The role of land use on fate of metals in soils is poorly understood. In this work, we studied the incorporation of lead in two neighboring soils with comparable pedogenesis but under long-term different agricultural management. Distributions of anthropogenic Pb were assessed from concentrations and isotopic compositions determined on bulk horizon samples, systematical 5–10 cm increment samples, and on 24-h EDTA extracts. Minor amounts of anthropogenic lead were detected until 1-m depth under permanent grassland, linked to high earthworm activity. In arable land, exogenous Pb predominantly accumulated at depths <60 cm. Although the proximity between the two sites ensured comparable exposition regarding atmospheric Pb deposition, the isotopic compositions clearly showed the influence of an unidentified component for the cultivated soil. This work highlights the need for exhaustive information on historical human activities in such anthropized agrosystems when fate of metal pollution is considered.

Kinetic EDTA and citrate extractions were used to mimic metal mobilization in a soil contaminated by metallurgical fallout. Modeling of metal removal rates vs. time distinguished two metal pools: readily labile (QM1) and less labile (QM2). In citrate extractions, total extractability (QM1 + QM2) of Zn and Cd was proportionally higher than for Pb and Cu. Proportions of Pb and Cu extracted with EDTA were three times higher than when using citrate. We observed similar QM1/QM2 ratios for Zn and Cu regardless of the extractant, suggesting comparable binding energies to soil constituents. However, for Pb and Cd, more heterogeneous binding energies were hypothesized to explain different kinetic extraction behaviors. Proportions of citrate-labile metals were found consistent with their short-term, in-situ mobility assessed in the studied soil, i.e., metal amount released in the soil solution or extracted by cultivated plants. Kinetic EDTA extractions were hypothesized to be more predictive for long-term metal migration with depth.

Atmospheric emissions from road transport have increased all around the world since 1990 more rapidly than from other pollution sources. Moreover, they contribute to more than 25% of total emissions in the majority of the European Countries. This situation confirms the importance of road transport when complying with emission ceilings (e.g. Kyoto Protocol and National Emissions Ceilings Directive). A methodology has been developed to evaluate the effect of transport measures on atmospheric emissions (EmiTRANS). Its application to Spain in the horizon of 2020 allows the quantification of the effect of several measures on emission reductions. This quantification was done through scenario development. Several scenarios were calculated considering technical measures (e.g. vehicle scrapping systems, higher penetration of hybrid and electric vehicles, fuel substitution, etc.) and non-technical measures (mileage reduction, implementation of Low Emission Zones and/or Congestion Charges in main cities, reduction of average speeds, logistical improvements that affects heavy duty vehicle load factors, etc.). The scenarios show the effect of each measure on NOx, SO2, CO, PM10, PM2.5, VOC, CO2 and CH4 emissions. The main conclusion is the necessity to combine both technical and non-technical measures to increase global effectiveness. In the analysis of specific pollutants, there is a great dispersion on reductions effect: technical measures are more effective to reduce air pollutants while non-technical measures are better options to reduce greenhouse effect gases (even though they also reduce air pollutants in a less efficient way).

Currently, the geological storage of CO2 is heavily studied around the world in order to limit global warming due to the greenhouse effect. The atmospheric CO2, which has been steadily increasing for more than a century, is assumed to be in a large part responsible of this warming. Nowadays, various options have been considering to store CO2 in an underground environment for periods covering several centuries. Among the options, one is to inject it in unexploited coal seams. The objective of our work is to characterise the interactions between CO2 ans coal interfaces from two French coal seams. This will contribute to identify the most adapted coal basin which could be used for storing CO2 in France.

International audience | The common mussel Mytilus galloprovincialis was selected as unique biomonitor species to implement a regional monitoring programme, the CIESM Mediterranean Mussel Watch (MMW), in the Mediterranean and Black Seas. As of today, and upon standardization of the methodological approach, the MMW Network has been able to quantify 137Cs levels in mussels from 60 coastal stations and to produce the first distribution map of this artificial radionuclide at the scale of the entire Mediterranean and Black Seas. While measured 137Cs levels were found to be very low (usually &lt;1 Bq kg-1 wet wt) 137Cs activity concentrations in the Black Sea and North Aegean Sea were up to two orders of magnitude higher than those in the western Mediterranean Basin. Such effects, far from representing a threat to human populations or the environment, reflect a persistent signature of the Chernobyl fallout in this area. © 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Currently, the geological storage of CO2 is heavily studied around the world in order to limit global warming due to the greenhouse effect. The atmospheric CO2, which has been steadily increasing for more than a century, is assumed to be in a large part responsible of this warming. Nowadays, various options have been considering to store CO2 in an underground environment for periods covering several centuries. Among the options, one is to inject it in unexploited coal seams. The objective of our work is to characterise the interactions between CO2 ans coal interfaces from two French coal seams. This will contribute to identify the most adapted coal basin which could be used for storing CO2 in France.

International audience | A climatic classification for Europe suitable for pesticide fate modelling was constructed using a 3-stage process involving the identification of key climatic variables, the extraction of the dominant modes of spatial variability in those variables and the use of k-means clustering to identify regions with similar climates. The procedure identified 16 coherent zones that reflect the variability of climate across Europe whilst maintaining a manageable number of zones for subsequent modelling studies. An analysis of basic climatic parameters for each zone demonstrates the success of the scheme in identifying distinct climatic regions. Objective criteria were used to identify one representative 26-year daily meteorological series from a European dataset for each zone. The representativeness of each series was then verified against the zonal classifications. These new FOOTPRINT climate zones provide a state-of-the-art objective classification of European climate complete with representative daily data that are suitable for use in pesticide fate modelling.

peer reviewed | We evaluated the alterations of organochlorinated compounds such as polychlorobiphenyls (PCB), dichloro-diphenyl-dichloroethylene (DDE) and dichloro-diphenyl-trichloroethane (DDT) on the thyroid in wild and cultured sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax) at environmental concentrations. These compounds influence the endocrine system of many fish species and are qualified as endocrine disruptors. The thyroid seems to be a target organ. Two alteration endpoints: the thyroid histology and the muscular thyroid hormone concentrations, were used simultaneously. High concentrations in PCBs and DDT were detected in muscles, supporting the idea that the Mediterranean fauna could be more polluted than the Atlantic fauna. The high abundance of DDE indicates a progressive degradation of remnant DDT load and the absence of new inputs in this area. Aquaculture sea bass shows a significant higher amount of pollutants on fresh weight basis (especially PCBs) in their muscles compared to the wild sea bass. Those differences may be related mainly to the contaminations of diet. Thyroid parameters vary between wild and aquaculture sea bass, wild sea bass were characterized by higher follicle diameters, epithelial cell heights and muscular T4 concentrations. A significant relationship between persistent organic pollutants (muscular PCBs and DDT concentration) and the different thyroid parameters (diameters of follicles, epithelial cell heights and muscular T4 levels) could be observed, which support the hypothesis that these compounds have an adverse impact on thyroid morphometry and function.