ecosystem services – Page 2

New discovery: the heart and core of aquatic ecosystem health

This new discovery identified what is the essence, heart and core of aquatic ecosystem health. This is a key to water sustainability.

The concept of ecosystem health became popular. What is the core of ecosystem health in case of aquatic ecosystems (reservoirs, rivers, lakes, seas, estuaries)?

To answer this question, there are a lot of factors to be given attention. One of these factors was underestimated and almost ignored until now. However, this factor became more visible after the works conducted at M.V. Lomonosov Moscow State University.

This factor is the ability of a healthy ecosystem to improve and maintain water quality, in other words, to perform self-purification of water.

The main features of water self-purification were discovered, described and put into a system in a series of publications of 1998 – 2010 [1-9].

In addition to above-mentioned English papers, the same author published some articles in Russian [10-15]:

Moreover, the various aspects of self-purification were analyzed in the books of 2004 -2008 [16-18].

Additional discussion of these publications is given at sites [19-21].

These publications developed a new theory of water self-purification.

In conclusion, the analysis of current literature demonstrated that the ecosystem health of aquatic -freshwater, estuarine, marine – ecosystems includes the ability of the biological community to purify water (to perform water self-purification). The modern theory of water self-purification was developed by the author in a series of papers and books, 1998 -2010.

Literature

1. Ostroumov S. A. Biological filtering and ecological machinery for self-purification and bioremediation in aquatic ecosystems: towards a holistic view. // Rivista di Biologia / Biology Forum. 1998. 91: 247-258.

2. Ostroumov S. A. The Concept of Aquatic Biota as a Labile and Vulnerable Component of the Water Self-Purification System. – Doklady Biological Sciences, Vol. 372, 2000 , pp. 286–289. http://www.scribd.com/doc/49069991;

3. Ostroumov S. A. An aquatic ecosystem: a large-scale diversified bioreactor with a water self-purification function. – Doklady Biological Sciences, 2000. Vol. 374, P. 514-516. scribd.com/doc/49065542; http://www.scribd.com/doc/49069997; the paper gave a new insight into the core functions and identity of ecosystem as a bioreactor to maintain water quality;

4. Ostroumov S.A. Inhibitory analysis of top-down control: new keys to studying eutrophication, algal blooms, and water self-purification. – Hydrobiologia. 2002, vol. 469, p. 117-129; http://www.scribd.com/doc/52598579/;

5. Ostroumov S.A. Polyfunctional role of biodiversity in processes leading to water purification: current conceptualizations and concluding remarks. Hydrobiologia. 2002. V. 469 (1-3): 203-204. http://www.scribd.com/doc/52627327/2H469p203-Polyfunctional-role-w-Addendum;

6. Ostroumov S.A. On the Biotic Self-purification of Aquatic Ecosystems: Elements of the Theory; Doklady Biological Sciences, 2004, v.396, No.1-6; pp.206-211. http://www.scribd.com/doc/48099028/4DBS-On-the-Biotic-Self-Purification-fulltext;

7. Ostroumov S. A. Aquatic ecosystem as a bioreactor: water purification and some other functions. – Rivista di Biologia / Biology Forum, 2004, 97 (1): 67-78

8. Ostroumov S. A. On some issues of maintaining water quality and self-purification.- Water Resources, 2005. Volume 32, Number 3, p. 305-313. http://www.scribd.com/doc/57511892/

9. Ostroumov S. A. Biocontrol of Water Quality: Multifunctional Role of Biota in Water Self-Purification. – Russian Journal of General Chemistry, 2010, Vol. 80, No. 13, pp. 2754–2761. —http://www.scribd.com/doc/49131150; http://www.scribd.com/doc/73175163/; DOI: 10.1134/S1070363210130086;

10. Остроумов С.А. Концепция водной биоты как лабильного и уязвимого звена системы самоочищения воды // Доклады РАН (ДАН). 2000. Т. 372. № 2. С. 279-282.

11. Остроумов С.А. Водная экосистема: крупноразмерный диверсифицированный биореактор с функцией самоочищения воды // ДАН, 2000, Т. 374, №3. С.427-429. www.scribd.com/doc/57970728/;

12. Остроумов С.А. О биотическом самоочищении водных экосистем. Элементы теории. // Доклады академии наук (ДАН), (2004), том 396. № 1, с. 136–141. scribd.com/doc/57774996/; http://sites.google.com/site/scipaperdan2004selfpurificat/;

13. Остроумов С.А. Биологический механизм самоочищения в природных водоемах и водотоках: теория и практика // Успехи современной биологии. 2004. Т.124. №5. С. 429-442. http://scipeople.ru/publication/67095/; http://www.scribd.com/doc/57695131/

14. Остроумов С.А. О некоторых вопросах поддержания качества воды и ее самоочищения // Водные ресурсы. 2005. т. 32. № 3. С. 337-347.

