Geochemical characteristics of mineral air particles emitted inside a clay atomisation plant which introduces waste recycling processes

The objective of this work is to assess the concentrations of three factions of air particles (settable particles, TSP and PM10) and the levels of several toxic elements in a clay atomisation industry through aerosol sampling at several points inside an industrial plant. Mechanical activities, which produce diffuse emissions, are the main process of discharge of particles in both indoor and outdoor workplace environments in the atomisation plant. The levels of As, Cd, Pb, Zn, Ba and Ni increase in the zones with higher concentrations of particles and lower ventilation. The concentrations of As and F are not influenced by the recycling processes. The levels of Cd and Pb do not show great enrichment in air particles collected inside the atomisation plant although the content of both elements is associated with ceramic muck recycling. Finally, the content of B in waste water is mainly transferred in gaseous phase to the atmosphere during the process of drying by atomisation.     

土地利用/土地覆被变化遥感监测研究

根据1990年和1999年两期TM/ETM 遥感数据,运用遥感分类中的监督分类方法,全面分析乌鲁木齐市的土地利用的数量变化特征和空间变化特征,阐明了区域土地利用变化的区域特点。     

Persistent organic pollutants and stable isotopes in biopsy samples (2004/2006) from Southern Resident killer whales

“Southern Resident” killer whales include three “pods” (J, K and L) that reside primarily in Puget Sound/Georgia Basin during the spring, summer and fall. This population was listed as “endangered” in the US and Canada following a 20% decline between 1996 and 2001. The current study, using blubber/epidermis biopsy samples, contributes contemporary information about potential factors (i.e., levels of pollutants or changes in diet) that could adversely affect Southern Residents. Carbon and nitrogen stable isotopes indicated J- and L-pod consumed prey from similar trophic levels in 2004/2006 and also showed no evidence for a large shift in the trophic level of prey consumed by L-pod between 1996 and 2004/2006. ∑PCBs decreased for Southern Residents biopsied in 2004/2006 compared to 1993–1995. Surprisingly, however, a three-year-old male whale (J39) had the highest concentrations of ∑PBDEs, ∑HCHs and HCB. POP ratio differences between J- and L-pod suggested that they occupy different ranges in winter.     

Evidence for exposure of fish to oil spilled into the Columbia river

On March 19, 1984, more than 170000 gallons of oil were spilled into the Columbia River. We had recently developed analytical methods for estimating the exposure of fish to aromatic compounds by measuring the concentrations of metabolites of these contaminants in fish bile. The oil spill provided an opportunity to field test our methods in assessing the exposure of fish to petroleum aromatic compounds from the spilled oil. Our findings indicated that, within 5 days after the spill, mean concentrations of metabolites of aromatic compounds in the bile of white sturgeon (Acipenser transmontanus) captured 57 miles downstream from the spill were significantly higher than those of sturgeon caught upriver.     

Spatial interpretation of high-resolution environmental proxy data of the Middle Pleistocene Palaeolithic faunal kill site Schöningen 13 II-4, Germany

To spatially characterize the palaeolakeshore environment at the archaeological kill site Schöningen 13 II-4 of the Middle Pleistocene Reinsdorf sequence, in-depth palynological, geochemical, aquatic microfossil and archaeological analyses were undertaken on sediment sections with an average thickness of about 15 cm, concordantly overlain by faunal remains, dominated by horse, from the unique ‘Spear Horizon’ layers of the 1995 excavation campaign. The data reveal a distinctive lake level drop, documented by the change from a carbonate-rich lake marl to a carbonate-free organic mud with increased carbon content and decreasing C/N, Si/Al, Si/K and Fe/Al ratios, indicating a higher pedogenic supply of organic matter and drier conditions at the site. Compared with older, similar transitional phases of lake level changes occurring within the Reinsdorf sequence, it is important that these youngest sediments are undisturbed, indicating continuous development. Ostracod and diatom analyses indicate a lowering water level with higher salinities and rich aquatic vegetation. Mesorheophilic ostracod species along with tychoplanktic diatom taxa point to flowing waters and turbulence at the lakeshore, presumably related to spring-fed streams originating from nearby highlands. Palynological results reveal a very diverse zonal vegetation pattern around the palaeolakeshore considering an area of investigation of approximately 50 × 75 m and a tessellated type of regional vegetation during the formation of the archaeological horizons. On topographically lower elevated areas, birch groves and taxa favouring wet, marshy conditions such as Cyperaceae, indicative of terrestrialization, were predominating, while other stands of this transitional phase reveal a very dry, grass-dominated steppe woodland favouring a rich wildlife with a striking number of megaherbivores. Our results suggest that the lithological differences of the ‘Spear Horizon’ layers containing the archaeological finds were due to their respective topographical situation and that the layers were deposited almost simultaneously during the beginning of the lake level drop. Human activities seem to have concentrated in sparsely vegetated areas along the palaeolakeshore, rather than in areas of adjacent denser birch swamp forest stands.     

