Impacts of anthropogenic activity on the recent evolution of the Huanghe (Yellow) River delta

Hydrological statistical data, remote sensing images, and bathymetric charts were used to study the recent evolution of the Huanghe (Yellow) River delta under human-induced interventions. It was clear that water and sediment discharge from the Huanghe River had dropped rapidly since 1970, particularly after 1986. The water and sediment discharges for the period of 1986-2000 were found to have been reduced to only 29.2% and 31.2% of those in the period of 1950-69. This was caused by human factors in the upper and middle reaches of the Huanghe River, including water diversion, damming and reservoir construction, and water and soil conservation. Based on the results from visual interpretation of processed Landsat (MSS or TMJETM+) images dated from 1976 to 2001 and two digital elevation models generated from bathymetric charts surveyed in 1976 and 1992, we found that human-induced reduction of water and sediment discharge led to coastline retrogradation, with the maximum mean recession rate of -0.51 km yr-1 over the period of 1976-98, and seabed erosion beyond the -20 m isobath between 1976 and 1992. Other impacts of human activities on the recent evolution of the Huanghe River delta, including tidal flats shrinking, artificial coastline increasing, land surface sinking and so on, were also analyzed. We found that: (i) the whole delta, including subaerial and subaqueous, has turned from a highly constructive period to a destructive phase; (ii) channelization and dredging were two of the main causes of delta destruction; (iii) land loss in the Huanghe River delta caused by submersion will be increased in the near future; (iv) the Huanghe River delta was becoming more fragile and susceptible to natural hazards.

人类活动干扰下草原温室气体地-气交换特征及碳平衡研究

放牧和开垦目前是内蒙古草原最主要的两种人类生产活动，采用静态箱一气象色谱法对这两种土地利用方式下草原主要温室气体(CH4、N20和C02)地-气交换通量进行了原位观测，同时结合草原生态系统碳循环特征对放牧生态系统碳素收支状况进行了初步探讨，首次对开垦前后内蒙古草原CH4吸收和NzO排放的季节、昼夜变化特征进行了分析研究，对不同牧压梯度下内蒙古草原碳的损失进行了估算。主要研究结果包括以下4个方面： 1．内蒙古草甸草原开垦是大气CH4的汇，开垦为农田后，土壤．植物系统吸收大气CH4的能力增强。测定期间，农田与邻近的天然草原CH4平均吸收通量为23.38和24.57 ugCm'2h．1;尽管农业活动改变了草原CH4地．气交换通量，但是通量的量级仍是由当地季节性变化的气候条件决定的，其CH4吸收通量具有强烈的季节变化规律，表现为“春秋季高，夏季低”的特点;耕作使得土壤-植物系统CH4吸收通量的季节变化趋于平缓。 2．内蒙古天然草甸草原是大气N20的源。测定期间的平均排放通量为1.922ugNm'2h．1，通量范围为-0.484~7.425 ugNm.2h．1;天然草原N20排放具有明显的昼夜变化规律和季节变化特征，排放通量出现两个高峰期，整个生长季表现为高(5月中旬)一低（5月下旬至7月中下旬）一高（7月下旬至8月中旬）一低（8月下旬至9月）的趋势;农垦增强了土壤．植物系统排放N2O的能力。观测期间平均排放通量为2.914 ugNm'2h-l，比天然草原高52%，排放通量的季节规律性减弱，整个生长季呈现波动性变化，通量变化与天然草原相比趋于平缓。 3．内蒙古冷蒿小禾草草原与天然草甸草原一样，起着CH4汇、NzO源的功 能。主要温室气体CH4、N2O和C02的地．气交换通量受水热因子控制，与温度之间存在显著相关关系，具有季节变化特征：时间尺度对于讨论不同放牧压力下甲烷通量具有重要意义，不同放牧率处理9年后，土壤吸收甲烷的能力在当地自然气候条件下没有显著变化;放牧对草原N20排放通量影响显著，依次是轻度放牧<围栏封育<中度放牧<重度放牧;放牧增大了C02排放通量，观测期间四种处理间C02通量差异显著，C02排放通量四种处理依次为：围栏封育<轻牧<重牧<中牧。 4．对内蒙古草原放牧条件下碳收支状况的研究表明，冷蒿-小禾草草原受自然条件和人为因素双重作用存在由碳库（积累碳）向碳源（释放碳）转化的可能性。

Carbon source/sink function of a subtropical, eutrophic lake determined from an overall mass balance and a gas exchange and carbon burial balance

