Evaluation of toxicity in tributaries of the Mersey estuary using the isopod Asellus aquaticus (L.)

Increasing numbers of industrial, agricultural and natural chemicals are present in sewage effluent and are known to elicit toxic effects in laboratory exposures, but little is known of their combined sub-lethal effect in the field. In this study, a combination of esterase activity and ventilation rate assays was performed to determine the neurological and physiological function of the freshwater crustacean Asellus aquaticus (L.) at sites above and below a sewage treatment works (STW). Cholinesterase and carboxylesterase activities were significantly inhibited (n=8, P<0.05) and ventilation rates increased (n=8, P=0.0001) in A. aquaticus at STW sites compared to those from reference sites, indicating a decrease in neurological and physiological function. The ecological relevance of these findings for the population dynamics of the organisms in the field is discussed.     

Formation of a shelfbreak front by freshwater discharge

The circulation and transport of freshwater generated by an idealized buoyant source is studied using a three-dimensional primitive equation model. Freshwater enters the continental shelf, turns anticyclonically and moves downstream in the direction of Kelvin wave propagation. In the region close to the source, the flow reaches an equilibrium in the bottom boundary layer so that freshwater does not spread offshore any further. This offshore equilibrium distance increases as we move downstream until the freshwater is able to feel the presence of the shelfbreak. A shelfbreak front forms and the shelfbreak prevents any further offshore spreading of freshwater in the bottom boundary layer.Two complimentary mechanisms are responsible for the slow cross-shelf migration of freshwater and subsequent trapping of shelfbreak fronts: bottom stress and topographic changes. The shelfbreak creates an active, dynamic process preventing leakage from the continental shelf region to the slope region. However, the dynamical process that traps the front to the shelfbreak is still unclear.The location of the shelfbreak front depends on four dimensionless parameters: scaled inlet volume transport, scaled breadth, scaled “diffusivity” and scaled shelf width. We develop empirical relations for predicting the location of the frontal bottom intersection, given these parameters.     

城市利用地下咸水节省淡水资源

开发地下咸水,用于城市居民生活,可节省58%淡水资源.还可腾出地下库容,增大降雨入渗,淡化地下咸水,改善生态环境.     

Heat influx and exhumation of the Shimanto accretionary complex: Miocene fission track ages from the Kii Peninsula, southwest Japan

Abstract   To determine how local geological events contributed to the evolution of accretionary complexes and eventual exposure of rocks with different structural levels, geochronological mapping was carried out using fission track (FT) analysis at the Kii Peninsula, southwest Japan. At this site, the original zonal structure of Cretaceous accretionary complexes parallel to the subduction zone is disturbed by the northward projection of the Shimanto accretionary complex. Twenty-six zircon FT ages were obtained from an area of ∼12 km in an east–west direction and ∼15 km in a north–south direction, and classified into three groups: (i) ages ∼15 Ma (range ∼10–20 Ma), which are distributed along the northwest–southeast valley; (ii) ages of ∼50 Ma in the northwest of the study area; and (iii) ages older than those in Groups 1 and 2. Based on results from eight zircon FT length distributions, the Miocene ages appear to be the result of spatial variations in heat influx and cooling after the regional exhumation of the area, as recorded by FT ages of ∼50 Ma.     

The influence of floodplain geohydrology on the distribution of Sarcocornia pillansii in the Olifants Estuary on the West Coast, South Africa

The distribution of Sarcocornia pillansii (Moss) A.J. Scott was determined by water-table depth and electrical conductivity (EC) of the groundwater. Where the groundwater was accessible (<1.5 m) and had a low EC (<80 mS cm⁻¹), S. pillansii extended its roots down to the water-table where a suitable water potential gradient was shown to exist between the soil and roots. In areas where the groundwater was too deep and/or hypersaline, the plants grew on hummocks. The unconfined aquifer below the floodplain is linked to the estuary and although diurnal tidal waves were dampened, water-table level fluctuations were recorded between tidal events. The complex geomorphology of the floodplain influences groundwater flow, in turn affecting the distribution of the salt marsh vegetation.     

