Environmental Science: Processes & Impacts blog

The first HOT article this week comes from Kevin Jones and colleagues at Lancaster University, who have developed a novel passive sampler using diffusive gradients in thin films (DGT) for organics in the aquatic environment. The sampler can measure quantitatively without field calibration.

The team indicate that the sampler could be used to investigate bioavailability and interactions of organic compounds (including pharmaceutical antibiotics) in soils and sediments.

A novel passive water sampler for in situ sampling of antibiotics
Chang-Er Chen, Hao Zhang and Kevin C. Jones
DOI: 10.1039/C2EM30091E

The second HOT article comes from Steven Hughes and colleagues, who investigated the recovery of sulfate saturated soils in the Plynlimon catchments in mid-Wales, following the reduction between the 1980s and 2011 in atmospheric S inputs.

The team investigated sulfate adsorption and desorption isotherms of stagnopodzol, brown podzolic soil, gleyed podzol and stagnohumic gley B-horizon soils from soil samples collected from sites in the Plynlimon catchments in the 1980s. Additionally, samples collected  in 2002 and from 2010 to 2011 from selected sites that were revisited were also analysed for comparison. Some of the soil samples from 2002 were further investigated to study the effects of increasing concentrations of dissolved organic carbon on sulfate adsorption.

Recovery of sulfate saturated soils in the Plynlimon catchments, mid-Wales following reductions in atmospheric S inputs from the 1980s to 2011
Steven Hughes, Brian Reynolds, David A. Norris, Sarah A. Brittain, Ashlee L. Dere, Clive Woods, Linda K. Armstrong, Sarah A. Harman and Heather D. Wickham
DOI: 10.1039/C2EM30070B

Both these papers are free to access for 4 weeks following a simple registration for individual users.

Two new HOT articles for you this week – the first comes from Lynda Webster and colleagues at Marine Scotland Science and the University of Brighton. They have investigated the fate of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) released from an aluminium smelter (from 1907 to 2000) into Loch Leven in Scotland. Using a monitoring programme that ran from 2004 to 2008, they found no evidence of recovery of PAH levels, which they predict may be due to mixing of the sediments in the basins and persistence of the hydrocarbons. In the upper basin of the loch, they found that the levels of all the PAHs investigated (apart from naphthalene) were above the Effects Range Low values, indicating there is a risk of chronic effects to marine life in the loch.

Long-term fate of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) in sediments from Loch Leven after closure of an aluminium smelter
A. D. McIntosh, R. J. Fryer, L. Webster and A. B. Cundy
DOI: 10.1039/C2EM11006G

The second comes from Christopher Faßbender and colleagues at the University of Heidelberg and RWTH Aachen University. In their paper, they introduce Gene-TEQs – genotoxicity equivalent factors that can be used to directly compare environmental samples from different studies. Three directly acting and three indirectly acting genotoxic compounds were investigated for their cytotoxic and genotoxic concentration-response profiles. One of the tested compounds was selected as the reference compound, and the effects of other substances were calculated as percentages of the maximum reference compound’s effect, allowing relative Gene-TEQs to be provided. The method was also used to compare the effects of sediment samples from the upper Danube River in the same way. The group predict that the Gene-TEQ could also be used for comparing in vitro and in vivo data, increasing our understanding of the bioavailability of pollutants.

Gene-TEQ—a standardized comparative assessment of effects in the comet assay using genotoxicity equivalents
Christopher Faßbender, Thomas Braunbeck and Steffen H. Keiter
DOI: 10.1039/C2EM10947F

Both these papers are free to access for 4 weeks following a simple registration for individual users.