The Mekong River Basin (MRB) is famous for its rice farming and export and produces more than 20 million tons of rice per year. Rice production depends on climate, irrigation, soil fertility. However, this region is adversely impacted by several environmental concerns like nutrient deficiency from sediment and saltwater intrusion. The decrease in sediment deposition in the Mekong basin is caused by a number of factors. In China, Lao PDR, and Vietnam, the hydropower generation from dams has improved people's overall living standards, leading in more dams being built or planned in the future. However, dam construction work is adversely impacting the overall salinity condition in this region by reducing upstream flow. Upstream lower flows during the dry season contributes to the increased salinity in the lower Mekong Delta. In addition to these, multiple dams in the upper and middle region of the Mekong basin are trapping sediments and decreasing it in the lower zones. This study found that the reservoirs, built by China between 2008-2015, has reduced the sediment load at all five stations considered in the study. When a reservoir is removed from the model, the sediment load is increased which showed the substantial impact of reservoir construction on sediment load in this area. The landuse pattern is another factor for variability of the sediment yield in the study area. Forest area contributes to higher sediment production whereas agricultural area results in lower sediment yield. The GFDL RCP (4.5) and GFDL RCP (8.5) future climate change projection scenarios used in this study also demonstrated substantial variability in the precipitation pattern for the study region. GFDL RCP (4.5) scenario resulted in a lower sediment yield during the dry season. On contrary to that, GFDL RCP (8.5) showed higher sediment yield due to higher precipitation during the wet season. The severe salinity impact was observed in the Cai Nuoc, Nam Can, and Thanh Phu districts. In Ca Mau province, the observed salinity is highest among the provinces of the study area during dry season (February to May), about 12-14 PPT (parts per thousand) whereas the lowest level of salinity (less than 1 PPT) was observed in the Dong Thap and Vinh Long provinces. This salinity intrusion is adversely impacting the rice production in the study area. In the year 2000, rice production in the Ca Mau province was about 100-150 thousand tons. But salinity intrusion is drastically reducing the rice production in this area, about 10-30thousand tons per year during 2015-2017. Rice production is increasing in the upper deltaic part of the Mekong Delta region where preventive measures were taken. / Master of Science / The Mekong River Basin (MRB) is famous for its rice farming and export and produces more than 20 million tons of rice per year. The rice production is governed by rainfall, temperature, irrigation, soil fertility etc. However, this region is adversely impacted by multiple environmental concerns like nutrient deficiency, sediment concentration, and salinity. The decrease in sediment deposition in the Mekong basin is caused by several factors. In China, Lao PDR, and Vietnam, the hydropower sector has improved people's overall living standards. As a result, more reservoirs are being constructed or planned to be constructed in the future. But this dam construction work is adversely impacting the overall salinity condition in this region. Upstream flows rate during the dry season (February to May) contributes to the increased salinity condition in lower Mekong Delta. In addition to these, multiple dams in the upper portion of the Mekong basin are trapping sediments and decreasing it in the lower region. From the analysis performed in this study it was found that the reservoirs, built by China between 2008-2015, has reduced the sediment load at all five stations. When the reservoir is removed from the model, the sediment load is increased implying the substantial impact of reservoir construction on sediment load in this area. The landuse pattern is another dominating factor for variability of the sediment yield in the study area. Forest area contributes to higher sediment production whereas agricultural area results in lower sediment yield. Two future climate projection scenarios considered for this study are the GFDL RCP (4.5) and GFDL RCP (8.5). These two scenarios also demonstrated substantial variability in the precipitation pattern for the study region. The severe salinity impact was observed in the Cai Nuoc, Nam Can, and Thanh Phu districts. In Ca Mau province, the observed salinity is highest among the provinces of the study area during dry season (February to May), about 12-14 PPT ((parts per thousand) whereas the lowest level of salinity (less than 1 PPT) was observed in the Dong Thap and Vinh Long provinces. This salinity intrusion is adversely impacting the rice yield in the study area. In the year 2000, rice production in the Ca Mau province was about 100-150 thousand tons. But salinity intrusion is drastically reducing the rice production in this area, about 10-30thousand tons per year during 2015-2017. Rice production is increasing in the upper deltaic part of the Mekong Delta region where preventive measures were taken.

