Allerod--younger dryas lake temperatures from midge fossils in atlantic Canada

Remains of freshwater midges are abundant in lake sediments, and their species distributions are closely related to the surface-water temperature of lakes; their distributions thus provide a powerful tool for paleoclimatology. The distribution of species in a core from Splan Pond in Atlantic Canada indicates that there were abrupt transitions in late-glacial temperatures between warm and cold states. The transitions are correlative with the well-known warm Aller?d and cold Younger Dryas events in Europe. These data thus confirm the inference from palynological data that these events affected regions on both sides of the Atlantic.     

Regional Contamination in Lakes from the Noril'sk Region in Siberia,Russia

Sediment and water chemistry data were collected from ten lakes within a 110 km radius of Noril'sk in Siberia, the largest smelting complex in the world. Metals showing the most pronounced increase in enrichment near the smelters were Cu, Ni, Co, Ba and Zn. Cu and Ni appear to be as or more enriched in lake sediments around Noril'sk compared with levels previously reported for other locations. Although SO4 concentrations were highly elevated in the areas closest to the smelting complex, lake water pH remained elevated due to high concentrations of base cations in the waters. Sediment mercury enrichment was high in sediments near the smelting complex, but not more so than in other parts of the Arctic, suggesting that Hg either is not a major smelting product at Noril'sk, or that Hg is transported greater distances than other metals due to its longer atmospheric residence time.     

Dynamics of Atmospheric Aerosol Number Size Distributions in the Eastern Mediterranean During the ��SUB-AERO�� Project

Measurements of number size distributions of submicron aerosols have been performed at the Eastern part of Mediterranean as part of an extensive measurement campaign to study photo-oxidants and aerosols (SUB-AERO Project). The measurements were made at the Finokalia station on the island of Crete (Greece) and onboard the research vessel ??Aegaeon??. Two campaigns were performed during July 2000 and January 2001 using two scanning mobility particle sizers. The particle distributions measured in the range between 7.8 < d _p < 327 nm during the summer measurements and between 7.5 < d _p < 316 nm during the winter measurements, where d _p is the mobility particle diameter. The concentration of ultrafine particles (7.5 < d _p < 30 nm) was higher during the winter period and varied mainly between 5 × 10¹ and 2 × 10³?cm^?3 with concentration peak values for this mode exceeding 1 × 10⁴?cm^?3. During the summer campaign, an average number concentration of 1 × 10²?cm^?3 at Finokalia and about 5 × 10¹?cm^?3 aboard the ??Aegaeon?? vessel was measured. An average concentration of 1 × 10³?cm^?3 was measured for the particles in the size range between 30 and 100 nm, whereas in the size range 100?C300 nm, the measured concentration ranged between 1 × 10² and 5 × 10³?cm^?3. Diurnal patterns in number concentrations were observed in connection with the transport of air masses and local sources. During the winter period, three nucleation events were observed in connection with the appearance of a particle mode at 20 nm.     

The use of scaled chrysophytes in long term monitoring programs for the detection of changes in lakewater acidity

The addition of a biomonitoring component to a routine chemical monitoring program would enhance the potential of the monitoring effort to measure shifts in lakewater acidity. We provide evidence that changes in the species composition of scaled chrysophytes can provide an effective means for identifying and quantifying changes in lakewater acidity. As a result, it is consluded that a scaled chrysophyte component would provide an excellent addition to a long term monitoring effort. Specific and subspecific taxa of scaled chrysophytes are differentially distributed along a pH gradient. The distributions along a pH gradient of many of the well defined and cosmopolitan taxa are summarized and the taxa arranged into different pH groups. The importance of pH, relative to other variables, in controlling the distribution of scaled chrysophytes is discussed utilizing evidence from both neolimnological and paleolimnological studies. A plan for the incorporation of a biomonitoring component utilizing scaled chrysophytes into a long term monitoring program for acidity is outlined. The plan includes analyses using discrete water samples, sediment traps and sediment cores. Several programs are outlined and discussed based on the frequancy of sampling events.     

Impacts of climatic change and fishing on Pacific salmon abundance over the past 300 years

The effects of climate variability on Pacific salmon abundance are uncertain because historical records are short and are complicated by commercial harvesting and habitat alteration. We use lake sediment records of delta15N and biological indicators to reconstruct sockeye salmon abundance in the Bristol Bay and Kodiak Island regions of Alaska over the past 300 years. Marked shifts in populations occurred over decades during this period, and some pronounced changes appear to be related to climatic change. Variations in salmon returns due to climate or harvesting can have strong impacts on sockeye nursery lake productivity in systems where adult salmon carcasses are important nutrient sources.     

Indoor Aerosol Particle Deposition in an Empty Office

The size- and time-resolved indoor/outdoor aerosol concentration relationships were studied experimentally in an empty office without internal particle sources. Two Scanning Mobility Particle Sizers (SMPS) and an Aerodynamic Particle Sizer (APS) sampled alternately from indoor and outdoor, together covering the size range 3–10,000 nm. The results showed that the indoor aerosol concentration depends mainly on the air exchange and deposition rates, and the outdoor concentration. At higher air exchange rates the indoor aerosol concentration approaches the outdoor one. This was observed for the accumulation mode particles. The size-dependent deposition rates were estimated using a simple aerosol dynamics experiment. It was based on equilibration of the indoor/outdoor concentrations by opening windows and analyzing the concentration decay curves after the windows were closed. For this purpose a simple mass balance model was used. The overall loss rate and the asymptotic value of indoor concentration were found by applying a non-linear least squares method on the time dependence of the indoor concentrations. The air exchange rate was estimated from the overall loss rate and the steady state values of the indoor/outdoor concentration of the accumulation mode particles.     

