Ecology

  2012 APR 27 - (VerticalNews.com) -- According to the authors of a study from Uttar Pradesh, India, "The present study has been carried out to assess groundwater quality in parts of Hindon-Yamuna interfluve region of western Uttar Pradesh. Fifty-five groundwater samples were collected from hand pumps in post-monsoon 2005 and pre-monsoon 2006 period, respectively, covering an area of about 1,345 km(2)."

  "Physical and chemical parameters of groundwater such as electrical conductivity, pH, total dissolved solid, Na, K, Ca, Mg, HCO3, Cl, and SO4 were determined. Concentration of the chemical constituents in groundwater of the study area varies spatially and temporarily. Interpretation of analytical data of major ion chemistry helps to identify three chemical types of groundwater i.e. 'mixed', 'mixed bicarbonate' and 'alkali bicarbonate' types. The species likely to occur in groundwater of the study area are Ca-HCO3, Mg-HCO3, Ca-SO4, Na-Cl, Na-SO4, Na-HCO3, K-Cl, and some other possible species of K, depending on its abundance. The groundwater of the study area comes under the category of moderately hard to very hard, mildly acidic to slightly alkaline in nature. There is anomalously high concentration of major ions, particularly, Na, K, SO4, and Cl. High SO4 and K values may be related to anthropogenic influences, rather than through some natural process," wrote R. Umar and colleagues, Aligarh Muslim University ...read more

  2012 APR 27 - (VerticalNews.com) -- "Physicochemical characteristics of sediment and benthic communities were studied in the proximity of seven sewage outfalls with differences in flow and wastewater treatment in the Western Mediterranean Sea. Redox potential was the only abiotic parameter which showed a pattern related with distance to outfalls, whereas granulometry, percentage of organic matter, metal concentrations or pH did not show changes related with outfall presence," scientists in Alicante, Spain report ...read more

  2012 APR 27 - (VerticalNews.com) -- "The Ely Creek watershed (Lee County, VA) was determined in 1995 to be the most negatively affected by acid mine drainage (AMD) within the Virginia coalfield. This determination led the US Army Corps of Engineers to design and build passive wetland remediation systems at two major AMD seeps affecting Ely Creek," researchers in Blacksburg, Virginia report.

  "This study was undertaken to determine if ecological recovery had occurred in Ely Creek. The results indicate that remediation had a positive effect on all monitoring sites downstream of the remediated AMD seeps. At the site most impacted by AMD, mean pH was 2.93 prior to remediation and improved to 7.14 in 2004. Benthic macroinvertebrate surveys revealed that one AMD influenced site had increased taxa richness from zero taxa in 1997 to 24 in 2004. While in situ testing of Asian clams resulted in zero survival at five of seven AMD influenced sites prior to remediation, some clams survived at all sites after. Clam survival was found to be significantly less than upstream references at only two sites, both downstream of un-mitigated AMD seeps in 2004. An ecotoxicological rating (ETR) system that combined ten biotic and abiotic parameters was developed as an indicator of the ecological status for each study site. A comparison of ETRs from before and after remediation demonstrated that all sites downstream of the remediation had experienced some level of recovery," wrote M.L. Simon and colleagues, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University ...read more