Methane emissions from free-ranging cattle: comparison of tracer and integrated horizontal flux techniques

Accurate measurements of methane (CH4) emission rates from livestock in their undisturbed natural environments are required to assess their impacts on radiative forcing (i.e., enhanced greenhouse effect) and the environment. Here we compare results from two nonintrusive techniques for the measurement of CH4 emissions from cattle. The cows were kept in an outdoor feeding strip that allowed them to follow natural behavioral patterns but contained them within a well defined space. In the first technique, nitrous oxide (N2O) was released as a tracer at the upwind edge of the feeding strip, and the downwind concentrations of N2O and CH4 were measured simultaneously using Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. Average CH4 emission per cow was calculated each half-hour on three separate days from the correlation between the two gases. The second technique was the integrated horizontal flux (IHF) or 1-D mass-balance method, in which we used the measured vertical profiles of CH4 concentration and windspeed downwind of the cows to determine the total CH4 emission. Comparing the IHF results to the known release rate of N2O allowed us to test the IHF technique independently. We found agreement within 10% for all comparisons on all days. The daily CH4 emission rate averaged over all tracer and IHF measurements was 342 g CH4 head(-1) d(-1). This is within the range of previous measurements for mature lactating dairy cattle (200-430 g CH4 head(-1) d(-1)) but higher than expected for yearling cattle. The high CH4 emissions are accompanied by high CO2 emissions determined from the FTIR measurements. The bias is most likely due to the measurements being made during and after supplementary feeding of the cattle.     

Measuring flux of soil fumigants using the aerodynamic and dynamic flux chamber methods

Methods for measuring and estimating flux density of soil fumigants under field conditions are important for the purpose of providing inputs to air dispersion models and for comparing the effects of management practices on emission reduction. The objective of this study was to measure the flux of 1,3-dichloropropene (1,3-D) and chloropicrin at a site in Georgia (GA) using the aerodynamic method and the dynamic flux chamber (FC) method. A secondary objective was to compare the effects of high density polyethylene (HDPE), and virtually impermeable film (VIF) tarps on fumigant flux at a site in Florida (FL). Chloropicrin and 1,3-D were applied by surface drip application of In-Line soil fumigant on vegetable beds covered by low density polyethylene (LDPE), HDPE, or VIF. The surface drip fumigation using In-Line and LDPE tarp employed in this study resulted in volatilization of 26.5% of applied 1,3-D and 11.2% of the applied chloropicrin at the GA site, as determined using the aerodynamic method. Estimates of mass loss obtained from dynamic FCs were 23.6% for 1,3-D and 18.0% for chloropicrin at the GA site. Flux chamber trials at the FL site indicate significant additional reduction in flux density, and cumulative mass loss when VIF tarp is used. This study supports the use of dynamic FCs as a valuable tool for estimating gas flux density from agricultural soils, and evaluating best management practices for reducing fumigant emissions to the atmosphere.     

Coherence between marine and land use planning: public attitudes to landscapes in the context of siting a wind park along the Latvian coast of the Baltic Sea

The aim of this paper is to contribute to coherence in marine, coastal and land use planning and management from the perspective of landscape values. At a time when new sea uses are emerging and marine spatial planning laws and regulations are being adopted, but have not yet been put into practice, research studies are required that provide spatial planners with informed insights concerning public stakeholder attitudes to controversial policies. The undertaken research explored the attitudes of two important social groups (local residents and tourists/recreational users) regarding locating wind parks in the marine and/or terrestrial environment along the Latvian coast of the Baltic Sea. The results of the study indicate that both groups support land-based wind park development versus offshore. Moreover, the visibility of wind turbines influences the willingness of tourists to visit recreation sites and impacts directly on their duration of stay. Research findings indicate that policy makers and spatial planners from both marine and land domains should adopt a broader and more integrated approach when setting priorities and allocating space for development activities where both domains are involved.     

