Permafrost and infrastructure in the usa Basin (Northeast European Russia): possible impacts of global warming

The relationship between permafrost conditions and the distribution of infrastructure in the Usa Basin, Northeast European Russia, is analyzed. About 75% of the Basin is underlain by permafrost terrain with various degrees of continuity (isolated patches to continuous permafrost). The region has a high level of urban and industrial development (e.g., towns, coal mines, hydrocarbon extraction sites, railway, pipelines). GIS-analyses indicate that about 60% of all infrastructure is located in the 'high risk' permafrost area, here defined as the zones of isolated to discontinuous permafrost (3-90% coverage) with 'warm' ground temperatures (0 to -2 degrees C). Ground monitoring, aerial photo interpretation, and permafrost modeling suggest a differential response to future global warming. Most of the permafrost-affected terrain will likely start to thaw within a few decades to a century. This forecast poses serious challenges to permafrost engineering and calls for long-term investments in adequate infrastructure that will pay back overtime.     

Estimating receptor sensitivity to spatial proximity of emissions sources

Spatial proximity of emissions sources to receptors may affect sensitivity to potential adverse human health effects. This research investigates whether receptor sensitivity to the location of emission sources can be utilized efficiently to minimize health risk in selecting sites for industrial enterprises, thermal electric stations, etc. A sensitivity function that is independent of the location of pre-existing emission sources is derived and applied to Minsk, Belarus. The function estimates exposures based on weather and climatic conditions as well as the distribution of population density at a given locality. Arraying prospective sites based on their sensitivity function magnitude provides a technique for minimizing health risk based on receptor sensitivity to the spatial proximity of atmospheric emissions sources.     

Soil phytoremediation from the breakdown products of the chemical warfare agent, yperite

A plant-based bioremediation (phytoremediation) strategy has been developed and shown to be effective for the clean-up of soil contaminated by the breakdown products of the chemical warfare agent (CWA), yperite. The method involves exploiting the plant growth hormone, indole-3-acetic acid (IAA), to intensify the phytoremediation. For determination of the yperite breakdown products, gas chromatography is used. Soil and plant samples were analysed with a gas chromatograph fitted with an atomic emission detector. The method of standard-free determination was employed to identify sulphur-containing substances (SCSs). A series of soil tests was conducted, which showed that the level of SCSs decreased 4, 8, and more than 20-fold compared with that found in contaminated soil. This decrease was dependent upon the IAA concentrations used for plant treatment. The treated plants accumulated 2.7 to 2.9-fold larger amounts of the SCSs than did the untreated plants. Owing to its simplicity, environmental safety and inexpensiveness, the method can be recommended for the restoration of soil fertility in areas of storage and destruction of blister CWAs.     

Mass occurrence of the ctenophore Bolinopsis vitrea (L. Agassiz, 1860) in the nearshore southern Adriatic Sea (Kotor Bay, Montenegro)

The ctenophore Bolinopsis vitrea has been rarely observed in the Mediterranean Sea. A bloom of B. vitrea is here reported for the first time in the southern Adriatic Sea in the spring and summer of 2009, together with its effect on the plankton of Kotor Bay. Ctenophores were found below 5 m depth only. Results of the investigation indicate that mass occurrence of B. vitrea could have a great impact on the Kotor Bay ecosystem. Their predation on copepods would reduce grazing pressure on phytoplankton, favouring an uncommon bloom of the latter. It is evident that B. vitrea are capable of altering rapidly the composition and biomass of coastal plankton communities when present in large masses. This first evidence of such events for this species may indicate changes in the functioning of marine ecosystems of the southern Adriatic.     

Phytotoxicity of short-term exposure to excess zinc or copper in Scots pine seedlings in relation to growth,water status,nutrient balance,and antioxidative activity

The toxic effects of heavy metals pose a significant threat to the productivity and stability of forest ecosystems. Changes in the agrochemical properties of polluted forest soils due to global climate changes can increase the bioavailability of previously immobilized heavy metals. To test this hypothesis, we studied the effects of short-term shock exposure to ZnSO₄ (50, 150, 300 μM) or CuSO₄ (2.5, 5, 10 μM) in hydroculture on 4- to 6-week-old seedlings of Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) with well-developed root systems. The effects of the excess heavy metals on mineral nutrients and the functioning of low-molecular-weight antioxidants and glutathione in protecting plants from oxidative damage were studied. Even short-term exposure to exogenous metals led to their rapid accumulation in the root system and their subsequent transport to aboveground organs. An increase in the 4-hydroxyalkenals content in seedling needles exposed to excess Cu led to an increase in the content of proanthocyanidins and catechins, which act as scavengers of reactive oxygen species. The impact of both metals led to the rapid development of mineral nutrient imbalances in the seedlings, which were most pronounced in the presence of excess Zn. Exposure to excess Zn led to a disruption in the translocation of Fe and a decrease in the Fe content in the needles. The most dramatic consequence of Zn exposure was the development of Mn deficiency in the roots, which was the likely cause of the inhibition of phenolic compound synthesis. A deficiency in phenolic compounds can have serious environmental consequences for pine populations that are at risk of contamination by Zn and Cu salts.

