The Role of the Ocean in Global Cycling of Persistent Organic Contaminants

The Role of the Ocean in Global Cycling of Persistent Organic Contaminants
Author: Irene Stemmler
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
Total Pages: 107
Release: 2010-03-10
Genre: Science
ISBN: 3642050093

Persistent organic contaminants, which are bioaccumulative and toxic are a concern for the ecosystems and human health and are regulated under international law (global and regional conventions, besides other). If semivolatile, they cycle in different environmental compartments and follow complex transport pathways. The ocean is believed to play a key role in the cycling by accumulating and storing the contaminant and providing a transport medium. But substance fate in the marine environment is not fully understood yet. Here, the global multicompartment chemistry-transport model MPI-MCTM is used to study the fate of organic pollutants in the marine and total environment. For the first time historical emission data are used in spatially-resolved long-term simulations of an insecticide, DDT, and an industrial chemical, perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA). The model results give new insights into the cycling of these substances as different spatial and process resolutions were tested. E.g. for DDT the model results show saturation and reversal of air-sea exchange, which was not indicated by any other study before.

Environmental Geochemistry

Environmental Geochemistry
Author: Benedetto DeVivo
Publisher: Elsevier
Total Pages: 646
Release: 2017-09-18
Genre: Science
ISBN: 044464007X

Environmental Geochemistry: Site Characterization, Data Analysis and Case Histories, Second Edition, reviews the role of geochemistry in the environment and details state-of-the-art applications of these principles in the field, specifically in pollution and remediation situations. Chapters cover both philosophy and procedures, as well as applications, in an array of issues in environmental geochemistry including health problems related to environment pollution, waste disposal and data base management. This updated edition also includes illustrations of specific case histories of site characterization and remediation of brownfield sites. - Covers numerous global case studies allowing readers to see principles in action - Explores the environmental impacts on soils, water and air in terms of both inorganic and organic geochemistry - Written by a well-respected author team, with over 100 years of experience combined - Includes updated content on: urban geochemical mapping, chemical speciation, characterizing a brownsfield site and the relationship between heavy metal distributions and cancer mortality

Chemical Oceanography of Frontal Zones

Chemical Oceanography of Frontal Zones
Author: Igor M. Belkin
Publisher: Springer Nature
Total Pages: 446
Release: 2023-06-01
Genre: Science
ISBN: 3662658399

This book is a unique and authoritative review of chemical fronts in the ocean world. It includes regional chapters on chemical fronts in all major oceans (Atlantic, Indian, Pacific, Arctic, and Southern) and marginal seas (North Sea, Baltic Sea, Mediterranean Sea, Gulf of Mexico, Yellow Sea, and the East Siberian Sea). Thematic chapters focus on diverse topics such as cross-frontal transfer of nutrients; diapycnal mixing and its impact on nutrient fluxes in western boundary currents (Gulf Stream and Kuroshio); front-driven physical-biogeochemical-ecological interactions; dynamics of coloured dissolved organic matter; pollutant concentration and fish contamination in frontal zones; distribution of microplastics in the ocean, and Lagrangian methods to study the transport of marine litter. This volume will appeal to a broad audience, including researchers, instructors, students, and practitioners of all kinds involved in scientific and applied research, environment protection and conservation, and maritime industries including fisheries, aquaculture, and mining. Chapter "Lagrangian Methods for Visualizing and Assessing Frontal Dynamics of Floating Marine Litter with a Focus on Tidal Basins" is available open access under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License via link.springer.com.

Soil pollution: a hidden reality

Soil pollution: a hidden reality
Author: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
Publisher: Food & Agriculture Org.
Total Pages: 156
Release: 2018-04-30
Genre: Technology & Engineering
ISBN: 9251305056

This document presents key messages and the state-of-the-art of soil pollution, its implications on food safety and human health. It aims to set the basis for further discussion during the forthcoming Global Symposium on Soil Pollution (GSOP18), to be held at FAO HQ from May 2nd to 4th 2018. The publication has been reviewed by the Intergovernmental Technical Panel on Soil (ITPS) and contributing authors. It addresses scientific evidences on soil pollution and highlights the need to assess the extent of soil pollution globally in order to achieve food safety and sustainable development. This is linked to FAO’s strategic objectives, especially SO1, SO2, SO4 and SO5 because of the crucial role of soils to ensure effective nutrient cycling to produce nutritious and safe food, reduce atmospheric CO2 and N2O concentrations and thus mitigate climate change, develop sustainable soil management practices that enhance agricultural resilience to extreme climate events by reducing soil degradation processes. This document will be a reference material for those interested in learning more about sources and effects of soil pollution.