成都市温江边界层风场特征的研究

着眼于成都地区污染气象特征,利用温江2004年~2012年的地面观测资料及同期的探空资料,对该地区风场的统计特征进行了分析。结果表明:(1)从风频而言,温江地面风春、夏、秋3季均以偏北风为主,冬季则以东北风为主,因此,全年的主导风为偏北风。(2)从风速而言,区域静风和小风频率较高,占全年的68.7%;近10年来,温江年和4季的平均风速均呈现出减小趋势。(3)基于修正的帕斯奎尔稳定度分级法,利用幂指数律公式拟合了风随高度的变化,发现风廓线指数比国标值偏高,并随稳定度的增加而增大。(4)风速、稳定度联合频率的大值区主要出现在风速小于3m/s、稳定度为D~E类。上述研究成果对区域大气环境规划和工程治理具有重要的参考价值。     

A Weibull and finite mixture of the von Mises distribution for wind analysis in Mersing,Malaysia

Studies of wind direction receive less attention than that of wind speed; however, wind direction affects daily activities such as shipping, the use of bridges, and construction. This research aims to study the effect of wind direction on generating wind power. A finite mixture model of the von Mises distribution and Weibull distribution are used in this paper to represent wind direction and wind speed data, respectively, for Mersing (Malaysia). The suitability of the distribution is examined by the R² determination coefficient. The energy analysis, that is, wind power density, only involves the wind speed, but the wind direction is vital in measuring the dominant direction of wind so that the sensor could optimize wind capture. The result reveals that the estimated wind power density is between 18.2 and 25 W/m², and SSW is the most common wind direction for this data.     

WATER QUALITY MONITORING NETWORK DESIGN: A PROBLEM OF MULTI-OBJECTIVE DECISION MAKING1

ABSTRACT: Hydrologic data network design is a fairly complicated problem where questions as to the number of gages required, time frequencies to be selected, and benefits/costs of monitoring still remain unresolved. These issues are intensified in case of water quality variables as they are more error-prone, costly, and time consuming to sample. The basic difficulty underlying the design and evaluation of monitoring systems is the lack of an objective criterion to assess: (a) the efficiency, and (b) cost-effectiveness of a network. A statistical procedure based on the entropy principle of information theory is proposed to address the evaluation of both factors. Efficiency is measured quantitatively in terms of the information produced by a network. Similarly, benefits of monitoring are described by informative measures for an objective evaluation of cost-effectiveness. The study presented demonstrates the applicability of the entropy method in assessing the efficiency and the benefits of an existing water quality monitoring network. The method is applied for temporal and spatial features of monitoring, handled as both separate and combined problems. The results are shown in the case of the highly polluted Porsuk River in Turkey. The strengths and shortcomings of the proposed methodology are discussed, with recommendations for future research on the application of the entropy principle in network design.     

Calculating the detection limits of chamber-based soil greenhouse gas flux measurements

Renewed interest in quantifying greenhouse gas emissions from soil has led to an increase in the application of chamber-based flux measurement techniques. Despite the apparent conceptual simplicity of chamber-based methods, nuances in chamber design, deployment, and data analyses can have marked effects on the quality of the flux data derived. In many cases, fluxes are calculated from chamber headspace vs. time series consisting of three or four data points. Several mathematical techniques have been used to calculate a soil gas flux from time course data. This paper explores the influences of sampling and analytical variability associated with trace gas concentration quantification on the flux estimated by linear and nonlinear models. We used Monte Carlo simulation to calculate the minimum detectable fluxes (α = 0.05) of linear regression (LR), the Hutchinson/Mosier (H/M) method, the quadratic method (Quad), the revised H/M (HMR) model, and restricted versions of the Quad and H/M methods over a range of analytical precisions and chamber deployment times (DT) for data sets consisting of three or four time points. We found that LR had the smallest detection limit thresholds and was the least sensitive to analytical precision and chamber deployment time. The HMR model had the highest detection limits and was most sensitive to analytical precision and chamber deployment time. Equations were developed that enable the calculation of flux detection limits of any gas species if analytical precision, chamber deployment time, and ambient concentration of the gas species are known.     

