Adsorption experiment of water-soluble rare earth elements in atmospheric depositions and implications for source tracing in South China

The distribution patterns of rare earth elements(REEs)in fine-grained materials in various depositions were often found to be similar to those of the aeolian sediments deposited in the Loess Plateau in North China and the fine-grained materials were suggested to be derived from wind-blown dust.However,increasing evidence indicated that the REEs in the water-soluble portion of atmospheric depositions also displayed similar patterns to those of aeolian sediments.In this study,water-soluble REEs in three atmospheric depositions collected from different climatic zones in China were adsorbed with two adsorbents with distinct adsorption capacity,glass powder,and co-precipitated iron hydroxide.The results showed that the REEs adsorbed by the two adsorbents displayed patterns similar to those of the original atmospheric depositions.The typical characteristics of the REE patterns of atmospheric deposition can be well reproduced in the adsorbed REEs.The higher the REE concentrations in the atmospheric depositions,or the higher adsorption efficiency of the adsorbents,the better reproducibility of the REEs patterns.The results suggest that the REEs of the fine-grained materials in various sediments,which have a high adsorption capacity,especially those deposited in South China,may come from the water-soluble REEs in atmospheric deposition,and may not be appropriate tracers of wind-blown dust from North China.

Atmospheric deposition fluxes and health risk assessment of potentially toxic elements in Caohai Lake(Guizhou Province,China)

In this study,the sources of potentially toxic elements(PTEs)from atmospheric deposition in the waters of Guizhou’s Caohai Lake were investigated in addition to the potential risks to human health.Moss bags were used to enrich PTEs from atmospheric deposition,and eight monitoring sites that best represented geographic variation were established around Caohai Lake.Moss bags were collected and examined at every 3 months to identify spatiotemporal patterns of dry and wet atmospheric deposition of PTEs.Zn was the most abundant metal identified from deposition in Caohai(72.07%–95.94%),followed by Pb and Cd,while Hg was the least abundant(0.008%–0.354%).The contributions of wet deposition of PTEs were greater than those of dry deposition,and deposition during the heating season from December to April was greater than that between April to July.Hg was mainly derived from atmospheric dry deposition(65.38%–84.44%).Spatial distribution analysis indicated that atmospheric deposition was associated with the intensity of human activities and heating emissions.Exposure via hand-to-mouth contact accounted for over 99%of the total exposure risk although overall exposure was lower than threshold acceptable levels for carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic metals,indicating an overall lack of risk towards human health.Nevertheless,the health risk from atmospheric deposition of PTEs in Caohai Lake may be reduced by focusing on Zn,Pb,and Cd deposition in rainfall and minimizing the hazards associated with hand-to-mouth exposure to PTEs.

Atmospheric deposition of inorganic nitrogen in a semi-arid grassland of Inner Mongolia, China

