Approaches to environmental restoration of a polluted harbour with submerged archaeology: the Alexandria case study

Many invaluable underwater buildings of archaeological interest in Alexandria were discovered in 1996 at different sites in the Eastern Harbour of Alexandria. There is a belief that the best way to protect these invaluable heritages is to transfer them to an underwater park or museum. Obviously, the execution of such a project depends essentially upon the water quality (including water transparency) improving in the future. The harbour is presently polluted by discharge of wastewater effluents from different sources. It has recently been decided to restore this important coastal area through: (1) stopping the direct discharge of wastewater effluents into this semi-enclosed harbour in 1993 and (2) gradually reducing the discharge of the municipal wastewater through marine outfalls at two sites lying at the outer sides of the harbour. Zero discharge is expected to be effective by the end of the year 2001. The present work, therefore, is a follow up of the study of water quality in the harbour after 1993: in 1996 and 1999-2000. The water quality of an open sea reference station was also studied for comparison. The results reveal occurrence of an improvement of the environmental conditions in the harbour. The water has turned from being eutrophic to mesotrophic. The harbour is expected to become meso/oligotrophic as soon as the complete cessation of the discharge from the two outside sources is attained.     

Is the invasion of the common reed,Phragmites australis,into tidal marshes of the eastern US an ecological disaster?

Studies of effects of the invasive brackish marsh plant Phragmites australis (common reed) on estuarine biota are reviewed. With few exceptions, most field studies indicate that these P. australis-dominated marshes have diverse and abundant benthic biota, and are utilized by nekton, comparable to Spartina alterniflora marshes. However, larval mummichogs, Fundulus heteroclitus, appear to be reduced in P. australis marshes compared with S. alterniflora marshes. Small epifauna living on plant stems also appear to be denser on S. alterniflora than P. australis stems. Other studies indicate that the detritus produced by decaying P. australis litter provides food value comparable to that of S. alterniflora and that its production enters estuarine food webs. Therefore, the general assumption that these marshes are ecologically "useless" is untrue. This information should be considered by marsh managers when making decisions about restoration projects.     

利用粉煤灰合成沸石及其去除水中重金属的实验研究

在水热条件下直接对粉煤灰进行晶化, 合成反应结束后得到的产物有NaP1沸石、方沸石、菱沸石三种沸石. 粉煤灰转化为单种沸石的最大转化率为40% ~ 75%左右, 总转化率达60% ~ 80%左右. 实验结果表明, 合成体系中的涡流、粘度以及温度、时间、NaOH浓度等参数对合成沸石品种及转化率影响较大. 利用合成沸石去除水中Cu²⁺, Pb²⁺和Cd²⁺分批实验表明, 合成沸石对重金属的吸附容量比粉煤灰的高.     

斜长角闪岩弹性和流变性质的高温高压实验研究

对来自浙江陈蔡地区的天然斜长角闪岩在高温高压下进行了弹性波速和流变性质的实验研究.波速实验发现, 细粒和中粒斜长角闪岩的纵波波速沿线理方向(X)的传播快于沿面理法向(Z)的传播;在800或600 MPa及550℃的高温高压条件下,细粒和中粒斜长角闪岩的波速各向异性仍较高, 分别约为7.83%和9.77%,其平均纵波波速约为6.77和6.64 km/s.在高准静水压力作用下,当温度升至750℃之后,不同方向上传播的岩石波速都开始大幅度下降. 高固定围压和低固定应变速率(500 MPa,1×10^-4/s) 的三轴流变实验发现, 细粒斜长角闪岩的变形随温度的升高经历了脆性破裂(<650℃)、半脆性破裂、碎裂流动直至塑性变形(>800℃)这样一个基本过程. 韧性变形域内流变强度随温度的增加而逐渐下降, 且在750~800℃间强度急剧下降. 对两类实验前、后的样品进行显微和探针分析, 认为脱水熔融是引起波速和强度在高压(静水压、围压)、750℃之后大幅下降的主要原因之一.     