Analysing the influence of different street vegetation on traffic-induced particle dispersion using microscale simulations

Urban vegetation can be viewed as compensation to the environmental drawbacks of urbanisation. However, its ecosystem function is not well-known and, for urban planning, vegetation is mainly considered as an element of urban design. This article argues that planning practice needs to re-examine the impact of vegetation cover in the urban fabric given our evaluation of vegetation's effects on air quality, including the dispersion of traffic-induced particles at street level. Using the three-dimensional microclimate model ENVI-met?, we evaluate these effects regarding the height-to-width ratio of streets flanked by buildings and the vertical and horizontal density of street vegetation. Our results reveal vegetation's effect on particle dispersion through its influence on street ventilation. In general, vegetation was found to reduce wind speed, causing inhibition of canyon ventilation and, consequently, an increase in particle concentrations. Vegetation was also found to reduce wind speed at crown-height and to disrupt the flow field in close vicinity to the canopy. With increasing height-to-width ratio of street canyons, wind speed reduction increases and the disturbance of the flow impacts across a canyon's entire width. We also found that the effect is more pronounced in configurations with poor ventilation, such as the low wind speed, perpendicular inflow direction, and in deep canyons cases.     

Method for Rapidly Assessing the Overtopping Risk of Bridges Due to Flooding over a Large Geographic Region

Hydraulic events are a leading cause of bridge failures. While these hydraulic events are accounted for in bridge design, changing environmental and land use conditions require continual updating of this risk. For example, after a bridge has been constructed, streamflow can change in unanticipated ways as a result of land use changes, geomorphic changes, and climate change. The objective of this research was to create a screening method able to quickly and inexpensively estimate overtopping risk across a collection of bridges based on the current streamflow conditions. The method uses a geographic information system, nationally available and standardized datasets, and recent regression equations to quantify bridge vulnerability to overtopping for flooding with varying return periods. This screening method could also be used to assist decision makers in updating the Waterway Adequacy field in the National Bridge Inventory, which indicates the overtopping risk of bridges. The method was applied to a portion of the Hampton Roads region of Virginia, United States that includes 475 bridges. The results of the analysis, when combined with transportation data for bridges, aid decision makers to assign further resources to complete more detailed analyses of bridges identified as being at risk for overtopping.     

Numerical modeling and optimization of a power augmented S-type vertical axis wind turbine

An axial symmetry augmented vertical axis wind turbine, which is suitable for arbitrary wind directions, is proposed in this paper. In order to improve the power generation ability of the S-type vertical axis wind turbine, a set of so-called “collection-shield boards” are installed symmetrically around the rotating S-type rotor. The flow fields around this type of wind turbine are numerically simulated with the aid of CFD method. The optimized design of geometrical parameters of the rotor and collection-shield boards is conducted by using the orthogonal design method. The obtained results suggest that the power output of the optimized augmented wind turbine can reach nearly three times higher than that of the conventional S-type vertical axis wind turbine.     

戈壁地表风沙运动特征的野外观测研究

通过野外观测实验探讨了戈壁地表风沙运动的若干特征。结果表明:戈壁地表风沙活动层主要集中在距地表60 cm高度内;不同粒径沙粒输沙强度的垂向分布不同,以0.25~0.5mm为过渡区,0.25mm颗粒输沙强度随高度增大先增加而后按指数规律递减,0.5mm颗粒则随高度增加呈线性递减,且粒径越大,递减的梯度越小;风沙流中颗粒的粒度组成不仅受风速和颗粒起动风速影响,而且还与地表粒度组成直接相关;输沙率与风速之间关系服从指数规律,公式形式为q=α.eβ.u,其中α、β为相关系数,u为地面2m高处风速。     

Short-term wind speed forecasting: Application of linear and non-linear time series models

This study forecasts day-ahead wind speed at 15 minute intervals at the site of a wind turbine located in Maharashtra, India. Wind speed exhibits non-stationarity, seasonality and time-varying volatility clustering. Univariate linear and non-linear time series techniques namely MSARIMA, MSARIMA-GARCH and MSARIMA-EGARCH have been employed for forecasting wind speed using data span ranging from 3 days to 15 days. Study suggests that mean absolute percentage error (MAPE) values first decrease with the increase in data span, reaches its minima and then start increasing. All models provide superior forecasting performances with 5 days data span. It is further evident that ARIMA-GARCH model generates lowest MAPE with 5 days data span. All these models provide superior forecasts with respect to current industry practices. This study establishes that employing various linear and non-linear time series techniques for forecasting day-ahead wind speed can benefit the industry in terms of better operational management of wind turbines and better integration of wind energy into the power system, which have huge financial implications for wind power generators in India.     

