Nutrient load generated by storm event runoff from a golf course watershed

Turf, including home lawns, roadsides, golf courses, parks, etc., is often the most intensively managed land use in the urban landscape. Substantial inputs of fertilizers and water to maintain turf systems have led to a perception that turf systems are a major contributor to nonpoint source water pollution. The primary objective of this study was to quantify nutrient (NO(3)-N, NH(4)-N, and PO(4)-P) transport in storm-generated surface runoff from a golf course. Storm event samples were collected for 5 yr (1 Apr. 1998-31 Mar. 2003) from the Morris Williams Municipal Golf Course in Austin, TX. Inflow and outflow samples were collected from a stream that transected the golf course. One hundred fifteen runoff-producing precipitation events were measured. Median NO(3)-N and PO(4)-P concentrations at the outflow location were significantly (p < 0.05) greater than like concentrations measured at the inflow location; however, median outflow NH(4)-N concentration was significantly less than the median inflow concentration. Storm water runoff transported 1.2 kg NO(3)-N ha(-1) yr(-1), 0.23 kg NH(4)-N ha(-1) yr(-1), and 0.51 kg PO(4)-P ha(-1) yr(-1) from the course. These amounts represent approximately 3.3% of applied N and 6.2% of applied P over the contributing area for the same period. NO(3)-N transport in storm water runoff from this course does not pose a substantial environmental risk; however, the median PO(4)-P concentration exiting the course exceeded the USEPA recommendation of 0.1 mg L(-1) for streams not discharging into lakes. The PO(4)-P load measured in this study was comparable to soluble P rates measured from agricultural lands. The findings of this study emphasize the need to balance golf course fertility management with environmental risks, especially with respect to phosphorus.     

A 396-YEAR RECONSTRUCTION OF PRECIPITATION IN SOUTHERN JORDAN1

ABSTRACT: Water resources are the lifeblood of the Near East region. Careful planning and management of water resources in dry land regions requires information on the likelihood of extreme events, especially prolonged drought. It is essential to understand the variability of climate on time scales of decades to centuries to assign reasonable probabilities to such events. Tree-ring analysis is one way to increase our knowledge of the climate variability beyond the short period covered by the instrumental data. In this paper, we reconstruct October-May precipitation from a Juniperus phoenicia tree-ring chronology in southern Jordan to gain a long-term (A.D. 1600–1995) perspective on runs of dry years and on time series fluctuations in precipitation averaged over several years. The reconstruction equation derived by regression of log-transformed precipitation on tree-ring indices explains 44 percent of the variance of observed precipitation. The longest reconstructed drought, as defined by consecutive years below a threshold of 217.4 mm, was four years, compared with three years for the 1946–95 instrumental data. A Monte Carlo analysis designed to account for uncertainty in the reconstruction indicates a lower than 50 percent chance that the region has experienced drought longer than five years in the past 400 years.     

Co-treatment of acid mine drainage with municipal wastewater: performance evaluation

Co-treatment of acid mine drainage (AMD) with municipal wastewater (MWW) using the activated sludge process is a novel treatment technology offering potential savings over alternative systems in materials, proprietary chemicals and energy inputs. The impacts of AMD on laboratory-scale activated sludge units (plug-flow and sequencing batch reactors) treating synthetic MWW were investigated. Synthetic AMD containing Al, Cu, Fe, Mn, Pb, Zn and SO₄ at a range of concentrations and pH values was formulated to simulate three possible co-treatment processes, i.e., (1) adding raw AMD to the activated sludge aeration tank, (2) pre-treating AMD prior to adding to the aeration tank by mixing with digested sludge and (3) pre-treating AMD by mixing with screened MWW. Continuous AMD loading to the activated sludge reactors during co-treatment did not cause a significant decrease in chemical oxygen demand (COD), 5-day biochemical oxygen demand, or total organic carbon removal; average COD removal rates ranged from 87–93 %. Enhanced phosphate removal was observed in reactors loaded with Fe- and Al-rich AMD, with final effluent TP concentrations <2 mg/L. Removal rates for dissolved Al, Cu, Fe and Pb were 52–84 %, 47–61 %, 74–86 % and 100 %, respectively, in both systems. Manganese and Zn removal were strongly linked to acidity; removal from net-acidic AMD was <10 % for both metals, whereas removal from circum-neutral AMD averaged 93–95 % for Mn and 58–90 % for Zn. Pre-mixing with screened MWW was the best process option in terms of AMD neutralization and metal removal. However, significant MWW alkalinity was consumed, suggesting an alkali supplement may be necessary.     