Global environmental concerns arise when marine deposits with fine-grained iron sulfide-rich sediments (FeS and FeS2), now situated above sea level, oxidize from anthropogenic lowering of the groundwater table. The oxidation of iron sulfides decreases the soil pH and the acidic environment of these Acid Sulfate Soils (AS) soils increase weathering and mobilization of metals into adjacent watercourses, lakes and estuaries. Low pH and enhanced concentrations of metals are known to influence water quality negatively, causing fish kills and reduced aquatic diversity. Sulfide rich sediments were deposited in the Baltic Sea after the last glaciation and are now abundantly found along the coasts of for example the Bothnian Bay as a result of isostatic rebound. Recent studies from Finland have stated associations between leached (AS) soils and increased concentrations of metals in estuary sediments, thus the effects are likely to be similar in Sweden. With financial support from the Interreg Nord project “Ecological restoration in coastal river basins in the Bothnian Bay” in cooperation with the Geological Survey of Sweden (SGU), sediments from three lakes and two estuarine sites in the Rosån catchment in Norrbotten county, northern Sweden, were sampled and analyzed with fpXRF, ICP-MS and LOI methods. Elemental concentrations and organic contents were compared to establish accumulation trends over time and relationships between metal concentrations in recently deposited sediments and potential influence from previously sampled (AS) soils. Correlations in time, to anthropogenic activity, such as ditching were also considered. A primary allover trend with increasing concentrations of Aluminum (Al), Arsenic (As), Cadmium (Cd), Cobalt (Co), Cupper (Cu), Iron (Fe), Manganese (Mn), Nickel (Ni), Lead (Pb), Rare Earth Elements (REE) and Zinc (Zn), was noticed in a majority of the lake and estuary sediment samples. With some site variation, also two discrete peaks at different depth, were found in the upper 20 to 30 cm of the sampled sediments. Significant correlations to organic matter were also found for a considerable amount of the elements. Soil samples from (AS) soils in areas related to Rosån show pH values as low as 2.62 and oxidation depths down to 170 cm. Substantial elemental depletion in the oxidized zone suggest increased weathering, leaching and mobilization of Al, Cd, Co, Mn, Ni, REE, Zn and to some extent As, Cu, Fe and Pb from the soil, as a consequence of the acidic environment. A relationship between (AS) soils and increased metal concentrations is therefore likely. The sedimentation rate of roughly 0.2 cm/year was calculated from the separation age of the lakes and the sediment depth to an interpreted transition from more marine environment to lake settings. Consequently the distinct peaks of increased metal concentrations are thus suggested to be related to anthropogenic activities as for example improved drainage methods after the Second World War, but proper dating of the sediments is needed to establish any certain correlations. / På senare tid har man uppmärksammat de miljöproblem som uppstår när finkorniga sediment, innehållande järnsulfider, oxiderar på grund av mänsklig påverkan, t ex. dikning, eller annan typ av aktivitet som sänker grundvattennivån. När järnsulfiderna oxiderar bildas svavelsyra som gör att pH- värdet i marken blir väldigt lågt. Den sura miljön i dessa så kallade sura sulfatjordar, gör i sin tur att mineraler i marken vittrar fortare med påföljden att både surt vatten och ökade mängder metaller, sprids till närliggande vattendrag, sjöar och hav. Lågt pH och höga halter av metaller i vatten påverkar även vattenkvalitén negativt och har rapporterats orsaka fiskdöd och minskad akvatisk mångfald. Sura sulfatjordar är globalt förekommande och återfinns bland annat längs Bottenvikens kuster. De har kunnat bildas genom att sulfidhaltiga