Deji Reservoir is situated in the middle of Taiwan on the upstream catchment of the Dajia stream with an area of over 60,160 ha. The embankment stands 180 m high and is the tallest concrete arch dam in Taiwan. This dam stores 1.7 billion cubic meters of valid volume water. It provides over 370 million kilowatt-hours of electricity annually. It is also an important facility for operating flood control, hydroelectricity, irrigation, public water supply, etc. Seventy-two percent of the terrain is at 2,000- to 3,000-m altitude, and 5.2% is above 3,200-m altitude. More than 59% of the area is covered with steep topography of 55% slope. Only 7.9% of the area is shown with gentle slopes of less than 30% slope, which are located among the two banks of main streams with the altitudes ranging from 1,500 to 2,500 m. Most of the gentle slopes are used for temperate zone fruit, vegetable, and tea plantations. This land-use immediately adjoins a reservoir catchment region, resulting in an enormous impact on the mountainous environment. This study reviewed human-developed land-use area to properly address and evaluate norms for mitigating the impacts on the reservoir. The initial investigation brought up the parameters of gradient, slope movement types and processes, distance to the reservoir, location of developed area and distance with the farm road, etc. Local investigation and global information system technology were conducted in this research. We focused on segregating the terrain types of indisposed land-use. A different land-use management strategy is also analyzed.

Due to the dry Mediterranean climate in Cyprus, particulate matter is resuspended from soils and other surfaces. From November 2002 to August 2003, gravimetric PM₁₀ measurements were carried out at three characteristic sites (traffic, residential and rural). A significant seasonal trend with high winter concentrations was observed at the traffic site. Special events, e.g. long-range transport of Sahara dust storms, were recorded over traffic, residential and rural areas in the order of six to eight events per year, with a major frequency in summer and spring periods. This contributes to the increase of 24-h EU limit value exceedances for PM₁₀ at the three investigated sites. The origin of the PM₁₀ load was determined by enrichment factors based on analyses of the local soil deposition at the investigated sites. Furthermore, positive matrix factorisation modelling was applied to find the sources of PM₁₀. Results indicate that the major emission sources affecting the PM₁₀ load were mineral soil, sea salt, road dust, oil combustion, secondary pollutants and gasoline vehicles. The natural contribution (local mineral soil and sea salt) at the three sites was in the range of 7-9 μg m⁻³ in PM₁₀. Besides the Sahara dust storms and natural background concentrations, the vehicular pollution was found as the largest contributor (12-14 μg m⁻³) to PM₁₀ load at the traffic site.

This study investigated sludge granulation inoculated with various mixtures of aerobic and anaerobic sludge at low dissolved oxygen (DO; 0.3-0.6 mg/l) or aerobic (>2.5 mg/l) conditions in four parallel flow reactor systems. Formation of high-density coupled granules was achieved in the reactor system inoculated with anaerobic and aerobic sludge seeds (1:1 mass ratio) at low DO concentrations, with a mean size of 2.5 mm after only 27 days of cultivation. The highest ratio of protein (PN) to polysaccharide (PS; 3.3) was observed for the coupled sludge compared to granules cultivated under aerobic conditions. The PN/PS ratio correlated well with high hydrophobicity, low sludge volumetric index, and compact granular structure. Activity tests of the specific anaerobic and aerobic biomass confirmed that anaerobes and aerobes coexisted in the same coupled granule. Based on the optical microscopic and SEM observations, the process of coupled granule formation was proposed.

The goal of this work was to study quantitatively lead bioaccumulation from a lead-doped nutrient medium by using a living aquatic macrophytes Pistia stratiotes. Several sets of aquatic plants with approximately 30 g weight were grown in greenhouse conditions and in hydroponic solutions supplied with a non-toxic Pb²⁺ concentration. The synchrotron radiation total X-ray fluorescence spectrometry was used to determine the metal concentrations in dry plants and hydroponic media as a function of time. Four different non-structural bioaccumulation models were applied to describe the process dynamics and to estimate the accumulated lead maximum capacity and rate constants. According to the experimental data, both biosorption and bioaccumulation mechanisms can be considered. Due to the low desorption rate constant, the experimental data were well described by the irreversible kinetic model. The results concerning modeling of living macrophytes' metal bioaccumulation kinetics can be used to predict the heavy metal removal dynamics from wastewaters in artificial wetlands.