ASSESSING RELATIVE RISKS TO AQUATIC ECOSYSTEMS: A MID-APPALACHIAN CASE STUDY1

ABSTRACT: Aquatic monitoring aims to assess the condition of aquatic habitats and biota. To make statements about condition, the range of human activities and the risks they pose to aquatic ecosystems must be identified. Assessing relative risk and placing sample sites on a human disturbance gradient is necessary for interpreting biological response and distinguishing human disturbance from natural controls in aquatic systems. We describe a process that uses readily available sources, such as topographic maps, aerial photographs, and field information, to identify and prioritize stream reach and watershed stressors for 102 streams in the mid-Appalachian region of the United States. All perceptible human alterations to riparian and upland areas along with their number, type, intensity, and extent of impact were recorded and ranked; a relative risk index was developed to assign scores to the watersheds. The resulting risk index scores were consistent with measures of stream condition based on water chemistry and benthic macroinvertebrates. The risk index gives a cost-effective, regional picture of the relative risk of impairment to aquatic ecosystems in the mid-Appalachian region of the USA and could be modified for other regions or ecosystem types.     

Satellite tracking experiments on the navigational ability and migratory behaviour of the loggerhead turtle Caretta caretta

Four loggerhead females (Caretta caretta) were caught when emerging at their nesting beach on the Natal coast, prevented from egg laying and displaced along the coast 38 to 70 km from the capture site. They were then released either on the shore or 37 km offshore. The successful journeys back to the capture area and the successive migrations were tracked by satellite. In compensating for the displacement, loggerheads showed a capability of true navigation. The 545 to 1000 km long migratory journeys of three turtles were followed along the Mozambique coast up to the feeding grounds. Migratory speed was similar at night and during the day. During the trip, submergences were shorter and more frequent than during the stay at the feeding grounds. Received: 17 March 1997 / Accepted: 21 April 1997     

Using Multiple Taxonomic Groups to Index the Ecological Condition of Lakes

Biological indicators of communitiestypically reflect a common environmental signalreflecting the general condition of the ecosystem, as well asindividual signals by indicators differentiallysensitive to particular environmental conditions. Wedescribe here a method of integrating and interpretingsuch indicators from 19 New England lakes for fivetaxonomic groups (diatoms, benthos, zooplankton, fish,and birds). Our approach provides a systematicstandardized way to integrate multiple metrics fromdifferent taxonomic groups by addressing four elementscrucial to analyzing data from multiple indicators: covariate control, re-scaling of data, standardizing the sign of responses, and dimensional reduction. We evaluated the biologicalmetrics against individual environmental stressors andagainst multivariate physicochemical metricscharacterizing general anthropogenic stress among thelakes. The method detected a response to variationin the gross environmental condition of the lakes thatwas correlated across taxa and metrics. In addition,a differential response to near shore conditions wasdemonstrated for fish. The success of the approach inthis study lends support to its general application toecological monitoring involving complex data sets.     

Effects of mating history on ejaculate size, fecundity, longevity, and copulation duration in the ant-tended lycaenid butterfly, Jalmenus evagoras

