Northern Australia features prominently in visions for Australia's future. Plans for capturing, storing and transporting the region's water to make it available for increased agricultural development in the region and elsewhere are frequently proposed. But what is our current understanding of the biodiversity, and the ecological functions and services and of the northern region, and how might these assets be affected by such development?Environmental context. It is now nearly 20 years since the introduction of the technique of diffusive gradients in thin films, which can provide information on solute concentrations and dynamics in sediments, soils and water. The interpretation of these measurements in terms of concentrations relies on simple equations and associated assumptions. This review examines how well they have stood the test of time.
Environmental context. Potassium is an essential plant nutrient and farmers need to be able to predict how much soil K is plant available in order to optimise fertiliser applications and crop production. Traditional methods such as chemical extraction are generally poor predictors. A DGT based methodology that could enhance the assessment of plant available K is developed, which will assist plant growers to determine the correct fertiliser application, thereby avoiding crop deficiencies and limiting the misuse of K as a precious natural resource.
Environmental context. Both the mobility and toxicity of arsenic in natural waters are related to the aqueous species distribution. Passive sampling using ferrihydrite-backed diffusive gradients in thin films (DGT) devices has in previous studies been characterised to measure labile inorganic arsenic, and the possible contribution of organic species has been disregarded. This study shows that the two most prevalent organic arsenic species might be included in DGT measurements, which should be taken into consideration when evaluating DGT data in future studies.
Environmental context. Both the mobility and toxicity of arsenic in natural waters are related to the aqueous species distribution. Passive sampling using ferrihydrite-backed diffusive gradients in thin films (DGT) devices has in previous studies been characterised to measure labile inorganic arsenic, and the possible contribution of organic species has been disregarded. This study shows that the two most prevalent organic arsenic species might be included in DGT measurements, which should be taken into consideration when evaluating DGT data in future studies.
Environmental context. Contaminated sediments can have a large and lasting effect on marine ecosystems. It was discovered that significant amounts of pollutants, especially arsenic, were released from contaminated sediments during a phytoplankton bloom in the Belgian Continental Zone. Once released to the water column, these pollutants can accumulate up marine food chains and be a source of contaminants to humans.
Environmental context. In urban environments such as parks and gardens, polluted soils can have a direct influence on children’s health. This study investigates Pb, Cu and Zn concentrations in soils of several public parks in Rome city (Italy) located near roads with high traffic loads. It is shown that vehicle traffic contributes significantly to soil metal pollution in the urban parks and gardens, and that barriers such as walls and trees reduce the metal accumulation.
Environmental context. Although arsenic occurs at high concentrations in many marine systems, the influencing factors are poorly understood. The arsenic content of sediments, detritus, suspended particles and organisms have been investigated from different trophic levels in an open seagrass ecosystem. Total arsenic concentrations and arsenic species were organism-specific and determined by a variety of factors including exposure, diet and the organism physiology.
Environmental context. Uptake of metal ions by plants is often predicted with equilibrium models, which assume that the rate limiting step is trans-membrane uptake of the metal in the roots rather than the transport of the metal ion towards the site of uptake. Evidence is given that uptake of cadmium by plants is under strong transport control at environmentally relevant concentrations, whereas nickel uptake borders between transport and plant control. This explains the lack of ion competition effects for Cd uptake, whereas both proton and Mg ions were found to compete with Ni uptake.
Analysis of soil organic matter is important for understanding turnover and stabilisation processes of organic carbon in soils. Capillary electrophoresis is used here to investigate humic acids from soils of diverse forest sites, and show that the patterns of signals are indicative of soil characteristics. The method provides useful information of soil types and complements the existing set of methods for humic acid characterisation.
Leaf litter can be found at the Earth’s surface in large quantities, and has the potential to release significant amounts of volatile compounds into the atmosphere where they influence atmospheric chemistry and local air quality. This study investigates the influence of UV radiation on the emission of C2–C5 hydrocarbons from leaf litter. Research on volatile compound emissions from leaf litter is limited, but essential for establishing their global budgets and understanding atmospheric chemistry.
Environmental context. Contamination of aquatic ecosystems with inorganic arsenic is a concern for both environmental and human health. Sediments are an important sink for dissolved arsenic, but they may also act as a source of arsenic because of human-induced changes in aquatic systems. This paper describes a new approach for investigating the status of inorganic arsenic in sediments, based on recent developments in diffusion-based sediment sampling techniques.