Due to increasing global demand for crop production and energy use, more and more reactive nitrogen（Nr） has been generated and emitted to the environment. As a result, global atmospheric nitrogen（N） deposition has tripled since the industrial revolution and the ecological environment and human health have been harmed. In this study, we measured dry and wet/bulk N deposition from July 2013 to December 2015 in a semi-arid grassland of Duolun County, Inner Mongolia, China. The samples of dry and wet/bulk N deposition were collected monthly with a DELTA（DEnuder for Long Term Atmospheric sampling） system and with Gradko passive samplers and a precipitation gauge. The measured results show that the annual mean concentrations of NH_3, NO_2, HNO_3, particulate NH_4~＋（pNH_4~＋） and particulate NO_3^-（pNO_3^-） in atmosphere were 2.33, 1.90, 0.18, 1.42 and 0.42 μg N/m3, respectively, and that the annual mean volume-weighted concentrations of NH_4~＋-N and NO_3^--N in precipitation were 2.71 and 1.99 mg N/L, respectively. The concentrations of Nr components（including NH_3, NO_2, HNO_3, p NH_4~＋, pNO_3^-, NH_4~＋-N and NO_3^--N） exhibited different seasonal variations. Specifically, NO_2 and HNO_3 exhibited higher concentrations in autumn than in summer, while the other Nr components（NH_3, pNH_4~＋, pNO_3^-, NH_4~＋-N and NO_3^--N） showed the highest values in summer. Based on measured concentrations of Nr components and their deposition velocities estimated using the GEOS-Chem global atmospheric chemical transport model, the calculated annual mean dry deposition fluxes were 3.17, 1.13, 0.63, 0.91 and 0.36 kg N/（hm^2·a） for NH_3, NO_2, HNO_3, p NH_4~＋ and pNO_3^-, respectively, and the calculated annual mean wet/bulk deposition fluxes were 5.37 and 3.15 kg N/（hm^2·a） for NH_4~＋-N and NO_3^--N, respectively. The estimated annual N deposition（including dry N deposition and wet/bulk N deposition） reached 14.7 kg N/（hm^2·a） in grassland of Duolun County, approaching to the upper limit of the N critical load（10–15 kg N/（hm^2·a））. Dry and wet/bulk deposition fluxes of all Nr components（with an exception of HNO_3） showed similar seasonal variations with the maximum deposition flux in summer and the minimum in winter. Reduced Nr components（e.g., gaseous NH_3 and p NH_4~＋ in atmosphere and NH_4~＋-N in precipitation） dominated the total N deposition at the sampling site（accounted for 64% of the total N deposition）, suggesting that the deposited atmospheric Nr mainly originated from agricultural activities. Considering the projected future increases in crop and livestock production in Inner Mongolia, the ecological and human risks to the negative effects of increased N deposition could be increased if no mitigation measures are taken.

Linking atmospheric emission and deposition to accumulation of soil cadmium in the Middle-Lower Yangtze Plain,China

Cadmium(Cd)is one of the most toxic heavy metals in the environment.Atmospheric deposition has been found to be the main source of Cd pollution of soil on a large scale in China,and identification of the relationships between anthropogenic emission,atmospheric deposition,and Cd accumulation in soil is important for developing ways to mitigate Cd non-point pollution.In this study,the relationship between atmospheric emission,atmospheric deposition,and soil Cd accumulation in the Middle-Lower Yangtze Plain in China was investigated using datasets of atmospheric emission,deposition,and soil accumulation from the literatures published between 2000 and 2020.The results showed that the soil Cd accumulation rate in the study area exceeded the national average(4.0μg kg^(–1)yr^(–1))and continued to accumulate in recent decades,although the average accumulation rate decreased from 9.45μg kg^(–1)yr^(–1)(2000–2010 period)to8.86μg kg^(–1)yr^(–1)(2010–2020 period).The contribution of atmospheric deposition flux to Cd increment in the soil was in the range of 22–29%,with the atmospheric deposition flux decreasing from 0.54 mg m^(–2)yr^(–1)(2000–2010)to 0.48 mg m^(–2)yr^(–1)(2010–2020),both values being greater than the national average.Atmospheric Cd deposition and emission were highly correlated in a provincial administrative region,which is close to a ratio of 1.0.Emission factors may be in a state of dynamic change due to the influences of new Cd emission control technologies and environmental policies.As the main sources of Cd emissions,dust,and smoke emissions per ton of non-ferrous metal production decreased by 64.7%between the 2000–2010 and 2010–2020 periods.Although new environmental policies have been instigated,atmospheric emission of Cd is still excessive.It was hoped that the findings of this work would provide a scientific basis for the rational control of atmospheric emissions and Cd pollution of soil.

Influence of combustion-originated dioxins in atmospheric deposition on water quality of an urban river in Japan