sediment, som avsattes i Östersjön efter den senaste istiden, nu befinner sig ovan havsnivån på grund av landhöjningen. I Finland har man i flera studier sett ett samband mellan sura sulfatjordar och ökade metallhalter i nyligen avsatta kustsediment och man kan anta att liknande förhållande gäller även i Sverige. Med finansiellt stöd från EU-projektet “Kustmynnande Vattendrag i Bottenviken-Metodutveckling och Ekologisk Restaurering” (Interreg Nord) genom Sveriges geologiska undersökning (SGU) och i samarbete med Länsstyrelsen i Norrbotten, har bottensediment från tre sjöar och två fjärdar i Rosåns avrinningsområde i Norrbotten provtagits och analyserats. För att fastställa hur koncentrationerna har förändrats över tiden har metallhalterna i de nyligen avsatta sedimenten jämförts med koncentrationerna i äldre sediment. Även jordprofiler från sura sulfatjordar i området har studerats för att kunna utvärdera ett ev. samband mellan urlakade ämnen i jordarna och ökade halter i sedimenten. Granskning av hur långt metallerna transporteras i systemet har gjorts, liksom försök att hitta kopplingar i tiden till mänsklig påverkan som t.ex. dikning. I de översta sedimenten kan man, förutom en generellt ökande trend av aluminium (Al), arsenik (As), kadmium (Cd), kobolt (Co), koppar (Cu), järn (Fe), mangan (Mn), nickel, (Ni) bly (Pb), sällsynta jordartsmetaller (REE) och zink (Zn), också se tydliga toppar med ökade halter av dessa ämnen på minst två specifika djup. De sura sulfatjordarna, som uppmätte pH-värden ner till 2,62, visade tecken på urlakning av Al, Cd, Co, Ni, Mn, REE, Zn och till viss del också As, Cu, Fe och Pb, varpå en trolig relation mellan sura sulfatjordar och ökade metallhalter i nyligen avsatta sediment kan fastställas. En uppskattning av ackumulationshastigheten, som gjordes utifrån när de provtagna sjöarna skiljdes från havet, och sedimentdjupet som visar övergången från hav till sjö, visar att de observerade topparna av ökade metallkoncentrationer i sedimenten skulle kunna vara förknippade med dikning i början av 1900-talet och efter andra världskriget. För en säker bestämning av sambandet till specifika händelser behövs dock en riktig datering.

Time-series aerial photographs from 1943 to 2006, including three bathymetry surveys from 1888, 1953, and 2006, are analyzed and compared. The locations of three morphological features, including that of shoreline, offshore bars, and channel orientation, are delineated over the historical aerial photos in order to examine the morphodynamics of the system. Anthropogenic alteration of the New Pass and Big Sarasota Pass system is a crucial factor in controlling the morphodynamics. Both New Pass and Big Sarasota Pass are mixed-energy tidal inlets with New Pass illustrating a straight morphology and Big Sarasota Pass a highly offset morphology. The sediment bypassing at New Pass can be explained by a modified ebb tidal delta breaching model with the breaching initiated by frequent channel dredging. The sediment bypassing at Big Sarasota Pass is different from that at New Pass, in that it is transported across the entire shallow ebb tidal delta with minor interruptions. This particular morphology, without a deep channel in the distal part of the ebb tidal delta, has been maintained by natural processes over at least the last 65 years. The shoreline in the vicinity of both inlets fluctuates as much as 200 m in a time scale of only few years. The advance and retreat of the shoreline at the southern tip of Lido Key is influenced by the frequent Lido Key beach nourishment. A large portion of the sediment is eventually transported onto the Big Sarasota Pass ebb tidal delta. The northern Siesta Key headland has experienced erosion since the 1960s. Downdrift of the headland, a persistent shoreline accretion was observed over the last 40 years, the pattern of which is related to the location and timing of the swash bar attachment.

