Using a noise monitoring station in a small quarry located in an urban area

Mining plays an important role in Brazilian exports. On the other hand, large urban centers like São Paulo, with approximately 21 million inhabitants, also demand an increasing domestic consumption of natural resources, such as construction aggregate. There are many quarries located in the surroundings of urban centers in Brazil, competing with the growth of urbanized areas. Such proximity leads to a series of conflicts involving quarries and surrounding communities, where the increase in noise levels is highlighted. Operations in quarries, in general, are intermittent. Noisier equipment, such as drilling rigs and primary crushers, operates only a few hours during the day, while other operations, such as screening and secondary and tertiary crushing, are more constant. This paper presents a study carried out in a quarry located near São Paulo, where in addition to conventional short term noise measurements at surrounding receptors, one noise monitoring station was installed, allowing to identify the noisiest moments during the quarry operating time. Through data transmitted by wireless technology, it was possible to follow the noise variations emitted from mining activities in real time and observe the noisiest events that were recorded for events that exceeded the established standards. A mobile application associated to this monitoring station facilitated the quarry’s manager and employees to access immediately the monitoring information. Therefore, by using this system, it was possible to evaluate the effectiveness of noise reduction measures already taken and indicate what steps still need to be held.     

Biogeochemical patterns in a river network along a land use gradient

The Bode catchment (Germany) shows strong land use gradients from forested parts of the National Park (23 % of total land cover) to agricultural (70 %) and urbanised areas (7 %). It is part of the Terrestrial Environmental Observatories of the German Helmholtz association. We performed a biogeochemical analysis of the entire river network. Surface water was sampled at 21 headwaters and at ten downstream sites, before (in early spring) and during the growing season (in late summer). Many parameters showed lower concentrations in headwaters than in downstream reaches, among them nutrients (ammonium, nitrate and phosphorus), dissolved copper and seston dry mass. Nitrate and phosphorus concentrations were positively related to the proportion of agricultural area within the catchment. Punctual anthropogenic loads affected some parameters such as chloride and arsenic. Chlorophyll a concentration and total phosphorus in surface waters were positively related. The concentration of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) was higher in summer than in spring, whereas the molecular size of DOC was lower in summer. The specific UV absorption at 254 nm, indicating the content of humic substances, was higher in headwaters than in downstream reaches and was positively related to the proportion of forest within the catchment. CO₂ oversaturation of the water was higher downstream compared with headwaters and was higher in summer than in spring. It was correlated negatively with oxygen saturation and positively with DOC concentration but negatively with DOC quality (molecular size and humic content). A principle component analysis clearly separated the effects of site (44 %) and season (15 %), demonstrating the strong effect of land use on biogeochemical parameters.     

Characterizing ozone pollution in a petrochemical industrial area in Beijing,China: a case study using a chemical reaction model

This study selected a petrochemical industrial complex in Beijing, China, to understand the characteristics of surface ozone (O₃) in this industrial area through the on-site measurement campaign during the July–August of 2010 and 2011, and to reveal the response of local O₃ to its precursors’ emissions through the NCAR-Master Mechanism model (NCAR-MM) simulation. Measurement results showed that the O₃ concentration in this industrial area was significantly higher, with the mean daily average of 124.6 μg/m³ and mean daily maximum of 236.8 μg/m³, which are, respectively, 90.9 and 50.6 % higher than those in Beijing urban area. Moreover, the diurnal O₃ peak generally started up early in 11:00–12:00 and usually remained for 5–6 h, greatly different with the normal diurnal pattern of urban O₃. Then, we used NCAR-MM to simulate the average diurnal variation of photochemical O₃ in sunny days of August 2010 in both industrial and urban areas. A good agreement in O₃ diurnal variation pattern and in O₃ relative level was obtained for both areas. For example of O₃ daily maximum, the calculated value in the industrial area was about 51 % higher than in the urban area, while measured value in the industrial area was approximately 60 % higher than in the urban area. Finally, the sensitivity analysis of photochemical O₃ to its precursors was conducted based on a set of VOCs/NOx emissions cases. Simulation results implied that in the industrial area, the response of O₃ to VOCs was negative and to NOx was positive under the current conditions, with the sensitivity coefficients of ?0.16~?0.43 and +0.04~+0.06, respectively. By contrast, the urban area was within the VOCs-limitation regime, where ozone enhancement in response to increasing VOCs emissions and to decreasing NOx emission. So, we think that the VOCs emissions control for this petrochemical industrial complex will increase the potential risk of local ozone pollution aggravation, but will be helpful to inhibit the ozone formation in Beijing urban area through reducing the VOCs transport from the industrial area to the urban area.     

