Temporal distribution and seasonal fluxes of microplastics in the sediments of UK rural and urban lakes

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chiara Bancone ◽  
Professor Neil Rose ◽  
Dr Robert Francis
Keyword(s):  
National Park ◽  
Sediment Cores ◽  
Environmental Pollutants ◽  
Chemical Properties ◽  
Temporal Distribution ◽  
Sediment Traps ◽  
Rural And Urban ◽  
Terrestrial Environments ◽  
Norfolk Broads ◽  
Rural Sites

<p>Microplastics (<5 mm) are persistent environmental pollutants characterised by heterogeneous physico-chemical properties and a broad range of shapes, sizes, colours and composition. Microplastics may be directly released into the environment at this size (i.e. pellets and cosmetic microbeads) when they are known as primary microplastics. However, the majority of microplastics are secondary, i.e. they originate from the degradation of larger plastic items. An important source of secondary microplastics is represented by fibres released during washing of synthetic garments. Although microplastic contamination is thought to be ubiquitous in aquatic ecosystems, very little is known about the scale, the extent of inputs as well as rates of change in rivers and lakes. In particular lake sediments, may represent an important sink for microplastics as well as providing a means to assess historical trends.  </p><p>To assess microplastic abundance, distribution, historical records and composition in the sediments of UK urban and rural lakes, sediment cores have been collected at representative locations in two ponds on Hampstead Heath, in the Borough of Camden, London, and in three lakes in the Norfolk Broads National Park, in eastern England. Microplastics extracted from sediment cores have been identified, and variation in polymer-type analysed through sediment chronostratigraphy. Sediment chronologies can help quantify the historical flux of microplastics from terrestrial environments to freshwaters, reflecting changes in microplastic production over time.</p><p>To highlight seasonal fluxes and variations in microplastic distribution and abundance in the lakes examined, new-design sediment traps were built at UCL Geography Laboratories and anchored to the bottom of the study sites to collect material sinking from the water column. The traps are being monitored, emptied, cleaned and redeployed every three months over about a 2-year period.</p><p>This study presents the results about temporal distribution and seasonal fluxes of microplastics in sediments from Hampstead Heath ponds in London (urban sites) and from the Norfolk Broads National Park (rural sites). The identification of plastic polymers, together with the assessment of microplastic temporal distribution and seasonal patterns of accumulation in lakes will help identify factors influencing microplastic distribution and pollution sources for lakes. The results from this project will deliver a better understanding of the number and scale of sources of microplastics in urban and rural lakes, improving future risk assessments and prevention strategies.</p>

scholarly journals Spatial and temporal distribution of fishing resources exploited by the Manaus fishing fleet, Amazonas, Brazil

2007 ◽  
Vol 67 (4) ◽  
pp. 651-656 ◽  
Author(s):  
VS. Batista ◽  
M. Petrere Jr
Keyword(s):  
Amazon Basin ◽  
Temporal Distribution ◽  
Fishing Effort ◽  
Fishing Ground ◽  
Rural And Urban ◽  
Environmental Variations ◽  
Fishing Resources ◽  
The Right ◽  
Urban People ◽  
Operational Aspects

Fishing resources are important generators of income and food for the rural and urban people in the Amazon. The present paper investigates fishing and environmental variables determining fishing production landed in Manaus and evaluates the relative abundance of commercial fishes in the different sub-systems of the Central Amazon basin. Information collected was used to test the new catch index derived from multiple regressions with the following significant variables: number of fisherman days fishing; distance of the fishing ground from Manaus; amount of ice carried during the trip; and river level. There were no significant differences between mean catch values of the Purus, Madeira and Juruá sub-systems. These results suggest that the tributaries of the right margin were very similar and were the most productive in commercial terms. The actual production varies according to the recent magnitude of fishing effort, environmental variations and operational aspects of fishing, particularly ice consumption.

scholarly journals An Arctic watershed observatory at Lake Peters, Alaska: weather–glacier–river–lake system data for 2015–2018

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 1957-1970 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ellie Broadman ◽  
Lorna L. Thurston ◽  
Erik Schiefer ◽  
Nicholas P. McKay ◽  
David Fortin ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Data Center ◽  
National Science Foundation ◽  
Thermal Structure ◽  
Sediment Cores ◽  
Pressure Sensors ◽  
Sediment Traps ◽  
Lake System ◽  
Arctic Alaska ◽  
Monitoring Effort ◽  
System Data

