Environmental factors controlling phytoplankton dynamics in a large floodplain river with emphasis on cyanobacteria

Harmful algal blooms are occurring in large river ecosystems and at the mouth of large rivers with increasing frequency. In lentic systems, the chemical and physical conditions that promote harmful algal blooms are somewhat predictable but tracking prevalence and conditions that promote harmful algal blooms in lotic systems is much more difficult. We captured two of the most extreme discharge years within the last 20 years occurring in the Upper Mississippi River, allowing a natural experiment that evaluated how major shifts in discharge drive environmental variation and associated shifts in phytoplankton. Statistical models describing significant environmental covariates for phytoplankton assemblages and specific taxa were developed and used to identify management‐relevant numeric breakpoints at which environmental variables may promote the growth of specific phytoplankton and/or cyanobacteria. Our analyses supported that potentially toxin‐producing cyanobacteria dominate under high phosphorus concentration, low nitrogen concentration, low nitrogen‐to‐phosphorus ratio, low turbulence, low flushing, adequate light and warm temperatures. Cyanobacteria dominated in 2009 when low discharge and low flushing likely led to optimal growth environments for Dolichospermum, Aphanizomenon and Microcystis. Rarely will a single factor lead to the dominance, but multiple positive factors working in concert can lead to cyanobacteria proliferation in large rivers. Certain isolated backwaters with high phosphorus, low nitrogen, warm water temperatures and low potential for flushing could benefit from increased connection to channel inputs to reduce cyanobacterial dominance. Numerous examples of this type of habitat currently exist in the Upper Mississippi River and could benefit from reconnection to channel habitats.     

新型包埋吸附剂的制备及其除磷效果研究

为了吸附去除富营养化水体中的磷,利用碱酸改性凹凸棒石(ATP),经包埋成型技术制备一种新型吸附剂,考察其对水中磷酸根的吸附性能。结果表明,利用质量分数为8%的PVA包埋成型的Zr-ATP复合吸附剂在常温、常压下进行静态除磷试验,除磷效率为99%,吸附容量为7.8 mg/g,该富营养化修复剂值得进一步深化研究。     

Phytoplankton in a polluted subarctic lake before and after nutrient reduction

Phytoplankton and water chemistry were studied in a eutrophic subarctic Swedish lake before and after nutrient reduction. Pollution started in 1964 and the lake had received about 4.5 tons of phosphorus by the time the treatment plant was built in 1974. After that only 18–20 kg P yr^?1 entered the lake. Before nutrient reduction the phytoplankton consisted principally of three species, Dictyosphaerium pulchellum var. minutum, Chromulina cv. darlecarlica and Cryptomonas cv. ovata. Two years after the P-load was reduced Chlamydomonas spp and Mallomonas akrokomos predominated in the plankton and their dominance has been maintained during the period of study. Seasonal average phytoplankton biomass decreased from 11.2 g m^?3 in 1973 to 2.9 g m^?3 in 1980. Average seasonal total phosphorus concentrations decreased from 168 μgl^?1 in 1973 to 74 μgl^?1 in 1980. Average Secchi depth readings increased from 1.3 m in 1973 to 2.1 m in 1980. Blue-green algae never had any quantitative importance in the lake and no blooms were observed.     

Phosphorous limitation in an arctic river biofilm—A whole ecosystem experiment

A fourth-order arctic river was experimentally enriched with phosphate (7.7 ± 7.0 μ g 1⁻¹) to determine the effect of such a loading (equivalent to a community of 10,000 people) upon the trophically important biofilm. The effect upon a light-grown biofilm (an autotrophic/heterotrophic assemblage) and a dark-grown biofilm (predominantly heterotrophic assemblage) was determined after 28 days of colonization. Seven attributes of the biofilms were monitored, 2 autotrophic indices, chlorophyll , [¹⁴C]HCO₃ incorporation into lipids and 5 heterotrophic indices; [¹⁴C]acetate incorporation into lipids, metabolic heat output, turn-over times of microbially labile glucose and glutamate and mineralization of microbially recalcitrant ring-labelled [¹⁴C]hydroxybenzoic acid. The findings showed that the addition of phosphorus resulted in a substantial stimulation of both autotrophic and heterotrophic processes suggesting that arctic rivers of this type would be liable to cultural eutrophication.     

