Visibility degradation, one of the most noticeable indicators of poor air quality, can occur despite relatively low levels of particulate matter when the risk to human health is low. The availability of timely and reliable visibility forecasts can provide a more comprehensive understanding of the anticipated air quality conditions to better inform local jurisdictions and the public. This paper describes the development of a visibility forecasting modeling framework, which leverages the existing air quality and meteorological forecasts from Canada’s operational Regional Air Quality Deterministic Prediction System (RAQDPS) for the Lower Fraser Valley of British Columbia. A baseline model (GM-IMPROVE) was constructed using the revised IMPROVE algorithm based on unprocessed forecasts from the RAQDPS. Three additional prototypes (UMOS-HYB, GM-MLR, GM-RF) were also developed and assessed for forecast performance of up to 48 hr lead time during various air quality and meteorological conditions. Forecast performance was assessed by examining their ability to provide both numerical and categorical forecasts in the form of 1-hr total extinction and Visual Air Quality Ratings (VAQR), respectively. While GM-IMPROVE generally overestimated extinction more than twofold, it had skill in forecasting the relative species contribution to visibility impairment, including ammonium sulfate and ammonium nitrate. Both statistical prototypes, GM-MLR and GM-RF, performed well in forecasting 1-hr extinction during daylight hours, with correlation coefficients (R) ranging from 0.59 to 0.77. UMOS-HYB, a prototype based on postprocessed air quality forecasts without additional statistical modeling, provided reasonable forecasts during most daylight hours. In terms of categorical forecasts, the best prototype was approximately 75 to 87% correct, when forecasting for a condensed three-category VAQR. A case study, focusing on a poor visual air quality yet low Air Quality Health Index episode, illustrated that the statistical prototypes were able to provide timely and skillful visibility forecasts with lead time up to 48 hr.
Implications: This study describes the development of a visibility forecasting modeling framework, which leverages the existing air quality and meteorological forecasts from Canada’s operational Regional Air Quality Deterministic Prediction System. The main applications include tourism and recreation planning, input into air quality management programs, and educational outreach. Visibility forecasts, when supplemented with the existing air quality and health based forecasts, can assist jurisdictions to anticipate the visual air quality impacts as perceived by the public, which can potentially assist in formulating the appropriate air quality bulletins and recommendations. 相似文献
Background, Aims and Scope Sediments of the Spittelwasser creek are highly polluted with organic compounds and heavy metals due to the discharge of untreated
waste waters from the industrial region of Bitterfeld-Wolfen, Germany over the course of more than one century. However, relatively
few data have been published about the chloroorganic contamination of the sediment. This paper reports on the content of different
(chloro)organic compounds with special emphasis on polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans (PCDD/F), and chlorobenzenes. Existing concepts for the remediation of Spittelwasser sediment include
the investigation of natural attenuation processes, which largely depend on the presence of an intact microbial food web.
In order to gain more insight in terms of biological activity, we analyzed the capacity of sediment microflora to degrade
organic matter by measuring the activities of extracellular hydrolytic enzymes involved in the biogeochemical cycling of carbon,
nitrogen, phosphorus and sulfur. Furthermore, the detection of physiologically active bacteria in the sediment, particularly
of those known for their capability to reductively dehalogenate organochlorine compounds, illustrates the potential for intrinsic
bioremediation processes.
Methods PCDD/F and chlorobenzenes were analyzed by gas chromatography(GC)/mass spectrometry and GC/flame ionization detection, respectively.
The activities of hydrolytic enzymes were determined from freshly sampled sediment layers using 4-methylumbelliferyl (MUF)
or 7-amino-4-methylcoumarin-conjugated model compounds and kinetic fluorescence measurements. Physiologically active bacteria
from different sediment layers were microscopically visualized by fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH). Specific bacteria were identified by 16S rRNA gene amplification and sequencing.
Results and Discussion The PCDD/F congener profile was dominated by dibenzofurans. In addition, the presence of specific tetra and pentachlorinated
dibenzofurans supported the assumption that extensive magnesium production was one possible source for the high contamination.
A range of other chloroorganic compounds, including several isomers of chlorobenzenes, hexachlorocyclohexane and 1,1,1-trichloro-2,2-bis
(p-chloro-phenyl)ethane (DDT), was present in the sediment. Activities of extracellular hydrolytic enzymes showed a strong
decrease in those sediment layers that were characterized by high contents of absorbable organic halogen (AOX), indicating
disturbed organic matter decay. Interestingly, an abnormal increase of cellulolytic enzyme activities below the organochlorine-rich
layers was observed, possibly caused by residual cellulose from discharges of sulfite pulping wastes. FISH revealed physiologically
active bacteria in most sediment layers from the surface down to the depth of about 60 cm, including members of Desulfitobacterium (D.) and Sulfurospirillum. The presence of D. dehalogenans was confirmed by its partial 16S rRNA gene sequence.
