scholarly journals Vegetation and Environmental Changes on Contaminated Soil Formed on Waste from an Historic Zn-Pb Ore-Washing Plant

Biology ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (12) ◽  
pp. 1242
Author(s):  
Oimahmad Rahmonov ◽  
Jerzy Cabała ◽  
Robert Krzysztofik
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Changes ◽  
Scattered Electron ◽  
Potentially Toxic Metals ◽  
Prunus Spinosa ◽  
Anthropogenic Habitat ◽  
Investigation Period ◽  
High Concentrations ◽  
Spectroscopy Studies ◽  
Geochemical Studies ◽  
Pedogenic Processes

Post-mining waste from Zn-Pb ore exploitation undergoes processes of spontaneous succession and changes in soil chemical composition. The Zakawie area was industrially transformed by historical mining activity, ore enrichment, and the metallurgical processing of Zn-Pb ore. The subject of the study was to analyse the rate of vegetation succession (from 1999 to 2019), soil chemistry, and the relationships between them in an anthropogenic habitat with high concentrations of potentially toxic metals. Ecological and geochemical studies were carried out in an area contaminated with waste from a disused Zn-Pb ore-washing plant. Between 1999 and 2019, the transformation of grassland and meadow vegetation into scrub and forest–grassland communities was observed. This transformation led to a decrease in the area of Molinietum caeruleae meadow (from 25.8% in 1999 to 10.7% in 2019), whose place was taken by Prunus spinosa and Rhamnus cathartica. The community of xerothermic limestone grasslands completely disappeared, being replaced in favour of the Diantho-Armerietum and Prunus spinosa community. In this period, the share of lifeforms of plants and species composition (46 and 60, respectively) also changed. The Shannon and Simpson biodiversity index reached high values in the second investigation period, and it was 0.893 and 0.86, respectively. The anthrosols had a high content of Zn—85,360 mg kg−1, Pb—28,300 mg kg−1, Cd—340 mg kg−1, and As—1200 mg kg−1. Carbonates, clay minerals, and fe-oxides are predominant in the mineral composition of the rhizosphere; the metal-bearing phases are stable; and hardly soluble minerals include smithsonite, cerussite, monheimite, hemimorphite, and oxides of Fe and Fe-Mn. Mineralisation/crust processes formed on the epidermis, and their influences on root development were found. Scanning electron microscopy and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy studies on rhizosphere soil components provide information on the type of minerals and their susceptibility to heavy metals release. The identification of some biotic and mineral structures in rhizospheres can be an interesting source of information on pedogenic processes identified in back-scattered electron images.

Potentially toxic metals and metalloids in surface water intended for human consumption and other uses in the Mantaro River watershed, Peru

2020 ◽  
Vol 15 (No. 4) ◽  
pp. 237-245
Author(s):  
María Custodio ◽  
Daniel Álvarez ◽  
Walter Cuadrado ◽  
Raúl Montalvo ◽  
Salomé Ochoa
Keyword(s):  
Surface Water ◽  
Toxic Metals ◽  
Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometry ◽  
Water Bodies ◽  
Human Consumption ◽  
Potentially Toxic Metals ◽  
Metals And Metalloids ◽  
Flame Atomic Absorption ◽  
Mine Wastewater ◽  
High Concentrations

The concentration of Cu, Fe, Pb, Zn and As in the surface water intended for human consumption and other uses in the Mantaro River basin were analysed using multivariate methods. The water samples were collected from seven water bodies in the Junín region in June 2019, in the low discharge period. In each body of water, a sector with six sampling sites was established. The Cu, Fe, Pb, Zn and As contents were determined by the flame atomic absorption spectrophotometry method. The correlation analysis revealed positive and significant correlations (P < 0.05) for the Zn/Pb, Pb/Fe and Zn/Fe pairs with a good association, higher than 0.80 and for the Pb/Cu, Fe/Cu, As/Pb and As/Zn pairs a weak degree of association (P < 0.05). The analysis of the main components showed three components with their own values > 1. The hierarchical grouping analysis classified the evaluated water bodies into three groups according to the concentration of the Cu, Fe, Pb, Zn and As. The high concentrations of heavy metals and arsenic recorded in the CIMIRM and MERIS irrigation channels reveal that the Mantaro River continues to be a sink for mine wastewater discharges and runoff from mining liabilities at the headwaters of the Mantaro basin. It is, therefore, necessary to implement urgent management policies to control and reduce the levels of contamination by potentially toxic metals and metalloids in the Mantaro River.

