Environmental threat and change detection in saline lakes from 1960 to 2021: background,present, and future

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Saline lakes are internationally known for unique chemical compositions, incorporate assorted foliage, and give a few biological system benefits and...     

Proposed city-specific interim targets for India based on WHO air quality guidelines 2021

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - The World Health Organization has proposed the ambient air quality guidelines 2021. The uniqueness of the guidelines of the World Health Organization...     

Pollution status and risk assessment of trace elements in Portuguese water,soils, sediments,and associated biota: a trend analysis from the 80s to 2021

Pollution of water bodies and sediments/soils by trace elements remains a global threat and a serious environmental hazard to biodiversity and human’s health. Globalization and industrialization resulted in the increase and availability of these substances in the environment posing unpredictable adverse effects to living organisms. To determine pollution status and risk contamination by trace elements, data available in the literature of the last 40 years on trace elements occurrence in three environmental matrices (water bodies, sediments/soils, and biota) from Continental Portugal were collected (about 90 studies). Data were compared to water and sediment quality guidelines to assess potential ecological risks. Most environmentally relevant hazardous elements include Zn, Cu, Cd, Pb, and As. Various studies found trace elements at levels higher than those considered safe by environmental guidelines. In surface waters, Al, Zn, Se, and Ag were found above aquatic life limits in about 60% of the reviewed papers, while Cu, Zn, and As exceed those values in more than 60% of mining waters. Hg and Cd in sediments from mining areas exceeded aquatic life limits and potential ecological risk showed extremely high risk for most of the elements. The data compiled in this review is very heterogenous, varying in terms of sampling schemes, trace elements analysed, and spatiotemporal settings. This heterogenicity leads to data differences that make meaningful comparisons difficult. Nevertheless, the compilation of scattered environmental spatial and temporal trace elements data, of either natural sources or human activity as well as the ultimate effect on biological systems, is of the upmost importance to broaden its knowledge, risk assessment, and implementation of mitigation measures.

     

Development,hotspots and trend directions of groundwater salinization research in both coastal and inland areas: a bibliometric and visualization analysis from 1970 to 2021

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - As a global concern, the issue of groundwater salinization refers to the phenomenon of an increase in the overall chemical content over background...     

The outbreak of COVID-19 in Taiwan in late spring 2021: combinations of specific weather conditions and related factors

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - This study aimed to investigate the impact of weather conditions on the daily incidence of the COVID-19 pandemic in late spring 2021 in Taiwan, which...     

Balneotherapy year in review 2021: focus on the mechanisms of action of balneotherapy in rheumatic diseases

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Balneotherapy (BT) is one of the most commonly used non-pharmacologic complementary therapies for different rheumatic diseases. Its beneficial...     

Energy supplies and future engines for land, sea, and air

The years 2012 and beyond seem likely to record major changes in energy use and power generation. The Japanese tsunami has resulted in large countries either scaling back or abolishing the future use of nuclear energy. The discovery of what seems like vast amounts of economically deliverable natural gas has many forecasting a rapid switch from coal- to gas-fired generating plants. On the other hand, environmentalists have strong objections to the production of natural gas and of petroleum by hydraulic fracturing from shale, or by extraction of heavy oil. They believe that global warming from the use of fossil fuels is now established beyond question. There has been rapid progress in the development of alternative energy supplies, particularly from on-shore and off-shore wind. Progress toward a viable future energy mix has been slowed by a U.S. energy policy that seems to many to be driven by politics. The author will review the history of power and energy to put all of the above in context and will look at possible future developments. He will propose what he believes to be an idealized energy policy that could result in an optimum system that would be arrived at democratically.     

Disturbance, life history, and optimal management for biodiversity

Both frequency and intensity of disturbances in many ecosystems have been greatly enhanced by increasing human activities. As a consequence, the short-lived plant species including many exotics might have been dramatically increased in terms of both richness and abundance on our planet, while many long-lived species might have been lost. Such conclusions can be drawn from broadly observed successional cycles in both theoretical and empirical studies. This article discusses 2 major issues that have been largely overlooked in current ecosystem management policies and conservation efforts: i) life history constraints; and ii) future global warming trends. It also addresses the importance of these 2 factors in balancing disturbance frequency and intensity for optimal biodiversity maintenance and ecosystem management.     