15. Остроумов С.А. Элементы теории биоконтроля качества воды: фактор экологической безопасности источников водоснабжения (=Elements of the theory of biocontrol of water quality: a factor in the ecological safety of the sources of water) // Химическая и биологическая безопасность. 2008. № 5-6. с.36-39. http://rudocs.exdat.com/docs/index-326746.html

16. Ostroumov S.A. Biotic Mechanism of Self-purification of Freshwater and Marine Water. (Ecological Studies, Hazards, Solutions, vol. 9) Мoscow: МAX Press. 2004. 96 p., Bibliogr. 59-85. Abstract in English. Section in English: p.53-58; ISBN 5-317-01120-5.; http://scipeople.com/publication/99362/; In Russian:

Остроумов С.А. Биотический механизм самоочищения пресных и морских вод. Элементы теории и приложения = Biotic mechanism of self-purification of freshwater and marine water. http://scipeople.com/publication/99362/; М.: МАКС Пресс. 2004. 96 с. Библиогр.: c. 59-85. ISBN 5-317-01120-5.

17. Ostroumov S.A. Pollution, Self-purification and Restoration of Aquatic Ecosystems. Мoscow: МAX Press. 2005. 100 p. Bibliogr.: 63-89. Glossary. Extended English abstract (p. 57-62), ISBN 5-317-01213-9. In Russian:

Загрязнение, самоочищение и восстановление водных экосистем = Pollution, self-purification and restoration of aquatic ecosystems. М.: МАКС Пресс. 2005. 100 с., Библиогр.: с.63-89. ISBN 5-317-01213-9.

18. Ostroumov S.A. Aquatic organisms in water self-purification and biogenic migration of elements. Moscow. MAX Press. 2008. 200 p. ISBN 978-5-317-02625-7. http://scipeople.com/publication/68016/. In Russian:

Гидробионты в самоочищении вод и биогенной миграции элементов. М. МАКС-Пресс. 2008. 200 с. Предисловие члена-корр. РАН В.В. Малахова. Библиогр.: с.155-191. (Серия: Наука. Образование. Инновации. Выпуск 9). ISBN 978-5-317-02625-7. http://scipeople.com/publication/68016/.

Some relevant sites:

19 Making water sustainable: http://5bio5.blogspot.com/2012/06/making-water-sustainable.html;

20 Aquatic ecosystems… http://5bio5.blogspot.com/2012/07/aquatic-ecosystems-and-water.html;

21 Water quality… http://5bio5.blogspot.com/2012/07/water-quality-ecosystems-more-facts-to.html

About the author (Dr. S.A.O., Fulbright Award winner):

http://www.scribd.com/doc/80074854/

http://famous-scientists.ru/3732/

Twitter: http://twitter.com/Sergeiost

Citation of this author:

http://5bio5.blogspot.com/2012/07/world-wide-and-international-citing-of.html

Key words:

reservoirs, rivers, lakes, seas, estuaries, Biotic Mechanism, Self-purification, Freshwater, Marine Water, Aquatic organisms, water, Pollution, Restoration, Aquatic Ecosystems,

Freshwater sustainability. Secrets that became open: the previously unknown or underestimated facts and principles

Freshwater sustainability. Secrets that became open: the previously unknown or underestimated facts and principles relevant to water quality.
New conceptualization: how ecosystems improve water quality. A series of publications that provided a clear scientific analysis and picture.

The scientific problem and its scientific solution.

