Estimation of suspended sediment concentration from turbidity measurements using artificial neural networks

Suspended sediment concentration (SSC) is generally determined from the direct measurement of sediment concentration of river or from sediment transport equations. Direct measurement is very costly and cannot be conducted for all river gauge stations. Therefore, correct estimation of suspended sediment amount carried by a river is very important in terms of water pollution, channel navigability, reservoir filling, fish habitat, river aesthetics and scientific interests. This study investigates the feasibility of using turbidity as a surrogate for SSC as in situ turbidity meters are being increasingly used to generate continuous records of SSC in rivers. For this reason, regression analysis (RA) and artificial neural networks (ANNs) were employed to estimate SSC based on in situ turbidity measurements. The SSC was firstly experimentally determined for the surface water samples collected from the six monitoring stations along the main branch of the stream Harsit, Eastern Black Sea Basin, Turkey. There were 144 data for each variable obtained on a fortnightly basis during March 2009 and February 2010. In the ANN method, the used data for training, testing and validation sets are 108, 24 and 12 of total 144 data, respectively. As the results of analyses, the smallest mean absolute error (MAE) and root mean square error (RMSE) values for validation set were obtained from the ANN method with 11.40 and 17.87, respectively. However these were 19.12 and 25.09 for RA. It was concluded that turbidity could be a surrogate for SSC in the streams, and the ANNs method used for the estimation of SSC provided acceptable results.     

Spatial and temporal variation in suspended sediment, organic matter, and turbidity in a Minnesota prairie river: implications for TMDLs

The Minnesota River Basin (MRB), situated in the prairie pothole region of the Upper Midwest, contributes excessive sediment and nutrient loads to the Upper Mississippi River. Over 330 stream channels in the MRB are listed as impaired by the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, with turbidity levels exceeding water quality standards in much of the basin. Addressing turbidity impairment requires an understanding of pollutant sources that drive turbidity, which was the focus of this study. Suspended volatile solids (SVS), total suspended solids (TSS), and turbidity were measured over two sampling seasons at ten monitoring stations in Elm Creek, a turbidity impaired tributary in the MRB. Turbidity levels exceeded the Minnesota standard of 25 nephelometric units in 73% of Elm Creek samples. Turbidity and TSS were correlated (r ²?=?0.76), yet they varied with discharge and season. High levels of turbidity occurred during periods of high stream flow (May–June) because of excessive suspended inorganic sediment from watershed runoff, stream bank, and channel contributions. Both turbidity and TSS increased exponentially downstream with increasing stream power, bank height, and bluff erosion. However, organic matter discharged from wetlands and eutrophic lakes elevated SVS levels and stream turbidity in late summer when flows were low. SVS concentrations reached maxima at lake outlets (50 mg/l) in August. Relying on turbidity measurements alone fails to identify the cause of water quality impairment whether from suspended inorganic sediment or organic matter. Therefore, developing mitigation measures requires monitoring of both TSS and SVS from upstream to downstream reaches.     

Assessing the risk posed by high-turbidity water to water supplies

The objective of this study is to assess the risk of insufficient water supply posed by high-turbidity water. Several phenomena can pose risks to the sufficiency of a water supply; this study concerns risks to water treatment plants from particular properties of rainfall and raw water turbidity. High-turbidity water can impede water treatment plant operations; rainfall properties can influence the degree of soil erosion. Thus, water turbidity relates to rainfall characteristics. Exceedance probabilities are presented for different rainfall intensities and turbidities of water. When the turbidity of raw water is higher than 5,000 NTU, it can cause operational problems for a water treatment plant. Calculations show that the turbidity of raw water at the Ban-Sin water treatment plant will be higher than 5,000 NTU if the rainfall intensity is larger than 165 mm/day. The exceedance probability of high turbidity (turbidity >5,000 NTU) in the Ban-Sin water treatment plant is larger than 10%. When any water treatment plant cannot work regularly, its ability to supply water to its customers is at risk.     