Abstract. Datasets from a 4-year monitoring effort at Lake Peters, a glacier-fed lake in Arctic Alaska, are described and presented with accompanying methods, biases, and corrections. Three meteorological stations documented air temperature, relative humidity, and rainfall at different elevations in the Lake Peters watershed. Data from ablation stake stations on Chamberlin Glacier were used to quantify glacial melt, and measurements from two hydrological stations were used to reconstruct continuous discharge for the primary inflows to Lake Peters, Carnivore and Chamberlin creeks. The lake's thermal structure was monitored using a network of temperature sensors on moorings, the lake's water level was recorded using pressure sensors, and sedimentary inputs to the lake were documented by sediment traps. We demonstrate the utility of these datasets by examining a flood event in July 2015, though other uses include studying intra- and inter-annual trends in this weather–glacier–river–lake system, contextualizing interpretations of lake sediment cores, and providing background for modeling studies. All DOI-referenced datasets described in this paper are archived at the National Science Foundation Arctic Data Center at the following overview web page for the project: https://arcticdata.io/catalog/view/urn:uuid:df1eace5-4dd7-4517-a985-e4113c631044 (last access: 13 October 2019; Kaufman et al., 2019f).

scholarly journals Utilization of Ostracods (Crustacea) as Bioindicator for Environmental Pollutants

2020 ◽  
pp. 73-93
Author(s):  
E. Parameswari ◽  
V. Davamani ◽  
R. Kalaiarasi ◽  
T. Ilakiya ◽  
S. Arulmani
Keyword(s):  
Industrial Development ◽  
Oil Spills ◽  
Human Impacts ◽  
Anthropogenic Activities ◽  
Environmental Pollutants ◽  
Chemical Properties ◽  
Agricultural Practices ◽  
Human Beings ◽  
Magnesium Calcite ◽  
Marine Areas

Ecosystem undergoes drastic changes due to the anthropogenic activities. As a consequence of industrial development, increasing population growth and modernized agricultural practices water resources like limnetic zone and marine areas have undergone eutrophication. This resulted in the decline in population of phytoplankton and zooplankton. Hence, it is an urgent need to monitor the quality of the environment. Several organisms are used as biomonitors. Among them, Ostracodes (Seed Shrimps) which belong to Crustacean group are very sensitive to those changes in the environment and useful in predicting the paleo environmental conditions. Ostracodes are bivalve arthropods which are enclosed in a carapace made of low magnesium calcite. These species are occurring for about 450 million years dates back to ordovician which are known for their easier fossilization. The development of Ostracodes is influenced by the physic - chemical properties of waters such as Salinity, temperature, pH, Dissolved oxygen, bottom grain sizes and sedimentation rates.  In addition to diversity and abundance of population, morphological and geochemical changes can also be detected in the Ostracod carapace (shell) which serves as a tracer of the water quality. These details are basis for utilizing Ostracods as paleoenvironmental (paleoclimatic, paleosalinity, paleooceanographic) reconstruction, ecotoxicity monitoring, biostratigraphic indicator. Moreover, these microcrustaceans showed similar or higher sensitivity to herbicides, pesticides, oil spills or heavy metals pollution other than traditional groups like copepods, protozoan, rotifers, cladocerans which are used to test the human impacts on ecosystem. These meiofaunas are highly adaptable to waters containing organic and inorganic contaminants generated by catastrophic activities by human beings in the surroundings.

scholarly journals Preparation and Photocatalytic Performance of ZnO/Sepiolite Composite Materials

2021 ◽  
Vol 2021 ◽  
pp. 1-17
Author(s):  
Chao Li ◽  
Huijuan Li ◽  
Guicheng He ◽  
Zhiwu Lei ◽  
Wenyuan Wu
Keyword(s):  
Composite Materials ◽  
Photocatalytic Performance ◽  
Sol Gel ◽  
Environmental Pollutants ◽  
Chemical Properties ◽  
Treatment Method ◽  
Blue Dye ◽  
Synthesis Methods ◽  
Gel Method ◽  
Sol Gel Method

