In order to quickly assess the transfer of radioactive cesium after a nuclear incident, it is useful to know the main biospheric parameters influencing this transfer. A suitably simplified heuristic formula for the Cs transfer is helpful for further application in a Geographic Information System (GIS). In order to determine the most relevant parameters given their huge variability in nature, samples of 150 aquatic plants and the corresponding sediments of 26 diverse aquatic locations such as lakes, ponds, and disconnected parts of rivers were measured for 137Cs, 134Cs, and 40K radioactivity one year after the nuclear disaster of Chernobyl. Sediments were characterized by determination of weight loss after heating, extractable Cs and K, pH(KCl), particle size distribution, content of clay minerals, and similar biospheric, chemical, and physical parameters. As a general concept, the procedure of uptake of radioactive cesium was subdivided into the two following steps: “resorption of cesium fallout by soil” and “uptake of soil cesium by plants”. Results for the resorption by soil show strong dependence on the percentage of dry matter and on the content of muscovite (mica) in the sediment. The uptake in plants, however, depends mostly on the content of 137Cs in the sediment itself, on the content of montmorillonite (weathered mica) and on the transfer factor of 40K which indicates the potassium affinity of the 30 different collected plant species. These findings can serve to quickly and practically assess the transfer factor across larger geographic regions in an evidence-based manner. Suitable IT tools for such space-related estimations are Geographic Information Systems or Virtual Globes such as Google Earth.

The decolorization of the recalcitrant dye Remazol Brilliant Blue R (RBBR) by the culture filtrate of Polyporus sp. S133 and the effect of various environmental factors were investigated. Both biodegradation and biosorption were playing an important role in bioremoval mechanisms. The highest biosorption of RBBR in Polyporus sp. S133 was shown by all carbon sources such as sucrose, glucose, fructose, and starch. No biosorption was shown by the addition of aromatic compounds and metal ions; 97.1 % RBBR decolorization was achieved in 120-rpm culture for 96 h, as compared to 49.5 % decolorization in stationary culture. Increasing the shaking rotation of the culture to more than 120 rpm was proven to give a negative effect on decolorization. The highest production of laccase was shown at pH 4 and constantly decreases when the pH level increases. The addition of glucose, ammonium tartrate, Cu²⁺, and protocatechuic acid was the suitable environmental condition for RBBR decolorization. There was a positive relationship between all environmental conditions and laccase production in the decolorization of RBBR.

Threshold concentrations for treatment related effects of 31 insecticides, as derived from aquatic micro-/mesocosm tests, were used to calibrate the predictive value of the European Tier-1 acute effect assessment on basis of laboratory toxicity tests with Daphnia magna, Chironomus spp., Americamysis bahia and Gammarus pulex. The acute Tier-1 effect assessment on basis of Daphnia (EC(50)/100) overall was protective for organophosphates, carbamates and most pyrethroids but not for neonicotinoids and the majority of insect growth regulators (IGRs) in the database. By including the 28-day water-spiked Chironomus riparius test, the effect assessment improves but selecting the lowest value on basis of the 48-h Daphnia test (EC50/100) and the 28-day Chironomus test (NOEC/10) is not fully protective for 4 out of 23 insecticide cases. An assessment on basis of G. pulex (EC(50)/100) is sufficiently protective for 15 out of 19 insecticide cases. The Tier-1 procedure on basis of acute toxicity data (EC(50)/100) for the combination of Daphnia and A. bahia and/or Chironomus (new EU dossier requirements currently under discussion) overall is protective to pulsed insecticide exposures in micro-/mesocosms. For IGRs that affect moulting, the effect assessment on basis of the 48-h Chironomus test (EC(50)/100) may not always be protective enough to replace that of the water-spiked 28-day C. riparius test (NOEC/10) because of latency of effects.

The Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge (Refuge) developed throughout millennia as a system with waters low in nutrients. Today, the Refuge wetlands are impacted by inflows containing elevated nutrient concentrations originating from agricultural sources. Surface water samples were collected monthly at 48 marsh and five canal sites from June, 2004 through May, 2011 and analyzed water quality trends by sampling perimeter, transition, and the interior zones based on distance from the canal towards the Refuge interior. Nutrient, inorganic ion, and C concentrations generally decreased with distance from the canal to the Refuge interior. These water quality parameters also decreased from the canal to the Refuge interior, but less sharply. This finding suggests that there has been less canal water intrusion into the Refuge during the sampling period. The origin of the high Ca and Cl concentrations in canal water is most likely from intrusion of connate seawater into the canal. The reason for the improved water quality from June, 2004 to June 2011 can be attributed to an improved STA1-East performance since 2005. Additionally, canal water that originally by-passed treatment in STA1-East and STA1-West, and flowed into the L-7 canal through the S-6 pump, is now diverted farther south into STA2 for treatment.

The aim of the present study was the estimation of changes in the phytotoxicity of soils amended with sewage sludge with relation to Lepidium sativum, Sinapis alba and Sorghum saccharatum. The study was realised in the system of a plot experiment for a period of 29 months. Samples for analyses were taken at the beginning of the experiment, and then after 5, 17 and 29 months. Two kinds of sewage sludge, with varying properties, were added to a sandy soil (soil S) or a loamy soil (soil L) at the dose of 90 t/ha. The addition of sewage sludge to the soils at the start of the experiment caused a significant reduction of both seed germination capacity and root length of the test plants, the toxic effect being distinctly related to the test plant species. With the passage of time the negative effect of sewage sludge weakened, the extent of its reduction depending both of the kind of sewage sludge applied and on the type of soil. Phytotoxicity of the soils amended with the sewage sludges was significantly lower at the end of the experiment than at the beginning. The species of the plants grown on the soils also had a significant effect on their phytotoxicity. The greatest reduction of toxicity was observed in the soil on which no plants were grown (sandy soil) and in the soil under a culture of willow (loamy soil). Solid phase of sewage sludge-amended soils was characterised by higher toxicity than their extracts.

High phosphorus (P) in surface drainage water from agricultural and urban runoff is the main cause of eutrophication within aquatic systems in South Florida, including the Everglades. While primary sources of P in drainage canals in the Everglades Agricultural Area (EAA) are from land use application of agricultural chemicals and oxidation of the organic soils, internal sources from canal sediments can also affect overall P status in the water column. In this paper, we evaluate P release and equilibrium dynamics from three conveyance canals within the EAA. Incubation and flux experiments were conducted on intact sediment cores collected from four locations within the Miami, West Palm Beach (WPB), and Ocean canal. After three continuous exchanges, Miami canal sediments reported the highest P release (66 ±â€‰37 mg m−2) compared to WPB (13 ±â€‰10 mg m−2) and Ocean (17 ±â€‰11 mg m−2) canal over 84 days. Overall, the P flux from all three canal sediments was highest during the first exchange. Miami canal sediments showed the highest P flux (2.4 ±â€‰1.3 mg m−2 day−1) compared to WPB (0.83 ±â€‰0.39 mg m−2 d−1) and Ocean canal sediments (0.98 ±â€‰0.38 mg m−2 day−1). Low P release from WPB canal sediments despite having high TP content could be due to carbonate layers distributed throughout the sediment column inhibiting P release. Equilibrium P concentrations estimated from the sediment core experiment corresponded to 0.12 ±â€‰0.04 mg L−1, 0.06 ±â€‰0.03 mg L−1, and 0.08 ±â€‰0.03 mg L−1 for Miami, WPB, and Ocean canal sediments, respectively, indicating Miami canal sediments behave as a source of P, while Ocean and WPB canal sediments are in equilibrium with the water column. Overall, the sediments showed a significant positive correlation between P release and total P (r = 0.42), Feox (r = 0.65), and Alox (r = 0.64) content of sediments. The contribution of P from the three main canals sediments within the EAA boundary corresponded to a very small portion of the total P load exiting the EAA. These estimates, however, only take into consideration diffusive fluxes from sediments and no other factors such as canal flow, bioturbation, resuspension, and anaerobic conditions.

