Two high resolution terrestrial records of atmospheric Pb deposition from New Brunswick, Canada, and Loch Laxford, Scotland

Environmental archives like peat deposits allow for the reconstruction of both naturally and anthropogenically forced changes in the biogeochemical cycle of Pb as well as the quantification of past and present atmospheric Pb pollution. However, records of atmospheric Pb deposition from pre-industrial times are lacking.In a publication by Weiss et al. [Weiss, D., Shotyk, W., Boyle, E.A., Kramers, J.D., Appleby, P.G., Cheburkin, A.K., Comparative study of the temporal evolution of atmospheric lead deposition in Scotland and eastern Canada using blanket peat bogs. Sci Total Environ 2002;292:7-18]. Pb isotopes data measured by Q-ICP-MS and TIMS, concentration and enrichment data was presented for sites in eastern Canada (PeW1) and northwestern Scotland (LL7c), dating to 1586 A.D and 715 A.D., respectively. Here these same cores are re-analysed for Pb isotopes by MC-ICP-MS thereby acquiring ²⁰⁴Pb data and improving on the original data in terms of resolution and temporal coverage. Significant differences were found between the Q-ICP-MS/TIMS and MC-ICP-MS measurements, particularly at PeW1. These discrepancies are attributed to the problematic presence of organic matter during sample preparation and analysis complicated by the heterogeneity of the organic compounds that survived sample preparation steps. The precision and accuracy of Pb isotopes in complex matrices like peat is not always well estimated by industrial standards like NIST-SRM 981 Pb.Lead pollution histories at each site were constructed using the MC-ICP-MS data. The entire LL7c record is likely subject to anthropogenic additions. Contributions from local mining were detected in Medieval times. Later, coal use and mining in Scotland, Wales and England became important. After industrialization (ca. 1885 A.D.) contributions from Broken Hill type ores and hence, leaded petrol, dominate atmospheric Pb signatures right up to modern times. At PeW1 anthropogenic impacts are first distinguishable in the late 17th century with the mining and use of local coal. After industrialization (ca. 1810 A.D.), coal and petrol are the main Pb sources. A comprehensive estimate of the natural atmospheric background ²⁰⁶Pb/²⁰⁷Pb signature in eastern Canadian aerosols is made with a value of ~ 1.19.     

Accumulation of organic carbon over the past 150 years in five freshwater peatlands in western and central Europe

Under predicted scenarios of global climate change, peatlands may become a net source of greenhouse gases which will accelerate warming of the atmosphere. Comparative studies of peat bogs along present climatic gradients may provide an insight into the future response of boreal and subarctic peatlands to changing temperature and moisture. Three maritime peat bogs in the British Isles, and two high-elevation peatlands in the Czech Republic were studied. All sites were relatively wet, the mean annual temperatures were higher by up to 6 degrees C at the British/Irish sites than at the Czech sites. Cumulative carbon content in (210)Pb-dated Sphagnum-dominated vertical peat cores increased from the warmer to the colder sites when evaluated for the most recent decades (since ca. 1950). That would correspond to formation of thinner, more highly decomposed peat deposits over the long-term in warmer conditions, and deeper peat bogs in colder conditions. However, when cumulative carbon content was evaluated for the last ca. 150 years, no relationship was found between mean annual temperature and the carbon pool size. Even along broad present-day climatic gradients, site-specific factors controlled organic carbon preservation in peat. Pollen analysis was instrumental in corroborating the (210)Pb dates, identifying wet and dry periods in the past, and it also provided evidence for increasing nitrogen loads in wetland areas.     