Bulk（wet and dry） deposition samples were collected in Saitama Prefecture, Japan throughout a year（February 8, 2012 to February 7, 2013） to estimate the influence of dioxins emitting from waste incinerators on river water quality. The annual deposition flux of dioxins was 3.3 ng-toxic equivalent（TEQ）/m^2/year. Source identification using indicative congeners estimated that 82% of dioxin TEQ in the bulk deposition（2.7 ng-TEQ/m^2/year）was combustion-originated, indicating that most of the dioxins in the deposition were derived from waste incinerators. In Saitama prefecture the annual flux of combustionoriginated dioxins in depositions was apparently consistent with that of dioxin emission into the air from waste incinerators. The TEQ of combustion-originated dioxins in the deposition per rainfall was 2.4 pg-TEQ/L on annual average, exceeding the environmental quality standard（EQS） for water in Japan of 1 pg-TEQ/L. This suggests there is a possibility that dioxins in atmospheric deposition have a significant influence on the water quality of urban rivers which rainwater directly flows into because of many paved areas in the basins.The influence of combustion-originated dioxin in the deposition on the water quality of Ayase River, an urban river heavily polluted with dioxins, was estimated at 0.29 pg-TEQ/L on annual average in 2015. It seems that dioxins in atmospheric deposition from waste incinerators have a significant influence on water quality of some urban rivers via rainwater though the dioxins in the ambient air have achieved the EQS for atmosphere at all monitoring sites in Japan.

Study on the Characteristics of Atmospheric Dry and Wet Deposition in the Upper Reaches of Baiyangdian

To study the characteristics of atmospheric dry and wet deposition in the upper reaches of Baiyangdian,two sampling sites in Baoding City were monitored for 1 year from September 2018 to August 2019.The results showed that the dry and wet deposition fluxes of total nitrogen(TN)during the monitoring period were 6.87 and 6.46 kg/(hm^(2)·a),respectively.The ratio of wet to dry deposition of TN was approximately 1∶1,with wet deposition being dominated by ammonium nitrogen deposition.The dry and wet deposition fluxes of total phosphorus(TP)were 0.228 and 0.125 kg/(hm^(2)·a),and it was dominated by dry deposition.The average concentration of TN in wet deposition exceeded the standard threshold for eutrophic waters,and its ecological effects on the Baiyangdian basin should be concerned.Wet deposition fluxes of nitrogen and phosphorus had a significantly positive correlation with rainfall,while their deposition concentrations were negatively correlated with rainfall.The dry deposition of atmospheric nitrogen and phosphorus was influenced by the amount of dustfall and climatic factors such as rainfall,temperature,and humidity,which mainly occurred from April to August.

Spatio-Temporal Variation of Atmospheric Nutrient Deposition in Different Land Uses/Covers around Lake Kivu

Atmospheric deposition of nutrients, particularly nitrogen and phosphorus has the capacity to significantly affect the productivity and biogeochemistry of aquatic ecosystems. The objective of this study was to assess the impact of land use/cover types on the atmospheric deposition of nutrients around Lake Kivu. Dry and wet atmospheric deposition samples were collected from four different land use/cover types (forest, wetland, agricultural and urbanized area) at four stations (Goma, Lwiro, Bukavu and Iko) around the Lake Kivu basin. The highest annual loading of dry total phosphorus (TP) was recorded at a station located in an urban area at Goma (4.4 ± 3.9 μmol/m2/yr) and the highest dry deposition of total nitrogen (TN) was recorded at Iko (84.5 ± 41.2 μmol/m2/yr). High wet TP and TN were at Bukavu (0.7 ± 1.1 μmol/m2/yr) and Iko (21.7 ± 34.7 μmol/m2/yr) respectively. High dry TP loads were recorded in the forest area of Goma and the highest dry TN at Lwiro. High wet TP loads were record in agriculture at Goma and high values of wet TN in agriculture at Iko. Phosphorus and nitrogen deposition rates around Lake Kivu were similar to those reported for other African lakes. The highest rate of TP was recorded mainly in the forest area for dry deposition while high TN was recorded in all types of land use/cover in the basin. This study found out that forest traps high concentration of nutrient than other land uses/covers.

Annual Fluxes of Heavy Metal Elements in Atmospheric Dry and Wet Depositions in the Pearl River Delta Economic Region, Guangdong Province

There are 158 sampling points to be set up in the Pearl River delta economic region. The collecting period is mostly one year, namely, from July 2007 to July 2008. The eight heavy metal elements of Cr, Ni, Cu, Pb, Zn, As, Hg, and Cd in 474 dry and wet deposition samples were tested in terms of the standard procedures. Their average annual fluxes have no obvious difference between dry deposition and wet deposition. So these elements might be at an equilibrium or quasi-equilibrium state between dry deposition and wet deposition.