Paracetamol is an antipyretic analgesic widely used globally. It has been recurrently found in water bodies and is known to elicit toxic effects in aquatic species; however, its potential ability to induce oxidative stress in sentinel species remains unknown The objective was to establish a methodology to evaluate the toxicity elicited on the sentinel species Hyalella azteca by paracetamol-enriched sediment using oxidative stress tests. Concentrations used in assays were determined using the previously obtained median lethal concentration (72 h LC₅₀). The following oxidative stress biomarkers were evaluated: lipid peroxidation (LPO), protein carbonyl content (PCC) in order to determine oxidized protein content, and the activity of the antioxidant enzymes superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), and glutathione peroxidase (GPX). LPO and PCC increased significantly while SOD, CAT, and GPX decreased significantly (p < 0.05) with respect to controls. Paracetamol induces oxidative stress on H. azteca, and the set of tests employed is helpful in evaluating the toxicity of this group of pharmaceuticals on aquatic species.

This work assesses the use of immobilized humic acid (ImHA) onto aminopropyl silica (APS) as a sorbent for the removal and preconcentration of trace amounts of cobalt ions by on-line solid phase extraction (SPE) technique in the column system prepared in our laboratory. Different parameters, such as the effect of the pH, concentration, and flow rate, were studied and throughput was observed by a UV detector. All SPE steps were monitored by breakthrough curves used to visualize distribution of cobalt concentration between mobile and solid phase. The solutions collected from stripping steps were analyzed in atomic absorption spectrometer (AAS) and the amount of sorbed ions was calculated. Sorption characteristics were evaluated by using common adsorption isotherms and Scatchard plot analysis. From the obtained results, it was seen that sorption mechanism of cobalt ions were fitted to Langmuir model on a large scale and thought to be localized. Mean free energy (E = 40.82 kJ mol⁻¹) calculated from D-R isotherm showed that chemical interactions are more effective than physical interactions. This investigation reveals a new, simple, environmentally friendly, and cost-effective method for removal and preconcentration of cobalt ions from aqueous solutions by a new aminopropyl silica-immobilized humic acid material.

Mercury (Hg) transport was studied in a river in Kobbefjord, near Nuuk in West Greenland, during the 2009 and 2010 summer periods. The river drains an area of 32 km², and the Kobbefjord area is considered representative to low-Arctic West Greenland. The river water origins from both precipitation and melting of small glaciers and annual water discharges for 2009 and 2010 were estimated to be 29 and 26 million m³, respectively. Mean Hg concentrations (±SD) were 0.46 ± 0.17 and 0.26 ± 0.17 ng L⁻¹ for 2009 and 2010. The annual Hg transport was estimated to 14 and 6.4 g, corresponding to a transport rate of 0.45 and 0.20 g Hg km⁻² year⁻¹ from the river basin. The highest Hg concentrations (up to 1.0 ng L⁻¹) and discharges were measured in spring 2009 along with melting of extensive amounts of snow deposited during the 2008–2009 winter period. In contrast, the following 2009–2010 winter period was relatively dry with less snowfall. This indicates that a major fraction of the Hg in this area is likely to come from Hg deposited along with winter precipitation (as wet deposition) released upon snowmelt. Also, the results show that while Hg concentrations were low in Kobbefjord River compared to other sub-Arctic/Arctic rivers, the annual Hg transport rates from the basin area were within the range reported for other sub-Arctic/Arctic areas.

The presence of illicit drugs and their metabolites in surface waters has to be considered a new type of hazard, still unknown, for the aquatic ecosystem, due to the potent pharmacological activities of all the illicit drugs. Our research was therefore aimed at evaluating the impact of illicit drugs on the aquatic fauna, till now still undervalued. To this aim, we verified the ability of the European eel (Anguilla anguilla), a well-known biomonitor of environmental contamination, to bioaccumulate cocaine, one of the most abundant illicit drugs found in surface waters. Silver eels were exposed to a nominal cocaine concentration of 20 ng/l for 1 month; at the same time, control, carrier, and post-exposure recovery groups were made. Brains, gills, liver, kidney, muscle, gonads, spleen, digestive tract, and sections of dorsal skin were assayed by high-pressure liquid chromatography. Cocaine was found in the tissues of the treated eels and, at low concentrations, in almost all tissues of post-exposure recovery eels. These results indicate that cocaine is able to accumulate into the eel tissues; its presence suggests potential risks for eels since cocaine could affect their physiology and contribute to their decline, and for humans consuming contaminated fish.