Effect of spatial variability of storm on the optimal placement of best management practices (BMPs)

It is significant to design best management practices (BMPs) and determine the proper BMPs placement for the purpose that can not only satisfy the water quantity and water quality standard, but also lower the total cost of BMPs. The spatial rainfall variability can have much effect on its relative runoff and non-point source pollution (NPSP). Meantime, the optimal design and placement of BMPs would be different as well. The objective of this study was to discuss the relationship between the spatial variability of rainfall and the optimal BMPs placements. Three synthetic rainfall storms with varied spatial distributions, including uniform rainfall, downstream rainfall and upstream rainfall, were designed. WinVAST model was applied to predict runoff and NPSP. Additionally, detention pond and swale were selected for being structural BMPs. Scatter search was applied to find the optimal BMPs placement. The results show that mostly the total cost of BMPs is higher in downstream rainfall than in upstream rainfall or uniform rainfall. Moreover, the cost of detention pond is much higher than swale. Thus, even though detention pond has larger efficiency for lowering peak flow and pollutant exports, it is not always the determined set in each subbasin.     

集中式饮用水水源地水质预警指标体系构建

饮用水水源地水质预警是建立健全饮用水安全保障体系的关键环节,构建水源地水质预警指标体系是水源地监控预警工作的重要基础。系统分析了常规水质在线、生物毒性在线、卫星遥感、人工巡视等水质预警监测技术手段,并分析比较了各方法的优缺点。以此为基础,遵循水源地预警指标体系构建原则与实际需求,统筹兼顾,提出了建立以常规理化-生物毒性在线监测相结合,遥感监测与人工巡查相统筹的一体化水源地水质预警指标体系,为水源地水质预警监控工作提供合理的、科学的技术支撑。     

Telemetric System for Hydrology and Water Quality Monitoring in Watersheds of Northern New Mexico, Usa

This study utilized telemetric systems to sample microbes and pathogens in forest, burned forest, rangeland, and urban watersheds to assess surface water quality in northern New Mexico. Four sites included remote mountainous watersheds, prairie rangelands, and a small urban area. The telemetric system was linked to dataloggers with automated event monitoring equipment to monitor discharge, turbidity, electrical conductivity, water temperature, and rainfall during base flow and storm events. Site data stored in dataloggers was uploaded to one of three types of telemetry: 1) radio in rangeland and urban settings; 2) a conventional phone/modem system with a modem positioned at the urban/forest interface; and 3) a satellite system used in a remote mountainous burned forest watershed. The major variables affecting selection of each system were site access, distance, technology, and cost. The systems were compared based on operation and cost. Utilization of telecommunications systems in this varied geographic area facilitated the gathering of hydrologic and water quality data on a timely basis.     

Estimation of chlorophyll a content in inland turbidity waters using WorldView-2 imagery: a case study of the Guanting Reservoir,Beijing, China

Complex optical properties, such as non-pigment suspension and colored dissolved organic matter (CDOM), make it difficult to achieve accurate estimations of remotely sensed chlorophyll a (Chla) content of inland turbidity. Recent attempts have been made to estimate Chla based on red and near-infrared regions where non-pigment suspension and CDOM have little effect on water reflectance. The objective of this study is to validate the applicability of WV-2 imagery with existing effective estimation methods from MERIS when estimating Chla content in inland turbidity waters. The correlation analysis of measured Chla content and WV-2 imagery bands shows that the Chla sensitive bands of WV-2 are red edge, NIR 1, and NIR 2. The coastal band is designed for seawater Chla detection. However, the high correlation with turbidity data and low correlation with Chla made coastal band unsuitable for estimating Chla in inland waters. The high-resolution water body images were extracted by combining the spectral products (NDWI) with the spatial morphological products (sobel edge detection). The estimation results show that the accuracy of the single band and NDCI is not as good as the two-band method, three-band method, stepwise regression algorithm (SRA) and support vector machines (SVM). The SVM estimation accuracy was the highest with an R², RMSE, and URMSE of 0.8387, 0.4714, and 19.11%, respectively. This study demonstrates that the two-band and three-band methods are effective for estimating Chla in inland water for WV-2 imagery. As a high-precision estimation method, SVM has great potential for inland turbidity water Chla estimation.     

