[Preliminary study on the relationship between the water quality and the aquatic biological health status of Taihu Lake].

Nemerow index method and benthic index of biological integrity method have been used to evaluate the water quality and the health status of aquatic organisms in Taihu Lake during 2008-2012, respectively. The results showed that the water in the whole Taihu Lake was polluted, and the aquatic organisms were basically kept in sub-health state. The results of the water quality and aquatic biological assessment exhibited generally the same trend at a large scale. In the view of the whole lake, the water quality and aquatic health status in East Taihu Lake were better than those of the other parts. In the view of time, the water quality and aquatic health status during 2008-2010 were worse than those of the lake in the 1960s. The results observed from the two assessment methods were not the same during short periods of time and in some special sample points, which were attributed to the following reasons: (1) the two assessment methods focused on different time scales and (2) the aquatic biological health status was related to the water quality as well as the environmental habitat. Since organic pollutants and excessive nutrients were the main factors influencing the water quality and aquatic health status, reducing the concentrations of the organic pollutants and inorganic nutrients should be a feasible method to improve the water quality and the ecological function of Taihu Lake.

Development of a solid-phase microextraction fiber coated with poly(methacrylic acid-ethylene glycol dimethacrylate) and its application for the determination of chlorophenols in water coupled with GC.

A solid-phase microextraction (SPME) fiber coated with poly(methacrylic acid-ethylene glycol dimethacrylate) coupled to GC with a micro electron-capture detector was developed for the determination of four chlorphenols in water samples for the first time. A novel and simple method for the preparation of this novel SPME fiber was proposed by copolymerization of methacrylic acid and ethylene glycol dimethacrylate in an appropriate solvent using a glass capillary as a "mold". The factors affecting the polymerization were optimized in detail. Furthermore, the extraction performance of the poly(methacrylic acid-ethylene glycol dimethacrylate) fiber was evaluated. Moreover, experimental headspace-SPME parameters, such as extraction temperature, extraction time, salt concentration, stirring speed, and pH, were optimized by orthogonal array experimental designs. Under the optimized conditions, the target analytes were linear in the range of 0.2-50 ng/mL, and the correlation coefficients were all greater than 0.99. RSD was less than 8.9%, and the detection limits were in the range of 0.1-10 ng/L. Four cholorphenols were detected from tap and lake water samples using the proposed method, with the recoveries of spiked natural water samples were ranged from 91.8 to 110.8, and 90.6 to 111.4% for tap and lake water samples, respectively.

Eco-compensation in multi-district river networks in north Jiangsu, China.

Eco-compensation is a multi-disciplinary topic. There is no consensus on the issue of river eco-compensation across districts. Although policies regarding river eco-compensation have been issued in China since 2008, due to the high cost, eco-compensation has not been well implemented in the Taihu pilot region. Therefore, a simplified method based solely on water quality (both water quality and water volume included in the Taihu method) was proposed for North Jiangsu province (NJP). However, the formula was flawed and it led to payments being too low. Three problems need to be solved: (1) how to specify the eco-compensation areas; (2) how to test a reasonable eco-compensation model and (3) how to determine the compensation criterion. Solving these issues is already a priority. In this paper, three potential solutions surrounding eco-compensation are discussed: (1) three principles for selecting the representative eco-compensation areas are suggested; (2) the compensation calculation method based on contaminant flux above the ultra standard is revised and (3) a compensation criterion model based on the treatment costs of sewage is proposed. In the NJP case in 2009, the average eco-compensation criterion for chemical oxygen demand (COD) is 2,000 Chinese Yuan (CNY) per ton and ammonia nitrogen (NH4-N) and total phosphorus (TP) are 8,000 CNY and 80,000 CNY per ton, respectively. Five districts needed to be compensated. The payments in the revised scheme were 4.15-586 million CNY, which were 16-48 times greater than that in the draft method. The new method can provide an important template for managers when drafting river eco-compensation schemes.

[Analysis of meteorological factors of forming feculent and anaerobic water aggregation induced by algal bloom in Taihu Lake].

The water quality pollution problem about feculent and anaerobic water aggregation (FAWA) induced by algal bloom in Taihu Lake, which is often called 'hufan' in Chinese, was studied. Its forming process is divided into 3 phases, i. e., material elements forming of FAWA, anaerobic products to be brought to the water surface and the maintaining of FAWA in the water surface. The conventional observational data from Wuxi meteorological station was analyzed. The result shows that there are similar meteorological characteristics of two FAWA phenomena in Taihu Lake in May, 2007 and May, 2008. A numerical simulation was performed to prove the analysis results. It indicates that propitious meteorological condition is one of the necessary forming factors of FAWA, which provides thermal and dynamical environment for FAWA. During the first phase, the weather conditions, such as high air temperature, gentle breeze and nearly invariable wind direction, maintain for more than 3 days and cause algal bloom to aggregate, then die, sink and anaerobic decay near lake bank. All these provide the precondition for FAWA. During the second phase, when the cold air mass passes across the Taihu basin, almost counter-direction wind, which maintains for more than 1 day with higher speed and lower air temperature, makes anaerobic products to be brought to the water surface by uplifted current. This is the trigger mechanism of FAWA. During the last phase, continual high air temperature and gentle breeze is favorable for FAWA in the water surface. Because meteorological factors are predictable, this research provides a way and basis for the further study of warning and controlling approaches of FAWA.