Levels and chemical composition of PM in a city near a large Cu-smelter in Spain

A long-term series (2001-2008) of chemical analysis of atmospheric particulate matter (PM(10) and PM(2.5)) collected in the city of Huelva (SW Spain) is considered in this study. The impact of emission plumes from one of the largest Cu-smelters in the world on air quality in the city of Huelva is evidenced by the high daily and hourly levels of As, other potentially toxic elements (e.g. Cu, Zn, Cd, Se, Bi, and Pb) in particulate matter, as well as the high levels of some gaseous pollutants (NO(2) and SO(2)). Mean arsenic levels in the PM10 fraction were higher than the target value set by European Directive 2004/107/EC (6 ngAs m(-3)) for 1(st) January 2013. Hourly peak concentrations of As and other metals and elements (Zn, Cu, P and Se) analyzed by PIXE can reach maximum hourly levels as high as 326 ngAs m(-3), 506 ngZn m(-3), 345 ngCu m(-3), 778 ngP m(-3) and 12 ngSe m(-3). The contribution of Cu-smelter emissions to ambient PM is quantified on an annual basis in 2.0-6.7 μg m(-3) and 1.8-4.2 μg m(-3) for PM(10) and PM(2.5), respectively. High resolution outputs of the HYSPLIT dispersion model show the geographical distribution of the As ambient levels into the emission plume, suggesting that the working regime of the Cu-smelter factory and the sea breeze circulation are the main factors controlling the impact of the Cu-smelter on the air quality of the city. The results of this work improve our understanding of the behaviour of industrial emission plumes and their impact on air quality of a city, where the population might be exposed to very high ambient concentrations of toxic metals during a few hours.     

Estimating Air Quality in a Traffic Tunnel Using a Forecasting Combination Model

This study performs a field analysis of the diffusion collection rate coefficients of radial geometry passive samplers to measure NO₂ in a Mediterranean coastal area. The study shows that the collection rate coefficients are not constant and depend on certain environmental parameters as well as on the levels of some co-pollutants. A mathematical model, which explains the variation of the collection rate coefficient, has been established.     

Phosphorus run-off assessment in a watershed

The Watershed Assessment Model was used to simulate the runoff volume, peak flows, and non-point source phosphorus loadings from the 5870 km(2) Lake Okeechobee watershed as a case study. The results were compared to on-site monitoring to verify the accuracy of the method and to estimate the observed/simulated error. In 2008, the total simulated phosphorus contribution was 9634, 6524 and 3908 kg (P) y(-1) from sod farms, citrus farms and row crop farmlands, respectively. Although the dairies represent less than 1% of the total area of Kissimmee basin, the simulated P load from the dairies (9283 kg (P) y(-1) in 2008) made up 5.4% of the total P load during 2008. On average, the modeled P yield rates from dairies, sod farms and row crop farmlands are 3.85, 2.01 and 0.86 kg (P) ha(-1) y(-1), respectively. The maximum sediment simulated phosphorus yield rate is about 2 kg (P) ha(-1) and the particulate simulated phosphorus contribution from urban, improved pastures and dairies to the total phosphorus load was estimated at 9%, 3.5%, and 1%, respectively. Land parcels with P oversaturated soil as well as the land parcels with high phosphorus assimilation and high total phosphorus contribution were located. The most critical sub-basin was identified for eventual targeting by enforced agricultural best management practices. Phosphorus load, including stream assimilation, incoming to Lake Okeechobee from two selected dairies was also determined.     