The mating system of the Australian lycaenid butterfly, Jalmenus evagoras, is highly unusual compared to most other Lepidoptera. Characteristics of this system, which has been termed an ’explosive mating strategy,’ include the formation of an intensely competitive mating aggregation of males, a highly male biased operational sex ratio, a lack of discrimination and mate choice by both sexes, a high variance in male mating success, and female monogamy. In this study, we tested the hypothesis that multiple mating by males imposes physiological costs resulting in smaller spermatophores, and that this results in a fitness cost to females. We found that male J. evagoras transferred only 2.2% of their eclosion weight during their first mating, consistent with the hypothesis that males of monandrous species produce a relatively small investment. The wet weight of the ejaculate declined by an average of 27% at the second mating and the dry weight by 29%, and an intermating interval of 5–9 days was needed for the ejaculate to return to the size at the first mating, regardless of male size or age. Wet ejaculate mass increased proportionally with male size, though dry mass was proportionally larger in smaller males. Ejaculate mass tended to increase with male age at both first and second matings. Female characteristics, in general, did not affect ejaculate mass, although the wet weight of the ejaculate was positively associated with female weight at the second mating. Copulation duration increased from 2.4 h to approximately 3 h at the second mating, and to over 4 h at the third and fourth matings. Fecundity was positively correlated with female size but not with mating history, copulation duration, or any other characteristics measured for either males or females. Female longevity declined significantly as the number of times the male partner had previously mated increased. We conclude that despite the small male investment in ejaculate, the costs of multiple mating may nonetheless be significant, as indicated by the reduction in ejaculate mass, an increase in copulation duration, and reduction in female lifespan with increasing mating number. Received: 22 January 1999 / Received in revised form: 28 July 1999 / Accepted: 18 September 1999     

Regional features of the radial growth of larch in north central Siberia according to millennial tree-ring chronologies

A 1138-year tree-ring chronology has been constructed for the region of the Bol’shoi Avam River (the Putoran Plateau). Its comparison with millennial chronologies for the Taimyr Peninsula and Mangazeya has shown that all these chronologies are fairly synchronous with respect to both high-frequency (annual) and low-frequency (long-term) components, although each has its specific regional features. The results of dendroclimatic analysis provide evidence for the prevailing influence of air temperature in July (compared to that in June) on the radial growth of larch in the middle reaches of the Bol’shoi Avam. Consistent long-term changes in radial tree increment (and in summer air temperature) in a large sector of the Subarctic over the past 1000 years have been revealed.     

APPLICATION OF CROP YIELD FUNCTIONS IN RESERVOIR OPERATION1

ABSTRACT: A model is developed for real-time operation of an irrigation reservoir with the objective of maximizing the value of multiple crop yields during a growing season. The model employs monthly additive and product forms of crop yield functions for dry matter and grain crops, respectively. The resulting nonlinear optimization model uses a log transform to reduce nonlinearities in the model. An application of the proposed model is compared to a common operating rule used in simulation models. The proposed model results were better in terms of net benefits from crop yields. The model uses GAMS (General Algebraic Modeling System) language. It requires an IBM-compatible microcomputer and is suitable for use by a reservoir manager.     

Before and After Integrated Catchment Management in a Headwater Catchment: Changes in Water Quality

Few studies have comprehensively measured the effect on water quality of catchment rehabilitation measures in comparison with baseline conditions. Here we have analyzed water clarity and nutrient concentrations and loads for a 13-year period in a headwater catchment within the western Waikato region, New Zealand. For the first 6 years, the entire catchment was used for hill-country cattle and sheep grazing. An integrated catchment management plan was implemented whereby cattle were excluded from riparian areas, the most degraded land was planted in Pinus radiata, channel banks were planted with poplar trees and the beef cattle enterprise was modified. The removal of cattle from riparian areas without additional riparian planting had a positive and rapid effect on stream water clarity. In contrast, the water clarity decreased in those sub-catchments where livestock was excluded but riparian areas were planted with trees and shrubs. We attribute the decrease in water clarity to a reduction in groundcover vegetation that armors stream banks against preparatory erosion processes. Increases in concentrations of forms of P and N were recorded. These increases were attributed to: (i) the reduction of instream nutrient uptake by macrophytes and periphyton due to increased riparian shading; (ii) uncontrolled growth of a nitrogen fixing weed (gorse) in some parts of the catchment, and (iii) the reduction in the nutrient attenuation capacity of seepage wetlands due to the decrease in their areal coverage in response to afforestation. Our findings highlight the complex nature of the water quality response to catchment rehabilitation measures.