(Tables 1-2) Heavy mineral composition and median grain size of sediments obtained near 'Rote Kliff' west of Sylt, North Sea

The interpretation of 19 bore cores from the sea floor west of Rote Kliff (Isle of Sylt, North-Frisian Islands) gave information about the thickness of Holocene sand and the sediments below it; especially regarding their resistance to erosion in the area seaward of the beach-barrier. At the Same time, additional knowledge was obtained about the development of Sylt.

Síndrome MAPE, heavy eye y esclerodermia

Paciente de 60 años de edad y sexo femenino con esclerodermia y miopía alta bilateral que consulta por estrabismo y ptosis palpebral. El estrabismo consiste en esotropía progresiva con hipotropía de ojo derecho (OD) asociado a miopía alta axial con gran tamaño del globo ocular medido por ecometría ultrasónica que conjuntamente con imágenes de Resonancia Magnética Nuclear (RMN) llevan al diagnóstico de Síndrome MAPE (Miopic Acquired Progressive Esotropia). La hipotropía se diagnostica como heavy eye (ojo pesado). El tratamiento del estrabismo mediante cirugía de retroceso de recto medio derecho con técnica de suturas ajustables corrigió la esotropía mientras que la normalización del trayecto del recto lateral descendido no mejoró la hipotropía en esta paciente. Ésta se compensó parcialmente con el plegamiento ajustable del recto superior. Persiste la ptosis palpebral causada por la esclerodermia.

Heavy metal concentrations in soils, vegetation, earthworms and wood mice from Heteren and Plateaux, The Netherlands

Effects of soil properties on the accumulation of metals to wood mice (Apodemus sylvaticus) were evaluated at two sites with different pH and organic matter content of the soil. pH and organic matter content significantly affected accumulation of Cd, Cu, Pb and Zn in earthworms and vegetation. For Cd, Cu and Zn these effects propagated through the food web to the wood mouse. Soil-to-kidney ratios differed between sites: Cd: 0.15 versus 3.52, Cu: 0.37 versus 1.30 and Zn: 0.33-0.83. This was confirmed in model calculations for Cd and Zn. Results indicate that total soil concentrations may be unsuitable indicators for risks that metals pose to wildlife. Furthermore, environmental managers may, unintentionally, change soil properties while taking specific environmental measures. In this way they may affect risks of metals to wildlife, even without changes in total soil concentrations.

Concentrations of suspended matter and heavy metals in melted ice- and snow water from the Barents Sea

In September-October 1998, during Cruise 14 of R/V Akademik Fedorov to the Barents Sea, in the region of 82° N between the Spitsbergen and Novaya Zemlya archipelagos samples of snow and ice were collected within four polygons. By means of atomic absorption with an electothermal atomizer (onboard the ship) in filtered (dissolved form) and unfiltered (sum of dissolved and particulate forms) samples of snow melt and ice melt concentrations of Fe, Mn, Cu, Cr, Ni, Co, Pb, and Cd were determined in order to estimate level of potential contamination of snow and ice with these metals. Excluding data on Ni, Cd (and probably Cu) in ice that were regarded to be unsatisfactory because of probable contamination of the ice samples during drilling concentrations of all the elements in snow and ice of the northern part of the Barents Sea appeared to be close to their background values or below. An attempt to identify the main sources of metal supply to snow from the atmosphere by comparison of ratios of metal particulate form to total content in snow of the Barents Sea and the same ratios in snow samples from clean regions of Finland and from contaminated areas of the Kola Peninsula showed that aerosols in the area of the expedition were supplied into the Barents Sea atmosphere from different sources, both natural and anthropogenic.