Bioretention for removal of nitrogen: processes,operational conditions,and strategies for improvement

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - As one of the low-impact development measures, bioretention plays an important role in reducing the runoff peak flow and minimizing runoff pollutants,...     

DEARS particulate matter relationships for personal,indoor, outdoor,and central site settings for a general population

This analysis provides the initial summary of PM_2.5 mass concentrations relationships for all seasons and participants for a general population in the Detroit Exposure and Aerosol Research Study (DEARS). The summary presented highlights the utility of the new methodologies applied, in addition to summarizing the particulate matter (PM) data.Results include the requirement to adjust the exposure data for monitor wearing compliance and measured environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) levels, even though the study design specified a non-smoking household. A 40% wearing compliance acceptance level was suggested as necessary to balance minimizing exposure misclassification (from poor compliance) and having sufficient data to conduct robust statistical analyses. An ETS threshold level equivalent to adding more than 1.5 μg m^?3 to the collected sample was found to be necessary to detect changes in the personal exposure factor (F_pex). It is not completely clear why such a large threshold level was necessary.Statistically significant spatial PM_2.5 gradients were identified in three of the six DEARS neighborhoods in Wayne County. These were expected, given the number of strong, localized PM sources in the Detroit (Michigan) metro area. Some residential outdoor bias levels compared with the central site at Allen Park exceeded 15%. After adjusting for ETS biases, the outdoor contributions to the personal exposure were typically larger by factors from 1.75 to 2.2 compared with those of the non-outdoor sources. The outdoor contribution was larger in the summer than in the winter, which is consistent with the fractions of time spent outdoors in the summer vs. the winter (6.7% vs. 1.1% of the time).Mean personal PM_2.5 cloud levels for the general population DEARS cohort ranged from 1.5 to 3.8 (after ETS adjustment) and were comparable to those reported previously. The personal exposure collections indoors were typically at least 13 times greater than those contributed outdoors.     

Pseudo-source parameters for flares: Derivation,implementation, and comparison

The United States Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA) flare pseudo-source parameters are over 30 years old and few dispersion modellers understand their basis and underlying assumptions. The calculation of plume rise from the user inputs of pseudo-stack diameter, temperature and velocity have the most influence on air dispersion model predictions of ground-level concentrations. Regulatory jurisdictions across Canada, the United States and around the world have adopted their own approach to pseudo-source parameters for flares; all relate buoyancy flux to the heat release rate, none consider momentum flux and flare tip downwash as adopted by the Alberta Energy Regulator (AER). This paper derives the plume buoyancy flux for flares burning a gas in terms of combustion variables readily known or calculated without simplifying assumptions. Dispersion model prediction sensitivity to flared gas composition, temperature and velocity, and ambient conditions are now correctly handled by the AER approach. The AER flare pseudo-source parameters are based on both the buoyancy and momentum flux, thus conserving energy and momentum. The AER approach to calculate the effective source height for flares during varying wind speeds is compared to the US EPA approach. Instead of a constant source for all meteorological conditions, multiple co-located sources with varying effective stack height and diameter are used. AERMOD is run with the no stack tip downwash option as flare stack tip downwash is accounted for in the effective stack height rather than the AERMOD model calculating the downwash incorrectly using the pseudo-source parameters. The modelling approaches are compared for an example flare. Maximum ground level predictions change, generally increasing near the source and decreasing further away, with the AER flare pseudo-source parameters. It's time to update how we model flares.

Implications: What are the implications of continuing to model flare source parameters using the overly simplified US EPA approach? First, the regulators perpetuate the myths that the flare source height, temperature, diameter and velocity are constant for all wind speeds and ambient temperatures. Second, that it is acceptable to make simplifying assumptions that violate the conservation of momentum and energy principles for the sake of convenience. Finally, regulatory decisions based on simplified source modelling result in predictions that are not conservative (or realistic). The AER regulatory approach for flare source parameters overcomes all of these shortcomings. AERflare is a publicly available spreadsheet that provides the “correct” inputs to AERMOD.     