Water toxicity monitoring using Vibrio fischeri: a method free of interferences from colour and turbidity

In this paper the kinetic method for the determination of toxicity using Vibrio fischeri is described and suggested as a potential method for the continuous screening of wastewater toxicity. The kinetic method was demonstrated to be free from interferences due to colour and turbidity normally observed when testing wastewater samples with this organism. This is of great importance for the application of the method to remote toxicity screening of wastewaters. The effect of colour, investigated using 50 ppm Zn(2+) solutions containing the food-dye tropaeolin O, and the effect of turbidity, investigated using 50 ppm Zn(2+) solutions containing white optically reflective and coloured optically absorbing polystyrene beads, is reported. It was also found that the design of the light detection system of the instrument ensures efficient collection of the light scattered by particles in the sample, which enables a greater range of turbid samples to be tested. In addition the natural light decay was found to be negligible during the duration of a 10 min test and thus one channel would be enough to carry out the tests. This would mean halving the quantity of bacterial reagent used and reducing the cost of the tests.     

国家水环境质量预报预警研究进展及业务发展思路

开展国家水环境质量预报预警工作是生态环境治理能力现代化的重要部分,是统筹山水林田湖草系统治理的重要抓手。文章介绍了国内外水质模型的研究进展,并概述了国内外水质预报预警系统研究进展,在此基础上分析目前我国水质预报预警方面存在的不足,并提出了国家水环境质量预报预警业务发展的初步思路。我国水质预报预警体系建设要以技术体系和业务体系为保障,以水质模型和面源污染模型为支撑,依托水环境质量预报预警决策支持平台,开展环境监管业务化应用、治理决策精细化支撑、污染事故科学化处置和数据产品社会化服务4种业务应用,逐步建成架构统一、业务协同、资源共享、上下游联动的全国-流域-省级-城市四级水环境质量预报预警网络。     

Uncertainty in watershed response predictions induced by spatial variability of precipitation

Negligence to consider the spatial variability of rainfall could result in serious errors in model outputs. The objective of this study was to examine the uncertainty of both runoff and pollutant transport predictions due to the input errors of rainfall. This study used synthetic data to represent the “true” rainfall pattern, instead of interpolated precipitation. It was conducted on a synthetic case area having a total area of 20 km² with ten subbasins. Each subbasin has one rainfall gauge with synthetic precipitation records. Six rainfall storms with varied spatial distribution were generated. The average rainfall was obtained from all of the ten gauges by the arithmetic average method. The input errors of rainfall were induced by the difference between the actual rainfall pattern and estimated average rainfall. The results show that spatial variability of rainfall can cause uncertainty in modeling outputs of hydrologic, which would be transport to pollutant export predictions, when uniformity of rainfall is assumed. Since rainfall is essential information for predicting watershed responses, it is important to consider the properties of rainfall, particularly spatial rainfall variability, in the application of hydrologic and water quality models.     

城市河流重金属元素对降雨径流的动态响应

以海口市美舍河市区河段为研究对象，于2020年雨季分别采集降雨径流以及降雨径流汇入后的河流瞬时水样，测定并分析主要重金属元素的浓度及其变化规律，探讨其对降雨径流的动态响应。研究结果表明：降雨径流对河流可溶态污染元素质量浓度的贡献不突出，对可溶态锌（Zn）、砷（As）、镉（Cd）、硒（Se）具有一定稀释作用，排水口下游 3 m处是可溶态铬(Cr）、锰（Mn）、钴（Co）对降雨径流响应最显著区域；降雨径流对各悬浮态元素质量浓度贡献较大，排水口下游7 m处是绝大多数悬浮态元素对降〖JP〗雨径流响应最显著区域；Mn、Zn、Cr、镍（Ni）、As、Co、Cd 7种元素的总质量浓度对降雨径流的动态响应表现为先上升后下降。其中，排水口下游3 m处是Cr、As总质量浓度对降雨径流响应最显著区段，排水口下游7 m处是Mn、Co、Ni、Zn及Cd总质量浓度对降雨径流响应最显著区段。降雨径流对河流主要污染元素年输入总量估算结果表明，海口市建成区降雨径流向美舍河等受纳水体直接年输入量最大的是Mn和Zn，其次是Cr、As、Ni，Se与Cd的年输入量最小。     