Photocatalytic technology is a widely used water treatment method, whose efficiency can be increased by developing a suitable photocatalyst fabrication procedure. In this study, five different synthesis methods were utilised for the preparation of novel ZnO/sepiolite photolytic composites, namely, sol-gel method, hydrothermal reduction, hydrolytic precipitation, powder sintering, and impregnation-reduction. The obtained photocatalysts were characterised by scanning electron microscopy, infrared spectroscopy, and X-ray diffraction. The differences between the applied photocatalyst preparation methods and the reasons for these differences were discussed, and the photocatalytic activities of the prepared composite materials were compared. The obtained results revealed that the physical structure, chemical properties, and photocatalytic performance of the composite produced by the sol-gel method were superior to those of the materials fabricated by the other four methods. Moreover, this material also exhibited high photocatalytic stability, while its photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue dye proceeded via a quasi-first-order reaction. The prepared composites have broad application prospects in photocatalysis and can be potentially used for treating environmental pollutants.

scholarly journals Chronology from sediment cores collected in southwestern Everglades National Park, Florida

2013 ◽  
Author(s):  
C.E. Bernhardt ◽  
G.L. Wingard ◽  
D.A. Willard ◽  
M.E. Marot ◽  
B. Landacre ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
National Park ◽  
Sediment Cores ◽  
Everglades National Park

scholarly journals The Simultaneous Removal of Zinc and Cadmium from Multicomponent Aqueous Solutions by Their Sorption onto Selected Natural and Synthetic Zeolites

Minerals ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 343 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bożena Kozera-Sucharda ◽  
Barbara Gworek ◽  
Igor Kondzielski
Keyword(s):  
Aqueous Solutions ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Environmental Pollutants ◽  
Chemical Properties ◽  
Simultaneous Removal ◽  
Physico Chemical ◽  
Synthetic Zeolites ◽  
Sorption Mechanisms ◽  
Synthetic Aluminosilicate ◽  
Natural And Synthetic

Natural and synthetic aluminosilicate minerals, in particular zeolites, are considered to be very useful in remediation processes, such as purification of waters polluted with heavy metals. That is due to their unique and outstanding physico-chemical properties, rendering them highly efficient, low-cost, and environmentally friendly sorbents of various environmental pollutants. The aim of this study was to examine the sorption capacity of four selected zeolites: A natural zeolite and three synthetic zeolites (3A, 10A, and 13X), towards zinc and cadmium present in multicomponent aqueous solutions, in relation to identified sorption mechanisms. It was stated that synthetic zeolites 3A and 10A were the most efficient in simultaneous removal of zinc and cadmium from aqueous solutions. Additionally, zeolite 10A was demonstrated to be the mineral best coping with prolonged pollution of water with those elements. The mechanism of sorption identified for tested minerals was physisorption.

Capacity for North Carolina Freeway Work Zones

1996 ◽  
Vol 1529 (1) ◽  
pp. 27-34 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karen K. Dixon ◽  
Joseph E. Hummer ◽  
Ann R. Lorscheider
Keyword(s):  
North Carolina ◽  
Flow Behavior ◽  
Work Zone ◽  
Site Location ◽  
Work Zones ◽  
Work Activity ◽  
Rural And Urban ◽  
Speed Flow ◽  
Work Area ◽  
Rural Sites

Work zone capacity values for rural and urban freeways without continuous frontage roads were defined and determined. Data were collected using Nu-Metrics counters and classifiers at 24 work zones in North Carolina. The research included analysis of speed-flow behavior, evaluation of work zone sites based on lane configuration and site location, and determination of the location within the work zone where capacity is lowest. It was shown that the intensity of work activity and the type of study site (rural or urban) strongly affected work zone capacity. The data suggested that the location where capacity is reached is also variable based on the intensity of work. For heavy work in a two-lane to one-lane work zone configuration, the capacity values proposed at the active work area are approximately 1,200 vehicles per hour per lane for rural sites and 1,500 vehicles per hour per lane for urban sites. It is recommended that two distinct volumes be used when queue behavior in a freeway work zone is analyzed. The collapse from uninterrupted flow (designated work zone capacity) and the lower queue-discharge volume both should be considered.

