Terrestrial areas sediments soils

Arsenic in precipitation from unpolluted ocean air averages about 0.019 pg L 1 (Hering and Kneebone, 2002), 157 and terrestrial rainwater concentrations (at least over the USA) also have similar averages of around 0.013-0.032 pgL-1 ((Smedley and Kinniburgh, 2002), 522 Table 3.17). As the precipitation infiltrates into the subsurface, its chemistry changes as it reacts with sediments, soils, and rocks. Therefore, the arsenic chemistry of the groundwater of an area may be very different than its precipitation chemistry. 

Endosulfan is released to the environment mainly as the result of its use as an insecticide. Significant contamination is limited to areas where endosulfan is manufactured, formulated, applied, or disposed of. The compound partitions to the atmosphere and to soils and sediments. Endosulfan can be transported over long distances in the atmosphere, but the compound is relatively immobile in soils. It is transformed by hydrolysis to the diol and by microorganisms to a number of different metabolites. It is bioconcentrated only to low levels and does not biomagnify in terrestrial or aquatic food chains. 

This area has most recently been reviewed by Covaci et al. (2007a). Matrices commonly analysed include air, dust, soils, sediments, sewage sludges and a wide variety of biota samples, both terrestrial and aquatic (Law et al, 2008b). BFRs have not been widely determined in water as these compounds are hydrophobic with high log values, and will... 

The Ordos Basin is located about 300 km to the north of Xi an, central China. With an area of 260,000 km it is the second largest sedimentary basin in China. Its central part is characterised by nearly horizontal strata some 4,000 m thick. The sedimentary column can be divided into three major units Lower Palaeozoic marine carbonates Upper Palaeozoic coal-bearing series and Mesozoic terrestrial sediments. Oil and gas fields occur throughout these sediments. The gas is believed to originate from over-matured Ordovician carbonates and coal beds, whilst the source of the oil is thought to be lacustrine sediments of Triassic age. The region is semi-arid and the soils are thin and poorly developed. 

PROBABLE FATE photolysis, expected to oecur slowly oxidation no data available on aqueous oxidation, oxidized by hydroxyl radicals in atmosphere hydrolysis not important process first-order hydrolytic half-life >879 yrs volatilization volatilizes at a relatively rapid rate, half-life is about 10 hr volatilization from soil surfaces is expected to be a signifieant transport mechanism sorption sorbed by organic materials adsorption to sediment expected to be a major environmental fate process based on research in the Great Lakes area biological processes bioaccumulates more than chlorobenzene, biodegradation is not as significant as volatilization slightly persistent in water, half-life 2-20 days approximately 98.5% of 1,3-dichlorobenzene ends up in air 1% ends up in water the rest is divided equally between terrestrial soils and aquatic sediments. 

Fig. 2 shows the different pathways in which chemical elements contained in rocks are released to the different environmental compartments. Five main processes are responsible for their dispersion into the different ecosystems (1) Weathering, either directly by rain water on rock outcrops, by soil percolation water or by root exsu-dates, which interact with rock fragments, contained in the soil cover (2) Down hill mechanical transport of weathered rock particles, such as creep and erosion and subsequent sedimentation as till material or alluvial river and lake sediments (3) Transport in dissolved or low size colloidal form by surface and groundwater (4) Terrestrial and aquatic plants growing in undisturbed natural situations will take up whatever chemical elements they need and which are available in the surface and shallow groundwater. Trace elements taken up from the soil will accumulate in the leaves and will possibly enrich the soil by litterfall (5) Diffuse atmospheric input by aerosols and rain rock particles from volcanic eruptions, desertic areas (Chester et al., 1996), seaspray and their reaction with rain water. A considerable part of this can be anthropogenic. 

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