Recharge signal identification based on groundwater level observations

This study applied a method of the rotated empirical orthogonal functions to directly decompose the space-time groundwater level variations and determine the potential recharge zones by investigating the correlation between the identified groundwater signals and the observed local rainfall records. The approach is used to analyze the spatiotemporal process of piezometric heads estimated by Bayesian maximum entropy method from monthly observations of 45 wells in 1999-2007 located in the Pingtung Plain of Taiwan. From the results, the primary potential recharge area is located at the proximal fan areas where the recharge process accounts for 88% of the spatiotemporal variations of piezometric heads in the study area. The decomposition of groundwater levels associated with rainfall can provide information on the recharge process since rainfall is an important contributor to groundwater recharge in semi-arid regions. Correlation analysis shows that the identified recharge closely associates with the temporal variation of the local precipitation with a delay of 1-2 months in the study area.     

Elements of a Predictive Model for Determining Beach Closures on a Real Time Basis: The Case of 63rd Street Beach Chicago

Data on hydrometeorological conditions and E. coli concentration were simultaneously collected on 57 occasions during the summer of 2000 at 63rd Street Beach, Chicago, Illinois. The data were used to identify and calibrate a statistical regression model aimed at predicting when the bacterial concentration of the beach water was above or below the level considered safe for full body contact. A wide range of hydrological, meteorological, and water quality variables were evaluated as possible predictive variables. These included wind speed and direction, incoming solar radiation (insolation), various time frames of rainfall, air temperature, lake stage and wave height, and water temperature, specific conductance, dissolved oxygen, pH, and turbidity. The best-fit model combined real-time measurements of wind direction and speed (onshore component of resultant wind vector), rainfall, insolation, lake stage, water temperature and turbidity to predict the geometric mean E. coli concentration in the swimming zone of the beach. The model, which contained both additive and multiplicative (interaction) terms, accounted for 71% of the observed variability in the log E. coli concentrations. A comparison between model predictions of when the beach should be closed and when the actual bacterial concentrations were above or below the 235 cfu 100 ml(-1) threshold value, indicated that the model accurately predicted openings versus closures 88% of the time.     

短时强降雨下平原区域浅层地下水入渗补给规律研究

以豫东平原惠北试验区为研究区域,根据研究区域包气带土壤蓄水库容、土壤前期含水量、地表径流、潜水蒸发量等资料数据计算地下水入渗补给规律,确定降雨对地下水的补给系数.研究结果显示:单次短时强降雨条件下,降雨强度与研究区域浅层地下水入渗补给系数呈反比例关系;当降雨强度一致时降雨量与研究区域浅层地下水入渗补给系数呈正比例关系,在降雨强度低于15 mm/h的条件下,降雨量主要用于补充包气带缺失的水分和土壤、作物、植物等的蒸发蒸腾消耗,无法对研究区域浅层地下水进行有效补给.     

Using Satellite and Other Data to Estimate the Annual Water Demand of an Irrigation District

Locating and forecasting water needs can assist the location of water in dry regions, and improve the management of reservoirs and the canal network. Satellite, ground data, and agrometeorological data were combined to forecast the volume of irrigation water needed during 1993 and 1994 in an irrigation district of 327 km2 located in the Ebro basin, Spain. The main crops were rice, alfalfa plus forage, winter cereals (barley and wheat), sunflower and maize. Their extent was estimated every year by frame area sampling and a regression estimator with satellite data. Initial crop area statistics were obtained by expansion of the sample areas to the entire study area and then a regression estimator with the multitemporal supervised classification of two Landsat-5 TM images was applied. This procedure improved the precision of the estimates by expansion. Net water requiremets (m3 ha-1) of the above mentioned crops were computed from reference evapotranspiration estimates, crop coefficients and effective precipitation. These computations were performed for an average year, i.e. by using long-term averaged meteorological data. Crop hectarage and net crop water requirements were multiplied to obtain, for the entire study area, the volume (hm3 106 m3) of the net crop water requirements. After subtraction of water taken directly from the rivers and non-productive sunflower, the irrigation water volumes were estimated. The comparison of these forecasts with the volumes of water invoiced by the Ebro Basin Water Authority confirmed the feasibility of forecasting the volume of water applied to an individual irrigation district. This is an objective and practical method for estimating the irrigation water volume applied in an irrigated area.     

