Mobility of 2,2’,5,5’-Tetrachlorobiphenyl in Model Systems Containing Bottom Sediments and Water from the Lower Fox River,Wisconsin

Sediment-water partitioning and diffusive transport of 2,2’,5,5’-tetrachlorobiphenyl, PCB congener IUPAC #52 (TCB52) were examined in laboratory experiments with sediments from two sites in the lower Fox River, Wisconsin. Native water was pumped at controlled flow rates through cells containing sediments amended with a known activity of carbon-14-labeled TCB52. Concentrations of TCB52 in water and sediments were determined by liquid scintillation measurements of carbon-14 activity. Sediment-water partitioning was independent of flow rate for rates up to 8 m/d. Distribution coefficients (K_d) and soil-sorption coefficients (K_oc) were found to be at maximum levels 5–10 cm below the surface, despite an absence of significant variation in the fraction of organic carbon (f_oc) through the same profile. Other factors, such as the effects of colloids and microbial activity in the sediments, are likely to be important in controlling the PCB distribution. Log K_d and log K_oc ranges were 4.1–4.9 and 5.3–6.1, respectively, and calculated effective diffusivities at the sediment-water interface ranged from 3 to 8 × 10⁻¹⁰ cm²/s. Gradual increases with time in TCB52 concentrations in the water phase, possibly due to effects of microbial activity, were observed. Diffusion experiments and models showed that the TCB52 migration rate within the sediment column is 8-9 mm/yr.     

Spatial and seasonal variation in the phytoplankton community of Lake Victoria’s Mwanza Gulf,compared to northern parts of the lake

We investigated the phytoplankton species composition and abundance in two seasons in Mwanza Gulf, Lake Victoria (Tanzania). Phytoplankton was sampled and chlorophyll a content was measured in the dry and wet seasons of 2010–2011 at three stations, from the southern land-inward end of the Gulf towards the open lake. Cyanobacteria, mostly small colonial and filamentous species (e.g., Aphanocapsa spp., Planktolyngbya spp., Merismopedia spp.) dominated at each station (76–95 %), followed by Chlorophyta (5–21 %), whereas the contribution of Bacillariophyceae was small (0–6 %). Phytoplankton densities were generally higher in the rainy season and strongly increased going land-inward from the open lake. Low abundance of N-fixing phytoplankton species suggests that N-fixation was low. The chlorophyll a content in the mouth of the Gulf was low (mean values 4–6 µg/L) compared to values reported previously. Also, chlorophyll a values (means 11–14 µg/L) at land-inward stations of Mwanza Gulf were much lower than those in the northern gulfs (Napoleon Gulf, Murchison Bay and Nyanza Gulf). Between 2002 and 2009 the phytoplankton composition of Mwanza Gulf changed from a community mostly dominated by Bacillariophyceae into a community dominated by Cyanobacteria. In the open water of Lake Victoria, Bacillariophyceae and Cyanobacteria were both abundant. Cyanobacteria dominated both in the three northern gulfs and Mwanza Gulf, but all four showed substantial differences in species and genus compositions. Phytoplankton composition and abundance in Mwanza Gulf differs in many respects from the open water of Lake Victoria and its three northern gulfs.     

Scenario-based Impact Assessment of Land Use/Cover and Climate Changes on Water Resources and Demand: A Case Study in the Srepok River Basin,Vietnam—Cambodia

This study investigates an interdisciplinary scenario analysis to assess the potential impacts of climate, land use/cover and population changes on future water availability and demand in the Srepok River basin, a trans-boundary basin. Based on the output from a high-resolution Regional Climate Model (ECHAM 4, Scenarios A2 and B2) developed by the Southeast Asia—System for Analysis, Research and Training (SEA-START) Regional Center, future rainfall was downscaled to the study area and bias correction was carried out to generate the daily rainfall series. Land use/cover change was quantified using a GIS-based logistic regression approach and future population was projected from the historical data. These changes, individually or in combination, were then input into the calibrated hydrological model (HEC-HMS) to project future hydrological variables. The results reveal that surface runoff will be increased with increased future rainfall. Land use/cover change is found to have the largest impact on increased water demand, and thus reduced future water availability. The combined scenario shows an increasing level of water stress at both the basin and sub-basin levels, especially in the dry season.