Conclusions Results of chemical sediment analyses demonstrated high loads of organochlorine compounds, particularly of PCDD/F. Several
years after stopping the waste water discharge to Spittelwasser creek, this sediment remains a main source for pollution of
the downstream river system by way of the ongoing mobilization of sediment during high floods. As indicated by our enzyme
activity measurements, the decomposition potential for organic matter is low in organochlorine-rich sediment layers. In contrast,
the comparably higher enzyme activities in less organochlorine-polluted sediment layers as well as the presence of physiologically
active bacteria suggest a considerable potential for natural attenuation.
Recommendations and Perspectives From our data we strongly recommend to explore the degradative capacity of sediment microorganisms and the limits for in situ activity towards specific sediment pollutants in more detail. This will give a sound basis for the integration of bioremediation
approaches into general concepts to reduce the risk that permanently radiates from this highly contaminated sediment.
Submission Editor: Dr. Henner Hollert (Henner.Hollert@urz.uniheidelberg.de) 相似文献
The distribution and sources of organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) in air and surface waters were monitored in Nairobi City using triolein-filled semipermeable membrane devices (SPMDs). The SPMDs were extracted by dialysis using n-hexane, followed by cleanup by adsorption chromatography on silica gel cartridges. Sample analysis was done by GC-ECD and confirmed by GC–MS. Separation of means was achieved by analysis of variance, followed by pair-wise comparison using the t-test (p≤ 0.05). The total OCPs ranged between 0.018 – 1.277 ng/m3 in the air and <LOD – 1391.000 ng/m3 in surface waters. Based on the results, the means of Industrial Area, Dandora and Kibera were not significantly different (p≤ 0.05), but were higher (p≤ 0.05) than those of City square and Ngong’ Forest. The results revealed non-significant (p≤ 0.05) contribution of long-range transport to OCP pollution in Nairobi City. This indicated possible presence of point sources of environmental OCPs in the city. The water-air fugacity ratios indicated that volatilization and deposition played an important role in the spatial distribution of OCPs in Nairobi City. This indicated that contaminated surface waters could be major sources of human exposure to OCPs, through volatilization. The incremental lifetime cancer risks (ILCR) determined from inhalation of atmospheric OCPs were 2.3745 × 10?13 – 1.6845 × 10?11 (adult) and 5.5404 × 10?13 – 3.9306 × 10?11 (child) in the order: Dandora > Kibera > Industrial Area > City Square > Ngong’ Forest. However, these were lower than the USEPA acceptable risks, 10?6 – 10?4. This study concluded that atmospheric OCPs did not pose significant cancer risks to the residents. 相似文献
The legacy of mining activities has typically been land ‘returned to wildlife’, or, at some sites, degraded to such an extent that it is unsuitable for any alternate use. Progress towards sustainability is made when value is added in terms of the ecological, social and economic well‐being of the community. In keeping with the principles of sustainable development, the innovative use of flooded open pits and tailings impoundments as commercial, recreational or ornamental fish farms should be considered in some locations, as it could make a significant contribution to the social equity, economic vitality and environmental integrity of mining communities. This article highlights the growing significance of aquaculture and explores the benefits and barriers to transforming flooded pits and impoundments into aquaculture operations. Among other benefits, aquaculture may provide a much‐needed source of revenue, employment and, in some cases, food to communities impacted by mine closure. Further, aquaculture in a controlled closed environment may be more acceptable to critics of fish farming who are concerned about fish escapes and viral transmissions to wild populations. Despite the potential benefits, aquaculture in flooded pits and impoundments is not without its complications — it requires a site‐specific design approach that must consider issues ranging from metals uptake by fish, to the long‐term viability of the aquatic system as fish habitat, to the overall contribution of aquaculture to sustainability.相似文献
Multiple chemical sensitivity (MCS) is defined as a syndrome with multiple medically unexplained symptoms attributed to low levels of chemically unrelated substances in the environment. The etiology of this syndrome is still unclear. As MCS may be conceptualized as an atypical type of somatoform disorder, the purpose of the study was to examine whether MCS subjects show symptom patterns, personality traits, and perceptual and cognitive styles as typically found in somatoform patients. Nonsensitive controls (n=36) were compared to subjects with moderate (n=35) and high (n=35) MCS intensity with self-report psychological questionnaires and structured interviews for depression and somatoform disorders. The high MCS group scored significantly higher than the other two groups on self-report scales for somatoform symptoms and depression. Moreover, high MCS was strongly associated with the diagnosis of somatoform disorder, and weaker but still significantly with depression. In a stepwise multiple regression analysis, cognitions about environmental threat, trait anxiety, focus on autonomic sensations, and general environmental sensitivity predicted MCS symptoms in the total sample, explaining 53% of the variance. These results support the hypothesis that trait negativity and mechanisms of symptom perception and symptom amplification contribute to the enhanced symptom reports of MCS individuals. 相似文献