藏南沉错钻孔硅藻组合与湖水古盐度定量恢复

通过藏南沉错钻孔化石硅藻组合研究, 应用青藏高原硅藻-湖水电导率转换函数, 对沉错最近300年来湖泊古盐度进行了定量恢复. 推导的电导率变化与近代湖泊水位变化记录有明显的负相关关系, 表明沉错湖水盐度可以反映大气有效湿度的变化. 古盐度的重建揭示了几次重要水文事件: 小冰期最后一次冷期(约1845~1885AD), 湖水明显淡化, 反映了冷湿气候组合特点; 20世纪60年代以来, 湖水盐度呈急剧增高趋势, 也是近300年来盐度最高、增加幅度最大时期, 湖水的咸化反映的有效湿度降低与近几十年来温度的不断上升而导致的蒸发量的增加有关.     

An overview of toxicant identification in sediments and dredged materials

The identification of toxicants affecting aquatic benthic systems is critical to sound assessment and management of our nation's waterways. Identification of toxicants can be useful in designing effective sediment remediation plans and reasonable options for sediment disposal. Knowledge of which contaminants affect benthic systems allows managers to link pollution to specific dischargers and prevent further release of toxicant(s). In addition, identification of major causes of toxicity in sediments may guide programs such as those developing environmental sediment guidelines and registering pesticides, while knowledge of the causes of toxicity which drive ecological changes such as shifts in benthic community structure would be useful in performing ecological risk assessments. To this end, the US Environmental Protection Agency has developed tools (toxicity identification and evaluation (TIE) methods) that allow investigators to characterize and identify chemicals causing acute toxicity in sediments and dredged materials. To date, most sediment TIEs have been performed on interstitial waters. Preliminary evidence from the use of interstitial water TIEs reveals certain patterns in causes of sediment toxicity. First, among all sediments tested, there is no one predominant cause of toxicity; metals, organics, and ammonia play approximately equal roles in causing toxicity. Second, within a single sediment there are multiple causes of toxicity detected; not just one chemical class is active. Third, the role of ammonia is very prominent in these interstitial waters. Finally, if sediments are divided into marine or freshwater, TIEs perforMed on interstitial waters from freshwater sediments indicate a variety of toxicants in fairly equal proportions, while TIEs performed on interstitial waters from marine sediments have identified only ammonia and organics as toxicants, with metals playing a minor role. Preliminary evidence from whole sediment TIEs indicates that organic compounds play a major role in the toxicity of marine sediments, with almost no evidence for either metal or ammonia toxicity. However, interpretation of these results may be skewed because only a small number of interstitial water (n = 13) and whole sediment (n = 5) TIEs have been completed. These trends may change as more data are collected.     

Analyses of organic and inorganic contaminants in Salton Sea fish

Chemical contamination of fish from the Salton Sea, a quasi-marine lake in Southern California, could adversely impact millions of birds using the Pacific Flyway and thousands of humans using the lake for recreation. Bairdiella icistia (bairdiella), Cynoscion xanthulus (orangemouth corvina), and Oreochromis spp. (tilapia) were sampled from two river mouths and two nearshore areas of the Salton Sea. Muscle tissues were analyzed for a complete suite of 14 trace metals and 53 pesticides. Fish muscle tissues had concentrations of selenium ranging between 1.89 and 2.73 microg/g wet weight. 4,4'-DDE accounted for 94% of the total DDT metabolites. Total DDTs ranged between 17.1 and 239.0 and total PCBs between 2.5 and 18.6 ng/g wet weight. PCB congeners 132, 138, 153, 168, and 180 comprised over 50% of the total PCBs. Given the potential implementation of a commercial fishing at the Salton Sea in the future, the presence of persistent organic pollutants and selenium warrants further research into the effects of these mixtures on fish populations, and on wildlife and humans consuming fish.     

