Bioremediation of Stranded Oil on an Arctic Shoreline

The application of slow-release and soluble fertilizers proved to be an effective and environmentally benign way of stimulating oil biodegradation on an Arctic shoreline. Fertilizer application to the surface of the beach delivered nutrients to the oiled sediment beneath the beach surface. There was no significant run-off of this fertilizer to either the nearshore water or to unfertilized plots, and there were no adverse toxicological effects of the fertilizer application. The fertilizer application was followed by an increase in oxygen consumption and carbon dioxide evolution from the beach, increased microbial biomass, and significantly greater biodegradation of oil on the plots that had received fertilizer. The rate of oil biodegradation was approximately doubled over the course of a year by fertilizer applications in the first two months after the spill.Simple test kits proved adequate to monitor the fertilizer-application process in the field in a time frame that would allow the application process to be fine-tuned during treatment on a real spill. Simple test kits and portable instrumentation were useful in demonstrating the initial success of the bioremediation strategy.     

Socioeconomic and Institutional Dimensions of Dam Removals: The Wisconsin Experience

/ There are tens of thousands of small dams in the United States; many of these aging structures are deteriorating. Governments and dam owners face decisions regarding repair or removal of these structures. Along with the many benefits society derives from dams and their impoundments, numerous recent ecological studies are revealing the extensive alteration and degradation of river ecosystems by dams. Dam removal-a principal restoration strategy-is an infrequent event. The major reasons for removal have been public safety and the high costs associated with repair; the goal of river ecosystem restoration now warrants greater attention. Substantial study is being given to the environmental aspects of dams and dam removals, but very little attention has been given to the socioeconomic and institutional dimensions associated with the removal of dams, although these factors play a significant role in the removal decision-making process. Based on a case study of dam removals in Wisconsin-where more than 30 of the state's 3600 small dams have been removed in the past few decades-legal, financial, and socioeconomic issues associated with dam removal are documented and assessed. Dam removal has been complex and contentious, with limited community-based support for removal and loss of the impounded waters. In cases examined here, the estimated costs of repairing a dam averaged more than three times the cost of removal. The availability of governmental financing has been a key determinant in removal decisions. Watershed-scale ecological considerations are not major factors for most local interests. As watershed management and restoration increasingly include dam removal options as part of an integrated strategy, more attention will need to be focused on socioeconomic factors and stakeholder perspectives-variables that strongly influence the viability of this management alternative.KEY WORDS: Dam removal; River restoration; Institutions; Stakeholders     

A Benefit‐Cost Analysis of Total Maximum Daily Load Implementation1

Abstract: Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) implementation generates benefits and costs from water quality improvements, which are rarely quantified. This analysis examines a TMDL written to address bacteria and aquatic‐life‐use impairments on Abrams and Opequon Creeks in Virginia. Benefits were estimated using a contingent valuation survey of local residents. Costs were based on the number and type of best management practices (BMPs) necessary to achieve TMDL pollution reduction goals. BMPs were quantified using watershed‐scale water quality simulation models (Generalized Watershed Loading Function and Hydrological Simulation Program‐FORTRAN). Based on our projections, the costs to achieve TMDL induced pollution reduction goals outweigh the estimated benefits. Benefit‐cost ratios ranged between 0.1 and 0.3.     

Probing emissions of military cargo aircraft: description of a joint field measurement Strategic Environmental Research and Development Program

To develop effective air quality control strategies for military air bases, there is a need to accurately quantify these emissions. In support of the Strategic Environmental Research and Development Program project, the particulate matter (PM) and gaseous emissions from two T56 engines on a parked C-130 aircraft were characterized at the Kentucky Air National Guard base in Louisville, KY. Conventional and research-grade instrumentation and methodology were used in the field campaign during the first week of October 2005. Particulate emissions were sampled at the engine exit plane and at 15 m downstream. In addition, remote sensing of the gaseous species was performed via spectroscopic techniques at 5 and 15 m downstream of the engine exit. It was found that PM mass and number concentrations measured at 15-m downstream locations, after dilution-correction generally agreed well with those measured at the engine exhaust plane; however, higher variations were observed in the far-field after natural dilution of the downstream measurements was accounted for. Using carbon dioxide-normalized data we demonstrated that gas species measurements by extractive and remote sensing techniques agreed reasonably well.     