Submitted by Mario BC (mario@bc.ufrpe.br) on 2016-06-20T12:40:13Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Wildson de Morais Silva.pdf: 1890192 bytes, checksum: 7eeb21a8a05d68339c6b1b6af39b841d (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2016-06-20T12:40:13Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Wildson de Morais Silva.pdf: 1890192 bytes, checksum: 7eeb21a8a05d68339c6b1b6af39b841d (MD5) Previous issue date: 2015-08-14 / The mangrove acts as marine nursery, geochemical filter and source of income for the population, however, the degradation and pollution of mangroves may favor the release of toxic substances such as heavy metals. In this sense, this study aimed to analyze the levels of iron (Fe), copper (Cu), lead (Pb), mercury (Hg), nickel (Ni), cobalt (Co) and its relationships with the physical and chemical attributes, and to evaluate soil quality through national and international guidelines. They collected three profiles in each of the four areas studied (Bar Mamanguape- PB; estuary of the river Botafogo- B; Canal Santa Cruz-CSC, the Timbó- T River estuary). Samples were collected with samplers for flooded soils and the samples were subjected to hydrogen potential analysis (pH), redox potential (Eh), total organic carbon (TOC), carbonates (CO3-), grain size and by acid digestion method 3051A. The near neutral pH (6.5 to 8.5) and Eh levels in suboxic (Eh 100-350 mV) and anoxic (Eh <100 mV) discloses a geochemical reducing environment. The predominance of fine particles (silt and clay) and organic matter are present in soils around the estuary B and PB1 and PB2 profile, except in the soil CSC estuaries, T and PB3 profile where there was a predominance of sand fraction by situate near mouth. High positive correlations (r> 0.70) were found between fine particles, TOC and metals studied. Environmentally available mercury levels in the estuary B were higher than the ERM (Probable effects level), ERL (Effects range low) TEL (Threshold effect level), PEL (Probable effects level), VP (Value prevention) and the VRQ (quality reference value); Ni exceeded the TEL in some depth in the estuary B profiles, while the soils of other estuaries have levels above the VRQ. Thus, it is possible to identify contamination of Hg and Pb in the B and CSC estuary profiles; Cu B, CSC and PB; Ni B, and CSC PB; and Fe in the estuary B and PB; while for the Co there was no contamination in any of the studied estuaries. The FE (Factor enrichment) and Igeo (Geo-accumulation index) reveal that the B estuary had a severely serious enrichment (EF> 25) and is highly to extremely polluted (Igeo class 5) for Hg, respectively ; and low-enriched (EF <3) to the other metals. The Levels of Hg (Above PEL) and Ni (Above TEL) can be causing toxicity to benthic organisms. From the cluster analysis it was observed that distinctly from the others, Botafogo River estuary is impacted by metals due to strong pressure of human activities on the north coast of Pernambuco region. As a result, mangrove soil into the river Botafogo stands out as one of the marine ecosystem most impacted by Hg. / O manguezal atua como berçário marinho, filtro geoquímico e fonte de renda para a população, porém, a degradação e poluição dos manguezais podem favorecer a liberação de substâncias tóxicas como os metais pesados. Nesse sentido, o presente trabalho objetivou analisar os teores de ferro (Fe), cobre (Cu), chumbo (Pb), mercúrio (Hg), níquel (Ni), cobalto (Co) e suas relações com os atributos físico-químicos, além de avaliar a qualidade dos solos por meio de diretrizes nacionais e internacionais. Foram coletados 3 perfis em cada uma das 4 áreas estudadas (Barra de Mamanguape- PB; Estuário do rio Botafogo- B; Canal Santa Cruz- CSC; Estuário do rio Timbó- T). As coletas foram realizadas com amostradores para solos inundados e as amostras foram submetidas a análises de potencial de hidrogênio (pH), potencial de oxirredução (Eh), carbono orgânico total (COT), carbonatos (CO3-), granulometria e digestão ácida pelo método 3051A. O pH próximo da neutralidade (6,5 e 8,5) e o Eh em níveis subóxicos (Eh 100-350 mV) e anóxicos ( Eh <100 mV) revelam um ambiente geoquímico redutor. O