In order to reduce the losses by water pollution, forewarning model for water pollution risk based on Bayes theory was studied. This model is built upon risk indexes in complex systems, proceeding from the whole structure and its components. In this study, the principal components analysis is used to screen out index systems. Hydrological model is employed to simulate index value according to the prediction principle. Bayes theory is adopted to obtain posterior distribution by prior distribution with sample information which can make samples’ features preferably reflect and represent the totals to some extent. Forewarning level is judged on the maximum probability rule, and then local conditions for proposing management strategies that will have the effect of transforming heavy warnings to a lesser degree. This study takes Taihu Basin as an example. After forewarning model application and vertification for water pollution risk from 2000 to 2009 between the actual and simulated data, forewarning level in 2010 is given as a severe warning, which is well coincide with logistic curve. It is shown that the model is rigorous in theory with flexible method, reasonable in result with simple structure, and it has strong logic superiority and regional adaptability, providing a new way for warning water pollution risk.

The crayfish play an essential role in the biomonitoring and may reflect ambient water quality through the biochemical, behavioural and physiological reactions. To assess whether narrow-clawed crayfish Astacus leptodactylus can respond by heart rate changes to presence in water of such biocide as chloramine-T, adult males were exposed to its low (2 and 5 mg L⁻¹), moderate (10 mg L⁻¹, commonly used in industry and aquaculture) and exceeded (20 and 50 mg L⁻¹) concentrations. In addition, a physical stress test evaluated energy expenditure following the chemical trials. Three key reactions (cardiac initial, first-hour and daily prolonged exposure) were discussed with particular focus on crayfish initial reaction as the most meaningful in on-line water quality biomonitoring. After short-term exposure to both chloramine-T concentrations, crayfish were found to respond rapidly, within 2–5 min. According to heart rate changes, the 1-h exposure did not adversely affect crayfish at either concentration, as well as during daily exposure to 10 mg L⁻¹. As assessed by the heart rate, the 24-h exposure to 50 mg L⁻¹of chloramine-T was toxic for crayfish and led to substantial loss of energy that became apparent during subsequently conducted physical stress. The results supported a hypothesis that crayfish vital functions are connected with environment they inhabit closely enough to serve as biological monitors. Crayfish were tolerant to short-term chloramine-T exposure, while rapid crayfish reaction to an increased chemical level indicated their high sensitivity, an essential attribute of real-time environmental assessment.

Microcystin-LR (MC-LR) is a widely studied toxic peptide secreted by certain water blooms of cyanobacteria that exhibit hepatotoxicity and neural toxicity. This study aimed to observe the neurotoxic effects of low-dose MC-LR exposure by oral administration. Male Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were administered orally every 2 days for 8 weeks with pure water and 0.2, 1.0, and 5.0 μg/kg MC-LR. The Morris water maze test was used to assess the spatial learning and memory capability of rats. The activation of astrocytes and nitric oxide synthase (NOS) was evaluated by immunohistochemistry, and concentrations of nitric oxide (NO) in rat hippocampus were analyzed. Slight liver dysfunction was observed in the 5.0 μg/kg MC-LR-treated rats. Impairment of spatial learning and memory was also observed in the 5.0 μg/kg MC-LR-treated rats. Astrocytes in the hippocampus of the 5.0 μg/kg MC-LR-treated rats showed enhanced activation and cell density; the inflammatory indicators, NOS and NO, increased in accordance with astrocyte activation. This study showed that oral exposure of MC-LR had adverse affects on neurobehaviors, and induced inflammation in memory-related brain regions.