Nutrient and Sediment Production,Watershed Characteristics,and Land Use in the Tahoe Basin,California‐Nevada1

Abstract: In efforts to control the degradation of water quality in Lake Tahoe, public agencies have monitored surface water discharge and concentrations of nitrogen, phosphorus, and suspended sediment in two separate sampling programs. The first program focuses on 20 watersheds varying in size from 162 to 14,000 ha, with continuous stream gaging and periodic sampling; the second focuses on small urbanized catchments, with automated sampling during runoff events. Using data from both programs, we addressed the questions (1) what are the fluxes and concentrations of nitrogen and phosphorus entering the lake from surface runoff; (2) how do the fluxes and concentrations vary in space and time; and (3) how are they related to land use and watershed characteristics? To answer these questions, we calculated discharge‐weighted average concentrations and annual fluxes and used multiple regression to relate those variable to a suite of GIS‐derived explanatory variables. The final selected regression models explain 47‐62% of the variance in constituent concentrations in the stormwater monitoring catchments, and 45‐72% of the variance in mean annual yields in the larger watersheds. The results emphasize the importance of impervious surface and residential density as factors in water quality degradation, and well‐developed soil as a factor in water quality maintenance.     

Tetracycline photolysis in natural waters: loss of antibacterial activity

Previous work has shown that tetracycline undergoes direct photolysis in the presence of sunlight, with the decomposition rate highly dependent on conditions such as water hardness and pH. The purpose of this study was to examine the potential long-term significance of photoproducts formed when tetracycline undergoes photodegradation under a range of environmentally relevant conditions. Tetracycline was photolyzed in nine different natural and artificial water samples using simulated sunlight. The pH values of the samples ranged from 5 to 9. Total hardness values (combined Ca²⁺ and Mg²⁺ concentrations) varied from 30 to 450 ppm. Assays based on growth inhibition of two bacterial strains, Escherichia coli DH5α and Vibrio fischeri, were used to determine the antibacterial activity of tetracycline’s photoproducts in these water samples. In all tested conditions, it was determined that the photoproducts retain no significant antibacterial activity; all observed growth inhibition was attributable to residual tetracycline. This suggests that tetracycline photoproducts formed under a wide range of pH and water hardness conditions will not contribute to the selection of antibiotic-resistant bacteria in environmental systems.     

Junge relationships in measurement data for cyclic siloxanes in air

In 1974, Junge postulated a relationship between variability of concentrations of gases in air at remote locations and their atmospheric residence time, and this Junge relationship has subsequently been observed empirically for a range of trace gases. Here, we analyze two previously-published datasets of concentrations of cyclic volatile methyl siloxanes (cVMS) in air and find Junge relationships in both. The first dataset is a time series of concentrations of decamethylcyclopentasiloxane (D₅) measured between January and June, 2009 at a rural site in southern Sweden that shows a Junge relationship in the temporal variability of the measurements. The second dataset consists of measurements of hexamethylcyclotrisiloxane (D₃), octamethylcyclotetrasiloxane (D₄) and D₅ made simultaneously at 12 sites in the Global Atmospheric Passive Sampling (GAPS) network that shows a Junge relationship in the spatial variability of the three cVMS congeners. We use the Junge relationship for the GAPS dataset to estimate atmospheric lifetimes of dodecamethylcyclohexasiloxane (D₆), 8:2–fluorotelomer alcohol and trichlorinated biphenyls that are within a factor of 3 of estimates based on degradation rate constants for reaction with hydroxyl radical determined in laboratory studies.     

Evolving Pb isotope signatures of London airborne particulate matter (PM 10)-constraints from on-filter and solution-mode MC-ICP-MS

Pb isotope compositions of biologically significant PM(10) atmospheric particulates from a busy roadside location in London UK were measured using solution- and laser ablation-mode MC-ICP-MS. The solution-mode data for PM(10) sampled between 1998-2001 document a dramatic shift to increasingly radiogenic compositions as leaded petrol was phased out. LA-MC-ICP-MS isotope analysis, piloted on a subset of the available samples, is shown to be a potential reconnaissance analytical technique. PM(10) particles trapped on quartz filters were liberated from the filter surface, without ablating the filter substrate, using a 266 nm UV laser and a dynamic, large diameter, low-fluence ablation protocol. The Pb isotope evolution noted in the London data set obtained by both analytical protocols is similar to that observed elsewhere in Western Europe following leaded petrol elimination. The data therefore provide important baseline isotope composition information useful for continued UK atmospheric monitoring through the early 21(st) century.