Heavy metal contents in whitefish (Coregonus lavaretus) along a pollution gradient in a subarctic watercourse

Metallurgic industry is a source of serious environmental pollution related to the emission of heavy metals. Freshwater systems are focal points for pollution, acting as sinks for contaminants that may end up in fish and humans. The Pasvik watercourse in the border area between Finland, Norway and Russia is located in the vicinity of the Pechenganickel metallurgic enterprises, and the lower part of the watershed drains the Nikel smelters directly through Lake Kuetsjarvi. Heavy metal (Ni, Cu, Cd, Zn, Pb and Hg) concentrations in environment (water and sediments) and whitefish Coregonus lavaretus tissue (gills, liver, kidney and muscle) were contrasted between five lake localities situated along a spatial gradient of increasing distance (5-100 km) to the smelters. The heavy metal concentrations, in particular Ni, Cu and Cd, were highly elevated in Kuetsjarvi, but steeply declined with increasing distance to the smelters and were moderate or low in the other four localities. The study demonstrates that the majority of metal emissions and runoffs are deposited near the pollution source, and only moderate amounts of the heavy metal contaminants seem to be transported at further distances. Bioaccumulation of Hg occurred in all investigated tissues, and higher Hg concentrations in planktivorous versus benthivorous whitefish furthermore indicated that pelagic foraging is associated with higher levels of Hg biomagnification. Potential population ecology impacts of high heavy metal contaminations where mainly observed in whitefish in Kuetsjarvi, which showed depletions in growth rate, condition factor and size and age at maturation.     

evaluation of a measurement method for forest vegetation in a large-scale ecological survey

We evaluate a field method for determining species richness andcanopy cover of vascular plants for the Forest Health MonitoringProgram (FHM), an ecological survey of U.S. forests. Measurementsare taken within 12 1-m² quadrats on 1/15 ha plots in FHM.Species richness and cover are determined for four height classes(strata) within each quadrat and aggregated by stratum over the entireplot. We estimated (1) the agreement between experienced trainers andinexperienced technicians who collected the data on this survey(accuracy) and (2) the agreement among the technicians (precision) forresults on species richness and cover from 3 test plots at 3 timeintervals. The methods appear to be highly precise, although somediscrepancies with the values obtained by the trainers were found.Trainers found significantly more species in the ground stratum (0–0.6 m) and measured significantly more cover in the uppermost stratum(>4.9 m). The proportion of variation due to measurement error andtemporal variability was less than 13% for species richness (all strata)and cover (all but one stratum). This indicates that the method issuitable for monitoring changes in species richness and canopy coverfor a large-scale synoptic monitoring project such as FHM.     

Development of a calibration system to evaluate VOC losses in a branch enclosure

Considerable uncertainties are associated with the experimental estimates of emission rates of different volatile organic compound (VOC) species from the biosphere to the atmosphere. Some of this uncertainty derives from the sampling and analytical procedures used in emission rate measurements. A calibration system was developed in order to evaluate possible errors in the measurements of biogenic emission rates using a branch enclosure system. Two types of calibration procedures were tested, a standard additions technique and an internal standard procedure. Both techniques were used to evaluate possible losses while sampling isoprene and monoterpenes, which are the most abundant VOCs of biogenic origin. The losses to Teflon lines and the empty sampling system were tested and losses to the branch enclosure system installed on two VOC emitting plant species were evaluated. A considerable loss of isoprene (approximately 18% of inflow concentration 65 ng l(-1)) to the empty enclosure system and to the system installed on the plant was measured, but no losses of monoterpenes were observed.     

Factors affecting waste generation: a study in a waste management program in Dhaka City, Bangladesh

Information on waste generation, socioeconomic characteristics, and willingness of the households to separate waste was obtained from interviews with 402 respondents in Dhaka city. Ordinary least square regression was used to determine the dominant factors that might influence the waste generation of the households. The results showed that the waste generation of the households in Dhaka city was significantly affected by household size, income, concern about the environment, and willingness to separate the waste. These factors are necessary to effectively improve waste management, growth and performance, as well as to reduce the environmental degradation of the household waste.     

Variations in phytoplankton community in a monsoon-influenced tropical estuary

In a monsoon-affected tropical estuary, oscillations in freshwater discharge during monsoon shifted the phytoplankton blooms from those adapted to low salinities to high salinities and vice versa. Salinity stratification during monsoon (onset and restart after an intermittent break) favored diatom (Skeletonema) bloom in low-saline surface waters. In high-saline, nutrient-rich bottom waters, Fragilariopsis (diatom) bloom was observed during onset of monsoon and persisted till the end of monsoon. The break period in monsoon altered the phytoplankton community leading to mixed species bloom of large-sized diatoms and harmful dinoflagellates (Gymnodinium catenatum and Cochlodinium polykrikoides) under high-saline, nutrient-poor, non-stratified, and transparent water column. Such variations in community should be considered for better understanding the biogeochemistry of monsoon-influenced tropical estuaries. The dominance of Skeletonema is determined positively by the extent of low-saline stratified condition whereas most of the observed taxa were favored by high-saline, nutrient-poor, and transparent waters.     

