Vertical and horizontal movements of striped marlin (Tetrapturus audax) near the Hawaiian Islands,determined by ultrasonic telemetry,with simultaneous measurement of oceanic currents

We measured the vertical and horizontal movements of striped marlin (Tetrapturus audax) off the leeward coast of the Island of Hawaii between 20 November and 18 December 1992 while simultaneously gathering data on water temperature and oceanic currents. Fish movements were monitored by ultrasonic depth-sensitive transmitters, depth-temperature profiles by an expendable bathythermograph system, and oceanic current patterns by an acoustic Doppler current profiler. Like Indo-Pacific blue marlin (Makaira mazara), striped marlin near Hawaii spend >85% of their time in the mixed layer (i.e., above 90 m depth). The maximum depth for striped marlin appears to be limited by water temperatures 8 C° colder than the mixed layer, rather than by an absolute lower temperature. We also found that the horizontal displacements of some striped marlin can be strongly influenced by currents.     

A comparative evaluation of accelerated solvent extraction and Polytron extraction for quantification of lipids and extractable organochlorine in fish

Optimal conditions for extraction methods using an accelerated solvent extractor (ASE) and a Polytron homogenizer were established for quantification of (crude) lipids and extractable organochlorine (EOCl) in fish. The two methods, an ASE consecutive extraction at 55 and 100 degrees C for ground, freeze-dried filets, and a Polytron extraction at room temperature with four repetitions for ground, wet filets and with two repetitions for wet fish livers were evaluated in terms of reproducibility and comparability. With respect to lipid measurement, the two methods have comparable reproducibility and the experimental errors are relatively small compared to natural variations of fish to fish within a sampling site. For EOCl measurement, the relative standard deviation tends to increase with decreasing levels of EOCl in specimens. An important factor for the relative standard deviation of measurements of analytes present at trace levels in fish matrices is sampling error in taking aliquots. Statistical analysis using a paired comparison design showed that measurement values (crude lipids or EOCl) obtained from these two extraction methods are, in general, not equivalent. There is a good correlation between the two methods for lipid measurement; whereas for EOCl measurements, high degrees of correlation exist within the exposed fish group, but not in the reference group.     

A case study of development and application of a streamlined control and response modeling system for PM2.5 attainment assessment in China

This article describes the development and application of a streamlined air control and response modeling system with a novel response surface modeling-linear coupled fitting method and a new module to provide streamlined model data for PM_(2.5) attainment assessment in China.This method is capable of significantly reducing the dimensions required to establish a response surface model,as well as capturing more realistic response of PM_(2.5) to emission changes with a limited number of model simulations.The newly developed module establishes a data link between the system and the Software for Model Attainment Test—Community Edition(SMAT-CE),and has the ability to rapidly provide model responses to emission control scenarios for SMAT-CE using a simple interface.The performance of this streamlined system is demonstrated through a case study of the Yangtze River Delta(YRD) in China.Our results show that this system is capable of reproducing the Community Multi-Scale Air Quality(CMAQ) model simulation results with maximum mean normalized error 3.5%.It is also demonstrated that primary emissions make a major contribution to ambient levels of PM_(2.5) in January and August(e.g.,more than50%contributed by primary emissions in Shanghai),and Shanghai needs to have regional emission control both locally and in its neighboring provinces to meet China's annual PM_(2.5)National Ambient Air Quality Standard.The streamlined system provides a real-time control/response assessment to identify the contributions of major emission sources to ambient PM_(2.5)(and potentially O_3 as well) and streamline air quality data for SMAT-CE to perform attainment assessments.     

Understanding of regional air pollution over China using CMAQ,part I performance evaluation and seasonal variation

The U.S. EPA Models-3 Community Multiscale Air Quality (CMAQ) modeling system with the process analysis tool is applied to China to study the seasonal variations and formation mechanisms of major air pollutants. Simulations show distinct seasonal variations, with higher surface concentrations of sulfur dioxide (SO₂), nitrogen dioxide (NO₂), and particulate matter with aerodynamic diameter less than or equal to 10 μm (PM₁₀), column mass of carbon monoxide (CO) and NO₂, and aerosol optical depth (AOD) in winter and fall than other seasons, and higher 1-h O₃ and troposphere ozone residual (TOR) in spring and summer than other seasons. Higher concentrations of most species occur over the eastern China, where the air pollutant emissions are the highest in China. Compared with surface observations, the simulated SO₂, NO₂, and PM₁₀ concentrations are underpredicted throughout the year with NMBs of up to ?51.8%, ?32.0%, and ?54.2%, respectively. Such large discrepancies can be attributed to the uncertainties in emissions, simulated meteorology, and deviation of observations based on air pollution index. Max. 1-h O₃ concentrations in Jan. and Jul. at 36-km are overpredicted with NMBs of 12.0% and 19.3% and agree well in Apr. and Oct. Simulated column variables can capture the high concentrations over the eastern China and low values in the central and western China. Underpredictions occur over the northeastern China for column CO in Apr., TOR in Jul., and AODs in both Apr. and Jul.; and overpredictions occur over the eastern China for column CO in Oct., NO₂ in Jan. and Oct., and AODs in Jan. and Oct. The simulations at 12-km show a finer structure in simulated concentrations than that at 36-km over higher polluted areas, but do not always give better performance than 36-km. Surface concentrations are more sensitive to grid resolution than column variables except for column NO₂, with higher sensitivity over mountain and coastal areas than other regions.     

