Suspended sediment yield and metal contamination in a river catchment affected by El Niño events and gold mining activities: the Puyango river basin,southern Ecuador

The suspended sediment yield and the transfer of polluted sediment are investigated for the Puyango river basin in southern Ecuador. This river system receives metal (Cd, Cu, Hg, Pb and Zn) and cyanide pollution generated by mining, and is associated with large‐scale hydrological variability, which is partly governed by El Niño events. Field sampling and statistical modelling methods are used to quantify the amount of mine tailings that is discharged into the basin. Annual suspended sediment yields are estimated using a novel combination of the suspended sediment rating method and Monte Carlo simulations, which allow for propagation of the uncertainties of the calculations that lead to final load estimates. Geochemical analysis of suspended and river bed sediment is used to assess the dispersion and long‐term fate of contaminated sediment within the river catchment. Knowledge of the inter‐ and intra‐annual variation in suspended sediment yield is shown to be crucial for judging the importance of mining discharges, and the extent to which the resultant pollution is diluted by river flows. In wet years, polluted sediments represent only a very small proportion of the yield estimates, but in dry years the proportion can be significant. Evidence shows that metal contaminated sediments are stored in the Puyango river bed during low flows. Large flood events flush this sediment periodically, both on an annual cycle associated with the rainy season, and also related to El Niño events. Therefore, environmental impacts of mining‐related discharges are more likely to be severe during dry years compared with wet years, and in the dry season rather than the wet season. The hydrological consequences of El Niño events are shown to depend upon the extent to which these events penetrate inland. It is, thus, shown that the general conclusion that El Niño events can significantly affect suspended sediment yields needs evaluation with respect to the particular way in which those events affect a given catchment. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

桓仁—宽甸地区金、有色金属成矿规律

桓仁—宽甸金、有色金属矿比集中区是华北地台北缘太平洋成矿带的重要成矿区。通过区域成矿地质背景和控矿因素的分析,划分了六种区域成矿类型及两大成矿系列,建立了区域多元成矿模式。沉积变质改造型铅锌、金、铜矿产受辽吉古裂谷含矿岩系中的特定层位控制,成矿物质来源于海底火山作用。中生代有色金属矿产受燕山晚期不同阶段特定岩性控制,第一阶段受张剪性断裂控制的中性、中酸性侵入岩与铜(铁)、金关系密切;第二阶段的中酸性脉岩控制部分铅锌、铜矿床;第三阶段的中酸性浅成、超浅成侵入体与铝、铅锌、铜矿有关。中寒武世地层可提供部分矿质,并成为接触交代型矿床的最佳赋矿层位。     

Sea-surface microlayer metals enrichments in an urban and rural bay

The sea-surface microlayer is an important interface between the atmosphere and ocean and a collection point for many anthropogenic materials including potentially toxic metals. We developed a glass plate sampler to collect the upper 30 to 55 micrometers of the sea surface. Samples of the microlayer and subsurface bulk water from an urban and rural bay were analysed for concentrations of Pb, Zn, Cu, Cd and Fe. Metal concentrations in both the microlayer and bulk water were generally 2 to 15 times greater in the urban than in the rural bay. Concentrations of metals in the microlayer of both bays averaged 6 to 65 times greater than those in the bulk water. In the urban bay, microlayer concentrations of Pb, Zn and Cu from 10 to > 100 μg 1^?1 were common. Measured microlayer metals concentrations agree well with those predicted from atmospheric deposition rates using a previously derived empirical model developed from laboratory microcosm studies. Further work will be required to determine whether or not these high microlayer metal concentrations contain significant biologically available fractions which could impact fisheries recruitment of larval icthyoneuston.     

沉积物暴露条件下文蛤Meretrix meretrix 对重金属Cu、Pb的富集动力学研究

应用半静态双箱动力学模型室内模拟了沉积物暴露条件下文蛤Meretrix meretrix 对Cu、Pb的生物富集,通过对富集与排出过程中文蛤体内重金属污染物的动态监测和对富集与排出过程监测结果的非线性拟合,得到了文蛤富集重金属的吸收速率常数K₁、排出速率常数K₂、生物富集因子BCF(bioconcentration factors)、生物学半衰期B_1/2等动力学参数。拟合结果得到的Cu、Pb各动力学参数分别为,K₁为4.6333—72.3754;K₂为0.0512—0.0798;BCF为60.7646—1414.9634;B_1/2为8.69—13.55。对模型的拟合优度检验结果显示,沉积物暴露条件下文蛤对重金属Cu、Pb的生物富集数据符合双箱模型,模型的拟合优度良好。比较结果得出,吸收速率常数K₁及生物富集因子BCF均随着外部水体金属暴露浓度的增大而减小;文蛤对Cu富集能力大于Pb;Cu在文蛤体内的生物学半衰期B_1/2大于Pb;理论平衡状态下生物体内Cu、Pb的含量C_Amax随着外部水体中金属暴露浓度的增大而增大,且呈显著正相关,实验结果表明沉积物暴露条件下双箱动力学模型在一定条件下是可以应用于文蛤的富集动力学研究的,仍需要进一步开展不同条件下实验研究分析。     

