UV-photooxidation as pretreatment step in inorganic analysis of environmental samples

Many laboratories deal with the determination of heavy metals, carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus. The first step in chemical analysis is a proper preparation of the investigated samples. The presence of organic substances can cause problems in many analytical methods. This paper describes the application of UV irradiation as a method of destruction of organic matter in the investigated samples.

Heavy Metals in Soil and Crops of an Intensively Farmed Area: A Case Study in Yucheng City, Shandong Province, China

lThe study was supported by the Knowledge Innovation Foundation of the institute of Geographical Sciences and Natural Resource, Chinese Academy of Sciences (Grant No. 200906002) and Key Directional Project of Knowledge Innovation of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Grant No. KSCX2-YW-N-46-01). The authors would like to thank to Luke Driskell for his kind help and hard work on English language polishing of the article.

Distribution and mobility of metals in agricultural soils near a copper smelter in South China

The distribution and mobility of heavy metals in the paddy soils surrounding a copper smelting plant in south China was investigated. We assessed the degree of metal contamination using an index of geoaccumulation. The metals were divided into two groups: (1) Cu, Zn, Pb and Cd, whose concentrations were heavily affected by anthropogenic inputs, and (2) Ni, Co and Cr, which were mainly of geochemical origin. Concentrations of Cu, Cd, Zn, and Pb in the polluted soils were higher than the Chinese soil quality criteria. The chemical partitioning patterns of Pb, Zn and Cu indicated that Pb was largely associated with the residual and NH2OH HCl extractable fractions. In contrast, Cd was predominantly associated with the MgCl2 extractable fraction. A large proportion of Cu was bound to the acidic H2O2 extractable fractions, while Zn was predominantly found in the residual phase. The fraction of mobile species, which potentially is the most harmful to the environment, was found to be elevated compared to unpolluted soils in which heavy metals are more strongly bound to the matrix. The mobility of the metals was studied by water extraction using a modification of Tessier's procedure, and the order of mobility was Zn > Cd > Cu > Ce > Pb.

Variation characteristics and ecological risk of heavy metals in the south Yellow Sea surface sediments

Eight cruises were conducted on the south Yellow Sea (SYS) from 1998 to 2005. Variations and the potential ecological risk of heavy metals were studied using the survey data collected during October 2003. The metal content (except for As) was high in the central area where the fine grain size sediments were dominant, and low inshore area where more coarse sediments were present. This suggested that grain size was important in determining distributions of heavy metals. In some local areas, other influencing factors, such as organic content, sedimentation rate, burial efficiency and metal's existing form were discussed. The annual averages of metals showed a stable trend with appreciable fluctuations in 8 years. Using potential ecological risk index (E (RI)) to evaluate the integrated pollution effect of heavy metals, 38.7% of the investigated area was in a moderate degree of contamination, while 77.8% was under moderate ecological risk. However, no distinct correlation was found between E (RI) and plankton biomass. In conclusion, the sediment quality of SYS was good, and the ecological risk was low in general.

Distribution of calcifying and silicifying phytoplankton in relation to environmental and biogeochemical parameters during the late stages of the 2005 North East Atlantic Spring Bloom

The late stage of the North East Atlantic (NEA) spring bloom was investigated during June 2005 along a transect section from 45 to 66 degrees N between 15 and 20 degrees W in order to characterize the contribution of siliceous and calcareous phytoplankton groups and describe their distribution in relation to environmental factors. We measured several biogeochemical parameters such as nutrients, surface trace metals, algal pigments, biogenic silica (BSi), particulate inorganic carbon (PIC) or calcium carbonate, particulate organic carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus (POC, PON and POP, respectively), as well as transparent exopolymer particles (TEP). Results were compared with other studies undertaken in this area since the JGOFS NABE program. Characteristics of the spring bloom generally agreed well with the accepted scenario for the development of the autotrophic community. The NEA seasonal diatom bloom was in the late stages when we sampled the area and diatoms were constrained to the northern part of our transect, over the Icelandic Basin (IB) and Icelandic Shelf (IS). Coccolithophores dominated the phytoplankton community, with a large distribution over the Rockall-Hatton Plateau (RHP) and IB. The Porcupine Abyssal Plain (PAP) region at the southern end of our transect was the region with the lowest biomass, as demonstrated by very low Chla concentrations and a community dominated by picophytoplankton. Early depletion of dissolved silicic acid (DSi) and increased stratification of the surface layer most likely triggered the end of the diatom bloom, leading to coccolithophore dominance. The chronic Si deficiency observed in the NEA could be linked to moderate Fe limitation, which increases the efficiency of the Si pump. TEP closely mirrored the distribution of both biogenic silica at depth and prymnesiophytes in the surface layer suggesting the sedimentation of the diatom bloom in the form of aggregates, but the relative contribution of diatoms and coccolithophores to carbon export in this area still needs to be resolved.

Environmental changes reflected by sedimentary geochemistry in recent hundred years of Jiaozhou Bay, North China

Sediment geochemical technique was employed to assess how the sediment records reflect the environmental changes of Jiaozhou Bay, a semi-enclosed bay adjacent to Qingdao, China. In the past hundred years, Jiaozhou Bay has been greatly impacted by human interventions. A dated core sediment by Pb-210 chronology was analyzed for trace metals including Li, Cd, Cr, Pb, Cu, Ni, Co, Zn together with C, N, P and BSi. Based on the research, the development of Jiaozhou Bay environment in the past hundred years can be divided into three stages: (1) before the 1980s characterized by relatively low sedimentation rate, weak heavy metal pollution and scarce eutrophication; (2) from the 1980s to 2000, accelerating in the 1990s, during which high sedimentation rates, polluted by heavy metals and the frequent occurrence of red tide; (3) after 2000, the period of the improvement of environment, the whole system has been meliorated including the heavy metal pollution and hypernutrification. (c) 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Investigation of heavy metals in sediments and Manila clams Ruditapes philippinarum from Jiaozhou Bay, China

Manila clams (Ruditapes philippinarum) and sediments were collected bimonthly during 2007 at five locations in Jiaozhou Bay near Qingdao, China, to determine heavy metal concentrations and to assess the validation of R. philippinarum as a metal biomonitor. Concentrations of heavy metals in clam soft tissues ranged between 0.75 and 3.31, 0.89 and 15.20, 5.70 and 26.03, 52.12 and 110.33, 10.30 and 72.34, 9.64 and 28.60, and 3.15 and 52.75 mu g g (-aEuro parts per thousand 1) dry weight for Cd, Pb, Cu, Zn, Mn, Cr, and Ni, respectively. Most of the highest values occurred at the northeast bay and the lowest values occurred at the western part. Regarding seasonal variation, relatively high tissue metal concentrations were observed during October or December. A similar pattern was also found in habitat sediments. There was a strong correlation between the concentrations of Cd, Pb, Zn, Mn, Cr, and Ni in soft tissues and surrounding sediments. It is indicated that R. philippinarum could be used as a biomonitor for heavy metal contamination in Jiaozhou Bay.