Water quality and spatio-temporal hot spots in an effluent-dominated urban river

In arid and semi-arid regions, many rivers experience extremely low flow conditions during seasonal dry periods. During these times, effluent from wastewater treatment plants can make up the majority of flow in the river. However, water quality in urban systems can also be strongly influenced by the natural or human-influenced flow regime and discharge from other anthropogenic sources such as industrial operations and runoff from impervious surfaces. In this study, we aimed to determine whether water quality was controlled primarily by wastewater discharge in an effluent-dominated river. Between May 2016–May 2019, we systematically measured water temperature, pH, dissolved oxygen, biochemical oxygen demand, and the concentrations of nitrate-N, ammonia-N, and orthophosphate in the South Platte River in the Denver metropolitan area, Colorado, USA. We found that, despite being an effluent-dominated river, wastewater treatment plant discharge was not the principal factor controlling water quality in many of the sampled areas. Non-point source pollution from impervious surfaces, delivered to the river through storm drains and minor tributary streams, also contributed to the high nutrient conditions in several locations. We also noted a strong seasonality in water quality, with higher concentrations of nutrients and higher biochemical oxygen demand in the winter months when wastewater effluent can make up more than 90% of the flow in the river. Thus, the interaction of discharge location and reduced seasonal flow produced spatio-temporal hot spots of diminished water quality. More stringent enforcement of water quality regulations may improve water quality in this system. However, a large portion of the pollution seems to be from non-point sources, which are very difficult to control.     

Physico‐chemical features of lake Ototoa,a sand‐dune lake in northern New Zealand

Lake Ototoa is a warm monomictic lake at 36° 31’ S, 174° 14'E. During a year's study (March 1969‐March 1970), the lake became thermally stratified in November, the metalimnion being between depths of 12 m and 16 m. Surface temperatures ranged between 10.2°c (in August) and 25.2°c (in late January), and bottom temperatures between 9.7°c and 17.5°c. The annual heat budget was calculated to be 642 354 KJ.m^‐2 (15 500 cal.cm^‐2) and the work of the wind in distributing the heat income 1.730 KJ.m^‐2 (1766 g.cm.cm^‐2). Secchi disc transparencies ranged between 5 m and 9.2 m (mean 7.07 m) and were greatest in the summer. Light transmission per metre was also high, ranging between 61% and 87%. Surface waters were normally supersaturated with oxygen, but during summer stratification oxygen concentrations in the bottom waters dropped to a minimum of 2.3 mg.litre^‐2 and a positive heterograde distribution of oxygen with depth was found. The oxygen deficit was 0.015 mg.cm^‐2.day^‐1 and showed the lake to be oligotrophic. Mean surface pH was 7.82, and the ionic composition of the waters was similar to that of other small New Zealand and Australian lakes located near the sea. Compared with other New Zealand lakes PO4‐P concentrations (range 1.00–10.20 μg.litre^‐1) were low and NO3—N concentrations (range 0.12–0.60 mg.litre^‐1) high.     

The ebb and flood of Silica: Quantifying dissolved and biogenic silica fluxes from a temperate salt marsh

Salt marshes are widely studied due to the broad range of ecosystem services they provide including serving as crucial wildlife habitat and as hotspots for biogeochemical cycling. Nutrients such as nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and carbon (C) are well studied in these systems. However, salt marshes may also be important environments for the cycling of another key nutrient, silica (Si). Found at the land–sea interface, these systems are silica replete with large stocks in plant biomass, sediments, and porewater, and therefore, have the potential to play a substantial role in the transformation and export of silica to coastal waters. In an effort to better understand this role, we measured the fluxes of dissolved (DSi) and biogenic (BSi) silica into and out of two tidal creeks in a temperate, North American (Rowley, Massachusetts, USA) salt marsh. One of the creeks has been fertilized from May to September for six years allowing us to examine the impacts of nutrient addition on silica dynamics within the marsh. High-resolution sampling in July 2010 showed no significant differences in Si concentrations between the fertilized and reference creeks with dissolved silica ranging from 0.5 to 108 μM and biogenic from 2.0 to 56 μM. Net fluxes indicated that the marsh is a point source of dissolved silica to the estuary in the summer with a net flux of approximately 169 mol h⁻¹, demonstrating that this system exports DSi on the same magnitude as some nearby, mid-sized rivers. If these findings hold true for all salt marshes, then these already valuable regions are contributing yet another ecosystem service that has been previously overlooked; by exporting DSi to coastal receiving waters, salt marshes are actively providing this important nutrient for coastal primary productivity.     

