Shengkang Liang

Rhamnolipids enhance marine oil spill bioremediation in laboratory system.

This paper presents a simulated marine oil spill bioremediation experiment using a bacterial consortium amended with rhamnolipids. The role of rhamnolipids in enhancing hydrocarbon biodegradation was evaluated via GC-FID and GC-MS analysis. Rhamnolipids enhanced total oil biodegradation efficiency by 5.63%, with variation in normal alkanes, polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and biomakers biodegradation. The hydrocarbons biodegradation by bacteria consortium overall follows a decreasing order of PAHs>n-alkanes>biomarkers, while in different order of PAHs>biomarkers>n-alkanes when rhamnolipids was used, and the improvement in the removal efficiency by rhamnolipids follows another order of biomarkers>n-alkanes>PAHs. Rhamnolipids played a negative role in degradation of those hydrocarbons with relatively volatile property, such as n-alkanes with short chains, PAHs and sesquiterpenes with simple structure. As to the long chain normal alkanes and PAHs and biomakers with complex structure, the biosurfactant played a positive role in these hydrocarbons biodegradation.

The spatial distribution of dissolved and particulate heavy metals and their response to land-based inputs and tides in a semi-enclosed industrial embayment: Jiaozhou Bay, China

In order to evaluate heavy metal contamination in surface waters in the Jiaozhou Bay (JZB), a typical semi-enclosed bay in the north of China, and to identify the response of heavy metal distribution to terrigenous sources and tides, the land-based discharge flux of dissolved Cu, Pb, Zn and Cd and their particulates, as well as their concentrations, were synchronously surveyed in JZB in flood season and normal season respectively. The survey results showed that the amount of dissolved Cu clearly increased from the estuaries to the offshore waters during the flood season, especially from the Dagu estuary to the mouth of JZB. The same trend was observed for Pb. The isopleths of dissolved Zn during the flood season presented a different pattern in which a clear decrease was observed from the Lianwan, Moshui and Dagu estuaries to the offshore waters. However, the particulate Cu isopleths during the flood season, which had the same pattern as those of particulate Pb, Zn and Cd, showed a clear decrease from the Dagu estuary to the mouth of JZB. The isopleths for dissolved and particulate Cu during the normal season showed a clear decrease from the northeast to the entrance of JZB, and the same trend was observed for Pb, Zn and Cd. Observations based on synchronous investigations of the fluvial fluxes of the selected metals and their average concentrations in JZB showed that these patterns were controlled by the strong external fluvial inputs, especially from the Dagu River. The diurnal change in the Cu, Pb, Zn and Cd concentrations showed a periodicity with a cycle length of approximately 12xa0h in JZB, which indicates the noticeable impact of the semi-diurnal tide. The weighed average concentration from freshwater inputs calculated for dissolved Cu, Pb, Zn and Cd were higher than their average concentrations in JZB. This indicated that JZB had been contaminated with these metals, whose concentrations were also higher than those found in uncontaminated waters.

No detected toxic concentrations in in situ algal growth inhibition tests—A convenient approach to aquatic ecotoxicology

A newly proposed three-dimensional model for the effects of heavy metals on the growth of batch cultures of algae that allows the estimation of the no detected toxic effect concentration (NDEC) is presented. Two batch assays with exposure to copper were investigated in situ. As an endpoint in the in situ studies of ecotoxicology, the carrying capacity, a parameter of the logistic growth model, possesses higher sensitivity and reliability than the routine ecotoxicological endpoints in terms of the analysis based on the theoretical arguments and experimental results. Using the carrying capacity (B(f)) as the ecotoxicological endpoint, the NDEC from the proposed model is compared to the NOEC and EC(05) on the basis of field derived data. The results indicate that the NDEC is a promising possible alternative parameter to the NOEC.

Estimation methods and monitoring network issues in the quantitative estimation of land-based COD and TN loads entering the sea: a case study in Qingdao City, China

At present, the monitoring network of China cannot provide sufficient data to estimate land-based pollutant loads that enter the sea, and estimation methods are imprecisely used. In this study, the selection of monitoring stations, monitoring frequency, and pollutant load estimation methods was studied in Qingdao City, a typical coastal city in China, taken as an example. Land-based pollutant loads from Qingdao were estimated, and load distribution, density, and composition were analyzed to identify the key pollution source regions (SRs) that need to be monitored and controlled. Results show that the administrative land area of Qingdao can be divided into 25 sea-sink source regions (SSRs). A total of 14 more rivers and 62 industrial enterprises should be monitored to determine the comprehensive pollutant loads of the city. Furthermore, the monitoring frequency of rivers should not be less than three times/year; a monitoring frequency of five or more times is preferable. The findings on pollutant load estimation with the use of different estimation methods substantially vary; estimation results with the use of ratio-based methods were 10 and 22xa0% higher than those with the use of monitoring-based methods in terms of chemical oxygen demand (COD) and total nitrogen (TN), respectively. None-point sources contributed the majority of the pollutant loads at about 70xa0% of the total COD and 60xa0% of the total TN.