Field measurements were conducted using one to three sheets of a poly-tetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) membrane resistance-type passive sampler (N type sampler) and diffusion length resistance-type sampler (O type sampler) to compare sampling resistance. Acidic gases such as nitric acid (HNO₃), hydrochloric acid (HCl), sulfur dioxide (SO₂), ozone (O₃), ammonia (NH₃), nitrogen dioxide (NO₂), and nitrogen oxides (NO X ) were sampled using five types of capturing filter paper: plain polyamide filter ([Greek Phi symbol]47 mm) and cellulose filters ([Greek Phi symbol]14.5 mm) impregnated with NaNO₂ + K₂CO₃, H₃PO₄, triethanolamine (TEA), and TEA + 3-oxo-2-phenyl-4,4,5,5-tetramethylimidazolin-1-oxyl (PTIO). Four sets of the samplers were exposed to the atmosphere for 4 or 5 weeks through four seasons in FY 2006. The amount of gas components captured occurred in the order of NO X > O₃ > NO₂ > NH₃ > SO₂ > HCl > HNO₃ for all of the filters in spring and autumn. However, the amount of NH₃ captured was large in summer and the amount of NO X was large in winter. The relative standard deviations (RSDs) were less than 10% except for NH₃ with the O type sampler in spring and autumn, and for HCl of both type samplers in winter. The RSDs were not dependent on the numbers of PTFE sheets for gas species and season. When the N type sampler mounted on one PTFE sheet was normalized to unit, the resistance values of two and three PTFE sheets for HNO₃ were 2.3-2.4 and 4.2-6.1, respectively, while the values of two and three sheets for SO₂, O₃, HCl, and NH₃, were 1.1-1.5 and 1.3-1.9, respectively. There was little variation in resistance for NO₂ and NO X , as shown by the values of 1.0-1.1 and 0.9-1.2, respectively. For comparison with the O type sampler, the resistances values for SO₂, O₃, HCl, NH₃, NO₂ and NOX were 4.9-5.8, 2.5-3.2, 2.7-4.5, 4.1-12.6, 1.4-1.9, and 1.2-2.4, respectively. The resistance values of the O type sampler were larger than those of the N type samplers. The collection of HNO₃ was decreased 25% per PTFE sheet, while the decreases for SO₂, O₃, HCl and NH₃ were moderate at 12-17%. In contrast, collection of NO₂ and NO X was minimally affected by the number of PTFE sheets. The concentration of HNO₃, SO₂, HCl and NH₃ in the N type passive sampling method was compared with that of the four-stage filter pack method. The passive method for HNO₃, SO₂ and HCl was in fair agreement with the filter pack method. For NH₃, the concentration by passive method was lower than that by the active method.

The goal of this study is to clarify the surface-chemical and microphysical variables that influence bacterial spore transport through soil, thereby defining the factors that may affect spore transport velocity. Bacillus cereus spores were continuously monitored in a soil column under saturated conditions with experimental variations in soil grain size (0.359 and 0.718 mm), pH (7.2 and 8.5), and water flow rate (1.3 and 3.0 mL/min). Increasing soil grain size, flow rate, and pH resulted in enhanced spore movement. Spore transport increased 82% when soil grain size was doubled. An increase in effluent flow rate from 1.3 to 3.0 mL/min increased spore movement by 71%. An increase in pH increased spore transport by 53%. The increase in hydrodynamic forces resulting from the larger grain size soil and higher flow rate functioned to overcome the hydrophobic nature of the spore's coat, and the interparticle bonding forces between the spore and soil particles.

The Barcelona harbour is one of the biggest and most important in commercial and passenger traffic in the Mediterranean Sea. In 2003, construction works for the enlargement of the port were carried out with the opening of a new entrance for large boats in the northern area. Following the opening of this new mouth, the redistribution of heavy metals (Hg, Cd, Pb, Cu, Zn, Ni and Cr), As and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) was investigated to discuss their origin and to evaluate the environmental implications. A previous study of the sediments provided a first picture of high levels of heavy metals and PCBs in the innermost harbour (Port Vell). Then, the opening of the northern mouth led to a remarkable decline in the contaminant concentrations and to an improvement of the sediment quality. During the period 2002-2005, the percentage of concentration decreases in Port Vell for Hg, Pb and PCB (from 20% to 34%), for Zn and Cd (from 10% to 15%) and for the remaining metals with values lesser than 10%. This general decline was probably due to a more efficient water flushing between the original and the new northern entrance. Concentrations of target contaminants were also compared against sediment quality guidelines to assess the ecotoxicological significance of sedimentary contaminants on the benthic communities.

The variations of tropospheric ozone levels was assessed for the first time in the Boukornine National Park (N.E. Tunisia) by detection of leaf injury development on Nicotiana tabacum “Bel-W3” exposed to environmental conditions during summer 2004. Two cultivars of tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum), Bel-W3 (sensitive) and Bel-B (resistant to ozone), were used for this biomonitoring study. These cultivars were dispersed in 24 different biostations, according to a square grid mesh, every 2 weeks. Four successive cultures were utilized to follow the ozone levels inside the park during the summer exposure period. Levels of ozone may vary in time and space depending on the local environmental and meteorological conditions. The results showed a positive correlation between ozone concentration and foliar injury index (FII; r = 0.958; p < 0.05). A significant positive correlation was observed between the FII of Bel-W3 tobacco plant and AOT40 (accumulated over the threshold of 40 ppb). The altitude appeared to be the most important variable explaining the variation of ozone pollution with the highest correlation coefficient (r = 0.964; p < 0.0001). The altitude was followed by topography for the prediction of ozone concentration levels. Maximal temperature was also an important factor in addition to the others in determining the FII and was negatively correlated with the FII (r = −0.979; p < 0.05). Average ambient ozone levels were positively linked to plant leaf damage. The ozone profile characterizing the study area was primarily influenced by wind direction and speed in relation to intercontinental transport, in addition to the local influence of motor vehicles traffic flow in the Tunis region.

The processes impacting arsenic toxicity are a function of molecular speciation, where risk from chronic exposure to the reduced arsenic species is estimated to be four orders of magnitude higher than many oxidized arsenic species. While the adverse health effects of arsenic are generally well known, the impact of speciation on carcinogenic and noncarcinogenic adverse health effects has rarely, if ever, been considered in traditional chronic arsenic exposure risk assessments. Utilizing standard Environmental Protection Agency protocol, lifetime cancer risk and hazard quotient are calculated for chronic arsenic exposure at the local, regional, and national scale to characterize potential risk as a function of arsenic speciation. Additionally, the antagonistic and synergistic impacts of biogeochemical processes on arsenic bioavailability and bioaccessibility are discussed and show chronic exposure risk is likely to be reduced below some maximum value calculated for reduced arsenic species.