Hydrology and water quality of the headwaters of the River Severn: Stream acidity recovery and interactions with plantation forestry under an improving pollution climate

This paper presents new information on the hydrology and water quality of the eroding peatland headwaters of the River Severn in mid-Wales and links it to the impact of plantation conifer forestry further down the catchment.The Upper Hafren is dominated by low-growing peatland vegetation, with an average annual precipitation of around 2650 mm with around 250 mm evaporation. With low catchment permeability, stream response to rainfall is “flashy” with the rising limb to peak stormflow typically under an hour. The water quality is characteristically “dilute”; stormflow is acidic and enriched in aluminium and iron from the acid organic soil inputs. Baseflow is circum-neutral and calcium and bicarbonate bearing due to the inputs of groundwater enriched from weathering of the underlying rocks. Annual cycling is observed for the nutrients reflecting uptake and decomposition processes linked to the vegetation and for arsenic implying seasonal water-logging within the peat soils and underlying glacial drift. Over the decadal scale, sulphate and nitrate concentrations have declined while Gran alkalinity, dissolved organic carbon and iron have increased, indicating a reduction in stream acidification.Within the forested areas the water quality is slightly more concentrated and acidic, transgressing the boundary for acid neutralisation capacity as a threshold for biological damage. Annual sulphate and aluminium concentrations are double those observed in the Upper Hafren, reflecting the influence of forestry and the greater ability of trees to scavenge pollutant inputs from gaseous and mist/cloud-water sources compared to short vegetation. Acidification is decreasing more rapidly in the forest compared to the eroding peatland possibly due to the progressive harvesting of the mature forest reducing the scavenging of acidifying inputs. For the Lower Hafren, long-term average annual precipitation is slightly lower, with lower average altitude, at around 2520 mm and evaporation is around double that of the Upper Hafren.     

Reconsideration of the settlement behavior of peat from view point of hydraulic conductivity

This paper deals with the settlement of peat from the view point of hydraulic conductivity (k). The validity of using the oedometer tests, including the calculation method, for measuring k is carefully examined by numerical analysis as well as a test combined with an oedometer and a hydraulic conductivity test. It is found from these studies that the conventional oedometer test (JIS A 1217, 2009) can be evaluated to measure k for peat with the same accuracy as that for usual clays, provided that the incremental load ratio is unity. The significant difference in the characteristics of k for peat and usual clayey soils is their relation between the compression index (C_c) and the hydraulic conductivity change index (C_k). As a result, rather than remaining constant during consolidation, the coefficient of consolidation (c_v) of peat decreases considerably with increasing consolidation pressure (p), while the c_v coefficient for usual clayey soil is almost constant at the normally consolidated stage. The influence of c_v dependent on p is studied by a numerical analysis for the one dimensional consolidation problem as well as for the ground improved by vertical drain. It is found that if the incremental consolidation pressure (Δp/p) is large, careful judgment is required when adopting conventional consolidation analyses, especially in case of the vertical drain.     

泥炭对砂基运动场坪床基质理化性质及草坪草的影响

研究不同泥炭施用量对砂基运动场坪床根层基质孔隙度、渗透性、pH值等理化性状的影响,以及对草坪草再生速度、成坪时间、生物量等的影响,探讨泥炭的改良效果及合理的施用量。结果表明:(1)泥炭施入能够使坪床基质的渗透性降低,总孔隙度和毛管孔隙度增大,毛管孔隙和非毛管孔隙的比例趋于平衡,有利于提高坪床保水能力和通气性。(2)泥炭有机质含量高,能改善坪床的养分供应状况,增强草坪草再生能力,缩短成坪时间,提高草坪质量。(3)由于泥炭的pH值偏低,过多施用会使坪床基质偏酸,不利于草坪草生长,因此应控制其用量,适宜的用量为10%~15%。     

