Response of Winter Manure Application on Surface Runoff Water Quantity and Quality from Small Watersheds in South Dakota

Manure application on frozen soil, which is a common practice in the upper Midwest of USA, results in degraded soil and water quality. During snowmelt or precipitation events, water runoff carries nutrients into nearby streams and impairs the water quality. There is a need, therefore, to identify improved management of manure application in the soils. This study was conducted to assess water quality impacts associated following manure application during winter months when soil is completely covered with snow. The study site included three watersheds, named south (SW), east (CW), and north (NW) managed with a corn (Zea mays L.)-soybean (Glycine max L.) rotation located in South Dakota. The SW and NW were used as treatment, and CW as the control watershed. The treatments included manure application on the upper half of the SW and lower half of the NW, and CW received no manure application. This study showed that manure improved soil properties including infiltration rate and organic matter. Nitrogen and phosphorus losses in the surface runoff were higher from NW compared to that of SW. The CW had similar nutrient losses compared to the NW with slight differences. It can be concluded that maintaining a setback distance can help in improving the environmental quality as well as managing the agricultural wastes during the winter months.     

Incidental capture of marine turtles by the Italian trawl fishery in the north Adriatic Sea

In the north Adriatic Sea on-board observations on midwater and bottom trawlers were carried out during years 1999 and 2000. Results indicate that the north Adriatic Sea, and especially the north-east part, is a very important foraging and overwintering habitat for loggerhead turtles (Caretta caretta). Since the distribution of fishing effort in the area is not known, the total turtle catch by the Italian bottom trawl fleet was conservatively estimated from the lower catch rate observed in the south-west sub-area: 4273 turtle captures/year (95% C.I.=2186-8546). The actual total catch in the whole north Adriatic is likely to be much higher, due both to an unknown Italian trawling effort in the south-west part with multi-gear vessels and to the Italian and Croatian trawling efforts in the north-east part, where catch rate was 15 times greater than in the south-west part. In the south-west sub-area 9.4% of captured turtles were dead and potential mortality (assuming that all comatose turtles would die too) was 43.8%. Hence, trawling in the north Adriatic is likely to represent a serious threat to the populations, and possible conservation measures are discussed.     

Biodegradation of 3-chloro-1,2-propanediol with Saccharomyces cerevisiae

A novel enzymatic dehalogenating activity of 3-chloro-1,2-propanediol (3-MCPD) with Saccharomyces cerevisiae (baker's yeast) is reported. All bioconversion assays were carried out under aerobic conditions, at 28 degrees C, and the kinetics were monitored. The biodegradation was performed at different pH values (6.2, 7.0, and 8.2), in the presence and absence of glucose, using racemic 3-MCPD at two different concentrations (7.3 micromol/L and 27 mmol/L). Optimal conversion (68%) of racemic (R,S)-3-MCPD at a concentration of 27 mmol/L was achieved after 48 h of reaction time, at pH 8.2, and in the presence of glucose. At a concentration of 7.3 micromol/L, 73% degradation was observed after 72 h, at pH 8.2 and in the absence of glucose. Under the same experimental conditions, the conversion of pure (S)-3-MCPD (85%) was higher than that of the (R)-enantiomer (60%).     

The Importance of Precedent Hydro-climatological Conditions for the Mass Transfer of Pollutants in Separated Sewer Systems and Corresponding Tributaries During Storm Events

Runoff events were analysed in separated sewer systems in the town of Luxembourg. The relationships between Event Mean Concentrations of different pollutants and runoff patterns were evaluated. In addition, the inter-storm and intra-storm variability of the material transport were determined. Primarily, the variations in pollutant concentrations and loads are determined by the antecedent weather conditions. The presence of illicit sanitary inputs in one of the sewers produced a significant first flush effect as well as higher Event Mean Concentrations for pollutants. Furthermore, near the town of Trier 40 storms were analyzed in a small natural basin mainly influenced by runoff from a separated sewer system. Natural and artificial storm events were investigated in order to estimate the relationship between the pollutant sources in the channel and from the separated sewer system. Just like in the canalization of Luxembourg City the pollutant dynamics during natural storms are strongly influenced by pre-event hydrological conditions. The artificial storms behave differently. Despite little pre-rain, the maximum concentrations of toxic substances are comparatively low. A resuspension of sediment only occurs in the natural channel system, without the introduction of fines from the sewer system.     