Toxic metal pollution in the Yellow Sea and Bohai Sea, China: distribution, controlling factors and potential risk

The Bohai Sea (BS) and Yellow Sea (YS), which are adjacent to the most urbanized and industrialized areas in China, are facing a variety of environmental problems. Two cruises were conducted to investigate the pollution status of toxic metals in BS and YS sediments. They generally presented a decreasing trend from near shore to offshore. In addition, two high concentration areas were observed in the central south YS and north of the Shandong Peninsula. The results of multiple regression analyses suggest that Hg is mainly controlled by anthropogenic loading, whereas for Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb and Zn, sediment properties, especially the Fe oxides content, play a more important role. For As and Cd, the contribution of anthropogenic loading and sediment properties are comparable. The risk assessment indicates that Hg, As, Cd and Ni should be listed as the primary contaminant metals in the BS and YS.

A coastal three-dimensional water quality model of nitrogen in Jiaozhou Bay linking field experiments with modelling.

With anthropogenic changes, the structure and quantity of nitrogen nutrients have changed in coastal ocean, which has dramatically influenced the water quality. Water quality modeling can contribute to the necessary scientific grounding of coastal management. In this paper, some of the dynamic functions and parameters of nitrogen were calibrated based on coastal field experiments covering the dynamic nitrogen processes in Jiaozhou Bay (JZB), including phytoplankton growth, respiration, and mortality; particulate nitrogen degradation; and dissolved organic nitrogen remineralization. The results of the field experiments and box model simulations showed good agreement (RSD=20%±2% and SI=0.77±0.04). A three-dimensional water quality model of nitrogen (3DWQMN) in JZB was improved and the dynamic parameters were updated according to field experiments. The 3DWQMN was validated based on observed data from 2012 to 2013, with good agreement (RSD=27±4%, SI=0.68±0.06, and K=0.48±0.04), which testifies to the models credibility.

Long-term variations of the riverine input of potentially toxic dissolved elements and the impacts on their distribution in Jiaozhou Bay, China

The concentrations of the potentially toxic dissolved elements (PTEs) As, Hg, Cr, Pb, Cd, and Cu in the main rivers into Jiaozhou Bay (JZB) during 1981–2006 were measured, and the impact of the fluvial PTE fluxes on their distributions in the bay was investigated. The overall average concentration in the rivers into JZB ranged from 8.8 to 39.6xa0μgxa0L−1 for As, 10.1 to 632.6xa0ngxa0L−1 for Hg, 4.1 to 3003.6xa0μgxa0L−1 for Cr, 8.5 to 141.9xa0μgxa0L−1 for Pb, 1.1 to 34.2xa0μgxa0L−1 for Cd, and 13.2 to 1042.8xa0μgxa0L−1 for Cu. The interannual average concentration variations of the PTEs in these rivers were enormous, with maximum differences of 41–21,680 times, while their relative seasonal changes were far smaller with maximum differences of 3–12 times. The total annual fluvial fluxes for As, Hg, and Cr into JZB exhibited the inverse “U” pattern, while those for Pb and Cd showed the “N” pattern. As a whole, the total annual Cu flux presented a growing tendency from 1998 to 2006. In general, the changing trends of the PTE concentrations in JZB were similar to those of their annual fluxes from the rivers, indicating a great impact of their fluvial fluxes on their distributions in JZB. The annual concentration of Cd in the bay almost remained constant and differed from the fluvial flux of Cd. The diversified pattern of the environmental Kuznets curve (EKC) represented China’s approach to industrialization as “improving while developing.”

Estimation of the Maximum Allowable Loading Amount of COD in Luoyuan Bay by a 3-D COD Transport and Transformation Model

The rapid economic and social developments in the Luoyuan and Lianjiang counties of Fujian Province, China, raise certain environment and ecosystem issues. The unusual phytoplankton bloom and eutrophication, for example, have increased in severity in Luoyuan Bay (LB). The constant increase of nutrient loads has largely caused the environmental degradation in LB. Several countermeasures have been implemented to solve these environmental problems. The most effective of these strategies is the reduction of pollutant loadings into the sea in accordance with total pollutant load control (TPLC) plans. A combined three-dimensional hydrodynamic transport-transformation model was constructed to estimate the marine environmental capacity of chemical oxygen demand (COD). The allowed maximum loadings for each discharge unit in LB were calculated with applicable simulation results. The simulation results indicated that the environmental capacity of COD is approximately 11×104 t year−1 when the water quality complies with the marine functional zoning standards for LB. A pollutant reduction scheme to diminish the present levels of mariculture- and domestic-based COD loadings is based on the estimated marine COD environmental capacity. The obtained values imply that the LB waters could comply with the targeted water quality criteria. To meet the revised marine functional zoning standards, discharge loadings from discharge units 1 and 11 should be reduced to 996 and 3236 t year−1, respectively.

Review of Decision Support System Devoted to the Management of Water Environment

As the water environment problem become more and more complexity, many different decision support systems (DDS) are currently available or under development to support water environment management. In this paper, several DSS, developed for water environment management in the USA, European, China and other countries, are reviewed, after the description of the definition of environment DSS. Great progress are made in research and application of DSS in water environment management during the last decades in China, but there are still many difficulties such as the optimal way to make decision and public participation in decision-making.