T.W. Tanton

Mercury in the Aquatic Environment: A Review of Factors Affecting Methylation

Mercury is one of the most hazardous contaminants that may be present in the aquatic environment, but its ecological and toxicological effects are strongly dependent on the chemical species present. Species distribution and transformation processes in natural aquatic systems are controlled by various physical, chemical, and biological factors. Depending on the prevailing environmental conditions, inorganic mercury species may be converted to many times more toxic methylated forms such as methylmercury, a potent neurotoxin that is readily accumulated by aquatic biota. Despite a considerable amount of literature on the subject, the behavior of mercury and many of the transformation and distribution mechanisms operating in the natural aquatic environment are still poorly understood. This review examines the current state of knowledge on the physicochemical behavior of mercury in the aquatic environment, and in particular the environmental factors influencing its transformation into highly toxic methylated forms.

Improvements in land use mapping for irrigated agriculture from satellite sensor data using a multi-stage maximum likelihood classification

The accuracy of conventional land use classification of irrigated agriculture from optical satellite images using maximum likelihood supervised classification was compared with a classification based on multistage maximum likelihood supervised classification. In the multistage maximum likelihood classification series of sub-classifications were carried out which included masking and/or omitting certain crops from the classifications. These series of classifications improved the identification of individual crops/land use types. The output from the optimum sub-classifications were stacked to give an overall crop types/land use map. When the multistage classification was tested against a single stage classification on a large irrigation scheme in Central Asia the final accuracy of crop/land use classification increased from 85% to 94%. Field verification confirmed the accuracy at 93.5%. These results were achieved with a single Landsat 7 Enhanced Thematic Mapper (ETM+) sensor dataset as of 2 August 1999 over an area of 38.5 km2.

Some Factors Limiting Yields of Tea ( Camellia sinensis )

Measurements indicate that the tea crop—which consists of young shoots—is sink-limited and that the plucking of immature shoots, essential for quality tea, is a major factor limiting yields of the crop. The importance of this aspect in selecting for high-yielding plant material is discussed.

Environmental Factors Affecting the Yield of Tea ( Camellia sinensis ). II. Effects of Soil Temperature, Day Length, and Dry Air

Temperature is the major environmental variable affecting the yield of tea, but within the framework of a temperature model shoot extension is severely depressed when daily maximum vapour pressure deficits rise above 2.3 kPa. Day length does not affect shoot extension when the nights are cool (10°C), but growth rate is depressed by short days (11 h) when nights are warm (20°C). Soil temperatures between 18–25°C do not affect shoot extension.

Mercury in the river Nura and its floodplain, central Kazakhstan I: river sediments and water

The River Nura in Central Kazakhstan has been heavily polluted by mercury originating from an acetaldehyde plant. Mercury in the riverbed is mainly associated with power station fly ash, forming a new type of technogenic deposit. A systematic survey of the bed was carried out to establish the location, extent and nature of the contaminated sediments, and to evaluate the potential for sediment transport. The bed sediments were found to contain very high concentrations of mercury, particularly in the first 15 km downstream of the source of the pollution. Average total mercury concentrations in this section of the river are typically between 150 and 240 mg/kg, falling rapidly with increasing distance downstream. The estimated total volume of silts in the riverbed between Temirtau, the origin of the pollution, and Intumak Reservoir, located 75 km downstream, has been calculated as 463500 m3, containing an estimated 9.4 tonnes mercury. Forty-six percent of the total volume of contaminated silts containing almost 95% of the mercury are located in the upper 25 km of the river, however. The data clearly support the hypothesis that large quantities of polluted sediment are not transported long distances downstream but are removed from the aquatic environment in times of flood and deposited on the low-lying lands adjacent to the river. This process, however, does not stop mercury moving further downstream in the water column.

Seasonal movement of salts in naturally structured saline-sodic clay soils

Abstract Seasonal changes in the distribution of salt and water in fields of both arable and grassland saline sodic clay soils were studied under temperate rainfed conditions. Leaching of the topsoils during winter rains was further investigated in soil columns. The field studies indicated the cyclical nature of leaching. During winter rains the water moving through the macropores uniformly leached salt from the soil profile to a depth of 1.2 m, but in late summer the salt content of the grassland and arable soils had increased again by 11% and 35% respectively compared with their early spring salinity levels. The results indicated that the salt leached in winter was mainly not lost, but leached below 1.2 m, only to rise again as the soil profile dried in the summer. The implications for managing and reclaiming these soils with gypsum are discussed. Undisturbed grassland topsoils were slow to release salt into the leaching water, maximum salt concentration in the leachate only being reached well into the winters rains. In disturbed arable soils the maximum leachate concentration was achieved shortly after leaching commenced. The changes in surface structure brought about by rainfall impact on bare restructured ploughlayer soils caused a significant decline in leaching efficiency (up to 40%). The observed pattern of leaching questions the validity of the basic assumptions used in most of the mathematical leaching models.