Although studies on carbon burial in lake sediments have shown that lakes are disproportionately important carbon sinks, many studies on gaseous carbon exchange across the water-air interface have demonstrated that lakes are supersaturated with CO2 and CH4 causing a net release of CO2 and CH4 to the atmosphere. In order to more accurately estimate the net carbon source/sink function of lake ecosystems, a more comprehensive carbon budget is needed, especially for gaseous carbon exchange across the water-air interface. Using two methods, overall mass balance and gas exchange and carbon burial balance, we assessed the carbon source/sink function of Lake Donghu, a subtropical, eutrophic take, from April 2003 to March 2004. With the overall mass balance calculations, total carbon input was 14 905 t, total carbon output was 4950 1, and net carbon budget was +9955 t, suggesting that Lake Donghu was a great carbon sink. For the gas exchange and carbon burial balance, gaseous carbon (CO2 and CH4) emission across the water-air interface totaled 752 t while carbon burial in the lake sediment was 9477 t. The ratio of carbon emission into the atmosphere to carbon burial into the sediment was only 0.08. This low ratio indicates that Lake Donghu is a great carbon sink. Results showed good agreement between the two methods with both showing Lake Donghu to be a great carbon sink. This results from the high primary production of Lake Donghu, substantive allochthonous carbon inputs and intensive anthropogenic activity. Gaseous carbon emission accounted for about 15% of the total carbon output, indicating that the total output would be underestimated without including gaseous carbon exchange. (C) 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Persistent organic pollutants in water and surface sediments of Taihu Lake, China and risk assessment

Organic pollutants, especially persistent organic pollutants were examined in the water and surface sediments of Taihu Lake, China. Both 12 water and 12 sediment samples were collected over the lake. C-18 solid-phase extraction technique was applied to extract organic pollutants in collected water samples. Soxhlet extraction procedure was used to extract organic pollutants in sediment samples. The analysis was performed by GC-MS controlled by a Hewlett Packard chemstation. Two hundred and seventy-three kinds of organic chemicals in water were examined, 200 more than that detected in 1985; 188 kinds of chemicals in sediments were detected as well. Among them 21 kinds of chemicals belong to priority pollutants as well as 17 kinds to be the endocrine disruptors. The concentrations of the pollutants were more than 2 times higher than that in 1985. The possible source and relation to anthropogenic activity were discussed. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.

Diverse tetracycline resistant bacteria and resistance genes from coastal waters of Jiaozhou Bay

Environmental microbiology investigation was carried out in Jiaozhou Bay to determine the source and distribution of tetracycline-resistant bacteria and their resistance mechanisms. At least 25 species or the equivalent molecular phylogenetic taxa in 16 genera of resistant bacteria could be identified based on 16S ribosomal deoxyribonucleic acid sequence analysis. Enterobacteriaceae, Pseudomonadaceae, and Vibrionaceae constituted the majority of the typical resistant isolates. Indigenous estuarine and marine Halomonadaceae, Pseudoalteromonadaceae, Rhodobacteraceae, and Shewanellaceae bacteria also harbored tetracycline resistance. All the six resistance determinants screened, tet(A)-(E) and tet(G), could be detected, and the predominant genes were tet(A), tet(B), and tet(G). Both anthropogenic activity-related and indigenous estuarine or coastal bacteria might contribute to the tet gene reservoir, and resistant bacteria and their molecular determinants may serve as bioindicators of coastal environmental quality. Our work probably is the first identification of tet(E) in Proteus, tet(G) in Acinetobacter, tet(C) and tet(D) in Halomonas, tet(D) and tet(G) in Shewanella, and tet(B), tet(C), tet(E), and tet(G) in Roseobacter.

Geochemieal records of phosphorus in Jiaozhou Bay sediments - Implications for environmental changes in recent hundred years

Phosphorus is a key element and plays an important role in global biogeochemical cycles. The evolution of sedimentary environment is also influenced by phosphorus concentrations and fractions as well as phosphate sorption characteristics of the marine sediments. The geochemical characteristics of phosphorus and their environmental records were presented in Jiaozhou Bay sediments. Profiles of different forms of phosphorus were measured as well as the roles and vertical distributions of phosphorus forms in response to sedimentary environment changes were investigated. The results showed that inorganic phosphorus ( IP) was the major fraction of total phosphorus ( TP); phosphorus which is bound to calcium, iron and occluded phosphorus, as well as the exchangeable phosphorus were the main forms of IP, especially calcium-phosphorus, including detrital carbonate-bound phosphorus ( Det - P) and authigenic apatite-bound phosphorus ( ACa - P), are the uppermost constituent of IP in Jiaozhou Bay sediments. Moreover, the lead-210 chronology technology was employed to estimate how much phosphorus was buried ultimately in sediments. And the research showed that the impacts of human activities have increased remarkably in recent years especially between the 1980s and 2000. According to research, the development of Jiaozhou Bay environment in the past hundred years can be divided into three stages; (I) before the 1980s characterized by the relatively low sedimentation rate, weak land-derived phosphorus inputs and low anthropogenic impacts; (2) from the 1980s to around 2000, accelerating in the 1990s, during which high sedimentation rates, high phosphorus abundance and burial fluxes due to the severe: human activities impacted on the whole environmental system; (3) after 2000, the period of the improvement of environment, the whole system has been improved including the decreasing sedimentation rates, concentration and the burial fluxes of phosphonas.