There is a water crisis: a deficit in freshwater supply in many countries. In future, the deficit will increase. Necessity for a solution of the problem of food supply, and the problem of energy supply will increase the deficit even to a greater extent. 1,000 litres of water is used to produce one kilogram of wheat. Moreover, an additional problem is that what we need is more than just some amount of water. We need not only some amount of water but also we want the water to be of proper quality. It is really very important that we need water of good quality. Is there any solution at all? One of prerequisites in finding a way out is to get a better insight into how the proper water quality is formed by the natural forces of aquatic ecosystems. An innovative analysis was made in a series of scientific publications which provide a clear system of factors and processes that lead to improving water quality (water self-purification). To exploit this system and to benefit from it, we need to understand it.
The innovative contribution:
http://5bio5.blogspot.com/2012/06/new-conceptualizationhow-ecosystems.html;
Innovative conceptualization of how ecosystems improve water quality (ecosystemic water self-purification):

Some of the key publications:
http://www.scribd.com/doc/52627327/2H469p203-Polyfunctional-role-w-Addendum; http://www.scribd.com/doc/48099028/;
[Paper:
Aquatic ecosystem as a bioreactor. – RIVISTA DI BIOLOGIA – BIOLOGY FORUM, Volume: 97,No.1, Pages: 67-78, 2004]:
full text free:

Another paper: Biocontrol of water quality:
http://www.scribd.com/ar55/d/49131150;
Relevant info: [water quality: multifunctional role of biota]: http://5bio5.blogspot.com/2012/05/topic-water-narrow-field-water-quality.html;
http://5bio5.blogspot.com/2012/05/why-do-new-york-and-lake-baikal-have.html;
http://5bio5.blogspot.com/2012/05/environmental-sciences-ecology-biology_14.html;
**
Analysis of water crisis:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_crisis;
http://www.futuredirections.org.au/publications/food-and-water-crises/36-water-surplus-countries.html;
Application of the innovative contribution commented above:
better water resources management, water sustainability, protection of water quality; environmental education, environmental safety, sustainable use of resources,
**
Countries that may benefit from the better understanding of how water quality is formed:

Israel, Syria, Jordan, other countries of that region;
Turkey,
Mexico,
Greece,
Spain,
Netherlands,
China,
some areas of the U.S.A., Australia;
**
In the paper on the water crisis [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_crisis], the following countries, regions and cities (and numbers of people affected) were mentioned:

Sudan, Venezuela, Ethiopia, Tunisia, Cuba,
* Sudan 12.3 million
* Venezuela 5.0 million
* Ethiopia 2.7 million
* Tunisia 2.1 million
* Cuba 1.3 million
Los Angeles,
China, India,
Pakistan, Iran, Mexico,
Algeria, Egypt,
Bangladesh, Nepal, Myanmar,
Australia,
Israel,
Singapore, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates,

Venus, or Aphrodite, goddess of love, Environment, Water and Ecology. Environmental role of synthetic surfactants

Environment, Water and Ecology. Environmental role of synthetic surfactants.

Background.

In the previous parts of this series of the material posted, it was explained why it is so important to analyze the issues of aquatic environment, water quality, and related issues of how chemicals interact with aquatic organisms (see Part 1, [1]). Also, it was shown that aquatic organisms contribute a lot to improving water quality, as exemplified by the organisms that are filter-feeders (Part 2, [2]).

Goal.
In this material (which is item 3 to continue the series of previous posts on Environment, Water and Ecology [1, 2]), the goal is to consider additional eye-opening information on chemical pollutants of water, especially on the chemicals that until recently were considered as relatively safe, namely, synthetic surfactants.

Location in industrial products.

These chemicals – surfactants – are components of many industrial products of broad use: laundry detergents, shampoo, liquid soap, dish washing liquid detergents, cosmetics, car cosmetics, pipe washing mixtures (including pipes of various use, e.g., pipes for milk and pipes for gasoline), liquids for fire extinguishers, and even pesticide mixtures of broad use in agriculture, horticulture, and in making lawns and playing grounds for golf to look nice.

Variety of names.

These chemicals are known under various names: surfactants, detergents, tensides, surface-active substances, surface active agents.

Quantity. Discharge that pollutes the environment.

The daily discharge of surfactants to waste waters is more than 10 g per an average inhabitant of urbanized areas, which means a discharge of 10 thousand kilogram in a city of 1 million people, which is equal to 22 thousand pound every day or more than 6 million pound annually!

Safe or not?

Until recently the synthetic surfactants were considered as relatively safe chemicals. Their level of environmental hazard was considered far lower than the environmental hazards from the champions of pollution, the notorious ecotoxicants: heavy metals, chlororganic products, PCB (polychlorinated biphenyls), insecticides, herbicides, just to list a few …

Innovation and eye-opening discovery.

The point is that recent research [3 – 5] demonstrated that it was a wrong opinion. A key issue is the issue of criteria to use for assessment of the environmental hazards of chemicals. Recently, a development of new criteria was made [3].
These criteria gave attention not only to easily visible lethal effects of chemicals (increase in mortality of the organisms tested in the experiments) but also to less noticeable sublethal effects (which decrease functional performance of the organisms and finally their health). Moreover, more attention was given to the ecosystem health.

