Purpose The performance of nature reserves depends on the degree to which they represent a region's full biodiversity. Here, we conducted a study on Hainan Island, China, to assess how well Hainan's biodiversity features were captured by existing nature reserves. We also explored the driving forces behind the current protection pattern so as to provide guidelines for improving the island's conservation system. Methods We integrated the information on nature reserves, ecological variables, and human activities into a spatial database, then assessed the performance of nature reserves in representing natural variation, vegetation types, and species, and examined the impacts of human activities and land ownership on the current protection pattern. Results About 8.4% of Hainan Island was protected by nature reserves; the coverage was geographically biased toward its central mountainous areas with higher elevation, rugged terrain, and fertile soils. We found that 60% of the environmental units and 39.4% of the natural vegetation types had more than 10% of their area protected, respectively. Lowlands tended to have higher animal species richness, and the protection for endangered species was less efficient. Nature reserve coverage was negatively correlated with amount of converted habitats, human population density, and road density, and 82.4% of the total reserved area was allocated on state-owned land. Conclusions Nature reserve coverage was not enough to capture lowlands biodiversity features. The current protection pattern was significantly driven by several major conservation targets, human development, planning methods, and land ownership. To improve its conservation system, Hainan should enhance protection in the north and northeast plains and coastal regions, implement systematic planning approaches to define clear visions for guiding future conservation actions, and develop flexible management and funding mechanisms toward sustainable use of natural resources.

Introduction The application of response surface methodology is presented for optimizing the removal of U ions from aqueous solutions using Padina sp., a brown marine algal biomass. Methods Box-Wilson central composite design was employed to assess individual and interactive effects of the four main parameters (pH and initial uranium concentration in solutions, contact time and temperature) on uranium uptake. Results and discussion Response surface analysis showed that the data were adequately fitted to second-order polynomial model. Analysis of variance showed a high coefficient of determination value (R ² = 0.9746) and satisfactory second-order regression model was derived. Conclusion The optimum pH and initial uranium concentration in solutions, contact time and temperature were found to be 4.07, 778.48 mg/l, 74.31 min, and 37.47°C, respectively. Maximized uranium uptake was predicted and experimentally validated. The equilibrium data for biosorption of U onto the Padina sp. were well represented by the Langmuir isotherm, giving maximum monolayer adsorption capacity as high as 376.73 mg/g.

Background aim and scope The objective of the study was to determine the effects of ca. 35 years of pesticide contamination (pesticide dump--PD) of Lake Szeląg Wielki (located in the north-eastern Poland) on changes in the microbial communities of aquatic ecosystems. In the years 2008-2009, analyses were carried out for seasonal changes in the quantity and composition of bacterioplankton in the lake examined, which is of high significance to the tourism and fishing industries and is located in the vicinity of an area subjected to reclamation after a pesticide dump. Methods Bacterioplankton composition was assayed by fluorescence in situ hybridisation technique for the contribution of major groups of the Bacteria domain: ά-, β- and γ-Proteobacteria, Cytophaga-Flavobacterium and Actinobacteria as well as bacteria capable of degrading pesticides in an aquatic environment--Pseudomonas spp. Seasonal patterns of the total number of bacteria were determined by direct counting of 4′,6-diamidino-2-phenylindole (DAPI)-stained cells. Results The percentage of the detected Eubacteria (EUB 338 probe) relative to all the DAPI-stained bacteria in Lake Szeląg Wielki ranged from 46% to 63%. Bacteria capable of degrading pesticides in an aquatic environment--Pseudomonas spp.--were identified with a highly specific probe PEA 998. The highest mean values of this parameter reached 5.1%. In the spring, Pseudomonas spp. bacteria accounted for up to 80% of all Gamma-Proteobacteria microbes. Conclusion The study showed that the qualitative and quantitative changes in the bacterioplankton of the lake can be characterised by tendencies which are typical of a eutrophic water reservoir. However, a higher contribution of microorganisms capable of degrading sparingly degradable, toxic compounds and pesticides was determined in bacterioplankton from the PD-contaminated lake, as compared to microbial communities of a lake not contaminated with pesticides.

BACKGROUND AND SCOPE: Effect-directed analysis is increasingly used for the identification of key toxicants in environmental samples and there is a growing need for in vivo biotests as diagnostic tools. Within this study, we performed an in vivo sediment contact test, applicable on both native field samples and their extracts or fractions, in order to be able to compare the results from both field and laboratory studies. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A sediment contact test with the prosobranch snail, Potamopyrgus antipodarum, was carried out on extracts and fractions of field sediments from three European river basins. The results were compared with previous results of the native field samples. RESULTS: In contrast to the native sediments, the extracts of the samples led to an overall decrease in reproduction. Even the chosen reference sites had an adverse effect on the snails' reproduction. It appeared that a higher bioavailability in the organic extracts, together with a changing composition of compounds could have lead to this change in effects. The fractionation of the extracts partly led to a more differentiated picture, but the resolution was not high enough to see any distinct effects on the snails' reproduction. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: Our results highlight the importance of the use of in vivo biotests and point out the relevance of bioavailability in native sediments. For further fractionation studies, a more realistic extraction procedure, together with a higher resolution fractionation, would be appropriate in order to separate individual bioavailable compounds more efficient.

