Ozone and Radionuclide Correlations In Air of Marine Trajectory At Quillayute,Washington

A large number of radioactive and non-radioactive airborne constituents are being measured continually at our coastal air reference station located in northwestern Washington State. Important correlations have been observed between many of these materials. There are also apparent relationships between changing concentrations and meteorological parameters. Interesting fluctuations in the ozone levels with incoming clean air masses may help explain some of the high ozone levels observed by workers elsewhere. Positive correlations between certain known high altitude source region particulate radionuclides and ozone on a daily basis point to the upper level origin of the higher ozone concentrations observed at this site. This view is reinforced by the more usual negative correlations observed between general particulate levels at Quillayute and ozone concentrations when measured on a continuous monitoring basis.     

Characterization of microbial consortia that reductively dechlorinate 4-chlorophenol and transform phenol to benzoate enriched from estuarine sediment of Lake Shinji

Monochlorophenols were degraded to benzoate via phenol by the initial dechlorination and the subsequent conversion of phenol to benzoate in anaerobic sediment samples of estuarine Lake Shinji under methanogenic conditions. To characterize bacteria that dechlorinate 4-chlorophenol and transform phenol to benzoate, we analyzed the microbial community structure of the enrichment culture with each 4-chlorophenol and phenol by the limiting dilution method with polymerase chain reaction-denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (PCR-DGGE) of 16S rRNA gene. After serial dilution of the culture, the 4-chlorophenol-dechlorinating culture consisted of two dominant bacteria, one of which was most homologous with Dehalobacter sp. In the enriched culture with phenol, minor band homologous with Cryptanaerobacter phenolicass corresponded to the transformation activity.     

EFFECTS OF POTENTIAL WATER CONSERVATION EFFORTS IN EAST TENNESSEE1

ABSTRACT: The importance of water conservation was emphasized by a proposed National Water Policy which was established during the previous Carter Administration. This policy stressed water conservation on a national scale. Such a policy sought to apply one program to all water resources problems. Before implementation of this or another such policy, consideration must be given to those vast areas of the country which in reality do not have a shortage of water. One of these areas is the French-Broad River basin in Tennessee. This report was formulated in an effort to describe both the positive and negative effects of water policies which would bring about either a 10 percent or 30 percent reduction in water usage in this basically water rich area. The parameters used in the evaluation included selected economic, sociological, legal, and environmental impacts.     

Ammonia assessment from agriculture: U.S. status and needs

Recent studies suggest that human activities accelerate the production of reactive nitrogen on a global scale. Increased nitrogen emissions may lead to environmental impacts including photochemical air pollution, reduced visibility, changes in biodiversity, and stratospheric ozone depletion. In the last 50 yr, emissions of ammonia (NH3), which is the most abundant form of reduced reactive nitrogen in the atmosphere, have significantly increased as a result of intensive agricultural management and greater livestock production in many developed countries. These agricultural production practices are increasingly subject to governmental regulations intended to protect air resources. It is therefore important that an accurate and robust agricultural emission factors database exist to provide valid scientific support of these regulations. This paper highlights some of the recent work that was presented at the 2006 Workshop on Agricultural Air Quality in Washington, D.C. regarding NH3 emissions estimates and emission factors from agricultural sources in the U.S. and Europe. In addition, several best management practices are explored as the scientific community attempts to maximize the beneficial use of reactive nitrogen while simultaneously minimizing negative environmental impacts.     

Spatial and temporal drivers of zoonotic pathogen contamination of an agricultural watershed

In regions where animal agriculture is prominent, such as southern Alberta, higher rates of gastrointestinal illness have been reported when compared with nonagricultural regions. This difference in the rate of illness is thought to be a result of increased zoonotic pathogen exposure through environmental sources such as water. In this study, temporal and spatial factors associated with bacterial pathogen contamination of the Oldman River, which transverses this region, were analyzed using classification and regression tree analysis. Significantly higher levels of fecal indicators; more frequent isolations of Campylobacter spp., Escherichia coli O157:H7, and Salmonella enterica spp.; and higher rates of detection of pig-specific Bacteroides markers occurred at downstream sites than at upstream sites, suggesting additive stream inputs. Fecal indicator densities were also significantly higher when any one of these three bacterial pathogens was present and where there were higher total animal manure units; however, occasionally pathogens were present when fecal indicator levels were low or undetectable. Overall, Salmonella spp., Campylobacter spp., and E. coli O157:H7 presence was associated with season, animal manure units, and total rainfall on the day of sampling and 3 d in advance of sampling. Several of the environmental variables analyzed in this study appear to influence pathogen prevalence and therefore may be useful in predicting water quality and safety and in the improvement of watershed management practices in this and other agricultural regions.