Historic changes in flux of matter and nutrient budgets in the Bohai Sea

Over the past four periods （ 1959--1960, 1982--1983, 1992--1993, and 1998--1999）, the ecosystem of the Bohai Sea changed due to both a significant decrease of river water discharge from the Huanghe River and a reduction of precipitation. The shifts in nutrient chemistry could result in changes in the phytoplankton composition with an increased potential for non-diatom algal blooms. Simple box model was used to estimate the water - mass balance and nutrient budgets for the Bohai Sea. Water budgets indicate that the residual flow changed from out of the Bohai Sea before 1993, but became inflow to the Bohai Sea after then. The nutrient budgets developed indicate that the Bohai Sea was a sink for nutrients except for phosphate in 1959--1960 and 1982-- 1983 and for silicate in 1982--1983. Net water flow transports nutrients out of the Bohai Sea in 1959--1960, 1982--1983 and 1992--1993, but into the sea in 1998--1999 due to climate changes, such as precipitation and subsequent freshwater discharge. The residual fluxes of nutrients are minor relative to atmospheric deposition and riverine inputs. Conversions of phosphate values to carbon by stoichiometric ratios were used to predict that the system was net heterotrophic before 1982--1983 and net autotrophic after then. Nutrient budgets can explain the change of nutrient concentrations in the Bohai Sea except nitrates, which should include the surface runoff.

Atmospheric wet and dry deposition of dissolved inorganic nitrogen to the South China Sea

At the global scale,atmospheric inputs of nitrogen are an important source of the new nitrogen that supports new marine production,especially in oligotrophic open oceans and marginal seas.This study reports quantities of atmospheric deposition of dissolved inorganic nitrogen(DIN)to the largest marginal sea in the North Pacific(the oligotrophic South China Sea,SCS)based primarily on rainwater sampling in the open northwestern region(Yongxing Island)from 2013 to 2015,and aerosol sampling from the SCS basin in June 2017.Atmospheric wet and dry deposition of DIN and their potential contributions to productivity were estimated.The volume-weighted mean rainwater concentrations during the wet and dry seasons were 4.9 and 18.1μmol L-1 for N+N(NO3-+NO2-),and 5.7 and 4.0μmol L-1 for NH4+,respectively.Rainwater concentrations of DIN were lower in the marginal seas than in the open ocean.The aerosol NO3-concentration was 1.15±1.18μg m-3 during the wet season,which is slightly lower than reported for the East China Sea and East Sea,but higher than in the Arabian Sea.Monthly wet and dry deposition rates ranged from 0.4-3.9 and 0.4-1.2 mmol m-2 mon-1 for NO3-,and 0.2-1.3 and 0.01-0.02 mmol m-2 mon-1 for NH4+,respectively.The annual wet and dry deposition fluxes of DIN were estimated to be 16.8 and 10.1 mmol m-2yr-1,respectively.Compared to other marginal seas,the SCS receives less atmospheric NO3-inputs than the Yellow Sea,East China Sea,East Sea,and northeastern Mediterranean Sea.The total atmospheric DIN deposition may account for 1.8-11.1%of the nitrogen supporting new production and 0.7-1.8%of the nitrogen supporting primary production.

Throughfall and stemflow chemical dynamics of Satoyama, a traditional secondary forest system under threat in Japan

The term 'Satoyama' refers to traditional and unique secondary forests in Japan that occupy intermediate zones between villages ('sato') and hills or mountains ('yama'). Satoyama landscapes help sustain ecosystem services and the diversity of secondary natural environments. As Japan relies more heavily on foreign timber imports, the traditional role of Satoyama in providing forest products has diminished, and this has led to their abandonment and poor management. The chemical behavior of cations, anions, and dissolved organic matter in throughfall and stemflow from one such threatened Satoyama system in central Japan was investigated. From autumn to winter, the atmospheric deposition of sulfates and nitrates was 2.5–6.0 times higher compared to the amounts in summer due to the intrusion of air masses from the Asian continent. The dissolved organic matter in the throughfall and stemflow was composed mainly of humic substances and protein derivatives. The deposition fluxes of dissolved organic carbon from throughfall (7.31–10.1 g m^(−2) a^(−1)) and stemflow (1.79–3.84 g m^(−2) a^(−1)) in this study were within ranges seen in temperate forests in previous studies. The deposition flux of sulfates was low compared to that in other forest types because canopy interaction was lower, suggesting higher canopy openness than in primary forests. If a shift from a mixed species Satoyama forest to a conifer-dominated forest occurs after the mass mortality of oak, the deposition flux of dissolved organic carbon and K^(+) might decrease by 33% and 62%, respectively, while NO_(3)^(−) might increase by 20%. In the near future, the degradation of Satoyama landscapes might change the levels of dissolved organic carbon and nitrogen loads, resulting in imbalances in river-ocean linkages affecting forested catchments and aquatic ecosystems in Japan.