INTRODUCTION: Through leaching experiments and simulated rainfall experiments, characteristics of vertical leaching of exogenous rare earth elements (REEs) and phosphorus (P) and their losses with surface runoff during simulated rainfall in different types of soils (terra nera soil, cinnamon soil, red soil, loess soil, and purple soil) were investigated. RESULTS AND ANALYSES: Results of the leaching experiments showed that vertical transports of REEs and P were relatively low, with transport depths less than 6 cm. The vertical leaching rates of REEs and P in the different soils followed the order of purple soil > terra nera soil > red soil > cinnamon soil > loess soil. Results of the simulated rainfall experiments (83 mm h⁻¹) revealed that more than 92% of REEs and P transported with soil particles in runoff. CONCLUSION: The loss rates of REEs and P in surface runoff in the different soil types were in the order of loess soil > terra nera soil > cinnamon soil > red soil > purple soil. The total amounts of losses of REEs and P in runoff were significantly correlated.

Background and aim Many rivers have to receive treated or untreated wastewater as the main water sources in the world, especially in the countries facing with water shortage. For instance, the Haihe and Huaihe River Basin, which are among areas facing crises for water resources in China, receive 33,400 million tons of wastewater per year. As the sediment has large capacity for sorbing hydrophobic organic pollutants such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), it can act as a natural repository for the contaminants. This means pollutants can release into water phase again under some conditions, such as resuspension, sediment dredging, etc. The objective of this research was to study the trends of PAH release from sediments in rivers receiving much wastewater, such as Yongding New River (YD), Northsewer (NS), and Southsewer (SS) from Haihe River Basin. These rivers received most of the wastewater from Tianjin, China and merge into Bohai Bay finally. Methods Sediments (namely YD, NS, and SS) were collected from Yongding New River, Northsewer, and Southsewer, respectively. The physical and chemical properties of the sediments, including particle size distribution, total organic carbon (TOC) and black carbon (BC) contents, elemental compositions, organic functional groups analyzed from Fourier transformed infrared (FTIR), and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectra, were characterized. PAH desorption from the sediments was measured with the Tenax shaken slurry desorption method. Results The NS sediment had a greatly higher TOC and BC contents, while lower BC-to-TOC ratio than YD and SS sediments. NMR and FTIR analysis showed that aliphatic carbons were more abundant in NS sediment than SS sediment. The desorption experiments showed that PAHs desorbed more rapidly from YD and NS sediments than from SS sediment. PAH fraction desorbed after each interval during the experiment except 0.8 day was significantly correlated with PAH properties among all the three sediments. Discussion The higher BC-to-TOC ratio in SS sediment corresponded to slower desorption rate and less desorption extent of PAHs from SS sediment among the three sediments. This probably could be explained by the extremely strong sorption ability of BC. It also proved that the sequestration of PAHs in sediment was not simply the result of higher organic carbon content. Conclusions Considering the physical and chemical characterization of the sediments and PAH desorption properties comprehensively, BC-to-TOC ratio was a more important factor controlling the behavior of PAHs in sediments than absolute TOC or BC content.

The potential RDX contamination of food chain from polluted soil is a significant concern in regards to both human health and environment. Using a hydroponic system and selected soils spiked with RDX, this study disclosed that four crop plant species maize (Zea mays), sorghum (Sorghum sudanese), wheat (Triticum aestivum), and soybean (Glycine max) were capable of RDX uptake with more in aerial parts than roots. The accumulation of RDX in the plant tissue is concentration-dependent up to 21 mg RDX/L solution or 100 mg RDX/kg soil but not proportionally at higher RDX levels from 220 to 903 mg/kg soil. While wheat plant tissue harbored the highest RDX concentration of 2,800 μg per gram dry biomass, maize was able to remove a maximum of 3,267 μg RDX from soil per pot by five 4-week plants at 100 mg/kg of soil. Although RDX is toxic to plants, maize, sorghum, and wheat showed reasonable growth in the presence of the chemical, whereas soybeans were more sensitive to RDX. Results of this study facilitate assessment of the potential invasion of food chain by RDX-contaminated soils.

