A methodology for evaluating environmental planning systems: A case study of Canada

Sustainable environmental management is contingent on having an effective environmental planning system. A new methodology for designing and evaluating environmental planning systems is described and applied to a case study evaluation of the Canadian environmental planning process. The methodology is based on eight international best practice principles for environmental planning and 45 indicators. The research illustrates the benefits of the evaluation methodology in identifying how to improve environmental planning systems to achieve desired results. The methodology is applicable to a wide variety of jurisdictions.     

OPTIMAL IDENTIFICATION OF MUSKINGUM ROUTING COEFFICIENTS1

Traditionally, identification of the Muskingum routing coefficients has been based on observations of the linearity of a loop formed by graphically plotting a forward and a reverse path. This graphical procedure is time-consuming and may not minimize the error of estimation. A procedure was developed to improve the drawbacks of the graphical method. This procedure calls for (a) the use of least square regression on the forward and reverse paths to determine their respective slopes, and (b) the use of statistical t-test to evaluate the hypothesis that these two slopes are equal. The computational procedure is repeated, using incremental values of the flow weighting coefficient, x. A graph of the computed t-value versus x can be constructed. The optimal value of x, as read from the graph, occurs at the minimum computed t-value. The procedure has been demonstrated superior to the graphical method for three illustrative examples, resulting in a reduction of the error squares by factors ranging from 5 to 6.     

Reactive nitrogen and public policies for environmental protection

A core goal of both US and European pollution control policies has been to establish rules and regulations pertaining to the movement of reactive-nitrogen (Nr) through the environment. This is manifest in US federal legislation such as the Clean Air Act Amendments and the Clean Water Act Amendments and in various protocols of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) and its Convention on Long-Range Transboundary Air Pollution (CLRTAP). In this paper, we begin by reviewing the two US laws and their effectiveness and make some comparisons with the approaches used mainly in Europe by the UNECE and CLRTAP. Next we use the Mississippi drainage/Gulf of Mexico hypoxia case study to highlight the importance of applying a "systems approach" to address the reactive nitrogen problem at the regional scale. After briefly posing a number of unanswered questions related to nitrogen control policies, we conclude by sketching a blueprint for future actions related to the development of improved policies to regulate reactive nitrogen.     

CENTRAL NEBRASKA RIVER BASINS,NEBRASKA1

ABSTRACT: The Central Nebraska Basins (NAWQA) study unit includes the Platte River and two major tributaries, the Loup and Elkhorn Rivers. Platte River flows are variable in the western part of the study unit because of diversions, but the Loup and Elkhorn Rivers originate in an area of dune sand covered by grassland that generates consistent base flows. More frequent runoff in the eastern part of the study unit also sustains stream flow. Ground water in the study unit has no regional confining units and the system is a water table aquifer throughout. Macroinvertebrate and fish taxa at biological sampling sites in the state were related to stream flow. One of the four wetland complexes identified in the study unit includes habitat for threatened and endangered bird species. The study unit is an agricultural area that includes row crops, both irrigated and nonirrigated in the eastern and southern parts, and rangeland in the Sand Hills of the western part. A water quality assessment will be based on the differences in environmental setting in each of four subunits within the study unit.]     

CONCENTRATIONS OF POLLUTANTS IN AGRICULTURAL RUNOFF1

ABSTRACT. .Eighteen rural lakes in Lubbock County were sampled on a routine basis following runoff-producing rainfall for a period of approximately eighteen months to determine whether or not runoff from intensively farmed agricultural areas contained significant concentrations of nitrates, phosphates, herbicides, or insecticides. An additional fifteen lakes lying within a triangle bounded by the cities of Plainview, Canyon, and Hereford, Texas, were sampled one time during the summer of 1969 to provide additional data regarding the nature and extent of the potential problem in an area with a different soil type and a slightly different cropping pattern. Based on results of detailed analyses of approximately two hundred samples of water collected from the lakes and an equal number of sediment samples collected from the same lakes at the same time, it appears that the concentrations of all chemical pollutants in runoff from agricultural lands in the High Plains are well below the allowable concentrations for drinking water.     

