Sorption, degradation and mobility of microcystins in Chinese agriculture soils: Risk assessment for groundwater protection

In the present paper, sorption, persistence, and leaching behavior of three microcystin variants in Chinese agriculture soils were examined. Based on this study, the values of capacity factor and slope for three MCs variants in three soils ranged from 0.69 to 6.00, and 1.01 to 1.54, respectively. The adsorption of MCs in the soils decreased in the following order: RR > Dha(7) LR > LR. Furthermore, for each MC variant in the three soils, the adsorption rate in the soils decreased in the following order: soil A > soil C > soil B. The calculated half-time ranged between 7.9 and 17.8 days for MC-RR, 6.0-17.1 days for MC-LR, and 7.1-10.2 days for MC-Dha(7) LR. Results from leaching experiments demonstrated that recoveries of toxins in leachates ranged from 0-16.7% for RR, 73.2-88.9% for LR, and 8.9-73.1% for Dha 7 LR. The GUS value ranged from 1.48 to 2.06 for RR, 1.82-2.88 for LR, and 1.76-2.09 for Dha(7) LR. Results demonstrated the use of cyanobacterial collections as plant fertilizer is likely to be unsafe in soils. (c) 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Relationships between precipitation, soil water and groundwater at Chongling catchment with the typical vegetation cover in the Taihang mountainous region, China

Vegetation cover plays an important role in the process of evaporation and infiltration. To explore the relationships between precipitation, soil water and groundwater in Taihang mountainous region, China, precipitation, soil water and water table were observed from 2004 to 2006, and precipitation, soil water and groundwater were sampled in 2004 and 2005 for oxygen-18 and deuterium analysis at Chongling catchment. The soil water was sampled at three sites covered by grass (Carex humilis and Carex lanceolata), acacia and arborvitae respectively. Precipitation is mainly concentrated in rainy seasons and has no significant spatial variance in study area. The stable isotopic compositions are enriched in precipitation and soil water due to the evaporation. The analysis of soil water potential and isotopic profiles shows that evaporation of soil water under arborvitae cover is weaker than under grass and acacia, while soil water evaporation under grass and acacia showed no significant difference. Both delta O-18 profiles and soil water potential dynamics reveal that the soil under acacia allows the most rapid infiltration rate, which may be related to preferential flow. In the process of infiltration after a rainstorm, antecedent water still takes up over 30% of water in the topsoil. The soil water between depths of 0-115 cm under grass has a residence time of about 20 days in the rainy season. Groundwater recharge from precipitation mainly occurs in the rainy season, especially when rainstorms or successive heavy rain events happen.

Water and salt movements in simultaneous flood-irrigation and well-drainage operations

This paper describes a new technology for solonchak soil reclamation in which surface flood irrigation of fresh water and pumped wells drainage of salty groundwater are combined. The comprehensive investigation of water and salt movement has been conducted through field test, laboratory simulation and numerical calculation. The dependence of desalination on irrigation water quantity, drainage quantity, leaching time and other parameters is obtained based on the field tests. The entire desalination process under the flood-irrigation and well-drainage operations was experimentally simulated in a vertical soil column. The water and salt movement has been numerically analysed for both the field and laboratory conditions. The present work indicates that this new technology can greatly improve the effects of desalination.

Effects of rainfall infiltration on deep slope failure

With the finite element method and the limit equilibrium method, a numerical model has been estab-lished for examining the effects of rainfall infiltration on the stability of slopes. This model is able to reflect the variations in pore water pressure field in slopes, dead weight of the soil, and soil softening caused by rainfall infiltration. As a case study, an actual landslide located at the Nongji Jixiao in Chongqing was studied to analyze the effects of rainfall infiltration on the seepage field and slope sta-bility. The simulated results showed that a deep slope failure is prone to occur when rainfall infiltration leads to a remarkable variation in the seepage field, especially when the pore water pressure in slopes increases in a large range.