Restoration of the Kissimmee River, Florida: Water Quality Impacts from Canal Backfilling

The planned restoration of the Kissimmee River ecocystem will backfill approximately 35 km of flood control canal (C-38) that cuts through the meandering river channel, re-establish natural flow patterns, and restore the river/floodplain ecosystem. Water quality monitoring, including nutrients, total suspended solids (TSS), turbidity, dissolved oxygen (DO), and mercury, was conducted during a pilot `test fill' project to determine if soil disturbance during canal backfilling would negatively impact these water quality constituents. Surface water nutrient concentrations varied little between sites. Generally, highest concentrations occurred prior to construction, with lowest concentrations occurring during and after construction. During construction, TSS concentrations increased at sites immediately upstream, downstream, and adjacent to the construction area. Increased turbidity was generally restricted to areas immediately upstream and downstream of the test plug, with maximum levels occurring during the initial construction phase. Some downstream increases in turbidity were observed; however, impacts were short-term, lasting less than 24 h. Depresssed DO levels (<2 mg/l) were observed upstream of the test plug following completion of the initial plug across C-38. Dissolved oxygen levels remained low for approximately 6 weeks, with no apparent ecological impacts. Total mercury (HgT) within canal sediment ranged from 9.2–180 ng/g and methylmercury concentrations ranged from 0.037–0.708 ng/g. Concentration of total mercury and total methylmercury (MeHgT) in the backfill material were much lower than concentrations in the canal sediment. No significant change in aqueous HgT concentrations occurred over the sampling period, although construction-induced turbidity could have temporarily caused a slightly elevated concentration immediately downstream of the construction site. Methylmercury concentrations in the water column ranged from 0.033–0.518 ng/l. No significant differences in mean MeHgT concentrations occured between sites or between sampling dates, except at one downstream site where MeHgT declined significantly over the sampling period.     

江苏省太湖流域水环境自动监控系统技术框架构建研究

为全面提升江苏省水环境的监控预警能力,我省在太湖流域相关市县建立了覆盖省市交界断面、出入湖口门、饮用水源地的全方位自动监控网络,为相关自动监控系统的技术框架构建提供了重要参考依据,弥补了现行环境监测体系的不足,为太湖流域的监控预警、生态补偿、流域考核等工作提供了重要参考。     

《宁波环境科学》征稿启事

《宁波环境科学》是经浙江省新闻出版局批准(浙内准字第B046号),由宁波市环境保护局主管,宁波市环境保护科学学会主办,是宁波市环保专业中、高级职称(不含教授级)评审的论文确认期刊。刊物立足宁波,面向全国,开辟的主要栏目有:局长(管理)论坛、学术研究、学科动态、交流争鸣等,内容涵盖节能减排、环境管理、环境规划、环境监测、环境科研、污染治理、环境执法、环境评价、环境健康、环境教育、生态文明、循环经济、清洁生产、综合信息等。规格为A4,页码为64,季刊。2008年6月创刊。为办好刊物,面向社会征稿。征稿简则如下     

Monitoring dissolved organic carbon in surface and drinking waters

The presence of natural organic matter (NOM) strongly impacts drinking water treatment, water quality, and water behavior during distribution. Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) concentrations were determined daily over a 22 month period in river water before and after conventional drinking water treatment using an on-line total organic carbon (TOC) analyzer. Quantitative and qualitative variations in organic matter were related to precipitation and runoff, seasons and operating conditions. Following a rainfall event, DOC levels could increase by 3.5 fold over baseflow concentrations, while color, UV absorbance values and turbidity increased by a factor of 8, 12 and 300, respectively. Treated water DOC levels were closely related to the source water quality, with an average organic matter removal of 42% after treatment.     

基于QUAL2K模型的鹤壁卫河水质模拟预警研究

水质预报预警对于防范水污染、降低水污染风险及其带来的损失、保障用水安全及水环境质量等具有重大意义。提出了一种基于QUAL2K模型的水质模拟预警方法,包括水质模拟预测、预警指数计算和警情确定,以海河流域鹤壁市卫河为例进行实证研究。研究结果表明:基于QUAL2K模型模拟精度分别为COD 97.7%、NH_3-N 98.5%,水质模拟效果较好;所选河段预警时段内COD基本处于无警和轻警2个级别,氨氮大多是巨警,浓度严重超标,是导致监测断面预警指数高的主要原因。