     

Influence of pyrolysis temperature on production and nutrient properties of wastewater sludge biochar

The important challenge for effective management of wastewater sludge materials in an environmentally and economically acceptable way can be addressed through pyrolytic conversion of the sludge to biochar and agricultural applications of the biochar. The aim of this work is to investigate the influence of pyrolysis temperature on production of wastewater sludge biochar and evaluate the properties required for agronomic applications. Wastewater sludge collected from an urban wastewater treatment plant was pyrolysed in a laboratory scale reactor. It was found that by increasing the pyrolysis temperature (over the range from 300 °C to 700 °C) the yield of biochar decreased. Biochar produced at low temperature was acidic whereas at high temperature it was alkaline in nature. The concentration of nitrogen was found to decrease while micronutrients increased with increasing temperature. Concentrations of trace metals present in wastewater sludge varied with temperature and were found to primarily enriched in the biochar.     

Scenario simulations of CO2 injection feasibility, plume migration and storage in a saline aquifer, Scania, Sweden

Deep saline aquifers have large capacity for geological CO₂ storage, but are generally not as well characterized as petroleum reservoirs. We here aim at quantifying effects of uncertain hydraulic parameters and uncertain stratigraphy on CO₂ injectivity and migration, and provide a first feasibility study of pilot-scale CO₂ injection into a multilayered saline aquifer system in southwest Scania, Sweden. Four main scenarios are developed, corresponding to different possible interpretations of available site data. Simulation results show that, on the one hand, stratigraphic uncertainty (presence/absence of a thin mudstone/claystone layer above the target storage formation) leads to large differences in predicted CO₂ storage in the target formation at the end of the test (ranging between 11% and 98% of injected CO₂ remaining), whereas other parameter uncertainty (in formation and cap rock permeabilities) has small impact. On the other hand, the latter has large impact on predicted injectivity, on which stratigraphic uncertainty has small impact. Salt precipitation at the border of the target storage formation affects CO₂ injectivity for all considered scenarios and injection rates. At low injection rates, salt is deposited also within the formation, considerably reducing its availability for CO₂ storage.     

Assessing the Impact of Areal Precipitation Input on Streamflow Simulations Using the SWAT Model1

Masih Ilyas, Shreedhar Maskey, Stefan Uhlenbrook, and Vladimir Smakhtin, 2011. Assessing the Impact of Areal Precipitation Input on Streamflow Simulations Using the SWAT Model. Journal of the American Water Resources Association (JAWRA) 47(1):179‐195. DOI: 10.1111/j.1752‐1688.2010.00502.x Abstract: Reduction of input uncertainty is a challenge in hydrological modeling. The widely used model Soil Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) uses the data of a precipitation gauge nearest to the centroid of each subcatchment as an input for that subcatchment. This may not represent overall catchment precipitation conditions well. This paper suggests an alternative – using areal precipitation obtained through interpolation. The effectiveness of this alternative is evaluated by comparing its simulations with those based on the standard SWAT precipitation input procedure. The model is applied to mountainous semiarid catchments in the Karkheh River basin, Iran. The model performance is evaluated at daily, monthly, and annual scales by using a number of performance indicators at 15 streamflow gauging stations each draining an area in the range of 590‐42,620 km². The comparison suggests that the use of areal precipitation improves model performance particularly in small subcatchments in the range of 600‐1,600 km². The modified areal precipitation input results in increased reliability of simulated streamflows in the areas of low rain gauge density. Both precipitation input methods result in reasonably good simulations for larger catchments (over 5,000 km²). The use of areal precipitation input improves the accuracy of simulated streamflows with spatial resolution and density of rain gauges having significant impact on results.     

Algorithms for Increasing the Efficiency of Precision Production Operator’s Activities

To assess and plan future risk-analysis research projects, 275 documents describing methods and tools for assessing the risks associated with industrial machines or with other sectors such as the military, and the nuclear and aeronautics industries, etc., were collected. These documents were in the format of published books or papers, standards, technical guides and company procedures collected throughout industry. From the collected documents, 112 documents were selected for analysis; 108 methods applied or potentially applicable for assessing the risks associated with industrial machines were analyzed and classified. This paper presents the main quantitative results of the analysis of the methods and tools.