(r = 0.57, p less then 0.001, n = 92) suggests a predictive model could be developed based on rainfall to communicate risk for bathers. Additional molecular marker data indicates that the delivery of fecal sources is complex and highly variable, likely due to the influence of tidal influx (saltwater intrusion from the estuary) into the low-lying stormwater pipes. In particular, elevated MST marker concentrations (up to 2.56 × 104 gene copies HF183/mL) were observed in standing water near surcharging street storm drain. These data are being used to establish a baseline for stormwater dynamics prior to dramatic rainfall in 2018 and to characterize the interaction between complex stormwater dynamics and water quality impairment in coastal NC.Soils can be contaminated with polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) when either sewage sludge (SSL) or biochar (BC) are used. There are no comparative studies regarding the effects of soil amendment with SSL or BC on the persistence, bioavailability and toxicity of PAHs. This research compared the persistence of PAHs (based on the extractable content, Ctot) and their bioavailability (freely dissolved, Cfree) as well as the toxicity (solid phase Phytotoxkit F with Lepidium sativum and the Collembolan test with Folsomia candida; leachates Phytotestkit F with L. sativum and Microtox® with Aliivibrio fischeri) of soil amended with SSL or with SSL-derived BCs. BCs were produced from three different sewage sludges at a temperature of 500 °C. SSLs or BCs were added to the soil at a rate of 1% (30 t/ha). Adding SSL to the soil increased more the PAH content in it than after BC application, which was associated with a higher content of PAHs in SSL. Losses of Σ16 Ctot and Cfree PAHs were higher than those observed for biochar only in the case of one SSL. In the other cases, PAH losses were either higher for biochar or did not differ significantly between SSL and BC. On the other hand, the analysis of the individual groups of PAHs showed significant differences between SSL and BC, both for Ctot and Cfree. Nonetheless, these differences were largely driven by the type of sewage sludge and biochar. Only in the case of root growth inhibition the toxicity higher was for the SSL-amended soils than for the BC-amended ones. In the other cases, varying results were observed which were determined by the type of sewage sludge/biochar, similarly to PAH losses.Paludiculture, sustainable and climate-smart land use of formerly drained, rewetted organic soils, can produce significant biomass in peatlands whilst potentially restoring several additional wetland services. However, the site conditions that allow maximum biomass production and nutrient removal by paludiculture crops have rarely been studied. We studied the relationship between soil characteristics, including plant-available nutrients, peak biomass, stand age, harvest period, and nutrient removal potential for two important paludiculture species, Typha latifolia and Phragmites australis, on rewetted peat and mineral soils in a large-scale European survey. T. latifolia and P. australis were able to produce an aboveground peak biomass of 10-30 t dry matter ha-1 y-1 and absorbed significant amounts of carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium in stands older than 3 years. They were able to grow in a wide range of abiotic soil conditions. Low NP ratios (5-9) and low N content ( less then 2%) in T. latifolia tissue suggest N limitation, but P uptake was still surprisingly high. P. australis had higher NP ratios (8-25) and was less responsive to nutrients, suggesting a higher nutrient use efficiency. However, both species could still produce significant biomass at lower nutrient loads and in winter, when water content was low and nutrient removal still reasonable. Based on this European wetland survey, paludiculture holds a great potential to combine peat preservation, water purification, nutrient removal, and a high biomass production. Paludicrops take up substantial amounts of nutrients, and both summer and winter harvests provide an effective way to sequester carbon in a range of high-valued biomass products and to control nutrient effluxes from rewetted sites at the landscape scale.Recent studies have shown the importance of subtropical forests as terrestrial carbon sinks and also their vulnerability to human disturbances and climate change. The Semi-deciduous Atlantic Forest presents large extensions replaced by productive uses, such as tree plantations, and forest remnants showing high levels of structural heterogeneity. No studies have performed carbon stock densities estimations in different pools in the region. We wonder how changes in forest structure and forest replacement by pine plantations affect ecosystem carbon stock densities in different pools and fluxes. We performed carbon estimates based on field data and compared closed (CF) and open (OF) canopy natural forest patches and Pinus taeda plantations at harvest age (PP). Structural changes in the natural forest had a profound effect on the ecosystem by halving the forest carbon stock while pulp-intended pine plantations reached the carbon stock of closed forest at harvest age. Main changes from CF to OF were a 55% decrease in the carbon of biomass and a 42% decrease in SOC. Blebbistatin Instead, carbon stock density in biomass of PP was similar to CF but the carbon in fallen deadwood was 78% lower while in the litter layer was double; the SOC at 0-5 cm depth was 31% lower in PP than CF. Our study shows that structural changes in the natural forest halve the forest carbon stock while pulp-intended pine plantations can reach the closed forest carbon stock at harvest age. However, PP do not seem to be effective for carbon storage in the long term because of regular harvesting and clearing and their short-life products. Therefore, to effectively store the forest carbon, arresting deforestation, replacement and degradation of the original forest is crucial.Extracts of Opuntia stricta var. dillenii fruits were fractionated by semi-preparative high-performance countercurrent chromatography (HPCCC) to study the secondary metabolite formation, whereby HPCCC showed a superior separation capacity to fractionate minor metabolites compared to HPLC. A family of new peptides was detected in semi-polar fractions when monitoring the HPCCC separation by off-line injections of fractions to ESI-MS/MS. Planar structures of the major compounds, two 14-ring-membered cyclopeptide alkaloids, which were named opuntisines A and B, were elucidated by 1D- and 2D-NMR spectroscopy and HR-ESI-MS/MS spectrometry, while a combination of chemical derivatisation and degradation revealed the stereo-configurations. Specifically, the methods of Marfey and Mosher indicated l-Glu, l-Ile, l-Phe and 1S-configurations, respectively; ROESY correlations revealed 8S, 9S. The novel opuntisine A showed moderate activity against the Gram-negative bacterium Escherichia coli, but no further antibacterial, antifungal nor cytotoxic effects.