Immobilisation of heavy metal in cement-based solidification/stabilisation: a review

Heavy metal-bearing waste usually needs solidification/stabilization (s/s) prior to landfill to lower the leaching rate. Cement is the most adaptable binder currently available for the immobilisation of heavy metals. The selection of cements and operating parameters depends upon an understanding of chemistry of the system. This paper discusses interactions of heavy metals and cement phases in the solidification/stabilisation process. It provides a clarification of heavy metal effects on cement hydration. According to the decomposition rate of minerals, heavy metals accelerate the hydration of tricalcium silicate (C3S) and Portland cement, although they retard the precipitation of portlandite due to the reduction of pH resulted from hydrolyses of heavy metal ions. The chemical mechanism relevant to the accelerating effect of heavy metals is considered to be H+ attacks on cement phases and the precipitation of calcium heavy metal double hydroxides, which consumes calcium ions and then promotes the decomposition of C3S. In this work, molecular models of calcium silicate hydrate gel are presented based on the examination of 29Si solid-state magic angle spinning/nuclear magnetic resonance (MAS/NMR). This paper also reviews immobilisation mechanisms of heavy metals in hydrated cement matrices, focusing on the sorption, precipitation and chemical incorporation of cement hydration products. It is concluded that further research on the phase development during cement hydration in the presence of heavy metals and thermodynamic modelling is needed to improve effectiveness of cement-based s/s and extend this waste management technique.     

Source attribution for mercury deposition in the contiguous United States: regional difference and seasonal variation

Quantifying the contribution of emission sources responsible for mercury deposition in specific receptor regions helps develop emission control strategies that alleviate the impact on ecosystem and human health. In light of the maximum available control technology (MACT) rules proposed by U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the ongoing intergovernmental negotiation coordinated by United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP) for mercury, the Community Multiscale Air Quality Modeling System (CMAQ-Hg) was applied to estimate the source contribution in six subregions of the contiguous United States (CONUS). The considered source categories include electric generating units (EGU), iron and steel industry (IRST), other industrial point sources excluding EGU and IRST (OIPM), the remaining anthropogenic sources (RA), natural processes (NAT), and out-of-boundary transport (BC). It is found that, on an annual basis, dry deposition accounts for two-thirds of total annual deposition in CONUS (474 Mg yr(-1)), mainly contributed by reactive gaseous mercury (about 60% of total deposition). The contribution from large point sources can be as high as 75% near the emission sources (< 100 km), indicating that emission reduction may result in direct deposition decrease near the source locations. Out-of-boundary transport contributes from 68% (Northeast) to 91% (West Central) of total deposition. Excluding the contribution from out-of boundary transport, EGU contributes to about 50% of deposition in the Northeast, Southeast, and East Central regions, whereas emissions from natural processes are more important in the Pacific and West Central regions (contributing up to 40% of deposition). This suggests that the implementation of the new EPA MACT standards will significantly benefit only these three regions. Emission speciation is a key factor for local deposition. The source contribution exhibits strong seasonal variation. Deposition is greater in warm seasons due to stronger Hg0 oxidation. However, the contribution from anthropogenic sources is smaller in warm seasons because of larger emissions from natural processes and stronger vertical mixing that facilitates transport.     

Design and demonstration of a next-generation air quality attainment assessment system for PM2.5 and O3

Due to the increasingly stringent standards, it is important to assess whether the proposed emission reduction will result in ambient concentrations that meet the standards. The Software for Model Attainment Test—Community Edition (SMAT-CE) is developed for demonstrating attainment of air quality standards of O₃ and PM_2.5. SMAT-CE improves computational efficiency and provides a number of advanced visualization and analytical functionalities on an integrated GIS platform. SMAT-CE incorporates historical measurements of air quality parameters and simulated air pollutant concentrations under a number of emission inventory scenarios to project the level of compliance to air quality standards in a targeted future year. An application case study of the software based on the U.S. National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) shows that SMAT-CE is capable of demonstrating the air quality attainment of annual PM_2.5 and 8-hour O₃ for a proposed emission control policy.