The Arno River Basin(Central Italy)is affected by a considerable anthropogenic pressure due to the presence of large cities and widespread industrial and agricultural practices.In this work,26 water samples from the A...The Arno River Basin(Central Italy)is affected by a considerable anthropogenic pressure due to the presence of large cities and widespread industrial and agricultural practices.In this work,26 water samples from the Arno River and its main tributaries were analyzed to assess the water pollution status.The geochemical composition of the Arno River changes from the source(dominated by a Ca-HCO_(3) facies)to the mouth(where a Na-Cl(SO4)chemistry prevails)with an increasing quality deterioration,as suggested by the Chemical Water Quality Index,due to anthropogenic contributions and seawater intrusion before flowing into the Ligurian Sea.The Ombrone and Usciana tributaries introduce anthropogenic pollutants into the Arno River,whilst Elsa tributary supplies significant contents of geogenic sulfate.The concentrations of dissolved nitrate and nitrite(up to 63 and 9 mg/L,respectively)and the respective isotopic values of𝛿15N and𝛿18O were also determined to understand origin and fate of the N-species in the Arno River Basin surface waters.The combined application of𝛿15N-NO_(3) and𝛿18O-NO_(3) and N-source apportionment modelling allowed the identification of soil organic nitrogen and sewage and domestic wastes as primary sources for dissolved NO_(3)-.The𝛿15N-NO_(2) and𝛿18O-NO_(2) values suggest that the nitrification process affects the ARB waters,thus controlling the abundances and proportion of the N-species.Our work indicates that additional efforts are needed to improve management strategies to reduce the release of nitrogenated species to the surface waters of the Arno River Basin,since little progress has been made from the early 2000s.展开更多
Up to 1980 s,the most used preservative for herbaria specimens was HgCl2,sublimating at ambient air conditions;ionic Hg then reduces to Hg0(gaseous elemental mercury,GEM)and diffuses throughout poor ventilated environ...Up to 1980 s,the most used preservative for herbaria specimens was HgCl2,sublimating at ambient air conditions;ionic Hg then reduces to Hg0(gaseous elemental mercury,GEM)and diffuses throughout poor ventilated environments.High GEM levels may indeed persist for decades,representing a health hazard.In this study,we present new GEM data from the Central Italian Herbarium and Tropical Herbarium Studies Centre of the University of Florence(Italy).These herbaria host one of the largest collection of plants in the world.Here,HgCl2 was documented as plant preservative up to the 1920 s.GEM surveys were conducted in July 2013 and July and December 2017,to account for temporal and seasonal variations.Herbaria show GEM concentrations well above those of external locations,with peak levels within specimen storage cabinets,exceeding 50,000 ng/m3.GEM concentrations up to^7800 ng/m3 were observed where the most ancient collections are stored and no ventilation systems were active.On the contrary,lower GEM concentrations were observed at the first floor.Here,lower and more homogeneously distributed GEM concentrations were measured in 2017 than in 2013 since the air-conditioning system was updated in early2017.GEM concentrations were similar to other herbaria worldwide and lower than Italian permissible exposure limit of 20,000 ng/m3(8-hr working day).Our results indicate that after a century from the latest HgCl2 treatment GEM concentrations are still high,i.e.,the treatment itself is almost irreversible.Air conditioning and renewing is probably the less expensive and more effective method for GEM lowering.展开更多
文摘The Arno River Basin(Central Italy)is affected by a considerable anthropogenic pressure due to the presence of large cities and widespread industrial and agricultural practices.In this work,26 water samples from the Arno River and its main tributaries were analyzed to assess the water pollution status.The geochemical composition of the Arno River changes from the source(dominated by a Ca-HCO_(3) facies)to the mouth(where a Na-Cl(SO4)chemistry prevails)with an increasing quality deterioration,as suggested by the Chemical Water Quality Index,due to anthropogenic contributions and seawater intrusion before flowing into the Ligurian Sea.The Ombrone and Usciana tributaries introduce anthropogenic pollutants into the Arno River,whilst Elsa tributary supplies significant contents of geogenic sulfate.The concentrations of dissolved nitrate and nitrite(up to 63 and 9 mg/L,respectively)and the respective isotopic values of𝛿15N and𝛿18O were also determined to understand origin and fate of the N-species in the Arno River Basin surface waters.The combined application of𝛿15N-NO_(3) and𝛿18O-NO_(3) and N-source apportionment modelling allowed the identification of soil organic nitrogen and sewage and domestic wastes as primary sources for dissolved NO_(3)-.The𝛿15N-NO_(2) and𝛿18O-NO_(2) values suggest that the nitrification process affects the ARB waters,thus controlling the abundances and proportion of the N-species.Our work indicates that additional efforts are needed to improve management strategies to reduce the release of nitrogenated species to the surface waters of the Arno River Basin,since little progress has been made from the early 2000s.
文摘Up to 1980 s,the most used preservative for herbaria specimens was HgCl2,sublimating at ambient air conditions;ionic Hg then reduces to Hg0(gaseous elemental mercury,GEM)and diffuses throughout poor ventilated environments.High GEM levels may indeed persist for decades,representing a health hazard.In this study,we present new GEM data from the Central Italian Herbarium and Tropical Herbarium Studies Centre of the University of Florence(Italy).These herbaria host one of the largest collection of plants in the world.Here,HgCl2 was documented as plant preservative up to the 1920 s.GEM surveys were conducted in July 2013 and July and December 2017,to account for temporal and seasonal variations.Herbaria show GEM concentrations well above those of external locations,with peak levels within specimen storage cabinets,exceeding 50,000 ng/m3.GEM concentrations up to^7800 ng/m3 were observed where the most ancient collections are stored and no ventilation systems were active.On the contrary,lower GEM concentrations were observed at the first floor.Here,lower and more homogeneously distributed GEM concentrations were measured in 2017 than in 2013 since the air-conditioning system was updated in early2017.GEM concentrations were similar to other herbaria worldwide and lower than Italian permissible exposure limit of 20,000 ng/m3(8-hr working day).Our results indicate that after a century from the latest HgCl2 treatment GEM concentrations are still high,i.e.,the treatment itself is almost irreversible.Air conditioning and renewing is probably the less expensive and more effective method for GEM lowering.