Scale-dependent effects of nutrient loads and climatic conditions on benthic and pelagic communities in the Gulf of Finland

Eutrophication and climate change are ranked among the most serious threats to the stability of marine ecosystems worldwide. The effects of nutrient loads and climatic conditions vary in direction, magnitude and spatial extent. To date the factors that are behind the scale-specific spatial and temporal variability are poorly known. In this study we assessed how variability in nutrient loads and climatic conditions at local, gulf and regional scales explained the spatial patterns and temporal trends of zooplankton and benthic invertebrates in the Gulf of Finland. In general both local and gulf scale environmental variability had an important effect on benthic invertebrate species and the variability was mainly due to local nutrient loading, gulf scale temperature and salinity patterns. Zooplankton species were equally affected by environmental variability at all spatial scales, and all nutrient load and climatic condition variables contributed to the models. The combination of variables at all spatial scales did not explain the substantially larger proportion in invertebrate variability than variables at any individual scale. This suggests that large-scale pressures such as nutrient loads and change of climatic conditions may define broad patterns of distribution but within these patterns small-scale environmental variability significantly modifies the response of communities to these large-scale pressures.     

A 2011 drought event affecting distribution of nutrients and chlorophyll in the Zhujiang River estuary

During the summer of 2011,a severe drought event occurred throughout the Zhujiang(Pearl)River Basin of South China.This decreased runoff into the river,resulting in increased salinity and reduced suspended substance.To examine the effects of this extreme drought on the distribution of nutrients and chlorophyll,we compared two surveys from 2006 and 2011.Results show that dissolved inorganic nitrogen concentration did not change from 2006 to 2011,whereas the proportions of NO 2 – and NH 4 + to DIN in 2011 increased.PO 4 3-concentration was lower in 2011 than in 2006,whereas there was no difference in SiO 3 2-concentration between these years.Correlation coeffi cients of salinity with levels of NO 3 –,NO 2 –,NH 4 +,PO 4 3-and SiO 3 2-in 2011 were all much higher than those in 2006,suggesting greater conservation of dissolved nutrients during the extreme drought event.Furthermore,calculated amounts of regenerated nitrate and phosphorus and their proportions to observed nutrients in 2011 were much lower than in 2006,indicating that nutrient regeneration decreased during the extreme drought period.Mean concentration of chlorophyll a(Chl-a)was considerably higher in 2011 than in 2006,and a harmful algal bloom of Cochlodinium geminatum was observed in the estuary,owing to water stagnancy and lower turbidity as a consequence of drought.Therefore,the extreme drought event in 2011 changed the composition ratio of nutrients,enhanced nutrient conservative behavior,and reduced nutrient regeneration.This affected some key ecological processes in the estuary.     

Variations of nutrient element contents of plants and soils in the process of karst rocky desertification

The present research on karst rocky desertification is mainly focused on qualitative analysis and obviously lack of quantitative and successive mechanism studies. Currently, classification of rocky desertification grades mainly depends on ratio of rocky coverage or ratio of plant and soil coverage. The process of rocky desertification was divided into latent, slight, medium and serious grades without mention of soil degradation. The Cha＇eryan catchment in the Huajiang Gorge of Guizhou Province was selected as the research area in this paper. Soil basic physical characteristics, nutrient element contents of soil and plant were studied in the process of rocky desertification. The karst soil characteristics elucidated that the clay content was high, the contents of soil organic matter, nutrient element （except potassium and sodium）, available contents of elements （except of potassium） were also high; ashes of plants were rich in calcium and nitrogen, and poor in iron, zinc, potassium and phosphorus. Meanwhile, the contents of plant ashes showed a significant positive relationship with calcium content of plant. There were no clear relations between soil degradation and succession of rocky desertification according to current classification standard. Soil particle size distribution, specific gravity, soil organic matter content, total and available nutrient element contents did not vary with the succession of rocky desertification.     

荣成近岸海域四种褐藻营养成分分析及评价

山东省荣成市近岸海域褐藻资源丰富,为系统了解鼠尾藻(Sargassum thunbergii)、海黍子(Saragassumkjellmaniamum)、铜藻(Sargassum horneri)和羊栖菜(Sargassum fusiforme)四种褐藻的营养价值,通过测定其一般营养成分(水分、粗蛋白、粗脂肪、灰分、碳水化合物),氨基酸组成、脂肪酸组成、重金属含量等,对其营养价值进行分析及评价。结果显示:四种海藻一般营养成分以碳水化合物为主,其次为灰分,蛋白质和脂肪。氨基酸种类齐全且人体必需氨基酸质量分数较高,鼠尾藻、海黍子、铜藻和羊栖菜的必需氨基酸占氨基酸总量的比例分别为32.83%、37.35%、30.82%和40.55%,接近FAO/WHO的理想模式;呈味氨基酸占氨基酸总量比例分别为56.38%、51.67%、49.78%和45.07%,使得具有较好的风味,可作为开发海藻调味料的原料;必需氨基酸指数(EAAI)分别为85、71.79、73.38和95.80;脂肪含量低,脂肪酸含量依次为饱和脂肪酸>多不饱和脂肪酸>单不饱和脂肪酸,四种褐藻n-3脂肪酸和n-6脂肪酸的总量...     