Glutamine synthetase and protease enzyme activities and growth response of ruminal bacterium Prevotella ruminicola strain B(1)4 to nitrogen source and concentration

The objective of this study was to determine the effects of varying nitrogen sources and concentrations upon glutamine synthetase and protease activities in Prevotella ruminicola strain B(1)4. Based on growth response it appears that ammonium chloride or pepticase limited P. ruminicola becomes nitrogen limited when nitrogen concentration is at 0.5 mM. However, when casein was provided as the sole source of nitrogen P. ruminicola becomes nitrogen limited at 2.5 mM. Glutamine synthetase activity was measured from mid-log phase cells grown in either nitrogen-limited or non-limited conditions. No activity was detectable in the non-limited treatments. However, in the N-limited treatments, pepticase had the highest activity (20.76 units), followed by ammonium chloride (18.72 units) and casein (14.42 units). Protease activity assays indicated that nitrogen-limited cultures had higher proteolytic activity than non-limited cultures. Moreover, these activities appeared to follow the same response pattern as the previously observed glutamine synthetase activities. The results of this study indicate that P. ruminicola strain B(1)4 protease activity may be influenced by nitrogen concentration such that activity increases when nitrogen availability decreases.     

Glutamine synthetase and protease enzyme activities and growth response of ruminal bacterium Prevotella ruminicola strain B14 to nitrogen source and concentration

Abstract

The objective of this study was to determine the effects of varying nitrogen sources and concentrations upon glutamine synthetase and protease activities in Prevotella ruminicola strain B₁4. Based on growth response it appears that ammonium chloride or pepticase limited P. ruminicola becomes nitrogen limited when nitrogen concentration is at 0.5 mM. However, when casein was provided as the sole source of nitrogen P. ruminicola becomes nitrogen limited at 2.5 mM. Glutamine synthetase activity was measured from mid‐log phase cells grown in either nitrogen‐limited or non‐limited conditions. No activity was detectable in the non‐limited treatments. However, in the N‐ limited treatments, pepticase had the highest activity (20.76 units), followed by ammonium chloride (18.72 units) and casein (14.42 units). Protease activity assays indicated that nitrogen‐limited cultures had higher proteolytic activity than non‐limited cultures. Moreover, these activities appeared to follow the same response pattern as the previously observed glutamine synthetase activities. The results of this study indicate that P. ruminicola strain B, 4 protease activity may be influenced by nitrogen concentration such that activity increases when nitrogen availability decreases.     

Spatial allocation of material flow analysis in residential developments: a case study of Kildare County,Ireland

Studies of urban metabolism provide important insights for environmental management of cities, but are not widely used in planning practice due to a mismatch of data scale and coverage. This paper introduces the Spatial Allocation of Material Flow Analysis (SAMFA) model as a potential decision support tool aimed as a contribution to overcome some of these difficulties and describes its pilot use at the county level in the Republic of Ireland. The results suggest that SAMFA is capable of identifying hotspots of higher material and energy use to support targeted planning initiatives, while its ability to visualise different policy scenarios supports more effective multi-stakeholder engagement. The paper evaluates this pilot use and sets out how this model can act as an analytical platform for the industrial ecology–spatial planning nexus.     

A Modeling System to Assess Land Cover Land Use Change Effects on SAV Habitat in the Mobile Bay Estuary

Estuarine ecosystems are largely influenced by watersheds directly connected to them. In the Mobile Bay, Alabama watersheds we examined the effect of land cover and land use (LCLU) changes on discharge rate, water properties, and submerged aquatic vegetation, including freshwater macrophytes and seagrasses, throughout the estuary. LCLU scenarios from 1948, 1992, 2001, and 2030 were used to influence watershed and hydrodynamic models and evaluate the impact of LCLU change on shallow aquatic ecosystems. Overall, our modeling results found that LCLU changes increased freshwater flows into Mobile Bay altering temperature, salinity, and total suspended sediments (TSS). Increased urban land uses coupled with decreased agricultural/pasture lands reduced TSS in the water column. However, increased urbanization or agricultural/pasture land coupled with decreased forest land resulted in higher TSS concentrations. Higher sediment loads were usually strongly correlated with higher TSS levels, except in areas where a large extent of wetlands retained sediment discharged during rainfall events. The modeling results indicated improved water clarity in the shallow aquatic regions of Mississippi Sound and degraded water clarity in the Wolf Bay estuary. This integrated modeling approach will provide new knowledge and tools for coastal resource managers to manage shallow aquatic habitats that provide critical ecosystem services.