scholarly journals Small-angle X-ray (SAXS) and Raman spectroscopy studies of biot-CMG(2)-DOPE quasicrystalline phases

2021 ◽  
Vol 2058 (1) ◽  
pp. 012018
Author(s):  
A M Maslennikov ◽  
A V Zalygin ◽  
E V Shtykova ◽  
N V Bovin ◽  
V A Oleinikov
Keyword(s):  
Raman Spectroscopy ◽  
Self Assembly ◽  
Liquid Crystalline ◽  
Structural Data ◽  
Quasicrystalline Phase ◽  
Saxs Data ◽  
X Ray ◽  
Structured System ◽  
High Concentrations ◽  
Spectroscopy Studies

Abstract Neoglycolipids due to their amphiphilic properties exhibit self-assembly in aqueous phases. In high concentrations the liquid crystalline or gel phases may form. So-called soft-material are a subject of interest of many scientists especially as biosensors and wound healing materials. In this study we examine the structure of a quasicrystalline phase of biot-CMG(2)-DOPE obtained at the concentration of 150 mg/ml (13wt.%) in PBS. The structural data such as interplanar spacing, order parameter and long-range order were obtained by SAXS, while the changes in chemical structure were studied by Raman spectroscopy. It was also in our interest to examine a correlation between the ionic strength and the self-assembly, so we also studied a similar quasicrystalline phase of the same compound but in a buffer containing CaCl2 at the concentration of 4wt.%. According to SAXS data, FSL-biotin construct formed a complex ordered phase consisting of overlapping latices of different kind. The addition of CaCl2 into PBS resulted in obtaining a more structured system demonstrating cubic-like crystal lattice. Change in peak intensities on Raman spectrums of -C-H- and -C-C- bonds vibrations explained the change in phase properties.

scholarly journals Influence of short-term synoptic events and snow depth on DMS, DMSP, and DMSO dynamics in Antarctic spring sea ice

Elem Sci Anth ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 4 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gauthier Carnat ◽  
Frédéric Brabant ◽  
Isabelle Dumont ◽  
Martin Vancoppenolle ◽  
Stephen F. Ackley ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sea Ice ◽  
Snow Cover ◽  
Environmental Changes ◽  
Sulfur Compounds ◽  
Cold Spell ◽  
Short Term ◽  
High Concentrations ◽  
Spring Sea Ice ◽  
Surface Ice ◽  
Brine Salinity

Abstract Temporal changes in the concentration profiles of dimethylsulfide (DMS), dimethylsulfoniopropionate (DMSP), and dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO) were measured in pack ice from the Bellingshausen Sea (Antarctica) during the winter-spring transition of 2007. Two sites with contrasting snow and ice thicknesses were sampled, with high concentrations of DMS, DMSP, and DMSO observed at both sites, especially in surface ice. These high concentrations were shown to correspond to the development of a surface ice microalgal community dominated by strong DMSP producers (flagellates and dinoflagellates) following flooding of the ice cover. Several short-term synoptic events were observed and shown to influence strongly the dynamics of sea ice DMS, DMSP, and DMSO. In particular, a cold spell event was associated with drastic changes in the environmental conditions for the sea ice microbial communities and to a remarkable increase in the production of dimethylated sulfur compounds at both sites. A good correlation between all dimethylated sulfur compounds, sea ice temperature, and brine salinity suggested that the observed increase was triggered mainly by increased thermal and osmotic stresses on microalgal cells. Atmospheric forcing, by controlling sea ice temperature and hence the connectivity and instability of the brine network, was also shown to constrain the transfer of dimethylated sulfur compounds in the ice towards the ocean via brine drainage. Analysis of the two contrasting sampling sites shed light on the key role played by the snow cover in the sea ice DMS cycle. Thicker snow cover, by insulating the underlying sea ice, reduced the amplitude of environmental changes associated with the cold spell, leading to a weaker physiological response and DMS, DMSP, and DMSO production. Thicker snow also hampered the development of steep gradients in sea ice temperature and brine salinity, thereby decreasing the potential for the release of dimethylated sulfur compounds to the ocean via brine drainage.

