The role of char nutrients in the biodegradation of coexisting dichlobenil and atrazine in a soil by their respective bacterial degraders, DDN and ADP, was evaluated. Under growing conditions, their degradation in soil extract was slow with <40% and <20% degraded within 64 h, respectively. The degradation in extracts and slurries of char-amended solids increased with increasing char content, due to nutritional stimulation on microbial activities. By supplementing soil extract with various major nutrients, the measured degradation demonstrated that P was the exclusive limiting nutrient. The reduction in the degradation of coexisting dichlobenil and atrazine resulted apparently from the competitive utilization of P by DDN and ADP. With a shorter lag phase, ADP commenced growing earlier than DDN with the advantage of utilizing P first in insufficient supply. This resulted in an inhibition on the growth of DDN and thus suppression on dichlobenil degradation. Competitive utilization of char nutrients by bacterial degraders resulted in the preferential biodegradation of atrazine over dichlobenil in a soil containing a wheat-straw-derived char.

Outliers in urban soil geochemical databases may imply potential contaminated land. Different methodologies which can be easily implemented for the identification of global and spatial outliers were applied for Pb concentrations in urban soils of Galway City in Ireland. Due to its strongly skewed probability feature, a Box-Cox transformation was performed prior to further analyses. The graphic methods of histogram and box-and-whisker plot were effective in identification of global outliers at the original scale of the dataset. Spatial outliers could be identified by a local indicator of spatial association of local Moran's I, cross-validation of kriging, and a geographically weighted regression. The spatial locations of outliers were visualised using a geographical information system. Different methods showed generally consistent results, but differences existed. It is suggested that outliers identified by statistical methods should be confirmed and justified using scientific knowledge before they are properly dealt with. Outliers in urban geochemical databases can be detected to provide guidance for identification of potential contaminated land.

This is the first test of a highly charged swelling mica's (Na-2-mica) ability to reduce the plant-absorbed Cu in Cu-contaminated soils from Chile. Perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.) was grown in two acid soils (Sector 2: pH 4.2, total Cu = 172 mg Cu kg-1 and Sector 3: pH 4.2, total Cu = 112 mg Cu kg-1) amended with 0.5% and 1% (w/w) mica, and 1% (w/w) montmorillonite. At 10 weeks of growth, both mica treatments decreased the shoot Cu of ryegrass grown in Sector 2 producing shoot Cu concentrations above 21-22 mg Cu kg-1 (the phytotoxicity threshold for that species), yet the mica treatments did not reduce shoot Cu concentrations when grown in Sector 3, which were at a typical level. The mica treatments improved shoot growth in Sector 3 by reducing free and extractable Cu to low enough levels where other nutrients could compete for plant absorption and translocation. In addition, the mica treatments improved root growth in both soils, and the 1% mica treatment reduced root Cu in both soils. This swelling mica warrants further testing of its ability to assist re-vegetation and reduce Cu bioavailability in Cu-contaminated surface soils. In situ remediation of Cu-contaminated soils with a synthetic mica (Na-2-mica) will aid in re-vegetative efforts.

PCDD/F and PCB concentrations in remote mountainous spruce stands of the Central European Alps show strong geographic variation. Independent of the matrix (0.5 year old needles, humus or mineral soil), the highest pollutant levels were always found at the lateral zones of the mountain range. High levels coincided with strong precipitation, particularly along the northern margin of the study region. The most volatile PCB congener propagated farther into the colder, drier central Alps than the heavier species. Matrices with different accumulation history (needles and humus) repeatedly reflected different spatial immission patterns. Consistent with its much longer exposure, pollutant levels in humus exceeded those of needles by up to two orders of magnitude. Needle contamination varied with altitude but the vertical trends were highly variable between transsects and changed between years, too. Dioxin-like pollution of forests in the Alps shows strong geographic variation.

The Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) was calibrated for hydrology conditions in an agricultural watershed of Orestimba Creek, California, and applied to simulate fate and transport of two organophosphate pesticides chlorpyrifos and diazinon. The model showed capability in evaluating pesticide fate and transport processes in agricultural fields and instream network. Management-oriented sensitivity analysis was conducted by applied stochastic SWAT simulations for pesticide distribution. Results of sensitivity analysis identified the governing processes in pesticide outputs as surface runoff, soil erosion, and sedimentation in the study area. By incorporating sensitive parameters in pesticide transport simulation, effects of structural best management practices (BMPs) in improving surface water quality were demonstrated by SWAT modeling. This study also recommends conservation practices designed to reduce field yield and in-stream transport capacity of sediment, such as filter strip, grassed waterway, crop residue management, and tailwater pond to be implemented in the Orestimba Creek watershed. Selected structural BMPs are recommended for reducing loads of OP pesticides.

With the aim of understanding the origin of acid rains in South China, we analyzed rainwaters collected from Guangzhou, China, between March 2005 and February 2006. The pH of rainwater collected during the monitoring period varied from 4.22 to 5.87; acid rain represented about 94% of total precipitation during this period. The rainwater was characterized by high concentrations of SO42-, NO3-, Ca2+, and NH4+. SO42- and NO3-, the main precursors of acid rain, were related to the combustion of coal and fertilizer use/traffic emissions, respectively. Ca2+ and NH4+ act as neutralizers of acid, accounting for the decoupling between high SO42- concentrations and relatively high pH in the Guangzhou precipitation. The acid rain in Guangzhou is most pronounced during spring and summer. A comparison with acid precipitation in other Chinese cities reveals a decreasing neutralization capacity from north to south, probably related to the role and origin of alkaline bases in precipitation. A north-to-south decreasing trend in the neutralization capacity of precipitation in China.

This work summarizes the results of a study of atmospheric wet and dry deposition fluxes of Deisopropyl-atrazine (DEA), Desethyl-atrazine (DET), Atrazine, Terbuthylazine, Alachlor, Metolachlor, Diflufenican, Fenoxaprop-p-ethyl, Iprodione, Isoproturon and Cymoxanil pesticides conducted in Strasbourg, France, from August 2000 through August 2001. The primary objective of this work was to calculate the total atmospheric pesticide deposition fluxes induced by atmospheric particles. To do this, a modified one-dimensional cloud water deposition model was used. All precipitation and deposition samples were collected at an urban forested park environment setting away from any direct point pesticide sources. The obtained deposition fluxes induced by atmospheric particles over a forested area showed that the dry deposition flux strongly contributes to the total deposition flux. The dry particle deposition fluxes are shown to contribute from 4% (DET) to 60% (cymoxanil) to the total deposition flux (wet + dry). A modified one-dimensional cloud water deposition model is used to estimate the deposition fluxes of pesticides in the particle phase and compare the relative importance of dry and wet depositions.

[Departement_IRSTEA]Ecotechnologies [TR1_IRSTEA]TED [Axe_IRSTEA]TED-EPURE [TR2_IRSTEA]BELCA | International audience | In urban catchments, diffuse stormwater discharges from both separate and combined sewers contribute significantly to the contamination of water bodies by numerous pollutants, including the priority substances listed in the European Water Framework Directive. Whereas concentrations and loads of traditional pollutants (suspended solids, BOD, COD, nutriments) in stormwater discharges are well documented, very few information is available on the presence, the concentrations and the loads of priority substances. The ESPRIT project aims to identify, evaluate, characterise and later on model fluxes of priority pollutants in urban stormwater discharges. Two sites were chosen for measurement campaigns: Ecully (residential site, combined sewer) and Chassieu (industrial site, separate sewer). In total, 26 metals and 36 organic pollutants (in particulate and dissolved phases) are measured in stormwater discharges at the catchment outlets. Some results obtained for a set of rainfall events monitored since the beginning of 2008 are presented. Significant inter-site and inter-event variability in concentrations and specific fluxes (g/active ha) are observed for metals and organics pollutants, particularly for pesticides.