predomínio de partículas finas (silte e argila) e matéria orgânica estão presentes nos solos em todo estuário B e no perfil PB1 e PB2, exceto nos solos dos estuários CSC, T e no perfil PB3 onde houve predominância da fração areia por situarem próximos à desembocadura. Altas correlações positivas (r > 0,70) foram encontradas entre partículas finas, COT e os metais estudados. Os teores de Hg ambientalmente disponíveis no estuário B foram superiores ao ERM (Probable effects level), ERL (Effects range low), TEL (Threshold effect level), PEL (Probable effects level), VP (Valor de prevenção) e o VRQ (Valor de referência de qualidade); o Ni superou o TEL em algumas profundidades nos perfis do estuário B, enquanto nos solos dos demais estuários apresentaram valores superiores ao VRQ. Desta forma, é possível identificar contaminação por Hg e Pb em perfis do estuário B e CSC; por Cu em B, CSC e PB; por Ni em B, CSC e PB; e por Fe no estuário B e PB; enquanto para o Co não houve contaminação em nenhum dos estuários estudados. O FE (Fator de Enriquecimento) e o Igeo (Índice de Geo-acumulação) revelam que o estuário B teve um enriquecimento severamente grave (FE > 25) e encontra-se altamente a extremamente poluído (Igeo classe 5) para o Hg, respectivamente; e baixo enriquecimento (FE < 3) para os demais metais. Os Teores de Hg (Acima do PEL) e Ni (Acima do TEL) podem está causando toxicidade a organismos bentônicos. A partir da análise de agrupamento observou que distintamente dos demais, o estuário do rio Botafogo encontra-se impactado por metais, devido a forte pressão das atividades antrópicas na região do litoral norte pernambucano. Em virtude disso, o solo do manguezal no rio Botafogo se destaca como um dos ecossistemas marinhos mais impactados por Hg.

In the Circum-Caribbean, long timescale paleoenvironmental records, which are used to establish important baseline data for climatological phenomena such as droughts, floods, and hurricanes, are rare. This project uses geological and geochemical proxies (X-Ray fluorescence core scanning data, grain-size analysis, loss on ignition) from a nine-meter-long sediment core from a coastal karst basin near Haiti’s southwestern peninsula to reconstruct Holocene environmental and climatic changes in a region that is both understudied and highly sensitive to the effects of storms, sea level change, tectonics, and anthropogenic impacts. The chronology of the core is established with 4 AMS dates from terrestrial organic matter and shows continuous sedimentation from ~8500 cal BP to the present, with an abrupt increase in sedimentation rate at ~2900 cal BP. High values of Ti and Ti/Ca are associated with finer sediments in the core and indicate relatively humid conditions at ~6500 cal BP, followed by a gradual drying trend. This is consistent with data from elsewhere in the Caribbean that reflects a southward migration of the ITCZ during the early Holocene. After 2500 cal BP, a series of large and abrupt increases in Ti and Ti/Ca are associated with an influx of finer, terrestrially-derived sediment into the bay due to enhanced discharge from the nearby Baradères River, possibly as a result of short-duration shifts to wetter climate conditions, hurricane-induced precipitation, and/or prehistoric-era human settlement. Variations in silicate input (e.g., K/Ti), marine productivity (e.g., Ca/Ti), and redox conditions (e.g., Mn/Fe) are linked to local climate changes and resulting changes in the depositional environment, while peaks in Rb/Sr and Ti/Ca could be signals for erosion related to events such as hurricanes and/or land use changes. Finally, high values of silt and clay, in conjunction with enhanced organics, Ti, Fe, K and P over the last couple centuries reflect historic-era deforestation and erosion. This study presents an excellent opportunity to further our understanding of the diverse relationships between ecosystem dymanics, climate, and anthropogenic forcings and adds to the growing inventory of paleoclimatological records in the Caribbean, improving the spatial distribution of such studies, and ultimately improving our understanding of the driving forces of both short- and long-term climate variability.