scholarly journals Long-Term Environmental Monitoring in an Arctic Lake Polluted by Metals under Climate Change

Environments ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (5) ◽  
pp. 34 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elena M. Zubova ◽  
Nikolay A. Kashulin ◽  
Vladimir A. Dauvalter ◽  
Dmitry B. Denisov ◽  
Svetlana A. Valkova ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Changes ◽  
Biotic Interactions ◽  
Aquatic Organisms ◽  
Polluted Water ◽  
Ecological Niches ◽  
Murmansk Region ◽  
Large Populations ◽  
High Concentrations ◽  
Taxonomic Groups

Lake Kuetsjarvi (in the lower reaches of the Pasvik River, Murmansk Region, Russia) in the border area between Russia and Norway, is one of the most polluted water reservoirs in the European Arctic. The operation of the Pechenganikel Smelter located on its shores has led to the extremely high concentrations of heavy metals observed in the waters and sediments of the lake. Long-term comprehensive studies of the ecosystem of Lake Kuetsjarvi have made it possible to identify the response of its components to the global and regional change in the environment and climate as a whole, resulting in increased water toxicity and eutrophication, reduction in the number of stenobiont species of aquatic organisms against the background of an increase in the number of eurybiontic and invasive species. Modern communities of Lake Kuetsjarvi are the result of a combination of long-term changes in the abiotic environment and biotic interactions. Heavy-metal pollution of Lake Kuetsjarvi, observed since the 1930s, has led to the formation of a community that is resistant to this type of impact and supports large populations of adapted species. Adaptations of communities to the dynamics of the environmental conditions that their members are exposed to include changes in the species composition, quantitative indicators, ratios between individual taxonomic groups, and the population structure. The development of sympatric forms that differ in the ecological niches they occupy, morphology, and life cycle strategies, including the transition to a short-cycle survival strategy, allows whitefish to remain the dominant species and maintain high population numbers. Unlike the organismal level, responses to medium-term environmental changes on the population and community level are less specific and characterized by stronger inertia.

Inferring sockeye salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka) population dynamics and water quality changes in a stained nursery lake over the past ∼500 years

2004 ◽  
Vol 61 (7) ◽  
pp. 1235-1246 ◽  
Author(s):  
Irene Gregory-Eaves ◽  
Bruce P Finney ◽  
Marianne SV Douglas ◽  
John P Smol
Keyword(s):  
Population Dynamics ◽  
Sockeye Salmon ◽  
Environmental Changes ◽  
Oncorhynchus Nerka ◽  
The Past ◽  
The North ◽  
Salmon Population ◽  
High Concentrations ◽  
The North Pacific ◽  
Multiproxy Approach