New experiments showed a variety of negative effects of surfactants on bacteria and cyanobacteria, algae, higher plants and invertebrates, including mussels and oysters that are key organisms that are being grown in aquaculture [3-5].
The results on the new approach, and new experiments, were presented in a series of papers [4 ] and the book [5 ]. The results demonstrated that the synthetic surfactants pose a more serious hazard to environment, especially water environment [3 – 5], than it was previously thought.

This is the book [5], in which a large amount of innovative results of bioassay of synthetic surfactants and detergents is presented. As it was mentioned, the experiments discovered many negative effects of these chemicals on bacteria and cyanobacteria, algae, higher plants and aquatic invertebrates.

Bottom line.

As a matter of fact, the discovery is: a new hazard to environment, a new priority in preventing negative effects of chemical pollution, in prevention of deterioration of water quality.

Recognition: international scientific community.

The book mentioned and the related papers were cited by scientists of a number of countries as diverse as U.S.A., Germany, U.K., Denmark, Belgium, Netherlands, Austria, Spain, Turkey, China, Slovakia, and Argentina (in arbitrary order) [6].

Location of the laboratories.

This research was carried out at Moscow State University (Russia), Plymouth Marine Laboratory (U.K.), University of New York (U.S.A.), University of Maryland (U.S.A.), and the Institute of Biology of Southern Seas (Crimea, Ukraine). A concise summary was presented in [7].

Foam and surfactants: a contrasting variety of connotations, including Venus, or Aphrodite.

According to legends of the ancient Greek mythology, a foam produced by sea water was a place of birth of the goddess of love, Aphrodite (Venus in mythology of ancient Rome). Love (to Simonetta Vespucci, nicknamed la bella Simonetta) and the legend on Venus inspired a genius painter of Renaissance, Alessandro di Mariano di Vanni Filipepi, better known as Sandro Botticelli (c. 1445 – 1510), to create one of the most charming images of the cultural heritage of mankind: The Birth of Venus (in Italian: Nascita di Venere; 1486). However, the research project and the book that summarized its results and was mentioned above added some less charming connotations to another type of foam, namely the foam produced by synthetic surfactants.

Location of this post in the series of posts.

This post is No.3 in the series on Environment, Water and Ecology. The previous posts were:

[1] Will wars of future be related to modern science and theories of ecology? Key issues, water quality: scientific fundamentals, achievements, discoveries, bibliography.

Will wars of future be related to modern science and theories of ecology? Key issues, water quality: scientific fundamentals, achievements, discoveries, bibliography

[2] on the discovery of the key role of organisms in making water clear http://sergostroumov.scienceblog.com/2012/04/14/discovery-of-the-key-role-of-organisms-that-filter-water-and-make-it-clear/

BIBLIOGRAPHY AND KEY SITES:
[1] Will wars of future be related to modern science and theories of ecology? Key issues, water quality: scientific fundamentals, achievements, discoveries, bibliography.

Will wars of future be related to modern science and theories of ecology? Key issues, water quality: scientific fundamentals, achievements, discoveries, bibliography

[2] on the discovery of the key role of organisms in making water clear http://sergostroumov.scienceblog.com/2012/04/14/discovery-of-the-key-role-of-organisms-that-filter-water-and-make-it-clear/
[3] new criteria for environmental hazards: http://www.scribd.com/doc/60891549; http://www.scribd.com/doc/49088234; www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12852181; http://www.scribd.com/doc/52636721/
[4] series of papers on ecotoxicology of surfactants and detergents: http://www.scribd.com/doc/49065593; http://www.scribd.com/doc/59417067/; http://www.scribd.com/doc/52634169/; http://www.springerlink.com/content/p7754h672w814m30/; http://www.scribd.com/doc/45914806; http://www.scribd.com/doc/45958156/; scribd.com/doc/59544597/;
[5] on the book Biological Effects of Surfactants : http://www.scribd.com/doc/64066178/;
[6] on citation: www.scribd.com/doc/54504932
[7] summary: http://www.scribd.com/doc/60757545;

