A large number of sediment samples representing most of the active mud accumulation areas of the Gulf of Finland were studied for total cadmium, chromium, lead, mercury, arsenic, copper and zinc. The highest concentrations of metals were found in sediment surfaces in the easternmost part of the Gulf, which is influenced by the inflow of the Neva river and the loads of the city of St. Petersburg...

Background & Aims of the Study: Aquatic macrophytes, given their rapid growth and high bio mass production, great potential to accumulate heavy metals in their organs. Phragmites australis as a hyper-cumulative plant plays an important role in the bioremediation. The Badavar River of Noorabad, Lorestan province, is exposed to urban wastewater and agricultural runoffs. In order to heavy metals (...

Assessing human exposure to chemicals from Superfund sites requires knowledge of basic physical, chemical, and biological processes occurring in the environment and specific information about the local environment and population in the vicinity of sites of interest. Although progress is being made in both areas, there is still a tremendous amount to be done. Participants at this meeting have id...

This study used particle size analysis to investigate the initial accumulation and trap efficiency of radiocesium ((137)Cs) in four irrigation ponds, ~4-5 months after the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant (DNPP) accident. Trap efficiency, represented by the inventory of (137)Cs in pond sediment to the inventory of radiocesium in soil surrounding the pond (i.e., total (137)Cs inventory), w...

background: heavy metal pollution in the sediment of the yellow river draws wide attention in the recent years. the yellow river wetland nature reserve of zhengzhou is one of the major wetlands of the river and located at the beginning of the lower reach. in this article, we aimed to investigate the degree and the sources of the metal pollution in the reserve. methods: metals as cu, pb, cr, cd ...

The dynamics of the nitrogen intermediates N2O and NO2 in estuarine sediments were studied along a salinity gradient in the eutrophied Weser Estuary (Germany) using microsensors for N2O, NO2, NOx, and O2. During dark incubations in the laboratory of sediment samples from a freshwater site, a brackish water site with fluctuating salinity, and a marine site, the effects of environmental changes i...

Eolian dune fields on Earth and Mars evolve as complex systems within a set of boundary conditions. A source-to-sink comparison indicates that although differences exist in sediment production and transport, the systems largely converge at the dune-flow and pattern-development levels, but again differ in modes of accumulation and preservation. On Earth, where winds frequently exceed threshold s...

With seasonal wetting and drying, and high biological productivity, agricultural wetlands (rice paddies) may enhance the conversion of inorganic mercury (Hg(II)) to methylmercury (MeHg), the more toxic, organic form that biomagnifies through food webs. Yet, the net balance of MeHg sources and sinks in seasonal wetland environments is poorly understood because it requires an annual, integrated a...

The concept of an integrated multifunctional river management is gaining importance. For major rivers, restoring the contact between rivers and alluvial plains is an important goal, as riparian areas have a specific role for several riverine processes. However, former and current human activities are an obstruction or a limitation for river restoration. We studied the influence of former dredgi...