Historical and paleolimnological studies have demonstrated that environmental changes in the North Pacific can strongly affect sockeye salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka) abundances. Whether these marine shifts would be influential on sockeye salmon from all lake types, however, has not yet been studied. This study represents the first paleolimnological analysis of past sockeye salmon population dynamics in a stained nursery lake (Packers Lake, Alaska). We adopted a multiproxy approach to determine whether salmon-derived nutrients (inferred from δ15N) would be available for algal uptake (inferred from the diatom species responses) in this stained lake, as high concentrations of humics and iron are known to sequester phosphorus. The strong degree of coherency between δ15N and diatoms, however, suggests that salmon-derived nutrients were bioavailable and enhanced productivity. Overall, our indicators responded to changes in sockeye salmon abundances and volcanic ashfalls over the past ∼500 years. In a section of the core unaffected by tephras (AD ∼1770–1882), our record suggests that the number of sockeye salmon spawners fluctuated widely. Comparison of temporal shifts in inferred sockeye salmon abundances from Packers Lake with other clearwater nursery lakes reveals a broadly consistent pattern, likely influenced by past climatic changes.

scholarly journals Impurity Distributions In Ice Under Different Environmental Conditions

1990 ◽  
Vol 14 ◽  
pp. 362 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eric Wolff ◽  
Robert Mulvaney
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Changes ◽  
Ice Core ◽  
Sea Salt ◽  
Contributory Factor ◽  
Triple Junctions ◽  
Formative Stage ◽  
Quantitative Results ◽  
High Concentrations ◽  
The University ◽  
The Antarctic

We have shown previously (Mulvaney and others, 1988; Wolff and others, 1988) that some of the impurities in ice are localised. For samples from Dolleman Island in the Antarctic Peninsula, sulphuric acid was found at very high concentrations at the triple junctions (where three grains meet). No such localisation was found for sea salt elements, which are the other major soluble impurity. We believe that the acid is sufficiently concentrated at ice-sheet temperatures to remain liquid, forming a network of sub-micron veins through the ice. We used a scanning electron microscope (SEM) fitted with an X-ray microanalysis system and a cold stage that holds samples below −160°C. Located at the University of Lancaster, the instrument allows frozen samples to be investigated with elemental analysis carried out at a resolution of the order of 1 micron. Further experiments have yielded similar results for other samples from the same ice core. However, we have not yet found a method of cutting and cooling the samples that gives quantitatively reproducible data, so that it is too early to say what proportion of the acid in the sample is at the triple junctions. Nonetheless, we have now also seen S at several triple junctions in ice from Site G in central Greenland. The sample includes part of the material from the 1783 Laki volcanic eruption. We have still to look at samples from other sites, but are reassured that the positive result is not confined to one ice core. This work, still at a formative stage, has posed some important questions: (1) For us there is the technical question of how we obtain reproducible quantitative results. (2) How widespread is the phenomenon, and how much of the acid is at triple junctions? This is the next phase of studies at Lancaster, and is likely to include a study of older ice, and of temperate ice. (3) Why is the acid at triple junctions, and why is sea salt not found there? This must be due to processes in the atmosphere or snowpack, and is likely to be related to the eutectic temperatures of impurity/water mixtures. Thus the distribution may influenced by changes in climate or chemistry. For instance, Wisconsin-age ice in Greenland is neutral, any acid having reacted with alkali dusts. How did this affect the impurity distribution? (4) If the distribution does change as a result of a changed environment, does this affect the physical properties of the ice itself? In particular, is the presence or absence of liquid at the junctions a contributory factor to the changes in rheology between Wisconsin and Holocene ice? We are far into the realms of speculation here, but this does have the potential to be an interesting long-timescale feedback to climatic and environmental changes.

ZrO2 Nanopowders Doped with Eu: SEM, XRD and UV Spectroscopy Studies

2012 ◽  
Vol 1371 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gerardo Villa Sánchez ◽  
Demetrio Mendoza Anaya ◽  
Emmanuel Palma Palma ◽  
Claudia E. Gutiérrez Wing ◽  
Raúl Pérez Hernández ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Uv Spectroscopy ◽  
Radiation Detectors ◽  
The Novel ◽  
X Ray Diffraction ◽  
X Ray ◽  
Zirconia Nanopowders ◽  
Crystallographic Characteristics ◽  
Solar Uv ◽  
High Concentrations ◽  
Spectroscopy Studies