Addition:

interesting posts on innovations in environmental science:

http://5bio5.blogspot.com/2012/05/normal-0-false-false-false-ru-x-none-x_03.html;

http://5bio5.blogspot.com/2012/04/environmental-science-key-bibliography.html;

http://5bio5.blogspot.com/2012/05/websites-on-scientific-activities-of.html;

http://5bio5.blogspot.com/2012/05/blog-post.html;

http://5bio5.blogspot.com/2012/05/discovery-of-inhibitory-analysis-in.html;

http://5bio5.blogspot.com/2012/05/aquatic-macrophyte-ceratophyllum.html;

http://5bio5.blogspot.com/2012/04/well-cited-article-inhibitory-analysis.html;

http://5bio5.blogspot.com/2012/05/innovative-contribution-to-solution-to.html;

http://5bio5.blogspot.com/2012/05/new-scientific-terminology-integral.html;

http://5bio5.blogspot.com/2012/05/monetary-estimate-of-good-scientific.html;

A new way of mining gold from water? Environment, Nanomaterials, Water, Gold. Know-how using biological

Discovery of the key role of organisms that filter water and make it clear

Venus, or Aphrodite, goddess of love, Environment, Water and Ecology. Environmental role of synthetic surfactants

Will wars of future be related to modern science and theories of ecology? Key issues, water quality: scientific fundamentals, achievements, discoveries, bibliography

Discoveries, innovations in environmental sciences, ecology

New facts on hazardous biological and toxic effects of surfactants and detergents: paradigm shifted

On the author: http://famous-scientists.ru/3732/

ecological, discoveries, 2012, science, terminological,

Key words:
Venus, Aphrodite, love, goddess, environment, detergents, surfactants, tensides, surface active substances, pollutants, ecotoxicology, environmental, chemistry, water, sustainability; aquatic, ecosystem services, marine, resources, environmental safety, protection, hydrosphere, pollution, control, prevention, decontamination, book, biotesting, bioassay, phytotest, phytotoxicity, ecology, improving, water quality, environmental sciences, purification, self-purification, ecosystem health, freshwater, streams, water bodies, pollution control, sublethal, hazard assessment, aquaculture,

Will wars of future be related to modern science and theories of ecology? Key issues, water quality: scientific fundamentals, achievements, discoveries, bibliography

Will wars of future be related to modern science and theories of ecology?
Key issues, water quality: scientific fundamentals, achievements, discoveries, bibliography.
About 400 billion gallons water is used worldwide each day. The goal of this material is to consider some publications in ecology and environmental science that are focused on aquatic ecosystems and their role in maintaining high level of water quality [see sites 1 – 4]. In pristine aquatic bodies – both marine and freshwater ecosystems – why is water pure, transparent, clear, of high water quality?
Until recently, the scientific fundamentals of this issue have not been completely understood. They were not understood until the recent series of papers authored by a scientist of M.V.Lomonosov Moscow University (see [2, 4]).
In this series of articles, what are the main ACHIEVEMENTS? The key achievements are making a new conceptualization and formulating a multi-aspect theory of how aquatic ecosystems and their biological communities with organisms of many biological species work towards improving water quality. These became the key achievements that were presented in the author’s publications [1-4, and therein].
To facilitate the innovative analysis and formulating a new theory, the author proposed some new scientific terminology [3] .
What are the relevant DISCOVERIES? They are some individual steps towards building this new conceptualization. They are 18 steps (discoveries) that were listed and described in [1].
Many experts think that the wars of future will perhaps be wars for water – in more precise terms, the wars for clear waters, for waters of good water quality. The theory mentioned above is perhaps an encouraging victory in another war – the eternal war of knowledge against ignorance.

***
Bibliography and Key sites:
1. http://www.scribd.com/doc/83168032/INNOVATIONS-DISCOVERIES-in-ecology-environmental-sciences-biology-18-Items-w-shrt-List-in-English-List-of-Sites-in-Other-Languages;
2. http://www.scribd.com/doc/82780861/Key-References-more-than-50-with-annotations-on-what-is-new-with-sites-of-free-texts-In-English-Dr-S-A-Ostroumov-Ecology-Environment-Water;
3. http://www.scribd.com/doc/82868065/BioMachinery-for-Maintaining-Water-Quality-and-Natural-Water-Self-purification-in-Marine-and-Estuarine-Systems-elements-of-a-qualitative-theory;
4. http://www.scribd.com/doc/79546542/Bibliography-in-English-Environmental-Science-Ecology-Biology-List-with-annotations-http-www-scribd-com-doc-79546542;

***

Key words:
Ecology, improving, water quality, fundamentals, achievements, discoveries, bibliography, environmental sciences, purification, self-purification, ecosystem health, ecosystem services, freshwater, marine, aquatic, resources, streams, water bodies, pollution control,