Toxic contaminants and their biological effects in coastal waters of Xiamen,China. II. Biomarkers and embryo malformation rates as indicators of pollution stress in fish

Baseline information is presented on embryo malformation rate and biomarkers in fish as indicators of sub-lethal stress caused by pollution in coastal waters of Xiamen, PR China. Fish and eggs were sampled from several areas in Xiamen coastal waters (Xiamen Harbour, Maluan and Tongan Bays and East Channel), where varying levels of pollutant input have been documented. Comparative sampling was done at a "cleaner" reference site at Dongshan Island. Embryonic malformation rates, which indicate general water quality, varied with location and species of fish, and exceeded background levels for unpolluted waters (assumed approximately 5%) by up to eightfold at some sites. Generally, sites around Xiamen Harbour show signs of poor water quality having highest mean levels of embryo deformity (20-30%) and these decreased towards open waters (Tongan Bay, Eastern Channel) where abnormalities approached background levels. An indication that toxic contaminants may be having a localised effect in the region, particularly in the harbour was reinforced by the biomarker assays. However, activities of the biomarkers ethoxyresorufin O-deethylase (EROD) and glutathione S-transferase in fish livers indicate no clear pattern, and there is no evidence that fish from the four sampling areas have been more or less exposed to PAHs and other compounds that induce these biomarkers. Antioxidant biomarkers (glutathione peroxidase, catalase, superoxide dismutase, and reduced glutathione) suggest that exposure to xenobiotics appears to be lowest in Dongshan and Maluan and highest in the harbour and Tongan. Inhibition of acetylcholinesterase in fish muscle indicated possible effects by organophosphate and carbamate pesticides in Xiamen waters and these effects may be greatest in the area of the harbour.     

An evaluation of hemolymph cholinesterase activities in the tropical scallop,Euvola (Pecten) ziczac,for the rapid assessment of pesticide exposure

The use of sequential measurements of hemolymph cholinesterase activities as a non-invasive biomarker of seasonal organophosphate/carbamate exposure was investigated for the tropical scallop, Euvola (Pecten) ziczac. Overall activities of both acetylcholinesterase and butyrylcholinesterase were relatively high compared to studies with bivalve tissues. Acute in vivo experiments showed inhibition of hemolymph acetylcholinesterase activity at concentrations of the organophosphate insecticide chlorpyrifos of 0.1, 1 and 10 ng l(-1). Monthly sampling of hemolymph from scallops at two sites in Bermuda over a 15 month period showed seasonal acetylcholinesterase and butyrylcholinesterase inhibition. Direct and indirect evidence suggests that this inhibition did not relate to biochemical or physiological changes associated with gonad maturation and spawning, but rather reflected diffuse contamination of the marine environment by cholinesterase inhibitors or increased bioavailability of such inhibitors at these times. Repetitive sampling of scallop hemolymph for cholinesterase activities represents a rapid, sensitive and non-invasive method for assessing seasonal, sublethal pesticide exposure in these commercially important bivalves and suggests a wider use in marine pollution monitoring.     

Contaminant concentrations in sport fish from San Francisco Bay, 1997

In 1997, seven sport fish species were sampled from seven popular fishing areas in San Francisco Bay. Mercury exceeded a human health screening value in 44 of 84 (52%) samples. All collected samples of leopard shark and striped bass exceeded the mercury screening value of 0.23 microg/g wet weight. PCBs exceeded the screening value in 51 of 72 (71%) samples. DDT, chlordane, and dieldrin, had lower numbers of samples above screening values: 16 of 72 (22%) for DDT, 11 of 72 (15%) for chlordanes, and 27 of 72 (37%) for dieldrin. Concentrations of PCBs and other trace organics were highest in white croaker and shiner surfperch, the two species with the highest fat content in their muscle tissue. Fish from one location, Oakland Harbor, had significantly elevated wet weight concentrations of mercury, PCBs, DDTs, and chlordanes compared to other locations. Removal of skin from white croaker fillets reduced lipid concentrations by 27-49% and concentrations of trace organics by 33-40%.