Burdens of mercury in residents of Temirtau, Kazakhstan I: Hair mercury concentrations and factors of elevated hair mercury levels

Mercury (Hg) is released either naturally in the environment or by anthropogenic activities. During its global circulation, Hg presents in a diversity of chemical forms and transforms between each other. Among Hg species, methylmercury (MeHg) is readily absorbed by humans via the aquatic food chain and thus it is very neurotoxic to exposed populations including fetuses due to perinatal exposure. In 2005, a survey was carried out in Temirtau, an Hg-contaminated site in North Central Kazakhstan, to investigate Hg concentrations in the hair samples of the residents and the relationship between Hg exposure levels and the related factors. Among the 289 hair samples, Hg concentrations ranged from 0.009 to 5.184µg/g with a mean of 0.577µg/g. Nearly 17% of the population exceeded 1µg/g for hair Hg, which corresponds to the reference of dose (RfD) 0.1µg/kg body weight/day developed by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA). Subgroups of males, people aged over 45 and fishermen or anglers were found to have elevated Hg exposure levels in their hair. A positive correlation was found between Hg concentrations in hair and frequencies of river fish consumption. As a result, the finding that people were exposed to high levels of Hg was expected due to the frequent consumption of fish caught from the polluted River Nura or the neighbouring lakes. A regression model showed that approximately 41% of variance of Hg concentrations in the study populations hair was attributed to the variables of gender, residential location, age and fishery occupation. The model implied that demographic characteristics together with dietary behaviour should be taken into account in studies associated with Hg exposure risk, in order to clearly define the group potentially sensitive to Hg exposure.

Remote sensing and GIS for estimation of irrigation crop water demand

Satellite images supported by global positioning systems (GPS) and field visits were used to identify the cropping pattern of a large irrigation scheme in Central Asia. Two methods were used to estimate the crop evapotranspiration (ET). In the first, the ETs of the different crops were calculated from local field climatic data using the Penman–Monteith method of calculating crop water requirements as used in the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) CropWat programme. The satellite data were transferred to a geographical information system (GIS) and the area of each crop type was identified. Combining the two sets of data gave an estimate of ET and total evaporative water demand for each crop. ET was also calculated directly from the satellite data using a modified sensible heat flux approach (SEBAL). The Penman–Monteith approach estimated the ET to be 5.7, 3.3, 4.4 and 6.3 mm d−1 for cotton, mixed crop, alfalfa and rice respectively, whereas the ET estimated from the satellite data were 4.4, 3, 3.2 and 5.3 mm d−1, respectively. The possible causes of these differences are discussed. The FAO Penman–Monteith methodology for estimating crop water requirements is best for planning purposes but the SEBAL approach is potentially more useful for management in that it establishes the amount of water being used by the crop and can help identify where water is being wasted.

Growth and yield of the Tea bush

Changes in growth rate of tea shoots cause yield fluctuations between seasons, but the size of the basal shoot population remains constant throughout the year. The proportion of shoots with dormant apical buds does not influence the mean weight of shoots harvested. Models of shoot extension are discussed.

The effect of ped size, simulated rainfall duration and frequency on the leaching of salts from clay topsoils

Aggregates of saline-sodic clay in three size ranges were leached in columns using simulated rainfall events of varying size, duration and frequency. Aggregate size, depth of rainfall and duration affected the rate of leaching, although rainfall pattern became more influential as the aggregate size increased. Using the data, a simple empirical model was constructed to predict leaching, using as a basis the cumulative depth of drainage, the size of the aggregates, the storm duration and the frequency. The model is capable of accurately predicting the quantity of salts leached both under laboratory conditions as well as in mulched restructured topsoils exposed to winter rainfall. However, it overestimated leaching from a topsoil exposed to raindrop impact because of the development of a surface crust which cracked during drying. If the rate of leaching of restructured saline-sodic clays is to be accurately predicted under field conditions it will be necessary to take account of physical changes such as these taking place at the soil surface.