Altitude-dependent distribution of 137Cs in the environment:a case study of Aragats massif, Armenia

This paper considers the distribution of technogenic 137Cs and naturally occurring radionuclides:238 U,232 Th and40 R concentrations in soils and 137Cs in atmospheric dry depositions by altitudinal belts of the Aragats mountain massif,Republic of Armenia.Undisturbed soil samples were collected at altitudes from 1000 to 3200 m.For the determination of geochemical variability,two soil sampling campaigns were undertaken.Atmospheric dry depositions were sampled from five stations at1100-3200 m collected onto organic fiber filters between June and December 2016.137Cs activity was measured using a high-purity Germanium detector coupled to a multichannel analyzer(Canberra).Results indicated that specific activity of 137Cs in soils at 1000 m is495-528 Bq m^-2,andat3200 mis10,500-11,470 Bq m^-2.No correlation observed for 137Cs versus naturally occurring radionuclides,which varies in distribution by altitude.Specific activities of 137Cs in dry atmospheric depositions varies from 1.06 at 846 m to2.37 Bq m^-2 per quarter at 3200 m and increases as the altitude increases.Activities of 137Cs in soil and dry atmospheric deposition correlated significantly,and 137Cs activity in soils and atmospheric dry depositions decrease as the absolute altitude decreases.The 50-year effective dose from exposure to 137Cs fallout varies with altitude from 0.007 to 1.42 m Sv.

A database of modeled gridded dry deposition velocities for 45 gaseous species and three particle size ranges across North America

The dry deposition process refers to the flux loss of an atmospheric pollutant due to uptake of the pollutant by the earth’s surfaces.Dry deposition flux of a chemical species is typically calculated as the product of its surface-layer concentration and its dry deposition velocity(V_(d)).Field measurement based V_(d) data are very scarce or do not exist for many chemical species considered in chemistry transport models.In the present study,gaseous and particulate dry deposition schemes were applied to generate a database of hourly V_(d) for 45 gaseous species and three particle size ranges for two years(2016–2017)at a 15 kmby 15 km horizontal resolution across North America.Hourly V_(d) of the 45 gaseous species ranged from<0.001 to 4.6 cm/sec across the whole domain,with chemical species-dependentmedian(mean)values being in the range of 0.018–1.37 cm/sec(0.05–1.43 cm/sec).The spatial distributions of the two-year average V_(d) showed values higher than 1–3 cm/sec for those soluble and reactive species over certain land types.Soluble species have the highest V_(d) over water surfaces,while insoluble but reactive species have the highest V_(d) over forests.Hourly V_(d) of PM_(2.5) across the whole domain ranged from 0.039 to 0.75 cm/sec with median(mean)value of 0.18(0.20)cm s^(−1),while the mean V_(d) for PM_(2.5)–10 is twice that of PM_(2.5).Uncertainties in the modeled V_(d) are typically on the order of a factor of 2.0 or larger,which needs to be considered when applying the dataset in other studies.