Biogeochemistry of Wetlands

Biogeochemistry of Wetlands
Author: K. Ramesh Reddy
Publisher: CRC Press
Total Pages: 926
Release: 2022-09-10
Genre: Science
ISBN: 0429531931

The globally important nature of wetland ecosystems has led to their increased protection and restoration as well as their use in engineered systems. Underpinning the beneficial functions of wetlands are a unique suite of physical, chemical, and biological processes that regulate elemental cycling in soils and the water column. This book provides an in-depth coverage of these wetland biogeochemical processes related to the cycling of macroelements including carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, and sulfur, secondary and trace elements, and toxic organic compounds. In this synthesis, the authors combine more than 100 years of experience studying wetlands and biogeochemistry to look inside the black box of elemental transformations in wetland ecosystems. This new edition is updated throughout to include more topics and provide an integrated view of the coupled nature of biogeochemical cycles in wetland systems. The influence of the elemental cycles is discussed at a range of scales in the context of environmental change including climate, sea level rise, and water quality. Frequent examples of key methods and major case studies are also included to help the reader extend the basic theories for application in their own system. Some of the major topics discussed are: Flooded soil and sediment characteristics Aerobic-anaerobic interfaces Redox chemistry in flooded soil and sediment systems Anaerobic microbial metabolism Plant adaptations to reducing conditions Regulators of organic matter decomposition and accretion Major nutrient sources and sinks Greenhouse gas production and emission Elemental flux processes Remediation of contaminated soils and sediments Coupled C-N-P-S processes Consequences of environmental change in wetlands# The book provides the foundation for a basic understanding of key biogeochemical processes and its applications to solve real world problems. It is detailed, but also assists the reader with box inserts, artfully designed diagrams, and summary tables all supported by numerous current references. This book is an excellent resource for senior undergraduates and graduate students studying ecosystem biogeochemistry with a focus in wetlands and aquatic systems.

Water Quality for Ecosystem and Human Health

Water Quality for Ecosystem and Human Health
Author: Geneviève M. Carr
Publisher: UNEP/Earthprint
Total Pages: 132
Release: 2008
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 9789295039513

This document is intended to provide an overview of the major components of surface and ground water quality and how these relate to ecosystem and human health. Local, regional and global assessments of water quality monitoring data are used to illustrate key features of aquatic environments, and to demonstrate how human activities on the landscape can influence water quality in both positive and negative ways. Clear and concise background knowledge on water quality can serve to support other water assessments.

The Regional Impacts of Climate Change

The Regional Impacts of Climate Change
Author: Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Working Group II.
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 532
Release: 1998
Genre: Science
ISBN: 9780521634557

Cambridge, UK : Cambridge University Press, 1998.

Persistent Organic Pollutants

Persistent Organic Pollutants
Author: Stuart Harrad
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
Total Pages: 288
Release: 2009-11-19
Genre: Science
ISBN: 9780470684139

Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) are toxic, resistant to degradation, bioaccumulative, and display wide spatial distribution. They accumulate in humans and wildlife, and have been linked to cancer, as well as reproductive and immunological disorders. In 2001 a global treaty on POPs was agreed, to minimise and ultimately eliminate the release of POPs into the environment. The Stockholm Convention lists 12 groups of chemicals, and as of late 2008, a further 12 chemicals are under consideration for inclusion. This book addresses all of these chemicals, but focuses particularly on currently listed POPs that are still of major concern (e.g. polychlorinated biphenyls - PCBs), as well as new and emerging POPs that have been the subject of an explosion of scientific interest in the last decade, i.e. brominated flame retardants (BFRs) and perfluorinated chemicals (PFCs). Other chapters address the challenges posed by the presence of POPs in the developing world; how the properties of chiral POPs can provide unique insights into their environmental sources, fate and behaviour; and issues arising from the presence of POPs in urban and indoor environments. Persistent Organic Pollutants provides a much-anticipated reference source for a wide audience including academics, industrial scientists and regulators.