A numerical study of soil cover performance

In the investigation of soil cover design options for final decommissioning of reactive mine waste, it is often necessary to analyze or predict the anticipated cover performance as a function of the cost of implementation, which is governed by the type, number and thickness of the layers in the cover system. An example of such investigation is presented in this study where one-dimensional evaporation from hypothetical moisture-retaining cover systems is simulated to assess the influence of several cover properties and hydrogeologic parameters on performance. The commercially available transient flow model, SoilCover, was used to compute suction and water content profiles for different cover design scenarios. The predicted water content profile and porosity of layers were then used to estimate the oxygen diffusion coefficients of the various layers. The oxygen diffusion coefficients were used to estimate oxygen flux through the cover systems. The oxygen flux was, in turn, related to the maximum acid flux. The studied cover and hydrogeologic parameters included soil type, thickness of barriers, and water table elevation. Two types of infiltration and oxygen barrier and two types of capillary layer with different thicknesses were studied. The water table was either kept constant at the base of the waste (tailings) or dropped by 0.5, 1, 2, and 3m over 120 days. The results showed that the relationship between water table depression and the thickness of capillary layers, on one hand, and desaturation of the infiltration and oxygen barrier, on the other, is not linear. Relationships between oxygen flux and barrier thickness and between cost increase and performance improvement of the studied cover systems are presented. Finally, a method that outlines steps for site-specific and economically feasible design of multi-layer cover systems is introduced.     

Effect of sampling frequency on estimates of cumulative nitrous oxide emissions

It is generally recognized that soil N(2)O emissions can exhibit pronounced day-to-day variations; however, measurements of soil N(2)O flux with soil chambers typically are done only at discrete points in time. This study evaluated the impact of sampling frequency on the precision of cumulative N(2)O flux estimates calculated from field measurements. Automated chambers were deployed in a corn/soybean field and used to measure soil N(2)O fluxes every 6 h from 25 Feb. 2006 through 11 Oct. 2006. The chambers were located in two positions relative to the fertilizer bands-directly over a band or between fertilizer bands. Sampling frequency effects on cumulative N(2)O-N flux estimation were assessed using a jackknife technique where populations of N(2)O fluxes were constructed from the average daily fluxes measured in each chamber. These test populations were generated by selecting measured flux values at regular time intervals ranging from 1 to 21 d. It was observed that as sampling interval increased from 7 to 21 d, variances associated with cumulative flux estimates increased. At relatively frequent sampling intensities (i.e., once every 3 d) N(2)O-N flux estimates were within +/-10% of the expected value at both sampling positions. As the time interval between sampling was increased, the deviation in estimated cumulative N(2)O flux increased, such that sampling once every 21 d yielded estimates within +60% and -40% of the actual cumulative N(2)O flux. The variance of potential fluxes associated with the between-band positions was less than the over-band position, indicating that the underlying temporal variability impacts the efficacy of a given sampling protocol.     

Sensitivity of Landsat‐Scale Energy Balance to Aerodynamic Variability in Mountains and Complex Terrain

The speed and direction of air flow through complex terrain are difficult to define. Both impact sensible and latent heat flux exchanges at the surface. Evapotranspiration (ET) models such as Mapping EvapoTranspiration at high Resolution with Internalized Calibration (METRIC?) estimate ET as a residual of the surface energy process and are thus sensitive to aerodynamics, including terrain‐induced impacts on roughness governing convective heat transfer (H). There is a need to explore the sensitivities of H estimation and thereby ET estimation to wind speed and terrain roughness in mountainous areas and to determine the merit of operating complex mesoscale wind field models in conjunction with the energy balance process. A sensitivity analysis is explored in METRIC where we increased wind speed in proportion to a relative elevation parameter and we increased aerodynamic roughness to assimilate impacts of relative terrain roughness, estimated in proportion to standard deviation of elevation within a 3 km locality. These aerodynamic modifications increased convective heat transfer in complex terrain and reduced estimated ET. In other sensitivity runs, we reduced estimated wind speed on estimated leeward slopes. Estimated ET with and without these sensitivity adjustments is shown for mountainous areas of Montana and Nevada. Changes in ET ranged from little change (<5%) for lower slopes to about 30% reductions on windward slopes and 25% increases on leeward slopes for some mid to high elevations in the Montana application.     