Nutrient mitigation in a temporary river basin

We estimate the nutrient budget in a temporary Mediterranean river basin. We use field monitoring and modelling tools to estimate nutrient sources and transfer in both high and low flow conditions. Inverse modelling by the help of PHREEQC model validated the hypothesis of a losing stream during the dry period. Soil and Water Assessment Tool model captured the water quality of the basin. The ‘total daily maximum load’ approach is used to estimate the nutrient flux status by flow class, indicating that almost 60 % of the river network fails to meet nitrogen criteria and 50 % phosphate criteria. We recommend that existing well-documented remediation measures such as reforestation of the riparian area or composting of food process biosolids should be implemented to achieve load reduction in close conjunction with social needs.     

Assessing cancer incidence in a small community

Many small communities are concerned about health effects from environmental pollutants. One such community, Orwell, in Oswego County, New York, was investigated to determine if the level of cancer was significantly high in comparison to the county and the state. A pilot health study was administered among residents living in a defined area. Results of the survey demonstrated that cancer incidence was higher than both Oswego County and New York State, while cancer mortality was higher for men and lower for woman. A closer examination of the data showed that the way in which health surveys are usually analyzed may not be appropriate for small communities. In particular, some parametric statistics, such as chi-square analysis, might show significant differences between populations when standardized incidence and mortality rates are derived from small samples, yet standard deviations calculated from these data are so large as to cast doubt on the analysis. Researchers have discussed this problem theoretically, but empirical studies illustrating the difficulties have not heretofore appeared in the published literature. For health studies in small communities, greater consideration should be given to risk ratios and the implications of standard deviations.     

Multi-objective, decision-based assessment of a water quality monitoring network in a river system

Water quality monitoring network design has historically tended to use experience, intuition and subjective judgement in locating monitoring stations. Better design procedures to optimize monitoring systems need to simultaneously identify significant planning objectives and consider a number of social, economic and environmental constraints. The consideration of multiple objectives may require further decision analysis to determine the preference weights associated with the objectives to aid in the decision-making process. This may require the application of an optimization study to extract such information from decision makers or experts and to evaluate the overall effectiveness of locating strategies. This paper assesses the optimal expansion and relocation strategies of a water quality monitoring network using a two-stage analysis. The first stage focuses on the information retrieval of preference weights with respect to the designated planning objectives. With the aid of a pre-emptive goal programming model, data analysis is applied to obtain the essential information from the questionnaire outputs. The second stage then utilizes a weighted multi-objective optimization approach to search for the optimal locating strategies of the monitoring stations in the river basin. Practical implementation is illustrated by a case study in the Kao-Ping River Basin, south Taiwan.     

Inter-relations between biological and physicochemical factors in a database for a shallow estuarine system

This paper examines data obtained since 1976 in Peel Inlet and the Harvey Estuary, a shallow estuarine system in Western Australia, which has nuisance growths of macroalgae and seasonal blooms of the cyanobacterium (blue-green alga)Nodularia spumigena. Data collected at the same sites at weekly or fortnightly intervals include phytoplankton (chlorophylla), water nutrients (nitrogen and phosphorus), salinity, temperature and light penetration. Seasonally, the biomass of macroalgae has been measured at a number of sites and used to estimate total biomass.The data are characterised by large season-to-season differences, attributable to the seasonality and volume of river flow. The information has been used to relate the magnitude of summer blue-green algal blooms to the winter loading of phosphorus from the surrounding catchment, and the magnitude of macroalgal biomass to light penetration through the water column.     

Instability in a small hypereutrophic urban lake

Two summer intensive monitoring programs were conducted on a small Louisiana urban lake following restoration. Monitoring objectives were directed towards providing high resolution data needed to examine lake temporal and spatial variability. During the first year of post-restoration (1983), anaerobic conditions developed in the lake and a major fish kill (Ictalurus sp.) was observed. Total phosphorus concentrations at stations nearest the lake bottom were exceedingly high (>0.400 mg L^–1), suggesting the source of phosphorus was sediment release. Monitoring conducted in 1984 indicated the re-establishment of high benthic demand and internal nutrient recycling patterns. Mean phosphorus levels increased by more than 50% over the observed 1983 values, while dissolved oxygen concentrations demonstrated gradients from surface to bottom and were consistently below 2.0 mg L^–1 in the bottom waters.     