Responses of soil CH_(4) fluxes to nitrogen addition in two tropical montane rainforests in southern China

Background:Atmospheric nitrogen(N)deposition is projected to increase in the next few decades,which may have a marked impact on soil-atmosphere CH_(4) fluxes.However,the impacts of increased atmospheric N depositions on soil CH_(4) flux in tropical rainforests are still poorly understood.From January 2015 to December 2018,a field experiment was conducted in a primary tropical montane rainforest(PTMR)and a secondary tropical montane rainforest(STMR)in southern China to quantify the impact of N additions at four levels(N0:0 kg N⋅ha^(-1)⋅year^(-1);N25:25 kg N⋅ha^(-1)⋅year^(-1);N50:50 kg N⋅ha^(-1)⋅year^(-1);N100:100 kg N⋅ha^(-1)⋅year^(-1)on soil CH_(4) flux.Results:Four years of measurements showed clear seasonal variations in CH_(4) flux in all treatment plots for both forest types(PTMR and STMR),with lower rates of soil CH_(4) uptake during the wet season and higher rates of soil CH_(4) uptake during the dry season.Soil CH_(4) uptake rates were significantly and negatively correlated with both soil temperature and soil moisture for both forest types.Annual CH_(4) uptake for the N0 plots from the PTMR and STMR soils were2.20 and1.98 kg N⋅ha^(-1)⋅year^(-1),respectively.At the PTMR site,mean CH_(4) uptake compared with the N0 treatment was reduced by 19%,29%,and 36%for the N25,N50,and N100 treatments,respectively.At the STMR site,mean CH_(4) uptake compared with the N0 treatment was reduced by 15%,18%,and 38%for the N25,N50,and N100 treatments,respectively.High level N addition had a stronger inhibitory impact on soil CH_(4) uptake than did the low level N addition.Conclusion:Our data suggest that soil CH_(4) uptake in tropical rainforests is sensitive to N deposition.If atmospheric N deposition continues to increase in the future,the soil CH_(4) sink strength of tropical rainforests may weaken further.

Wet and dry deposition fluxes of heavy metals in Pearl River Delta Region(China):Characteristics,ecological risk assessment,and source apportionment

The atmospheric deposition of heavy metals poses serious risks to the ecological system and human health. To advance our knowledge of atmospheric dry/wet heavy metal deposition in the PRD region, monthly fluxes were examined based on soluble/insoluble fractions of five heavy metal elements（Cu, Pb, Cd, Cr and Zn） in samples collected from January 2014 to December 2015 at Guangzhou（urban） and Dinghushan（suburban） sites. The ratios of wet/dry deposition fluxes indicated that heavy metal deposition was governed by wet deposition rather than dry deposition in the PRD region. Affected by the shifting of the Asian monsoon, wet deposition fluxes exhibited significant seasonal variation between summer monsoon seasons（April to September） and winter monsoon seasons（October to February） in this region. Cd was classified as an extremely strong potential ecological risk based on solubility and the Hakanson ecological risk index. Source contributions to wet deposition were calculated by PMF, suggesting that dust, biomass burning, industries,vehicles, long-range transport and marine aerosol sources in Guangzhou, and Zn fertilizers,marine aerosol sources, agriculture, incense burning, biomass burning, vehicles and the ceramics industry in Dinghushan, were the potential sources of heavy metals.

Organophosphate Esters in Air and Seawater of the South China Sea:Spatial Distribution,Transport,and Air−Sea Exchange

Organophosphate esters(OPEs)have become one group of chemicals with emerging concern in the marine environment.In this work,we investigated OPEs in the air and seawater of the South China Sea in summer 2019.The concentrations of∑_(10)OPEs in the atmosphere ranged from 66 to 550 pg/m^(3),with TCIPP,TNBP,TPhP,and TEP predominating in the air.The total dissolved OPE concentrations(∑_(10)OPEs without TEP)measured in high-volume water samples ranged from 300 to 3600 pg/L,with a mean concentration of 1180±910 pg/L.TEP was measured with liquid−liquid extraction(LLE),and it showed the highest concentration(average 2000±1450 pg/L)among the selected OPEs.Total suspended matter associated OPEs accounted for less than 4.7%of the sum of OPE concentrations in seawater.Fugacity fractions and air−sea exchange fluxes showed that TCEP,TCIPP,TIBP,TEHP,TPhP,and EHDPP were favored to volatilize,TEP dominated the deposition,while TPrP and TNBP varied between volatilization and deposition.Atmospheric particle deposition fluxes ranged from 5 to 71 ng/m^(2)/day with an average of 17±15 ng/m^(2)/day.The input of∑OPEs to the entire South China Sea via atmospheric particle deposition was estimated to be 22±19 tons/year,while the net air−sea exchange fluxes of OPEs were volatilization from seawater to air with an average of 44±33 tons/year.This work suggests that air−sea exchange and atmospheric particle deposition are significant processes interfering with the transport of OPEs in the marine environment.