Influence of Integrated Membrane Treatment on the Phytotoxicity of Wastewater from the Coke Industry

In this paper, coke wastewater that had passed through biological and integrated membrane processes (filtration on sand bed—reverse osmosis) was chosen to assess the phytotoxicity of selected industrial wastewater with regard to the test plant—Vicia faba. An innovative research technique in vitro test was conducted in a large scale phytothrone chamber on two matrices: cotton and Murashige and Skoog Basal Medium (MSBM). The toxicity of wastewater was evaluated for samples: (1) treated in the treatment plant by biological processes, (2) filtrated through a sand bed and filtrated (3) reverse osmosis (RO) membrane. The results showed that there is a noticeable correlation between increasing concentrations of wastewater and seed germination of the test plant. Although the wastewater collected from the coke plant was treated biologically, it showed very high levels of germination inhibition (90–98% for cotton matrix and 92–100% for MSBM matrix) and strong toxic effects. The wastewater collected from the coke plant showed a significantly greater phytotoxic effect compared with those obtained from the effluent treated on a sand bed and in RO. However, wastewater, even after treatment on a sand bed (reduction of COD—39%, TN—46%, TOC—42%, TC—47%, SS—50%, 16PAHs—53%), was still toxic and germination inhibition was in the range of 24–48% for the cotton matrix and 14–54% for the MSBM matrix. The toxicity of wastewater treated in the membrane process was the lowest (reduction of COD—85%, TN—95%, TOC—85%, TC—86%, SS—98%, 16PAHs—67%). The germination inhibition was in the range of 4–10% for the cotton matrix and 2–12% for the MSBM matrix. These samples are classified as non-toxic or slightly toxic to the model plant. The present study highlights the necessity of monitoring not only the basic physical and chemical indicators (including the level of toxic substances as PAHs), but also their effect on the test organisms in wastewater samples.     

Cladoceran Response to Calcium Decline and the Subsequent Inadvertent Liming of a Softwater Canadian Lake

Lake water calcium (Ca) decline has recently been recognized as a stressor impacting softwater lake districts that have experienced long-term patterns of acid deposition and/or timber harvesting. Declining aqueous Ca levels may impact the survival of aquatic biota, particularly Ca-rich cladoceran taxa such as daphniids. Daphnia pulex are sensitive to laboratory Ca levels below 1.5?mg?l^?1; however, responses of cladoceran communities to Ca decline in natural environments require further study. Dickie Lake (Ontario, Canada) is the site of an inadvertent natural experiment, providing insight into the effects of changing aqueous Ca availability upon cladoceran communities, as the lake has a history of acidification, followed by recent (1990s) Ca additions to the watershed via applications of calcium-rich road dust suppressants. Paleolimnological analyses were used to examine changes in cladoceran community structure (with a focus upon Ca-rich daphniids) from pre-industrial times to present day. Three distinct temporal stages were apparent in Dickie Lake??s daphniid community: 1870?C1950, 1950?C1990, and 1990?Cpresent. The daphniid community of the pre-industrial assemblages was dominated by members of the Daphnia longispina species complex, but shifted in the late 1950s to more acid- and Ca-insensitive members of the D. pulex species complex. During the most recent stage, coincident with dust suppressant applications, both daphniid complexes are well represented. Observed transitions between daphniid species complexes provide further evidence of the influence of Ca availability upon cladoceran community structure, indicating the potential importance of the controlled addition of Ca to freshwater systems (i.e., liming) as a mitigation/recovery strategy as Ca declines continue.     

Sudbury Sediments Revisited: Evaluating Limnological Recovery in a Multiple-Stressor Environment

Paleolimnological techniques were utilized to determine whether diatom and scaled chrysophyte assemblages in Daisy, Swan, and Tilton lakes (Sudbury, Ontario) have recovered toward their preimpact conditions as a result of reduced inputs of anthropogenic pollutants (SO ₄ ^2? and metals) or whether other environmental stressors have affected recovery trajectories. In addition, geochemical analysis was used to track trends in sedimentary nickel and copper concentrations through time. Preindustrial algal assemblages were primarily dominated by circumneutral to alkaline and pH-indifferent taxa. However, with the onset of open-pit roasting and smelting operations, there was a stratigraphic shift toward acid-tolerant species. With wide-scale smelter emission reductions commencing in the 1970s, scaled chrysophyte assemblages in Swan and Daisy lakes have started to show signs of biological recovery in ～1984 and ～1991, respectively. Although the scaled chrysophyte assemblage in Tilton Lake has not recovered toward the predisturbance assemblage, the decline in acidophilic taxa and increase in circumneutral taxa in recently deposited lake sediments indicate that the community is responding to increased lake water pH. Conversely, diatom assemblages within each of the study lakes have not begun to recover, despite well-documented chemical recovery. It is suspected that biological recovery in Sudbury area lakes may be impeded by other environmental stressors such as climate warming. Copper and nickel concentrations in lake sediments increased with the onset of mining activities and subsequently declined with emission controls. However, metal concentrations in lake sediments remain elevated compared to preindustrial concentrations. Together, biological and geochemical evidence demonstrates the clear environmental benefits associated with smelter emission controls.