CEMS检测平台流场效应研究与工程设计

本研究项目设计了小型立式环型风洞系统和流场模拟两套实验装置。用工程流体力学实验的方法，对系统内气体压力、流量变化的调节控制方法、通风机的能量消耗，以及在检测平台系统工作段形成均匀流动流场的设计方法等工程实际问题，进行了一系列的试验研究。在试验研究的基础上确定了检测平台系统的设计方案。     

Design and operational parameters of a rooftop rainwater harvesting system: definition, sensitivity and verification

The appropriate design and evaluation of a rainwater harvesting (RWH) system is necessary to improve system performance and the stability of the water supply. The main design parameters (DPs) of an RWH system are rainfall, catchment area, collection efficiency, tank volume and water demand. Its operational parameters (OPs) include rainwater use efficiency (RUE), water saving efficiency (WSE) and cycle number (CN). The sensitivity analysis of a rooftop RWH system's DPs to its OPs reveals that the ratio of tank volume to catchment area (V/A) for an RWH system in Seoul, South Korea is recommended between 0.03 and 0.08 in terms of rate of change in RUE. The appropriate design value of V/A is varied with D/A. The extra tank volume up to V/A of 0.15～0.2 is also available, if necessary to secure more water. Accordingly, we should figure out suitable value or range of DPs based on the sensitivity analysis to optimize design of an RWH system or improve operation efficiency. The operational data employed in this study, which was carried out to validate the design and evaluation method of an RWH system, were obtained from the system in use at a dormitory complex at Seoul National University (SNU) in Korea. The results of these operational data are in good agreement with those used in the initial simulation. The proposed method and the results of this research will be useful in evaluating and comparing the performance of RWH systems. It is found that RUE can be increased by expanding the variety of rainwater uses, particularly in the high rainfall season.     

The role of NIMBY in opposing the siting of wind farms: evidence from Greece

This paper aims to assess the relative importance of a NIMBY (‘Not-In-My-Back-Yard’) stance on an individual's opposition to the siting of a wind farm vis-à-vis other predictors, such as perceived effects (costs, risks and benefits associated with the project), perceived fairness of the siting decision and societal trust. Data originate from two case studies, a small wind farm of just two wind turbines in southern Greece and a mega-project of 153 turbines on the Greek island of Lesvos (aggregate N = 334). We use structural equation modelling (SEM) for testing the theoretically-suggested relations between the various constructs. We find that NIMBY is not the most important predictor of opposition while it is strongly correlated with other predictors, such as the perceived unfairness of the siting decision as well as the risks and costs associated with the wind farm. These latter findings undermine the common-sense idea that wishing a wind farm out of one's vicinity (‘Not-In-My-Back-Yard’) is an example of mere ‘free-riding’. Since the fit of the SEM models was found to be moderate, we discuss the limitations of our study and the implications of our findings as well as suggesting pathways for future research.     

一个研究街道峡谷流场及浓度场特征的三维数值模式

目前，研究街道峡谷内流场及机动车排放污染物的扩散行为特征所采用的主要方法为：采用野外测试法和物理模拟法，而采用三维数值模拟方法研究此问题的工作很少。本文创建了一个研究微尺度街道峡谷内流场及机动车排放污染物扩散特征的三维数值模式，即首次采用伪不定常方法，利用K——E闭合方案，建立了一个模拟城市街道峡谷内流场及污染物扩散特征与街道峡谷风场、街道几何结构及两侧建筑物高度对称性之间的复杂关系的三维数值模式。经过与实际监测资料及风洞实验对比，结果表明此三维模式具有较好的模拟精度，能够很好模拟峡谷内的风场及街谷几何结构对街道峡谷内流场及浓度场特征的影响，有很强的实用性。