Trace metal contamination in soils from mountain regions across China:spatial distribution,sources,and potential drivers

Trace metal contamination in soils is a threat with an uncertain limit to maintain planet safety,and the issue of trace metal contamination in mountain soils is still of low concerned.In this study,we assessed the contamination of six trace metals(Cd,Cr,Cu,Ni,Pb,and Zn)in mountain soils across China and deciphered the potential drivers of their spatial distribution.The results showed that concentrations of Cd and Pb decreased significantly with soil depth,and their concentrations were markedly higher in northwest,south,and southwest China than elsewhere.Among the metals,Cd was the priority for control with moderate to heavy contamination,followed by Pb,whereas the other metals did not show evident contamination.The altitudinal pattern and isotopic tracing revealed that the significant enrichment and marked contamination of Cd and Pb in surface soils were primarily attributed to deposition through long-range transboundary atmospheric transport and condensation.Ore mining,nonferrous smelting,and coal and fuel combustion were identified as primary anthropogenic sources of the Cd and Pb.Soil organic matter content,pH,and soil forming processes directly determined the accumulation of trace metals in the soils,and orographic effects,including local climate,vegetation composition,and canopy filtering,regulated the spatial distribution of the metals.This study highlights the significance of soil Cd contamination in mountains,which are considered of low concern,and suggests that long-term monitoring of trace metal contamination is necessary to improve biogeochemical models that evaluate the responses of the mountain critical zone to future human-and climate-induced environmental changes.

Factors influencing the contents of metals and As in soils around the watershed of Guanting Reservoir,China

Topsoil samples from 61 sites around the Guanting Reservoir,China,were measured for Cu,Zn,Cr,Ni,Cd,Pb and As concentrations.The mean concentrations of Cu,Zn,Cr,Ni,Cd,Pb and As were 16.8,59.4,37.8,18.3,0.32,20.1 and 8.67 mg/kg dry weight,respectively.Factors that influence the dynamics of these metals in soils around the watersheds of Beijing reservoirs were examined.The influence of atmospheric deposition,land use,soil texture,soil type and soil chemical parameters on metal contents in soils was investigated.Atmospheric deposition,land use and soil texture were the important factors affecting heavy metal residues.Soil type and soil chemical parameters were also involved in heavy metal retention in soils.The data provided in this study are considered crucial for reservoir remediation,especially since the Guanting Reservoir will serve as one of the main drinking water sources for Beijing in the foreseeable future.

Watershed characteristics and climate factors effect on the temporal variability of mercury in the southern Baltic Sea rivers

Mercury（Hg） is a neurotoxic metal which can enter into the human organism mainly by fish consumption, skin and transpiration. In the coastal zone of the southern Baltic Sea, rivers are the main source of Hg. The Polish region represents the largest proportion of the Baltic Sea catchment and this research included four rivers of the Baltic watershed： the Reda,Zagórska Struga, Kacza and Gizdepka. The samples were collected in the years 2011–2013.Total and particulate Hg concentration in these rivers were measured. Due to intensive rain,deposited mercury on the catchment area was washed out into the riverines water and introduced into the Baltic Sea. Consequently, the load of Hg increased three times.Additionally, the intensive dry atmospheric deposition during heating season caused the increase of the concentration of particulate Hg in the river water even by 85%. The research confirmed the role of the river flow magnitude in the load of mercury introduced into the sea by rivers. Moreover, a high variability of mercury concentration was connected to the additional sources such as the chemicals containing Hg and no municipal sewage system.The analysis of stable isotopes indicated that the SPM contained terrestrial organic matter;however, there was no clear correlation between Hgtot, Corgand Ntotconcentrations and δ13C, δ15N, C/N in particulate matter.