塔里木河下游植被和景观格局变化及其驱动力分析

利用RS和GIS手段相结合的方法研究了塔里木河下游的植被和景观变化，并分析了由于历史时期塔里木河水流量的变化而导致的地下水位变化、环境因子和人类活动对植被及景观格局的影响。 对环境因子与植被覆盖变化关系的分析结果发现： ⑴在1987年至2004年占研究区总面积26％的景观发生变化；而植被和水体的变化最大；植被的变化中荒漠化和转化为农田是其主要的变化类型。1987年至2004年，仅有占总面积39％的植被没有发生变化，而发生荒漠化和盐碱化的植被仅有少数能够恢复。 ⑵在选取的环境因子中，植被缀块的起始NDVI和植被缀块距河道的距离对植被变化的影响最大，其次为海拔、坡度、缀块形状和缀块距离居民点的距离；而坡向和缀块面积与植被变化的关系较小。发生荒漠化的植被缀块距离河道较远且自身的NDVI较低，表明这些植被缀块的变化主要是受到水资源的限制；而转化为农田的植被缀块自身的NDVI较高且距河道较近，表明人类的开垦活动主要在植被生长较好的地区进行。研究期间内能够保持的植被距河道较近且NDVI较低，这与能够保留的植被主要是较稀疏的胡杨林有关。 ⑶植被缀块距河道的距离在1987年至1999年间与植被的变化显著相关，而在1999年至2004年相关不显著，这表明影响植被变化的影响环境因子随时间变化。 ⑷虽然所选取的环境因子对植被变化的解释力偏低，但在某些时间段对植被变化的解释力可以达到40％。如果增加环境因子，使用梯度分析的方法可以较好的解释环境及其它因子对植被变化的影响。 对地下水位变化对植被及景观时空格局变化的研究结果发现： ⑴在地下水水位剧烈下降的1986年至1999年，植被面积减少30％，距离河道最近的区域减少最多，植被占总面积的比例和植被的减少随距离河道距离的增加而减小；平均NDVI降低；荒漠面积增加4.8％，年均增加1338公顷；盐碱地面积增加。由于生态应急输水工程的实施，1999年至2004年期间沿塔里木河道地下水位回升，植被面积增加48％，距离河道最近的区域面积增加最明显，植被面积增加的增幅随距离河道距离的增加而减小；荒漠面积减少8.3％，年均减少6280公顷；平均NDVI升高；荒漠面积减少；盐碱地面积在某些区段增加，某些区段减少。 ⑵1986年至1999年胡杨林、柽柳灌丛和盐生草甸缀块密度增加，植被趋于破碎化；总体上胡杨林、柽柳灌丛和盐生草甸的缀块形状变得规则，而盐生草甸在某些区段趋于不规则；景观的聚集度在河道左侧增加而右侧减小；景观多样性和均匀性均下降。1999年至2004年，总体上胡杨林、柽柳灌丛和盐生草甸的缀块密度减小，植被趋于整合；胡杨林、柽柳灌丛和盐生草甸缀块形状变得不规则，但盐生草甸在某些区段变得相对规则；景观聚集度指数变化没有明显的规律；景观多样性和均匀性均增加。 ⑶除植被占总面积的比例在沿河道由上段到中断到下段方向上呈现减少的趋势，其它植被及景观特性在沿河道纵向上变化规律不明显；而在沿河道垂直方向上，植被及景观特性的变化表现出与距离河道的距离相关，表明该地区的植被及景观特性是受到地下水控制的。 ⑷在塔里木河实施的生态应急输水工程对当地植被的恢复起到了一定的作用，但主要局限在沿河道附近的区域。对于干旱区植物的保护，合理使用径流水资源，保证水资源的供应畅通是更好和更长远的发展策略。 对人类活动对景观的影响的研究发现： ⑴1987年至1999年，农田面积增加4240公顷，年均增加353公顷；植被面积减少4884公顷，年均减少407公顷。1999年至2004年，农田面积增加4568公顷，年均增加913公顷；植被面积减少8487公顷，年均减少1697公顷，远大于农田面积的增加。 ⑵农田平均缀块面积和农田最大缀块面积从1987年至1999年至2004年增加；聚集度指数在1987年至1999年降低，而1999年至2004年升高。最大植被缀块面积、平均形状指数和聚集指数从1987年至1999年至2004年均下降；其它植被及农田景观指数在1987年至1999年和1999年至2004年间变化不一致。在距河道1km的范围内，农田缀块数、农田面积、最大农田缀块面积、平均缀块面积、平均形状指数以及聚集度指数在从1987年至1999年至2004年一直升高；距河道1km范围内的景观多样性和均匀度指数和平均形状指数在1987年至1999年至2004年增加，而聚集度指数和最大缀块指数在1987年至1999年至2004年一直减小。 ⑶研究结果表明人类活动-主要是开垦农田-导致了当地植被面积的减少，并导致植被破碎化。受到径流来水量减少的影响，人类开垦活动正在逐渐向距离河道近的区域转移，并导致植被向退化的方向发展，河道附近的区域是塔里木河下游植被分布的主要区域，这对该地区植被的维持和保护非常不利。 在塔里木河下游，地下水位的下降和人类活动都导致植被趋于退化，人工输水虽然能够恢复植被，但其效应主要集中在河道附近的地区，对于该生态关键地区植被的保护，合理的使用水资源并适当的进行人类活动才是植被及生态保护的根本。