Impact of the water-sediment regulation and a rainstorm on nutrient transport in the Huanghe River

Dissolved nutrient concentration in the Huanghe(Yellow) River at Lijin was monitored during a water-sediment regulation period and a subsequent rainstorm from 14 June to 19 July, 2005. This study provides detailed information on nutrient concentrations in the Huanghe River during the water-sediment regulation and rainstorm periods, and is of signifi cance for the downstream area of the Huanghe River and the Bohai Sea. The average concentrations of nitrate, nitrite and ammonia were 304.7 μmol/L, 0.19 μmol/L, and 1.10 μmol/L, respectively, while the average concentrations of dissolved inorganic phosphorus(DIP) and dissolved silicate(DSi) were 0.23 μmol/L and 122.9 μmol/L, respectively. Nutrient concentrations during the water-sediment regulation period were mainly infl uenced by the dilution effect, fl oodplain effect and sediment resuspension while dilution and erosion effects were the main factors during the rainstorm. The fl uxes of dissolved inorganic nitrogen(DIN), DIP and DSi during the water-sediment regulation and rainstorm periods accounted for 20.4%, 19.5%, 16.7% and 4.97%, 6.45%, 5.47% of the annual nutrient fl uxes, respectively. Discharge was the main factor infl uencing the fl uxes of nutrients during both the watersediment regulation and the rainstorm periods.     

西藏不同退化高寒草地土壤酶的活性

对退化高寒草原土壤酶活性研究的结果表明:1)相对于正常草地,轻度退化草地土壤纤维素酶、脲酶、碱性磷酸酶活性均呈不同程度的提高;中度退化草地土壤纤维素酶、碱性磷酸酶活性亦呈同一趋势,仅土壤脲酶活性显著降低;严重退化草地中3种土壤酶活性则均呈显著降低。2)不同土壤酶活性对土壤环境变化的敏感性总体呈碱性磷酸酶活性>脲酶活性>纤维素酶活性;土壤酶活性大小则均呈脲酶活性>碱性磷酸酶活性>纤维素酶活性。3)不同土壤酶活性与土壤有机碳均呈极显著正相关(r值为0.728 8~0.980 8,p≤0.01),与土壤全氮、有效氮、有效钾亦呈不同程度的正相关,与土壤有效磷含量则均呈显著或极显著负相关;土壤pH对土壤脲酶活性具有显著影响,对纤维素酶、碱性磷酸酶活性的影响则不甚明显。4)西藏高原高寒、干旱条件下,中度,特别是轻度退化草地一定程度的沙化所导致的土壤通透性能的显著改善对提高土壤酶活性,进而促进土壤有机残体的分解和有机质的形成具有重要作用。5)土壤酶活性不仅可以反映不同程度退化高寒草原土壤肥力水平的差异,同时亦可作为评价草地土壤肥力的一个基本指标。     

太湖蓝藻水华的年度情势预测方法探讨

在太湖、巢湖、滇池、洱海、三峡水库等我国重要湖泊和水库,蓝藻水华时常发生但年际之间藻情往往有较大差异,给蓝藻水华的防控物资及人员投入、湖库水源地水质安全保障带来较大的挑战,亟待探索周年尺度的蓝藻水华强度预测方法.本文收集了太湖连续15年的蓝藻水华情势观测数据和同步的气象、水文数据用于构建蓝藻水华预测模型,提出了利用遥感反演的蓝藻水华面积(A_BL)及人工观测的水体浮游植物叶绿素α浓度([Chl.a]_LB)共同表征的蓝藻水华强度指标(BI).分析了太湖年尺度的BI值与环境条件的关系,提出了基于年初能够掌握的气象、水文、营养盐等综合环境指标进行年度BI预测的统计模型.结果表明,太湖年度BI值与冬季及初春(12-3月)日均水温(WT_12-3)、冬春季有效积温(AT_12-3)、前一年降雨总量(RF_YB)等环境因子呈显著正相关,与冬季及初春的水体总氮(TN_12-3)、溶解性总氮(DTN_12-3)、总磷(TP_12-3)及溶解性...