氧化降解法提高泥炭中低含量腐植酸

选择最优氧化降解条件，使泥炭腐植酸含量由＜１％提高到１５％－１９％，这样可使无用的泥炭变成高活性的腐植酸复混肥原料。     

不同成煤母质热解烃类气体氢碳同位素组成特征

为了认识草本沼泽和森林沼泽成煤物质以及煤显微组分对热解煤层气同位素,特别是氢同位素的影响,对草本沼泽和森林沼泽泥炭以及具有略微不同显微组分的煤进行了热解模拟实验,研究了它们热解烃类气体氢碳同位素组成差异,以及这种差异随成熟度的变化,讨论了引起这种差异的原因。结果表明:草本沼泽泥炭热解甲烷, 乙烷和丙烷δD平均值分别为-235‰, -200‰和-209‰,森林沼泽泥炭的平均值分别为-226‰, -188‰和-191‰。草本沼泽泥炭热解甲烷, 乙烷和丙烷δ¹³C平均值分别为-36.2‰、-27.4‰和-31.6‰,森林沼泽泥炭的平均值分别为 -33.7‰、-20.7‰和-25.6‰。表现为草本沼泽泥炭热解的烃类气体氢碳同位素组成轻于森林沼泽泥炭,并且从泥炭连续热解至R_O值分别为2.5％, 3.5％和5.5％时,甲烷氢同位素值分别平均低18‰, 11‰和9‰,碳同位素值分别平均低3.4‰, 3.8‰和1.8‰。煤显微组分微小的差异对热解烃类气体碳同位素有明显的影响,表现为具有较高壳质组的煤热解甲烷的碳同位素组成较轻,可是煤热解烃类气体氢同位素组成主要与成煤环境因素有关。这些研究成果为自然煤层气的成因判识提供了科学数据。     

Optimization of citric acid production by <Emphasis Type="Italic">Aspergillus niger</Emphasis> NRRL 567 grown in a column bioreactor

Citric acid production using Aspergillus niger NRRL 567 grown on peat moss has been optimized in a column bioreactor using a statistically based method. A 23 full factorial design with eight fermentation conditions was applied to evaluate significance on citric acid production and their interactions between variables, where the three independent variables evaluated were aeration rate, bed depth and temperature. Aeration rate and fermentation temperature were identified to be significant variables. Citric acid production markedly increases with aeration rate and fermentation temperature; however, the bed depth of solid substrate showed an insignificant effect on citric acid production. The optimum fermentation condition for citric acid production in a column bioreactor consisted of aeration rate of 0.84 vvm, bed depth of 22 cm and fermentation temperature of 32 °C. Under a given condition, a maximum citric acid production of 120.6 g/l was predicted and matched well with the experimental value of 123.9 g/kg.     

汞在泥炭上的吸附特征研究

采用批次法研究了汞在三江平原泥炭、吉林双阳泥炭上等温吸附特征及介质pH值、背景离子浓度的影响。实验结果表明:两种泥炭吸附等温线均同时符合Langmuir和Freundlich等温吸附方程,而与Langmuir方程的拟合效果更好; 在溶液汞浓度相同时,温度升高,泥炭对汞的吸附量降低;在相同的条件下,三江平原泥炭对汞的吸附量大于吉林双阳泥炭对汞的吸附量;两种泥炭对汞的吸附量受pH值的影响明显且都在pH 6.0左右具有最大的吸附量;在酸性条件下,吸附介质的pH值升高利于泥炭对汞的吸附;介质的离子浓度升高,可以使两种泥炭对汞的吸附量迅速降低。     

In Situ Pore Pressure Responses of Native Peat and Soil under Train Load: A Case Study

Settlement and formation of piping holes on surfaces were observed along a rail embankment subject to normal traffic load. Piezometers were installed in the native peat and soil underneath the embankment inside and outside problematic area to measure the pore pressure responses during train traffic. Peculiar pore pressure responses were observed. Cyclic pore pressures were only measured during the first 60–80?s of the 6-min train passage, and thereafter the pressures decayed rapidly to the initial values. The pore pressure changes in the shallow peat layer were lower than those in the deep soil layer. Possible mechanisms causing such peculiar pore pressure responses, surface settlement, and piping holes were explored and identified. It was found that the stiffness contrast between the stiff, upper granular fill and the soft, native peat material could lead to a redistribution of tensile stress in the granular fill layer to the peat layer due to the moving train load. This stress redistribution promotes the propensity of vertical piping in the peat layer.