Biotransfer of persistent organic pollutants from a large site in China used for the disassembly of electronic and electrical waste

Samples of groundwater, river water, river sediment, paddy soil, rice seeds, hen eggs, fish, umbilical cord blood, and newborn meconium were collected from October 2002 to October 2003 near a large site in China used for the disassembly of obsolete transformers and other electronic or electrical waste. Six indicator PCB congeners, three non-ortho dioxin-like PCB congeners, and six organochlorine pesticides were determined in the samples by GC with electron capture detector. The results demonstrated that the local environment and edible foods had been seriously polluted by toxic PCBs and organochlorine pesticides. The actual daily intakes (ADIs) of these pollutants were estimated for local residents living in the area. The intake data showed that the contents of PCBs in these local residents were substantial, as the ADI estimates greatly exceed the reference doses set by the World Health Organization and the United States Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry. The presence of the indicator PCB congeners in the cord blood and the meconium samples, as well as significant correlations (r(2) > 0.80, p < 0.05) between these levels, suggests a potential biotransfer of these indicators from mothers to their newborns. This preliminary study showed that obsolete transformers and other electronic or electrical waste can be an important source for the emission of persistent organic pollutants into the local environment, such as through leakage, evaporation, runoff, and leaching. Contamination from this source appears to have reached the level considered to be a serious threat to environmental and human health around the disassembly site.

Environmental threats to children's health in Southeast Asia and the Western Pacific

The Southeast Asia and Western Pacific regions contain half of the world's children and are among the most rapidly industrializing regions of the globe. Environmental threats to children's health are widespread and are multiplying as nations in the area undergo industrial development and pass through the epidemiologic transition. These environmental hazards range from traditional threats such as bacterial contamination of drinking water and wood smoke in poorly ventilated dwellings to more recently introduced chemical threats such as asbestos construction materials; arsenic in groundwater; methyl isocyanate in Bhopal, India; untreated manufacturing wastes released to landfills; chlorinated hydrocarbon and organophosphorous pesticides; and atmospheric lead emissions from the combustion of leaded gasoline. To address these problems, pediatricians, environmental health scientists, and public health workers throughout Southeast Asia and the Western Pacific have begun to build local and national research and prevention programs in children's environmental health. Successes have been achieved as a result of these efforts: A cost-effective system for producing safe drinking water at the village level has been devised in India; many nations have launched aggressive antismoking campaigns; and Thailand, the Philippines, India, and Pakistan have all begun to reduce their use of lead in gasoline, with resultant declines in children's blood lead levels. The International Conference on Environmental Threats to the Health of Children, held in Bangkok, Thailand, in March 2002, brought together more than 300 representatives from 35 countries and organizations to increase awareness on environmental health hazards affecting children in these regions and throughout the world. The conference, a direct result of the Environmental Threats to the Health of Children meeting held in Manila in April 2000, provided participants with the latest scientific data on children's vulnerability to environmental hazards and models for future policy and public health discussions on ways to improve children's health. The Bangkok Statement, a pledge resulting from the conference proceedings, is an important first step in creating a global alliance committed to developing active and innovative national and international networks to promote and protect children's environmental health.

毛乌素沙区土壤养分对湿地退化的响应

采用湿地生态理论中空间替代时间的研究方法,以毛乌素沙区退化湿地为研究对象,选择距退化湿地水面不同距离,具有不同地下水位埋深的研究区域代表湿地不同退化阶段,通过分析5个不同阶段退化湿地土壤的有机质、全氮、全磷随水平距离的变化特征,研究了土壤养分对湿地退化不同退化程度的响应特征。结果表明,不同退化阶段土壤有机质与全氮剖面均具有一个明显的富集层,既湿地退化前的泥炭沉积层。该沉积层在剖面中所处深度随退化程度的加剧而逐渐增加,且沉积层以上深度的有机质和全氮含量趋于一致。土壤中全磷含量在剖面波动较大,分布特征无明显规律,不同水平距离全磷平均含量无明显变化规律说明湿地退化对全磷含量无明显影响。以上研究结果表明,由于流动沙丘入侵是导致毛乌素沙地湿地退化的首要原因,湿地退化导致土壤有机质和全氮富集层深度逐渐下移,平均含量逐渐下降,而对全磷影响不大。