Increased Particle Fluxes at the INDEX Site Attributable to Simulated Benthic Disturbance

Abstract

Particle fluxes were measured 7 m above the sea bottom during the predisturbance, disturbance, and postdisturbance periods by using time series sediment traps attached to seven deep-sea moorings deployed in the INDEX experiment site in the Central Indian Basin. The predisturbance particle fluxes varied between 22.3 to 55.1 mg m^?2 day^?1. Increased and variable particle fluxes were recorded by the sediment traps during the disturbance period. The increase observed was 0.5 to 4 times more than the background predisturbance fluxes. The increases in particle fluxes (～4 times) recorded by the sediment trap located in the southwestern direction (DMS-1) were the greatest, which could be the result of preferential movement of resuspended particles generated during the deep-sea benthic disturbance along the general current direction prevailing in this area during the experimental period. Also, the traps located closer to the disturbance area recorded greater fluxes than did the traps far away, across the Deep Sea Sediment Resuspension System path. This variability in recorded particle fluxes by the traps around the disturbance area clearly indicates that physical characteristics such as grain size and density of the resuspended particles produced during the disturbance had an important effect on particle movement. The postdisturbance measurements during ～5 days showed a reduction in particle fluxes of ～50%, indicating rapid particle settlement.     

New Notodelphyidae (Copepoda: Cyclopoida) from solitary ascidians

Samples of simple ascidians of the genera Asterocarpa, Cnemidocarpa, Corella, and Pyura were collected from Wellington Harbour, New Zealand (41°16'S, 174° 51'E) and three species of the crustacean family Notodelphyidae were recovered, all from the branchial baskets of the ascidians.

Pygodelphys novaeseelandiae (Schellenberg), and two new species of Doropygus, are described and illustrated.     

日照市海岸带沉积物重金属元素分布特征研究

根据日照市海岸带两个重点海滩的沉积物调查资料,综合分析了重金属元素的分布特征。结果表明:由岸向海,森林公园海滩剖面样和海域表层样中重金属元素含量逐渐降低,万平口海滩剖面样中重金属含量逐渐减少,海域表层样中重金属含量先升高后降低;从北部到南部,森林公园海滩剖面样中重金属含量逐渐减少,万平口海滩剖面样中重金属含量先减少后增加,海域表层样中重金属含量变化不大。研究区重金属元素的含量与磁性物质的含量呈正相关,与沉积物的平均粒径呈明显负相关,符合元素粒度控制规律。沉积物中重金属元素等主要污染物含量较少,潜在生态危害系数较小,沉积物质量较好,污染程度较低。     

金川镍矿尾矿砂矿物组成特征与酸溶特性研究

金属矿山生产产生大量的尾矿,不但危害周围生态环境,而且对资源造成极大浪费。金川镍矿尾矿砂Ni、Cu和Co的平均含量分别达到0.21%、0.19%和0.01%,是够得上二次开发利用的宝贵资源。文中对金川镍矿尾矿砂矿物组成特征及酸溶特性进行了详细的研究,目的是为工业化高效回收尾矿砂中Ni、Cu和Co等有价金属提供科学依据与技术支撑。矿物学研究表明,金川镍矿尾矿砂主要由蛇纹石、绿泥石、橄榄石、辉石、透闪石、磁铁矿、白云石及少量磁黄铁矿、镍黄铁矿和黄铜矿等组成。经多年露天堆存,金川镍矿老尾矿库尾矿砂已发生不同程度的氧化作用。尾矿库3 m以上为强烈氧化带,金属硫化物矿物颗粒边缘、裂缝处基本都有强烈的氧化作用发生。碳酸盐等易溶矿物被大量消耗。硫酸溶解实验表明,金川镍矿老尾矿库尾矿砂中有价金属Cu、Ni和Co的平均浸出率分别可达88.6%、75.3% 和70.8%。尾矿砂中Cu、Ni和Co有价金属的浸出效果不但清楚直观地反映了尾矿库中尾矿砂的氧化程度,而且表明金属硫化物尾矿砂的风化作用,极大地促进了硫化物矿物中有价金属的酸溶浸出。     

铁细菌胞外多聚物对铁矿物的调控形成及其环境意义

环境介质溶液中铁的水解作用和稳定化作用主要受铁细菌及其代谢有机物质的影响。铁细菌普遍存在于自然环境中,可利用低价铁源为自身生长所需能量。铁细菌胞外有机物的主要组分如多糖和蛋白质等可与铁结合,并通过氧化或沉淀作用使铁稳定、沉积而形成铁矿物;此外铁细菌胞外多聚物可催化铁的氧化或促进铁的聚集。这些生物成因铁矿物因具有良好的表面吸附与氧化还原等化学活性,及有效固定环境中的重金属、放射性核素和催化降解有机污染物的良好环境属性,在环境生物矿物材料和环境治理研究领域被日益重视。故本文基于铁细菌及其胞外多聚物对铁矿物矿化形成的重要调控作用,介绍了环境中存在的铁细菌及其生物矿化特征,重点阐述了铁细菌胞外多聚物(组分、结构及特性)及其在铁矿物矿化过程中的作用,同时对铁细菌胞外多聚物及生物成因铁矿物的环境意义进行了概述。