Continuous monitoring of short term dissolved oxygen and algal dynamics

Dissolved oxygen (DO) in coastal bays with frequent algal blooms can undergo significant diurnal changes. Short-term DO and algal dynamics in a sub-tropical, nitrogen-limited, marine ecosystem are studied by means of a specially designed telemetry system. The high resolution data show clearly the importance of the vertical DO structure, and its relationship with environmental variables (solar radiation, water temperature, wind, tidal current) and phytoplankton dynamics. The design, instrumentation and calibration, and operational experience of the system are described. The simple and robust system has proved useful in (i) providing continuous data for full testing of water quality models, and (ii) the planning of field experiments to study algal dynamics.     

Eutrophication problems in Emilia Romagna,Italy: Monitoring the nutrient load discharged to the littoral zone of the Adriatic Sea

The deteriorating eutrophic state of the northern Adriatic Sea led to the commissioning of a study between 1977 and 1979 to identify the sources and forms of the nutrients phosphorus and nitrogen discharged from the basin of the river Savio. The study investigated the reduction in the phosphorus load in sewage per head of population caused by a reduction in the phosphorus content of detergents used in the basin and by the use of septic tanks. The flow and nutrient loads carried by the river were monitored during dry and wet weather to establish annual nutrient loads carried to the sea. An extensive sampling programme was carried out to quantify the principal sources of nutrients of which the most important were pig farming, Man and chemical fertilisers. An attempt was made to balance the nutrient loads discharged from the basin.     

污水强化除磷工艺的现状与未来

对强化生物除磷工艺的基本概念、外加碳源的作用、脱氮除磷的关系、环境影响参数进行了阐述,并介绍了聚磷菌菌群研究的最新进展。最后探讨了如何通过生产鸟粪石(MAP)实现磷元素回收,并围绕污水除磷和回收磷这一课题,提出了研究方向。     

宜昌市黄柏河流域污染源调查及对策

黄柏河流域为宜昌市主要饮用水源地,为调查水体富营养化的原因,本次主要针对工矿企业、农业面源、生活垃圾、养殖以及库区水质进行了调查与监测。结果表明:流域内的磷主要来源于工矿企业,而氮主要来源于农业面源;工矿企业排放污水口水质均不达标;企业开发管理不规范;农业种植结构不合理;居民生活垃圾处理不当。     

高校景观湖水水质监测分析

景观水体的建造应在满足美学需求同时维持其生态功能,其水质受环境和入水水质的影响。特别是封闭型的景观水体自净能力较差,水体的氮、磷营养元素长期积累易使水体富营养化。高校中的景观湖水大多为美学效果而构筑,旨在为校园增添怡人景色,创造良好的学习氛围,若水体富营养化后,导致水质恶化,严重时影响师生正常的工作学习。以西南石油大学梦溪湖为例,通过为期一年监测,分析其结果得出梦溪湖的主要污染为富营养化。学校基建处通过完善雨水收集系统、交替种植水生植物和引入鱼类养殖等措施缓解污染程度防止水体进一步恶化。措施实施一年后,再次采样分析,其总氮、总磷含量明显下降。     

Comparing alternative cellulosic biomass biorefining systems: Centralized versus distributed processing systems

This study explores how two different cellulosic ethanol production system configurations (distributed versus centralized processing) affect some aspects of the economic and environmental performance of cellulosic ethanol, measured as minimum ethanol selling price (MESP) and various environmental impact categories. The eco-efficiency indicator, which simultaneously accounts for economic and environmental features, is also calculated. The centralized configuration offers better economic performance for small-scale biorefineries, while the distributed configuration is economically superior for large-scale biorefineries. The MESP of the centralized configuration declines with increased biorefinery size up to a point and then rises due to the cost of trucking biomass to the biorefinery. In contrast, the MESP in the distributed configuration continuously declines with increasing biorefinery size due to the lower costs of railroad transportation and the greater economies of scale achieved at much larger biorefinery sizes, including biorefineries that reach the size of an average oil refinery—about 30,000 tons per day of feedstock. The centralized system yields lower environmental impacts for most impact categories than does the distributed system regardless of the biorefinery size. Eco-efficiency analysis shows that the centralized configuration is more sustainable for small-scale biorefineries, while the distributed configuration with railroad transport is more sustainable for large-scale biorefineries. Compared with gasoline from petroleum, cellulosic ethanol fuel offers sustainability advantages for the following environmental impact categories: fossil energy consumption, global warming, human health impacts by particulate matter, ozone layer depletion, ecotoxicity, human health cancer, and human health non-cancer, depending somewhat on the biorefinery sizes and the system configurations.