deltas from around the world with emphasis placed on those that are most densely populated and impacted by humans. Keynote papers printed details about the physical, biological, engineering and socioeconomic aspects of six deltas including the Mississippi, Nile, Ganges-Brahmaputra, Rhine-Meuse, Changjiang and Po. The main purpose of this symposium was to inform scientists, engineers and decision-makers about information that is currently available and to provide them a basis for working in such environments.     

Air flow analysis in the upper Río Negro Valley (Argentina)

The so called Upper Río Negro Valley in Argentina is one of the most important fruit and vegetable production regions of the country. It comprises the lower valleys of the Limay and Neuquén rivers and the upper Negro river valley. Out of the 41,671 cultivated hectares, 84.6% are cultivated with fruit trees, especially apple, pear and stone fruit trees. Late frosts occurring when trees are sensitive to low temperatures have a significant impact on the regional production. This study presents an analysis of air flow characteristics in the Upper Río Negro Valley and its relationship with ambient air flow. To such effect, observations made when synoptic-scale weather patterns were favorable for radiative frosts (light wind and clear sky) or nocturnal temperature inversion in the lower layer were used. In the Negro river valley, both wind channeling and downward horizontal momentum transport from ambient wind were observed; in nighttime, very light wind events occurred, possibly associated with drainage winds from the nearby higher levels of the barda. In the Neuquén river valley, the prevailing effect appeared to be forced channeling, consistent with the results obtained in valleys where the synoptic scale wind crossed the axis of the valley. In the Limay river valley, the flow was observed to blow parallel to the longitudinal valley axis, possibly influenced by pressure gradient and forced channeling.     

U-Series Chronology of Lacustrine Deposits in Death Valley, California

Uranium-series dating on a 186-m core (DV93-1) drilled from Badwater Basin in Death Valley, California, and on calcareous tufas from nearby strandlines shows that Lake Manly, the lake that periodically flooded Death Valley during the late Pleistocene, experienced large fluctuations in depth and chemistry over the last 200,000 yr. Death Valley has been occupied by a long-standing deep lake, perennial shallow saline lakes, and a desiccated salt pan similar to the modern valley floor. The average sedimentation rate of about 1 mm/yr for core DV93-1 was punctuated by episodes of more-rapid accumulation of halite. Arid conditions similar to the modern conditions prevailed during the entire Holocene and between 120,000 and 60,000 yr B.P. From 35,000 yr B.P. to the beginning of the Holocene, a perennial saline lake existed, over 70 m at its deepest. A much deeper and longer lasting perennial Lake Manly existed from about 185,000 to 128,000 yr B.P., with water depths reaching about 175 m, if not 330 m. This lake had two significant “dry” excursions of 10²–10³yr duration about 166,000 and 146,000 yr B.P., and it began to shrink to the point of halite precipitation between 128,000 and 120,000 yr B.P. The two perennial lake periods correspond to marine oxygen isotopic stages (OIS) 2 and 6. Based on the shoreline tufa ages, we do not rule out the possible existence 200,000 yr ago of yet a third perennial lake comparable in size to the OIS 6 lake. The²³⁴U/²³⁸U data suggest that U in tufa owes its origin mainly to Ca-rich springs fed by groundwater that emanated along lake shorelines in southern Death Valley, and that an increase of this spring-water input relative to the river-water input apparently occurred during OIS 6.