乐清湾近期海岸演变研究

乐清湾是一个与东海相通的半封闭型强潮海湾。通过对1934,1968和1992年的海图对比研究表明:近期乐清湾各等深线所围水域面积持续减小。后一阶段,围垦使岸线推进速度加快,滩涂面积由前一阶段的不断增加转变为不断减小。1934到1968年,西南部最大潮滩华岐潮滩岸线和零米线平均外推速率分别为4.88m/a和13.24m/a;1968到1992年平均淤进速率分别为6.17m/a和8.08m/a。实地采样分析表明:表层水样平均悬沙浓度为0.1043kg/m3,从湾顶向湾口呈不断增加的趋势。悬沙浓度虽较低,但湾内处于低能动力沉积环境,有利于细颗粒沉积物落淤,这是湾内地貌演变的要因。长江入海南移和陆架区再悬浮的细颗粒物质是乐清湾主要的泥沙来源。泥沙自然淤积和人类活动影响是近期乐清湾大部分岸线处于淤进状态的原因。漩门二期工程前后乐清湾的纳潮量减小了5.73%,落潮流相对携沙能力降低为工程前的79%。而根据实测落潮平均流速计算得围垦后落潮流的相对携沙能力减弱为原来的54%。而从1934年到漩门二期围垦工程后,纳潮量减小了22.57%。开辟盐田和围垦造陆工程等人类活动,对海岸演变的影响显著。     

洞庭湖流域水生态系统服务功能经济价值研究

以洞庭湖流域水生态系统为例,在明确河湖库塘生态系统服务功能内涵的基础上,运用生态学与生态经济学方法对洞庭湖流域各类水生态系统服务功能经济价值进行了评估。结果表明,全流域河湖库塘水生态系统服务功能总价值量为1106.19亿元,约占湖南省2004年GDP(5612.26亿元)的19.7%,其中,城镇和农村生活供水、工农业生产供水、水力发电、内陆航运等直接利用价值为415.698亿元;调洪、输沙、水资源贮存等间接利用价值为690.492亿元。可以认为,流域水生态系统服务功能对湖南省工农业生产的持续发展,维系生态环境健康和人民生命财产安全起到了不可替代的支撑和保障作用。     

Geographic variations in shell growth rates of the mussel Diplodon chilensis from temperate lakes of Chile: Implications for biodiversity conservation

The Chilean lake district includes diverse lentic ecosystems along ca. 700 km of the country (36°–43°S), including the “Nahuelbutan lakes”, “Araucanian lakes” and “Chiloe lakes”. This area is recognized as an important “hot spot” of benthic freshwater biodiversity in Southern South America. In Chilean temperate lakes, increased nutrient loads of P and N caused eutrophication, particularly in the Nahuelbutan Lakes. The freshwater Hyriidae mussel Diplodon chilensis (Gray, 1828) which is one of the most abundant species in Chilean temperate lakes, is known to be very susceptible to eutrophication. This species presents a clear reduction in its geographic ranges and is considered to be a threatened species in many Chilean lakes. In this study, we used a correlative approach to determine how eutrophication-driven changes in the food supply and in geographical parameters of different Chilean lakes affected the shell growth rates of D. chilensis. The results obtained from sclerochronological analyses of the mussel shells suggest an association with a group of environmental variables, including geographical types (negative), such as latitude and altitude, and limnological types (positive), especially phosphorous and turbidity. However, the D. chilensis populations under extreme conditions of turbidity in eutrophic and hypertrophic lakes are extinct or nearly so. The high positive correlation of the mean D. chilensis growth rates with orthophosphate (R=0.76; P<0.05), in relation to dissolved inorganic nitrogen, suggests that P is the major limiting factor of the primary productivity in Chilean temperate lakes. We discuss some implications of our results in terms of the conservation of biodiversity in temperate lake ecosystems at different taxonomic levels.     

人工夹层的抑制水锥作用的研究

人工夹层在油田开发的堵水防水中具有重要作用。从研究底水突入油井的机理出发 ,分析了底水上窜绕过人工夹层的过程。讨论了K H Coat的底水流模型 ,对底水绕过夹层时的累计水侵量进行了计算 ,分析了夹层所在的位置、大小和厚度对底水锥进的影响。研究表明 :人工夹层处于油水界面之上对底水锥进能有效的抑制 ,使开采效果得到提高 ;夹层半径越大 ,水侵量的减小越多 ,夹层的有效作用时间越长 ;人工夹层的作用还同油层的非均质性和开采速度密切相关。最后给出了带夹层底水油藏水侵量的计算公式