Nanobioaerosols--reconsidering agricultural irrigation in a warming world

Nanobacteria are best described as 60-300 nm nanovesicles. In the body they collect calcium and phosphate to form apatite, adhere to cells, or invade them--processes regulated by a slime based on proteins (primordial proteins). A versatile functionality realized with a minimum of properties equips nanobacteria with a unique survival potential. They were identified in humans, animals, wastewater and the stratosphere. In South Africa they were detected in people infected with HIV. Models indicate that they boost the genetic diversity of the HIV-1 virus. Experiments showed that they are excreted via urine, explaining their presence in the environment. Eradication would be virtually impossible if they had an extraterrestrial origin, implying a permanent bombardment from space. Whereas the biological status of nanobacteria is still not clarified, we postulate here that the native habitat of nanobacteria are mammals, suggesting that at least modern species have their origin on Earth. The thesis results from mapping functions and properties of the slime, and could facilitate the localisation of nanobacterial reservoirs, identification of local distribution routes and tracking of global transport cycles. Agricultural irrigation with water containing excreta from humans infected with nanobacteria could be a central disseminator of the nanobioaerosols.     

Living with a large reduction in permited loading by using a hydrograph-controlled release scheme

The Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) for ammonia and biochemical oxygen demand for the Pee Dee, Waccamaw, and Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway system near Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, mandated a 60-percent reduction in point-source loading. For waters with a naturally low background dissolved-oxygen concentrations, South Carolina anti-degradation rules in the water-quality regulations allows a permitted discharger a reduction of dissolved oxygen of 0.1 milligrams per liter (mg/L). This is known as the 0.1 rule. Permitted dischargers within this region of the State operate under the 0.1 rule and cannot cause a cumulative impact greater than 0.1 mg/L on dissolved-oxygen concentrations. For municipal water-reclamation facilities to serve the rapidly growing resort and retirement community near Myrtle Beach, a variable loading scheme was developed to allow dischargers to utilize increased assimilative capacity during higher streamflow conditions while still meeting the requirements of a recently established TMDL.As part of the TMDL development, an extensive real-time data-collection network was established in the lower Waccamaw and Pee Dee River watershed where continuous measurements of streamflow, water level, dissolved oxygen, temperature, and specific conductance are collected. In addition, the dynamic BRANCH/BLTM models were calibrated and validated to simulate the water quality and tidal dynamics of the system. The assimilative capacities for various streamflows were also analyzed.The variable-loading scheme established total loadings for three streamflow levels. Model simulations show the results from the additional loading to be less than a 0.1mg/L reduction in dissolved oxygen. As part of the loading scheme, the real-time network was redesigned to monitor streamflow entering the study area and water-quality conditions in the location of dissolved-oxygen sags. The study reveals how one group of permit holders used a variable-loading scheme to implement restrictive permit limits without experiencing prohibitive capital expenditures or initiating a lengthy appeals process.     

Comparison of dissolved organic matter fractions in a secondary effluent and a natural water

This research compared the structural and chemical characteristics among dissolved organic matter (DOM) fractions within the same source and among different origins. Samples taken from the Taiping Wastewater Treatment Plant (TWTP) (Harbin, China) and from the Songhuajing River (SR), Heilongjiang Province, China were chosen to represent waters containing DOM of wastewater origin and of natural-water origin, respectively. DOM was fractionated using XAD resins into five fractions: hydrophobic acid (HPO-A), hydrophobic neutral (HPO-N), transphilic acid (TPI-A), transphilic neutral (TPI-N) and hydrophilic fraction (HPI). The SR fractions were more UV-sensitive and more reactive with chlorine in formation of trihalomethanes (THMs) than the TWTP secondary effluent (TSE) fractions. The aromatic character peaks in the Fourier-transform infrared (FT-IR) spectra of SR fractions were clearer than those of TSE fractions. On the other hand, the peaks of carbohydrates in TSE fractions were more prominent in comparison with SR fractions. In addition, the amide-2 peak was present in the spectra of all the five TSE fractions but not visible in the spectra of SR fractions. The fluorescence results showed that SR DOM fractions contained more fulvic acid-like fluorescent compounds while TSE DOM fractions had higher amounts of protein-like fluorescent components.