A SIMPLE TECHNIQUE FOR ESTIMATING ABSORPTION AND SCATTERING COEFFICIENTS1

ABSTRACT: Results from five different test systems, which include a wide range of optical conditions, indicate credible estimates of the values of the absorption and scattering coefficients can be calculated from paired measurements of Secchi disc transparency and the diffuse attenuation coefficient. The diagnostic utility of the estimates in identifying components and processes that regulate light penetration is demonstrated for three different cases. The simple estimation technique is valuable in the analysis of existing data bases that lack comprehensive optical information to develop and evaluate alternate models for light penetration and to establish the experimental needs of future field programs to support lake management efforts.     

Predictive effects of occupational and marital stress on the mental health of a male workforce

This study examined the predictive contribution of occupational and marital stress to the development of symptomatolgoy, affective disorder, and alcohol-related problems in a sample of 325 male power plant employees interviewed at baseline and one-year follow up. After controlling for known clinical and social risk factors, we found statistically significant predictive effects of job demands on affective disorder and job decision latitude on alcohol problems. In addition, the specific combination of high job demands with low decision latitude was important in predicting the occurrence of alcohol problems. Marital stress was not predictive of poorer mental health. The analyses provided only minimal support for a stress-buffering rote of social support.     

Development of a Quality-Assessed Agrichemical Database For Monitoring Anthropogenic Impacts on Ground-Water Quality

The Quality–Assessed Agrichemical Contaminant Database for Nebraska Ground Water is a unique repository of nitrate and pesticide data collected by federal, state, and local agencies. Each contaminant concentration in the database has been evaluated based upon well–defined criteria that address completeness of the well–attribute data, analytical method and field and laboratory quality control practices and assigned to one of five quality levels. The quality assessment level always accompanies the contaminant concentration so that the end–user knows the quality assurance effort expended in the acquisition of the data, can select comparable data, and choose data whose quality assurance effort is commensurate with project objectives. The database can be viewed and queried on–line; downloaded in its entirety; or imported to a spreadsheet or a geographic information system. Setting criteria for data quality and assessing the level of quality have resulted in significant increases in the percentages of high quality (Levels 3–5) nitrate and pesticide data. These high quality data presently constitute 52% of the nitrate and 55% of the pesticide data.     

The MYSound Project: building an estuary-wide monitoring network for Long Island Sound,USA

A network of five water quality monitoring stations has been established in Long Island Sound, measuring temperature, salinity, and dissolved oxygen since 1999. The stations are located in areas of extreme water quality degradation (western Long Island Sound) as well as in pristine areas (eastern Long Island Sound). The data from these stations are collected every 15 minutes and posted to the project web site in real time as provisional data. After subsequent quality assurance procedures, the data are archived to the project File Transfer Protocol (FSP) site for downloading by the user community. The network of stations is in part supported logistically by a number of partners, including state and local agencies, schools, and non-governmental organizations. Data from the monitoring programs of some of these partners are also published to the project website providing a more comprehensive and complete picture of the status of the Sound than can be provided independently. This repository of information is used by marine educators, resource managers, scientists, and the general public, each with a different end purpose. We use the data from two of the stations to show that these high frequency time series measurements can be used to complement and enhance other monitoring programs within the Sound, documenting in greater detail the occurrence and duration of hypoxic events.     

Use of the instream flow incremental methodology: A tool for negotiation

The resolution of conflicts arising from differing values and water uses requires technical information and negotiating skills. This article outlines the Instream Flow Incremental Methodology (IFIM), developed by the US Fish and Wildlife Service, and demonstrates that its use to quantify flows necessary to protect desired instream values aids negotiation by illustrating areas of agreement and possible compromises between conflicting water interests. Pursuant to a Section 404 permit application to the US Army Corps of Engineers made by City Utilities of Springfield, Missouri, in 1978, IFIM provided the means by which City Utilities, concerned with a secure water supply for a growing population, and those advocating instream values were satisfied that their requirements were met. In tracing the 15-month process, the authors conclude that the application of IFIM, as well as the cooperative stance adopted by the parties involved, were the key ingredients of the successful permit application.     

Physicochemical characteristics of animal and municipal wastes decomposed in arid soils

The application of anaerobically processed animal manure to maintain adequate levels of organic matter in arid soils is becoming a common practice. The purpose of this study was to characterize two farm manure products as compared with municipal waste compost (MWC). The anaerobic processing to obtain a biogas manure (BM) product was much faster (25 d) than the aerobic composting of farmyard manure (FYM) (90 d). Drying by three different methods (solar-drying, vacuum-drying at 45 degrees C, and freeze-drying) did not affect the quality of BM. Based on the chemical characteristics, FYM and BM products were comparable, and, containing less ash (30%) and heavy metals (50 mg Pb kg(-1)), seemed superior to MWC that contained 65% ash and 108 mg Pb kg(-1). On the other hand, MWC had higher C content (69.9%), lower acidity (15.04 mol kg(-1)), and higher exothermic peaks (300-460 degrees C) than BM and FYM (50% C, 20 mol kg(-1), and 275-450 degrees C, respectively), thus showing a greater extent of humification. Also, when the organic materials were incubated with arid soils and monitored for mean residence times (MRT), MWC was slightly more resistant to decomposition (MRT 175-180 d) than BM or FYM (MRT 161-166 d). The observed differences, however, were too small to dismiss any of the products as a valuable material for land applications to improve soil quality. In view of the results obtained, MWC may be considered an adequate substitute for BM or FYM, whenever the latter are in short supply.     