ABSTRACTZirconia nanopowders doped with different concentrations of Eu were prepared by the solgel method followed by a thermal treatment at 500°C. Morphological and crystallographic characteristics were studied by scanning electron microscopy, X-Ray diffraction and UV spectroscopoy. Results showed a modification of the size of nanopowder particles when the concentration of Eu is increased from 0.0 to 4.0 wt%. Also, at lower concentration of Eu the tetragonal ZrO2 is the most abundant phase while high concentrations of Eu lead to the formation of the monoclinic phase. The UV spectroscopy of ZrO2 samples shows two main absorption peaks at 228 and 214 nm. The novel characteristics of the ZrO2 nanopowders doped with Eu allow us to propose them for use as solar UV radiation detectors.

scholarly journals Study of carbon dioxide electrochemical reduction in flow cell system using copper modified boron-doped diamond

2020 ◽  
Vol 211 ◽  
pp. 03011
Author(s):  
Salsabila Zahran Ilyasa ◽  
Prastika Krisma Jiwanti ◽  
Munawar Khalil ◽  
Yasuaki Einaga ◽  
Tribidasari Anggraningrum Ivandini
Keyword(s):  
Electrochemical Reduction ◽  
Environmental Changes ◽  
Catalytic Properties ◽  
Flow Cell ◽  
Cell System ◽  
Boron Doped Diamond ◽  
Faradaic Efficiency ◽  
Bdd Electrode ◽  
Boron Doped ◽  
High Concentrations

High concentrations of CO2 in the atmosphere may cause climate and environmental changes. Therefore, various research has been extensively performed to reduce CO2 by converting CO2 directly into hydrocarbons. In this research, CO2 electrochemical reduction was studied using boron-doped diamond (BDD) modified with copper nanoparticles to improve BDD electrodes’ catalytic properties. The deposition was performed by chronoamperometry technique at a potential of -0.6 V (vs. Ag/AgCl) and characterized using SEM, EDS, XPS, and cyclic voltammetry (CV). CO2 electrochemical reduction on BDD and Cu-BDD was carried out at -1.5 V (vs. Ag/AgCl) for 60 minutes. The products were analyzed using HPLC and GC. The product was mainly formic acid with a concentration of 11.33 mg/L and 33% faradaic efficiency on a Cu-BDD electrode.

scholarly journals The Late Pleistocene soils as indicators of the impact of environmental changes on development of pedogenic processes (the study case from the Kryva Luka site, Donetsk area)

2019 ◽  
Vol 28 (2) ◽  
pp. 262-274
Author(s):  
N. P. Gerasimenko ◽  
І. P. Koval’chuk
Keyword(s):  
Late Pleistocene ◽  
Environmental Changes ◽  
Soil Types ◽  
Forest Composition ◽  
Morphological Description ◽  
Last Interglacial ◽  
Upper Pleistocene ◽  
Short Period ◽  
Pedogenic Processes ◽  
The Impact