Implications of climate and land-use change for landscape processes,biodiversity, ecosystem services,and governance

This introduction to the Special Issue summarizes the results of 14 scientific articles from the interdisciplinary research program Ekoklim at Stockholm University, Sweden. In this program, we investigate effects of changing climate and land use on landscape processes, biodiversity, and ecosystem services, and analyze issues related to adaptive governance in the face of climate and land-use change. We not only have a research focus on the 22 650 km² Norrström catchment surrounding lake Mälaren in south-central Sweden, but we also conduct research in other Swedish regions. The articles presented here show complex interactions between multiple drivers of change, as well as feedback processes at different spatiotemporal scales. Thus, the Ekoklim program highlights and deals with issues relevant for the future challenges society will face when land-use change interacts with climate change.     

Social and Cultural Sustainability: Criteria, Indicators, Verifier Variables for Measurement and Maps for Visualization to Support Planning

Policies on economic use of natural resources require considerations to social and cultural values. In order to make those concrete in a planning context, this paper aims to interpret social and cultural criteria, identify indicators, match these with verifier variables and visualize them on maps. Indicators were selected from a review of scholarly work and natural resource policies, and then matched with verifier variables available for Sweden’s 290 municipalities. Maps of the spatial distribution of four social and four cultural verifier variables were then produced. Consideration of social and cultural values in the studied natural resource use sectors was limited. The spatial distribution of the verifier variables exhibited a general divide between northwest and south Sweden, and regional rural and urban areas. We conclude that it is possible to identify indicators and match them with verifier variables to support inclusion of social and cultural values in planning.     

Techniques for the stabilization and assessment of treated copper-, chromium-, and arsenic-contaminated soil

Remediation mainly based on excavation and burial of the contaminated soil is impractical with regard to the large numbers of sites identified as being in need of remediation. Therefore, alternative methods are needed for brownfield remediation. This study was conducted to assess a chemical stabilization procedure of CCA-contaminated soil using iron (Fe)-containing blaster sand (BS) or oxygen-scarfing granulate (OSG). The stabilization technique was assessed with regard to the feasibility of mixing ameliorants at an industrial scale and the efficiency of the stabilization under different redox conditions. The stability was investigated under natural conditions in 1-m3 lysimeters in a field experiment, and the effect of redox conditions was assessed in a laboratory experiment (10 L). The treatments with high additions of ameliorant (8% and 17%) were more successful in both the laboratory and field experiments, even though there was enough Fe on a stochiometric basis even at the lowest addition rates (0.1% and 1%). The particle size of the Fe and the mixing influenced the stabilization efficiency. The development of anaerobic conditions, simulated by water saturation, increases the fraction of arsenic (AsIII) and, consequently, As mobility. The use of high concentrations of OSG under aerobic conditions increased the concentrations of nickel (Ni) and copper (Cu) in the pore water. However, under anaerobic conditions, it decreased the As leaching compared with the untreated soil, and Ni and Cu leaching was not critical. The final destination of the treated soil should govern the amendment choice, that is, an OSG concentration of approximately 10% may be suitable if the soil is to be landfilled under anaerobic conditions. Alternatively, the soil mixed with 1% BS could be kept under aerobic conditions in a landfill cover or in situ at a brownfield site. In addition, the treatment with BS appeared to produce better effects in the long term than treatment with OSG.     

A Continuous Quantitative Detection Method for Total Mercaptans,Organic Sulphides,H2S,and CS2 for Odouriferous Emissions

A monitoring system enabling detection and determination of the nature of odour nuisance caused by industrial emissions of volatile organic sulphur compounds is presented. The system consists of two continuous, highly sensitive detectors for sulphur compounds at the ppb-level. One of the detectors is equipped with a SO_x-scrubber and measures the total amount of non-S0₂ sulphur compounds. By the use of a newly developed scrubber retaining S0₂, H₂S and CS₂ the second detector monitors the presence of odorous mercaptans and organic sulphides in ambient air. Both these continuous detection signals are fed to a data processor which triggers air collection for the determination of the individual compounds by gas chromatographic analysis in the laboratory. The concept and operation, as well as the practical possibilities and applications of the system are explained