Peat extraction, conservation and the rural economy in Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland has a tradition of peat cutting; 78 per cent by area of remaining lowland bogs and 46 per cent of blanket bogs have been cut in the past. Since the early 1980s, machine peat extraction for fuel and horticulture has increased, against a background of changing economic support for agriculture, high rural unemployment and agricultural underemployment. Cutting fuel peat can reduce household fuel costs and some peat fuel is sold to gain income. Horticultural peat is cut mainly for sale. Expansion of machine extraction, with possible environmental impacts, occurred as interest in peatland conservation increased. Potential conflict arises between local economic needs and conservation. Machine cutting for fuel is widespread, but affects only 2.6 per cent of the blanket peat area; horticultural extraction is more localized and is only one-fifth of the extent of fuel extraction. Altitude, distance from roads, land ownership and rights, turbary, religious affiliation, local economic needs and the role of government departments all contribute to explaining the distribution and extent of extraction.     

Effects of waterlogging,salinity and light on the productivity of Bruguiera gymnorrhiza and Heritiera littoralis seedlings

This study aimed to establish the effects of waterlogging, salinity and light on the early development of mangroves. Seedlings of Bruguiera gymnorrhiza (L.) Lamk. and Heritiera littoralis Dryand were exposed to 12 weeks of waterlogging, during which time growth and photosynthesis were measured every two weeks. The salinity of the water inundation ranged from fresh water to full-strength sea water (salinity 35). Seedlings were exposed to either full sunlight of 1 500 µmol photon m^–2 s^–1 (SD 397) at midday or shade conditions of 325 µmol photon m^–2 s^–1 (SD 40) of light at midday, to explore whether the plants would be differently affected by prolonged waterlogging in increased salinities and under different light conditions. Heritiera littoralis was more sensitive to waterlogging, salinity and light, displaying a least relative growth rate of 0.127 g g^–1 week^–1 (SE 0.032) under shade, and 0.025 g g^–1 week^–1 (SE 0.021) in full light; while under shade, photosynthesis continued only in fresh water, but photosynthetic yield decreased from 0.7 to 0.4 with increasing duration of waterlogging. By 12 weeks, all H. littoralis seedlings treated with any saltwater mixture had died. Bruguiera gymnorrhiza seedlings maintained a moderate rate of photosynthesis throughout inundation in both shade and full light, with yields of 0.7 and 0.3, respectively. Furthermore, B. gymnorrhiza survived waterlogging in up to 66% seawater, and maintained comparable relative growth rates of 0.164 g g^–1 week^–1 (SE 0.066) with 0.083 g g^–1 week^–1 (SE 0.065) and 0.074 g g^–1 week^–1 (SE 0.036) with 0.052 g g^–1 week^–1 (SE 0.037) under shade and in full light between fresh water and the highest salinity conditions, respectively. These results suggest that B. gymnorrhiza is broadly tolerant, making it a potential candidate species for restoring vulnerable mangrove forests.     

Use of chemical tracers in assessing the diet and foraging regions of eastern North Pacific killer whales

Top predators in the marine environment integrate chemical signals acquired from their prey that reflect both the species consumed and the regions from which the prey were taken. These chemical tracers-stable isotope ratios of carbon and nitrogen; persistent organic pollutant (POP) concentrations, patterns and ratios; and fatty acid profiles-were measured in blubber biopsy samples from North Pacific killer whales (Orcinus orca) (n=84) and were used to provide further insight into their diet, particularly for the offshore group, about which little dietary information is available. The offshore killer whales were shown to consume prey species that were distinctly different from those of sympatric resident and transient killer whales. In addition, it was confirmed that the offshores forage as far south as California. Thus, these results provide evidence that the offshores belong to a third killer whale ecotype. Resident killer whale populations showed a gradient in stable isotope profiles from west (central Aleutians) to east (Gulf of Alaska) that, in part, can be attributed to a shift from off-shelf to continental shelf-based prey. Finally, stable isotope ratio results, supported by field observations, showed that the diet in spring and summer of eastern Aleutian Island transient killer whales is apparently not composed exclusively of Steller sea lions.     

塔里木二叠纪基性-中性-酸性岩浆岩的年代学及其地质意义

塔里木西部柯坪地区出露的早二叠纪玄武岩与盆地内其他地区广泛分布的玄武岩共同构成一个面积约0.25Mkm²的溢流玄武岩省。巴楚地区出露的早二叠纪辉绿岩、正长岩、石英正长岩与石英正长斑岩等多种岩浆岩构成了连续的基性-中性-酸性岩浆序列。野外露头观察表明,巴楚麻扎尔塔格地区的基性-中性-酸性岩浆岩为近同时侵位。柯坪塔格开派兹雷克组顶部层位玄武岩的锆石SHRIMP U-Pb年龄为279.0±4.5Ma, 该年龄值可限定该区二叠纪溢流玄武岩喷发的最晚时限。巴楚麻扎尔塔格石英正长斑岩脉的锆石SHRIMP U-Pb年龄为273.0±3.7Ma, 与前人测定的巴楚辉绿岩脉和正长岩的锆石年龄在误差范围内一致,表明巴楚地区的基性-中性-酸性岩浆岩为近同时侵位,时间在275Ma左右。综合已发表的塔里木二叠纪岩浆岩高精度年代数据,本文提出：整个塔里木大火成岩省岩浆作用的持续时间约为20Myrs; 291~287Ma喷发的巨量溢流玄武岩可能构成塔里木大火成岩省的主体,是地幔柱头部熔融的直接产物; 283~272Ma侵位的巴楚、一间房和塔北地区的其它类型岩浆岩体积较小,为塔里木大火成岩省晚期岩浆作用的产物。