Inshore–Offshore Sedimentation Differences Resulting from Resuspension in the Eastern Basin of Lake Erie

1982 ◽  
Vol 39 (5) ◽  
pp. 748-759 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Bloesch
Keyword(s):  
Lake Erie ◽  
Sediment Cores ◽  
Dry Weight ◽  
Sediment Traps ◽  
Particulate Phosphorus ◽  
Particulate Nitrogen ◽  
Eastern Basin ◽  
Fine Grained ◽  
Lake Bottom ◽  
Offshore Station

From June through October 1978 sediment traps were moored at three stations in an inshore–offshore transect in the Eastern Basin of Lake Erie. Settling fluxes measured with the traps exposed close to lake bottom were rather similar at all three stations during summer stratification, averaging 6.1 g∙m−2∙d−1 for dry weight, 293 mg∙m−2∙d−1 for particulate organic carbon (POC), 38 mg∙m−2∙d−1 for particulate nitrogen (PN), and 5.44 mg∙m−2∙d−1 for particulate phosphorus (PP). A comparison of the hypolimnetic traps with the epilimnetic traps at the offshore station indicated that considerable resuspension takes place even in summer. During fall, however, the nearshore sedimentation rates were markedly increased because of storm-induced bottom resuspension. By comparing the trap catches with sediment cores taken at all three stations, a resuspension model for dry weight, POC, and PN was developed. The calculations showed that newly formed organic material is resuspended and redeposited more frequently at nearshore locations than offshore. This repeated nearshore resuspension enhances decomposition of detritus, as shown by low relative phytoplankton activity in the hypolimnetic traps, and results in horizontal transport of fine-grained organic matter in the offshore direction. The significant POC and PN concentration differences found in the inshore–offshore transect of the bottom sediments can be explained by these two processes.Key words: sedimentation, sediment traps, sediment cores, resuspension, inshore–offshore differences

Physical and chemical properties of the Sulphur Mountain thermal springs, Banff National Park, and implications for endangered snails

2002 ◽  
Vol 39 (9) ◽  
pp. 1349-1361 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephen E Grasby ◽  
Dwayne A.W Lepitzki
Keyword(s):  
Seasonal Variability ◽  
National Park ◽  
Temperature Drop ◽  
Chemical Properties ◽  
Shallow Groundwater ◽  
Thermal Springs ◽  
Population Fluctuations ◽  
Banff National Park ◽  
Seasonal Flow ◽  
Spring Snowmelt

Nine thermal springs, in three groups, occur along the flank of Sulphur Mountain in Banff National Park. The principal recharge zone is suggested to be above 2000 m elevation on Mount Rundle, circulation depths are estimated to be 3.2 ± 0.6 km, and discharge is focused along the Sulphur Mountain Thrust. Springs show constant temperature and total dissolved solids load throughout the winter, whereas both drop in association with spring snowmelt. The degree and timing of temperature drops are a function of elevation, with the highest springs showing the earliest and most significant temperature drop. The highest elevation springs also show the greatest seasonal variability in water chemistry. Unusual seasonal flow stoppages of these springs are related to extreme low precipitation years. The biogeochemistry of the thermal springs and population fluctuations of the endemic and endangered Banff springs snail (Physella johnsoni) are strongly related to seasonal variability in flow rates. Changes in redox conditions associated with an influx of shallow groundwater during spring snowmelt negatively impact the microbial community that forms a principal food supply for the snail.

scholarly journals Evidence for a hardwater radiocarbon dating effect, Wonder Lake, Denali national park and preserve, Alaska, U.S.A.

2002 ◽  
Vol 53 (3) ◽  
pp. 407-411 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jonathan K. Child ◽  
Al Werner
Keyword(s):  
National Park ◽  
Sediment Cores ◽  
Pollen Record ◽  
Lake Area ◽  
Alaska Range ◽  
Radiocarbon Age ◽  
The North ◽  
Late Wisconsinan ◽  
Denali National Park ◽  
Age Estimates

Abstract Anderson et al. (1994) present a late Pleistocene/Holocene pollen record for lacustrine sediment cores retrieved from the north end of Wonder Lake, Denali National Park and Preserve, Alaska. Bulk radiocarbon age estimates obtained during their study suggest that either a Picea refugium persisted in the foothills of the north Alaska Range near Wonder Lake during the Late Wisconsinan, or that bulk radiocarbon age estimates are inaccurate. Subsequent cores recovered from Wonder Lake (and a near-by kettle pond) have been correlated to the Anderson et al. core and age dated using Atomic Mass Spectrometry (AMS) radiocarbon age estimates. AMS radiocarbon ages suggest that bulk radiocarbon ages from Anderson et al. (1994) are affected by hardwater conditions in Wonder Lake causing them to appear greater than 2000 14 C years too old. The corrected core chronology is consistent with documented regional vegetation changes during the glacial/interglacial transition and does not require a local Picea refugium in the Wonder Lake area during the Late Wisconsinan.

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