The aim of this paper is to reveal connections between Upper Pleistocene soil types and the vegetation, which existed during their formation. Palaeovegetation was reconstructed on the basis of pollen analysis, whereas morphological description of palaeosols and the data from their laboratory study (grain-size and bulk chemical analyses, contents of Corg., CaCO3 and dry salts) were used to reconstruct palaeopedological processes. The Kryva Luka sedimentary sequence was accumulated in a deep palaeogully (the incision of which occurred in early Kaydaky times), where, as a result of high sedimentation rates, welldeveloped Upper Pleistocene pedocomplexes formed, on one hand, and very good preservation of pollen was thus guaranteed. Several phases of soil development occurred in Kaydaky, Pryluky and Vytachiv times (the Ukrainian Quaternary framework), all represented in the section by individual palaeosols, separated by loess-like beds, or by erosional surfaces. The data collected demonstrates a cyclic pattern of short-period palaeoenvironmental changes during the Late Pleistocene. The last interglacial is related by paleopedological and pollen data to the Kaydaky unit. The pre-temperate stage of the interglacial is revealed in the gully deposits of subunit ‘kd1a’. The early-temperate stage corresponds to the Luvisol of subunit ‘kd1b’, which was formed under broad-leaved woods dominated by oak. The late-temperate stage is recorded in the Greyzemic Phaeozem of the soil ‘kd3b1’ (by the appearance of hornbeam) and the Mollisol ‘kd3b2’. The post-temperate stage of the interglacial and the transition to the early glacial occurred during formation of the uppermost bed of thelatter and the incipient soil ‘kd3c’. (pedosediments were also accumulated at this time). Both vegetational composition and the soil types reflect a warmer and wetter climate for the temperate part of the last interglacial, as compared to that existing in modern times. The soils of different phases of Pryluky and Vytachiv times were formed during interstadials, with cooler climates than at present. As recorded both in soil types and pollen assemblages, the climates during the early interstadials of Pryluky and Vytachiv times were wetter than now (particularly during the ‘pl1b1’ phase), but during their late interstadials, the climate was drier than the modern one (particularly during the phase ‘pl3b2’). On the basis of TL-dating obtained in sections in western Donetsk area and Central Ukraine, Pryluky times correspond to interstadials and stadials of the early glacial, whereas Vytachiv unit may be related to the middle pleniglacial. Types of cryostructures, connected with loess-like deposits of the stadials, indicate that the studied area in those times was under a severe continental climate, with deep seasonal freezing of the grounds. Nevertheless, the absence of ice pseudomorphs and of pollen of arctoalpine plants indicates that permafrost was not present. Changes in palaeopedogenic processes (as well as in types of sedimentation) mainly paralleled changes observed in the palaeovegetation. The extent of wooded areas, the role of broad-leaved trees in the forest composition, and the spread of xeric herbal associations had particularly notable effects on the development of pedogenic processes.

scholarly journals Whole-genome sequences shed light onto demographic history and contemporaneous genetic erosion of free-ranging jaguar (Panthera onca) populations

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gustavo Lorenzana ◽  
Henrique Figueiró ◽  
Christopher Kaelin ◽  
Greg Barsh ◽  
Jeremy Johnson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Environmental Changes ◽  
Demographic History ◽  
Genetic Erosion ◽  
Border Region ◽  
Whole Genome Sequence ◽  
Whole Genome ◽  
Population Bottlenecks ◽  
Panthera Onca ◽  
Anthropogenic Habitat

The vast amount of data contained in a single genome represents a detailed record of past events in that lineage and may forecast its evolutionary potential in the face of environmental changes. Here we employed whole-genome sequence (WGS) data to infer the demographic history and assess signals of recent inbreeding in jaguar (Panthera onca) populations. We analyzed whole genomes from 13 individuals (nine of which are reported here for the first time) sampled in seven different biomes across the species’ range, including its northernmost extreme in the Mexico/USA border region. We modelled demographic history using the PSMC method, and analyzed long runs of homozygosity (ROH) to assess signals of population bottlenecks and inbreeding. PSMC plots were very consistent among individuals, indicating that the jaguar lineage had an effective population size of up 100,000 individuals ca. 1 million years ago, then sharply declined and rebounded during the Late Pleistocene, followed by a more gradual decline in the last 40,000 years. This decline was more pronounced in the North/Central American genomes, likely reflecting population bottlenecks during the south-north colonization towards the edge of the species’ current range. The ROH analysis revealed a relatively small burden for most jaguars, indicating a recent history of outbreeding and large-scale connectivity among regional populations. However, northern range-edge individuals and those from severely fragmented populations showed signals of recent bottlenecks and, in the latter case, inbreeding. Our results illustrate the power of WGS data to survey and monitor the genetic erosion triggered by anthropogenic habitat fragmentation.

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