Using industrial by-products (IBPs) in conjunction with buffer strips provides a potentially new strategy for enhancing soluble phosphorus (P) removal from agricultural runoff. Here, we investigate the feasibility of this approach by assessing the P sorption properties of IBPs at different solution-IBPs contact time (1–120 min) and solution pH (3, 5.5, 7.5), as well as possible adverse environmental effects including P desorption or heavy metal mobilisation from IBPs. Batch experiments were carried out on two widely available IBPs in the UK that demonstrated high P sorption capacity but different physicochemical characteristics, specifically ochre and Aluminium (Al) based water treatment residuals (Al-WTR). A series of kinetic sorption–desorption experiments alongside kinetic modelling were used to understand the rate and the mechanisms of P removal across a range of reaction times. The results of the kinetic experiments indicated that P was initially sorbed rapidly to both ochre and Al-WTR, followed by a second phase characterised by a slower sorption rate. The excellent fits of kinetic sorption data to a pseudo-second order model for both materials suggested surface chemisorption as the rate-controlling mechanism. Neither ochre nor Al-WTR released substantial quantities of either P or heavy metals into solution, suggesting that they could be applied to buffer strip soils at recommended rates (≤30 g kg⁻¹ soil) without adverse environmental impact. Although the rate of P sorption by freshly-generated Al-WTR applied to buffer strips reduced following air-drying, this would not limit its practical application to buffer strips in the field if adequate contact time with runoff was provided.

The heavy metal and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) contents were evaluated in surface soil and plant samples of 18 wild species collected from 3 typical industrial sites in South Central China. The accumulative characteristics of the plant species for both heavy metal and PAHs were discussed. The simultaneous accumulation of heavy metal and PAHs in plant and soil was observed at all the investigated sites, although disparities in spatial distributions among sites occurred. Both plant and soil samples were characterized by high accumulation for heavy metal at smelting site, moderate enrichment at coke power and coal mining sites, whereas high level of PAHs (16 priority pollutants according to US Environmental Protection Agency) at coke power site, followed sequentially by coal mining and smelting sites. Based on the differences of heavy metal and PAH accumulation behaviors of the studied plant species, heavy metal and PAH accumulation strategies were suggested: Pteris vittata L. and Pteris cretica L. for As and PAHs, Boehmeria nivea (L.) Gaud for Pb, As, and PAHs, and Miscanthus floridulu (Labnll.) Warb for Cu and PAHs. These native plant species could be proposed as promising materials for heavy metal and PAHs combined pollution remediation.

Some relevant shortcomings have been identified in the current approach for the classification of ecological status in marine water bodies, leading to delays in the fulfillment of the Water Framework Directive objectives. Natural variability makes difficult to settle fixed reference values and boundary values for the Ecological Quality Ratios (EQR) for the biological quality elements. Biological responses to environmental degradation are frequently of nonmonotonic nature, hampering the EQR approach. Community structure traits respond only once ecological damage has already been done and do not provide early warning signals. An alternative methodology for the classification of ecological status integrating chemical measurements, ecotoxicological bioassays and community structure traits (species richness and diversity), and using multivariate analyses (multidimensional scaling and cluster analysis), is proposed. This approach does not depend on the arbitrary definition of fixed reference values and EQR boundary values, and it is suitable to integrate nonlinear, sensitive signals of ecological degradation. As a disadvantage, this approach demands the inclusion of sampling sites representing the full range of ecological status in each monitoring campaign. National or international agencies in charge of coastal pollution monitoring have comprehensive data sets available to overcome this limitation.

Unlike conventional pollutants, pharmaceutical residues are continuously discharged at low levels (low to mid ng l⁻¹concentrations), which results in the chronic contamination of non-target organisms, but little is known about the effects of these residues. The purpose of this study was to provide the first assessment of the ecotoxicity of five antidepressants (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors [SSRIs] fluoxetine and sertraline, tricyclic antidepressants [TCAs] clomipramine and amitriptyline, and serotonin norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor [SNRI] duloxetine) at a wide range of concentrations from 0.1 to 100,000 μg l⁻¹on two early life stages in the Pacific oyster. The toxicity was quantified in D-shaped larvae after 36 h of exposure, and in 21-day-old pediveliger larvae after 24 h of exposure using the percentage of normal larval development and the metamorphosis rate as endpoints, respectively. The embryotoxicity assays reported that the EC₅₀values were within the same range of concentrations (67 to 192 μg l⁻¹) for all of the tested molecules. The metamorphosis tests revealed that the antidepressants can be ranked along an increasing severity gradient: clomipramine < amitriptyline < duloxetine ~ fluoxetine. Sertraline appeared to be the less toxic molecule on this endpoint; however, a different concentration range was used. The embryotoxicity test was more sensitive than the metamorphosis bioassay for three of the five molecules tested, but the latter test showed more practical benefits. Overall, the obtained toxicity values were at least 10,000-fold higher than the reported environmental concentrations.