In the present work, two types of artificial neural network (NN) models using the multilayer perceptron (MLP) and the radial basis function (RBF) techniques, as well as a model based on principal component regression analysis (PCRA), are employed to forecast hourly PM₁₀ concentrations in four urban areas (Larnaca, Limassol, Nicosia and Paphos) in Cyprus. The model development is based on a variety of meteorological and pollutant parameters corresponding to the 2-year period between July 2006 and June 2008, and the model evaluation is achieved through the use of a series of well-established evaluation instruments and methodologies. The evaluation reveals that the MLP NN models display the best forecasting performance with R ² values ranging between 0.65 and 0.76, whereas the RBF NNs and the PCRA models reveal a rather weak performance with R ² values between 0.37-0.43 and 0.33-0.38, respectively. The derived MLP models are also used to forecast Saharan dust episodes with remarkable success (probability of detection ranging between 0.68 and 0.71). On the whole, the analysis shows that the models introduced here could provide local authorities with reliable and precise predictions and alarms about air quality if used on an operational basis.

Background, aim and scope This paper presents a preliminary study of the water profile with reference to microbiological parameters, required by Directive 2006/07/EC (European Community 2006) concerning the management of bathing water quality, in the coastal belt of the Province of Venice (Italy, Northern Adriatic Sea). A historical database has been implemented with monitoring data for the period 2000-2006 (data on rivers, bathing and marine coastal waters and on the characterization of Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP) discharges) from the institutional activity of Veneto Regional Environmental Prevention and Protection Agency (ARPAV). An integrated areal analysis for the microbiological investigation of homogeneous stretches along the coast of the Province of Venice was performed for a preliminary characterization of the bathing water profile considering water quality status and existing pressure sources. Materials and methods ARPAV is the institutional body responsible for environmental monitoring and control activities. Data were produced from monitoring and controls made available by the Regional Environmental Informative System and extracted and elaborated for the period of interest (2000−2006). Sampling and analysis of microbiological parameters were executed following the official Italian methods in accordance with international procedures (APHA et al. 1998). For the purpose of this study, the coast was divided into eight stretches, which were considered to be homogeneous according to their physical and geographical characteristics. An ANOVA statistical assessment has been performed on stretches I, V and VIII. Results and discussion From the integrated areal analysis of microbiological parameters in the homogeneous stretches along the coast of all the investigated matrices, high mean levels of faecal contamination were found in some cases. The most critical situation amongst the stretches evaluated is to be found in stretch VIII--Ca' Roman, Sottomarina and Isola Verde shores (Southern part of the Province). These results can be widely attributed to pressure sources from the Brenta and Adige rivers, rather than to local contributions. Stretches VI and VII, which correspond to the area from Punta Sabbioni (Cavallino shore N-E) to the Pellestrina shore (S-W), present the best conditions for faecal contamination parameters (low pollution levels). These situations can probably be explained given that WWTPs 7 and 8 have two submarine outfalls at a distance of about 4 km from the coastline and therefore a discharge point which is distant from the bathing and marine coastal monitoring stations; there are also no river mouths in these two stretches. Due to lack of data, it was not possible to implement seasonal assessments. Conclusions This study aimed to develop an integrated areal analysis for biological parameters along the coast over the period 2000-2006 for the identified homogeneous stretches in order to develop a preliminary approach for the characterization of the water profile, as requested by directive 2006/7/EC. From the integrated analysis of the stretches, it is evident that in some cases there are high levels of faecal contamination along the coast which can be caused by river flows which heavily condition the quality of coastal waters as verified with the statistical assessment. Recommendations and perspectives From the preliminary analysis, the submarine outfalls seem to be the best solution to guarantee good bathing water quality on the coast. Nevertheless, it must be observed that this solution cannot overlook the possible impact of the discharges on seawaters intended for a specific use, such as mussel farms with reference to coastal hydrodynamics. Therefore, a sound wastewater dispersion analysis on the discharges of the WWTPs for the identification of the interested area and the level of contamination must be performed; a modelling study on pollution dispersion is complementary to this study (Scroccaro et al. 2009). This analysis highlights the critical stretches as being numbers II and, above all, VIII with particular correlation with the main river mouths. Thus, it is evident that the issue of microbiological impact must be studied following a river basin approach according to the influence of river loads on coastal areas.

INTRODUCTION: The influence of sintering temperature on the physico-mechanical characteristics (such as water absorption, apparent porosity, bulk density, weight loss on ignition, firing shrinkage, and compressive strength), leachability, and microstructure of shale brick containing oil well-derived drilling waste (DW) was investigated. METHODS: The experiments were conducted at a temperature ranging from 950°C to 1,050°C with 30% DW addition. RESULTS: The results indicate that increasing the sintering temperature decreases the water absorption and apparent porosity and increases the shrinkage, density, and compressive strength of sintered specimens. Moreover, the physico-mechanical properties of samples sintered at 1,050°C meet the requirements of the MU20 according to GB/T 5101-2003 (in China). The heavy metal concentrations of the leachate are much lower than the current regulatory limits according to GB16889-2008. CONCLUSION: The results from XRD and SEM show that increasing sintering temperature results in an increase of the high temperature liquid phase, which may have a significant effect on the densification process of the samples.