Impact of atmospheric CO2 and plant life forms on soil microbial activities

From the global change perspective, increase of atmospheric CO₂ and land cover transformation are among the major impacts caused by human activities. In this study, we are addressing the combined issues of the effect of CO₂ concentration increase and plant type on soil microbial activities by asking how annual and perennial plant groups affect soil microbial processes under elevated CO₂. The experimental design used a mix of species of different growth forms for both annuals and perennials. Our objective was: (1) to determine how two years of annual or perennial plant cover and CO₂ enrichment could affect Mediterranean soil microbial processes; (2) to test the resistance and the resilience of these soil functional processes after a natural perturbation. We determined the effects of 2 years atmospheric CO₂ enrichment on soil potential respiration (SIR), denitrification (DEA) and nitrification (NEA) activities. We could not find any significant effect of CO₂ increase on SIR, DEA and NEA. However, we found a strong effect of the plant cover type, i.e. annuals versus perennials, on the potential microbial activity related to N cycling. DEA and NEA were significantly higher in soil under annual plants while SIR was not significantly different. To determine whether these changes would survive a natural perturbation, we carried out a rain event experiment once the experimental treatments (i.e. different plant cover and atmospheric CO₂ concentration) were stopped. The soil potential respiration, as expressed by the SIR, was not affected and remained stable. DEA rates converged rapidly under annuals and perennials after the rain event. Under both annuals and perennials NEA increased significantly after the rain event but remained significantly higher in the soil with annual plants. The relative change of the soil microbial processes induced by annual and perennial plants was inversely related to the density and the diversity of the corresponding microbial functional groups.     

Precipitation of cheddar cheese whey lipids by electrochemical acidification

Lipid separation from cheddar cheese whey allows a better valorization of protein fractions. In this study, bipolar membrane electroacidification (BMEA) was used to obtain precipitates with a high level of lipids. Whey samples with normal and low (by way of electrodialysis) mineral salt levels have been treated by a BMEA process and centrifuged. The composition of flocs and precipitation yields were determined. The BMEA process increased lipid precipitation rates by almost 50% in comparison with a centrifugation step only whereas a demineralization step prior to electroacidification had a limited effect on the precipitation level. Precipitates obtained were mainly composed of lipids (probably phospholipids) but also contained proteins. BMEA of cheddar cheese whey would allow the production of a lipid-enriched fraction and of a protein-enriched whey.     

Spatial distribution of sediments and transfer properties in soils in a stormwater infiltration basin

Purpose  

The aim of our study was to characterise the heterogeneity of sediment distribution in a stormwater retention/infiltration basin (Pont de Cheviré, Nantes, France) and to determine the impact of this distribution on water transfer properties in the soil.     

Detection of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon levels in milk collected near potential contamination sources

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), mainly formed by incomplete anthropogenic organic matter combustion, are ubiquitous in the environment. To assess milk PAH contamination sources, milk samples were collected from the tank milk at farms located near potential contaminating emission sources such as cementworks, steelworks, and motorways. PAH analyses were carried out by gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry. Eight PAHs were identified in milk: naphthalene, acenaphthylene, acenaphthene, fluorene, anthracene, fluoranthene, pyrene, and benzo[a]anthracene. For all potential contaminating sources, these eight PAHs were detected with similar profiles and at low concentrations except for fluorene and naphthalene, for which source-molecule interaction is pointed out.     

Cigarette smoke contains anticoagulants against fibrin aggregation and factor XIIIa in plasma

Gas-phase, water-soluble components of cigarette smoke cause delayed fibrin self-assembly and prevent fibrin cross-linking by inactivation of factor XIIIa (plasma transglutaminase). These anticoagulant properties of smoke are demonstrable in plasma, suggesting they play a role in the pathophysiology of smoking.     

Contamination of pastures by polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in the vicinity of a highway

To assess PAH contamination pastures, grass and soil samples have been collected from 10 m (d1), 50 m (d2), and 150 m (d3) perpendicular to a French highway (70,000 vehicles per day) and at a control site in a rural area away from nearby contaminating sources. Total PAH concentration ranges from 767 ng/g dry weight to 3989 ng/g dry weight, according to the matrix and the distance from the highway. Distance is not a significant factor for PAH deposition on grass, while in soil it has an effect between d1 and d2 or d3. The total PAH concentration in highway samples is 8 times higher than in control site samples for grass and 7 to 4 times higher for soil. Fluoranthene, pyrene, and phenanthrene are the major PAHs in grass samples at the control site and the highway, but the concentrations are about 5 times higher near the highway. In soil samples collected near the highway, the values of concentrations between all compounds are not statistically different. PAH deposition on grass is linked to the physicochemical properties of the compounds, which lead to a specific distribution of each molecule (according to their volatility and the number of aromatic rings) while no specific behavior is revealed in soil.