Debromination of decabromodiphenyl ether (deca-BDE) by microbe and by zero-valent iron (ZVI) has been reported previously. However, no study has indicated the presence of microorganisms and their effect on ZVI-mediated reduction of deca-BDE. Synergistic degradation of deca-BDE by an enrichment culture and ZVI was studied. It was found that synergistic effects enhanced the debromination of deca-BDE as well as promoting the reduction of lower brominated products. ZVI stimulated microbial debromination by serving as an electron donor. Correlation analysis also confirmed that ZVI was capable of enhancing microbial population in the debromination of deca-BDE. Conversely, the enrichment culture produced acid which maintained pH stability and stimulated the oxidation of ZVI. The enrichment culture supplied its energy requirements by the oxidation of ZVI and concomitant reduction of deca-BDE, but incapable of growth and reduction of BDE-209 without ZVI and vice versa. Compared to the initial culture, the microbial community of the enrichment culture became dominated by several bacterial genera based on the results of 16S rRNA-gene pyrosequencing.

Soil is a complex natural resource that is considered non-renewable in policy frameworks, and it plays a key role in maintaining a variety of ecosystem services (ES) and life-sustaining material cycles within the Earth's Critical Zone (CZ). However, currently, the ability of soil to deliver these services is being drastically reduced in many locations, and global loss of soil ecosystem services is estimated to increase each year as a result of many different threats, such as erosion and soil carbon loss. The European Union Thematic Strategy for Soil Protection alerts policy makers of the need to protect soil and proposes measures to mitigate soil degradation. In this context, the European Commission-funded research project on Soil Transformations in European Catchments (SoilTrEC) aims to quantify the processes that deliver soil ecosystem services in the Earth's Critical Zone and to quantify the impacts of environmental change on key soil functions. This is achieved by integrating the research results into decision-support tools and applying methods of economic valuation to soil ecosystem services. In this paper, we provide an overview of the SoilTrEC project, its organization, partnerships and implementation.

In the actual environment, temperatures fluctuate drastically through season or global warming and are thought to affects risk of pollutants for aquatic biota; however, there is no report about the effect of water temperature on toxicity of widely used herbicide diuron to fresh water microalgae. The present research investigated inhibitory effect of diuron on growth and photosynthetic activity of a green alga Pseudokirchneriella subcapitata at five different temperatures (10, 15, 20, 25, and 30 °C) for 144 h of exposure. As a result, effective diuron concentrations at which a 50 % decrease in algal growth occurred was increased with increasing water temperature ranging from 9.2 to 20.1 μg L–¹for 72 h and 9.4–28.5 μg L–¹for 144 h. The photochemical efficiency of photosystem II (Fᵥ/Fₘratio) was significantly reduced at all temperatures by diuron exposure at 32 μg L–¹after 72 h. Inhibition rates was significantly increased with decreased water temperature (P < 0.01). Intracellular H₂O₂levels as an indicator of oxidative stress were also decreased with increasing temperature in both control and diuron treatment groups and were about 2.5 times higher in diuron treatment groups than that of controls (P < 0.01). Our results suggest water temperatures may affect the toxicokinetics of diuron in freshwater and should therefore be considered in environmental risk assessment.