Testing the impact of shift schedules on organizational variables

Prior organizational shift work research has focused on studying either nurses or blue collar manufacturing employees, and been somewhat limited by shift size limitations. Using a unique sample of 705 full‐time medical technologists (MTs), across distinct fixed day, evening, night and rotating shifts, this study found that day shift MTs had lower job content routinization (more task enrichment) than evening, night and rotating shift MTs. Contrary to previous research, rotating shift MTs did not have lower work attitudes than fixed shift MTs. Results are further discussed. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Reducing phosphorus runoff from dairy farms

Phosphorus (P) runoff from manure can lead to eutrophication of surface water and algae growth. This study evaluates the impacts of alternative P reduction practices on dairy farm net returns and on potential P runoff. The P control practices include dairy herd nutrient management, crop nutrient management, and runoff and erosion control. Four farms representative of dairies in the Virginia Shenandoah Valley are simulated including dairies with and without supplementary broiler enterprises and with average and below average land area. A mathematical programming model was developed to predict farm production and net returns and the GLEAMS model was used to predict potential P runoff. The farms are evaluated under four scenarios: Scenario 1, no constraint on P runoff with access to crop nutrient, runoff and erosion control strategies but no access to dairy herd nutrient control strategies; Scenario 2, no constraint on P runoff with access to all crop and dairy herd nutrient control strategies; Scenario 3, constraint on P runoff with access to crop nutrient, runoff and erosion control strategies but no access to dairy herd nutrient control strategies; and Scenario 4, constraint on P runoff with access to all crop and dairy herd nutrient control strategies. Under Scenario 2, the herd nutrient control strategies increase milk output per cow and net returns on both farms and reduce P content of manure and P runoff. Under Scenario 3, limiting P runoff reduces farm returns by 1 and 3% on the average and small farms, respectively. Under Scenario 4, the P runoff constraint is less costly, reducing returns by less than 1% on both farms. Animal nutrient control strategies should be an important part of pollution control policies and programs for livestock intensive watersheds.     

Importance of Riparian Forests in Urban Catchments Contingent on Sediment and Hydrologic Regimes

Forested riparian corridors are thought to minimize impacts of landscape disturbance on stream ecosystems; yet, the effectiveness of streamside forests in mitigating disturbance in urbanizing catchments is unknown. We expected that riparian forests would provide minimal benefits for fish assemblages in streams that are highly impaired by sediment or hydrologic alteration. We tested this hypothesis in 30 small streams along a gradient of urban disturbance (1–65% urban land cover). Species expected to be sensitive to disturbance (i.e., fluvial specialists and “sensitive” species that respond negatively to urbanization) were best predicted by models including percent forest cover in the riparian corridor and a principal components axis describing sediment disturbance. Only sites with coarse bed sediment and low bed mobility (vs. sites with high amounts of fine sediment) had increased richness and abundances of sensitive species with higher percent riparian forests, supporting our hypothesis that response to riparian forests is contingent on the sediment regime. Abundances of Etheostoma scotti, the federally threatened Cherokee darter, were best predicted by models with single variables representing stormflow (r² = 0.34) and sediment (r² = 0.23) conditions. Lentic-tolerant species richness and abundance responded only to a variable representing prolonged duration of low-flow conditions. For these species, hydrologic alteration overwhelmed any influence of riparian forests on stream biota. These results suggest that, at a minimum, catchment management strategies must simultaneously address hydrologic, sediment, and riparian disturbance in order to protect all aspects of fish assemblage integrity.     

Fish Assemblage Responses to Water Withdrawals and Water Supply Reservoirs in Piedmont Streams

Understanding effects of flow alteration on stream biota is essential to developing ecologically sustainable water supply strategies. We evaluated effects of altering flows via surface water withdrawals and instream reservoirs on stream fish assemblages, and compared effects with other hypothesized drivers of species richness and assemblage composition. We sampled fishes during three years in 28 streams used for municipal water supply in the Piedmont region of Georgia, U.S.A. Study sites had permitted average withdrawal rates that ranged from < 0.05 to > 13 times the stream’s seven-day, ten-year recurrence low flow (7Q10), and were located directly downstream either from a water supply reservoir or from a withdrawal taken from an unimpounded stream. Ordination analysis of catch data showed a shift in assemblage composition at reservoir sites corresponding to dominance by habitat generalist species. Richness of fluvial specialists averaged about 3 fewer species downstream from reservoirs, and also declined as permitted withdrawal rate increased above about 0.5 to one 7Q10-equivalent of water. Reservoir presence and withdrawal rate, along with drainage area, accounted for 70% of the among-site variance in fluvial specialist richness and were better predictor variables than percent of the catchment in urban land use or average streambed sediment size. Increasing withdrawal rate also increased the odds that a site’s Index of Biotic Integrity score fell below a regulatory threshold indicating biological impairment. Estimates of reservoir and withdrawal effects on stream biota could be used in predictive landscape models to support adaptive water supply planning intended to meet societal needs while conserving biological resources.