Elevated levels of selenium and arsenic in the environment as a result of anthropogenic activities are creating significant concerns for the health of aquatic ecosystems. How biofilms, or aquatic microbial communities, interact with and chemically modify selenium and arsenic species has been examined. The results demonstrate that selenium and arsenic induce structural changes in biofilms, and concurrently undergo extensive biotransformation, in most cases to less bioavailable species.
Mercury is classified as a priority pollutant owing to the biomagnification of its methylated species along food chains and the consequent effects on top consumers. The pH of natural waters affects many of the biogeochemical processes that control mercury accumulation in aquatic organisms. Here, evidence is presented that pH affects mercury uptake by unicellular algae, primary producers in aquatic food chains, thereby providing a new example of the pervasive influence of pH on the mercury biogeochemical cycle.
Fine particles affect air quality locally, regionally and globally. Determining the sources of fine particles is therefore critical for developing strategies to reduce their adverse effects. Advanced data analysis techniques were used to determine the sources of fine particles at two sites, providing information for future pollution reduction strategies not only at the study sites but in other areas of the world as well.
Hexabromocyclododecanes are widely used as additive brominated flame retardants in thermal insulation building materials, upholstery textiles and electronic products. Dongjiang River is located at the Pearl River Delta, one of the most highly industrialised regions in China, which was seriously polluted by hexabromocyclododecanes. Higher levels of hexabromocyclododecanes in Dongjiang River will pose a serious threat to ecological health in this region.
Alkyl nitrates are considered to be important intermediates in the atmospheric hydrocarbons–nitrogen oxides–ozone cycle, which significantly determines air quality and nitrogen exchange between the atmosphere and the Earth’s surfaces. The present laboratory study investigates reaction products of alkyl nitrates to elucidate their photochemical reaction mechanisms in the atmosphere. The results provide a better understanding of the role played by alkyl nitrates in the atmospheric environment.
Interaction of metals with dissolved organic matter is one of the key processes defining metal bioavailability in water. The technique of diffusive gradients in thin films was used to investigate the kinetics of the interaction between metals and dissolved organic matter released by algae. For most metals the rate at which they were released from the organic matter was fast, but release of iron was kinetically limited.
The chemical speciation of metals in waters is of great importance in determining their transport, fate and effects in the environment. Modelling chemical speciation is valuable for making predictions about these effects. Here a model of metal speciation is tested against field data, and recommendations are made as to how both model and measurements might be improved in future.
The ‘speciation’ of metals is concerned with their different chemical and physical forms, a detailed knowledge of which is essential to understand what happens to metals in lakes and rivers, and their effects on living organisms. There have been many advances in recent years in our ability both to measure and predict metal speciation in natural waters, but it is not clear just how accurately these can be applied under field conditions. The current state of play is assessed to provide a better understanding of the related uncertainties, and suggestions are made for ways to reduce these uncertainties and possibly improve our predictive capabilities.
Metals in the marine environment play a role in biological processes but can also be toxic. An electrochemical method with a simple microwire electrode is presented that facilitates detection of zinc and manganese in coastal waters. The method is very sensitive and will likely lead to the development of an in-situ monitoring apparatus.
The environmental fate of a particular contaminant can be influenced by the presence of other chemicals. It is shown that the photodegradation in water of benzotriazole, a common household and industrial chemical, is reduced in the presence of a sunscreen compound. Thus, contaminants such as benzotriazole may persist longer in the environment in the presence of chemicals designed to filter ultraviolet rays, such as those used in sunscreens.
Environmental context. Polar near-surface snow can act as a chemical reactor that alters the composition and chemistry of snow and the overlying air. Although the mechanisms and driving forces of these reactions have long been debated, triboelectrification (production of electrostatic charges by friction) of snow by wind has not yet been considered as a factor. It is proposed that in polar regions, triboelectrification could significantly influence the composition and chemistry of snow.
Free ion concentrations determine the effects of nutrients and pollutants on organisms in the environment. The Donnan membrane technique provides a measure of free ion concentrations. This paper presents clear guidelines on the application of the Donnan membrane technique for determining free ion concentrations in both synthetic and natural samples.
Understanding the uptake of mercury by bacteria is essential for predicting the amount of toxic methyl mercury formed in the environment. This study shows that the uptake of mercury by a whole-cell bacterial biosensor as a function of a strong ligand was greater than predicted by chemical speciation measurements or equilibrium calculations. These results call into question the use of chemical measurements and equilibrium modelling for predicting the toxicity of metals to living organisms in the environment and suggest that direct biological methods yield more accurate results.