Land Use,Geology, Enrichment,and Stream Biota in the Eastern Ridge and Valley Ecoregion: Implications for Nutrient Criteria Development1

Abstract: The eastern panhandle region of West Virginia is entirely within the Appalachian Ridge and Valley ecoregion. It is underlain by limestone in the eastern part and by shale and sandstone in the western part. Agricultural and urban development has affected the condition of the streams of this region. We examined samples from 165 stations in the Ridge and Valley, collected from 1998 to 2004. Land use, geological characteristics, physical and chemical parameters, and algal and macroinvertebrate assemblages were used to identify potential stressors that affect streams in the region. Our analyses indicated that both human land uses and ecoregional differences led to elevated nutrient concentrations in streams of the study areas. Multiple regression analyses indicated that both agricultural and urban land use in the watershed were associated with high nutrient concentrations (NO₂₊₃, total nitrogen, and total phosphorus) in streams. These elevated nutrient concentrations have led to increased algal biomass, increased trophic state, and degradation of macroinvertebrate community in the streams. Values of the West Virginia Stream Condition Index, as well as several other benthic macroinvertebrate metrics, decreased with increased nutrient concentrations and conductivity, especially in the limestone region. When regional differences were partitioned out in the analysis, nutrient concentrations became the strongest stressor in the limestone region while conductivity exhibited less of an effect on macroinvertebrate metrics. Meanwhile, periphyton diagnostic metrics also responded to increased nutrient concentrations, suggesting nutrients could be a cause of biological degradation in the Eastern Ridge and Valley region. Multiple approaches and multiple lines of evidence (reference approach and stressor‐response approach) were applied to develop nutrient benchmarks for different geological regions in the study watershed.     

Setting conservation priorities for migratory networks under uncertainty

Conserving migratory species requires protecting connected habitat along the pathways they travel. Despite recent improvements in tracking animal movements, migratory connectivity remains poorly resolved at a population level for the vast majority of species, thus conservation prioritization is hampered. To address this data limitation, we developed a novel approach to spatial prioritization based on a model of potential connectivity derived from empirical data on species abundance and distance traveled between sites during migration. We applied the approach to migratory shorebirds of the East Asian‐Australasian Flyway. Conservation strategies that prioritized sites based on connectivity and abundance metrics together maintained larger populations of birds than strategies that prioritized sites based only on abundance metrics. The conservation value of a site therefore depended on both its capacity to support migratory animals and its position within the migratory pathway; the loss of crucial sites led to partial or total population collapse. We suggest that conservation approaches that prioritize sites supporting large populations of migrants should, where possible, also include data on the spatial arrangement of sites.     

Single and double metallothionein knockout in the nematode C. elegans reveals cadmium dependent and independent toxic effects on life history traits

The genome of the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans contains two metallothionein genes, both involved in metal homeostasis and/or detoxification. Single metallothionein knockout mutants have been created and now, for the first time, a double mutant has been isolated. Life history studies in the presence or absence of cadmium showed that all metallothionein mutants are viable. Although cadmium did not influence longevity, a dose dependent reduction in total brood size and volumetric growth was observed in wild type animals, which was magnified in single knockouts and further exacerbated in the double knockout. However, the metallothionein deletion caused two effects that are independent of cadmium exposure, namely all knockout strains displayed a reduced total brood size and the deletion of both metallothionein loci caused a significant reduction in volumetric growth. In summary, metallothionein is undoubtedly an important player in cadmium detoxification, but evidently also an important factor in cadmium independent pathways.     

Impact of engine lubricant properties on regulated gaseous emissions of 2000-2001 model-year gasoline vehicles

The impact of the sulfur (S) content in lubricating oil was evaluated for four ultra-low-emission vehicles and two super-ultra-low-emission vehicles, all with low mileage. The S content in the lube oils ranged from 0.01 to 0.76%, while the S content of the gasoline was fixed at 0.2 ppmw. Vehicles were configured with aged catalysts and tested over the Federal Test Procedure, at idle and at 50-mph cruise conditions. In all testing modes, variations in the S level of the lubricant did not significantly affect the regulated gas-phase tailpipe emissions. In addition to the regulated gas-phase emissions, a key element of the research was measuring the engine-out sulfur dioxide (SO2) in near-real-time. This research used a new methodology based on a differential optical absorption spectrometer (DOAS) to measure SO2 from the lubricants used in this study. With the DOAS, the contribution of SO2 emissions for the highest-S lubricant was found to range from less than 1 to 6 ppm on a gasoline S equivalent basis over the range of vehicles and test cycles used. The development and operation of the DOAS is discussed in this paper.     

Application of fire suppression materials on suppression of LNG pool fires

An LNG pool fire is considered one of the main hazards of LNG, together with LNG vapor dispersion. Suppression methods are designed to reduce the hazard exclusion zones, distance to reach radiant heat of 5 kW/m², when an LNG pool fire is considered. For LNG vapor dispersion, the hazard exclusion zone is the distance travelled by the LNG vapor to reach a concentration of 2.5% v/v (half of the LNG lower flammability limit).Warming the LNG vapor to reach positive buoyancy faster is one way to suppress LNG vapor dispersion and reduce evaporation rate (thus fire size and its associated radiant heat) and that is the main objective in LNG pool fire suppression. Based on previous research, the use of high expansion foam has been regarded as the primary method in suppressing LNG pool fires. However, in 1980, another method was introduced as an alternative pool fire suppression system, Foamglas^®. The research concluded that 90% of the radiant heat was successfully reduced. Currently-called Foamglas^® pool fire suppression (Foamglas^® PFS) is a passive mitigation system and is deployed after the leak occurs. Foamglas^® PFS is non-flammable, and has a density one-third of the density of LNG, thus floats when an LNG pool is formed.This paper describes the study and confirmation of Foamglas^®PFS effectiveness in suppressing LNG pool fires. In addition, while Foamglas^® PFS is not expected to suppress LNG vapor dispersion, further investigation was conducted to study the effect of Foamglas^®PFS on LNG vapor dispersion. An LNG field experiment was conducted at Brayton Fire Field. The experimental development, procedures, results and findings are detailed in this paper.     

Influence of varying nutrient and pesticide mixtures on abatement efficiency using a vegetated free water surface constructed wetland mesocosm

The nutrient and pesticide abatement efficiency of varying mixtures was examined in a vegetated free water surface constructed wetland. Three different agricultural chemical pollutant mixture conditions were assessed: nutrients only (N and P); pesticides only (atrazine, S-metolachlor and permethrin); and a mixture of nutrients and pesticides. With nutrients only, 672 h nutrient mitigation of 77–91% total phosphorous (TP) and 74–98% total nitrogen (TN) was associated with distance from the injection point and rainfall, whereas with nutrient and pesticide mixtures, 672 h nutrient mitigation of 11–71% TP and 84–98% TN were associated with distance and time. With pesticides only, 672 h pesticide mitigation of 50–99% was associated with distance and time, whereas with nutrients and pesticide mixtures, 672 h pesticide mitigation of 48–99% was associated primarily with distance. Dissipation half-lives were 2–10 times greater for P and 1.5–5 times greater for N when pesticides were present. Pesticide dissipation half-lives showed no clear differences with or without nutrients. While vegetated free water surface constructed wetlands can be effective best management practice tools to trap and abate agricultural run-off during rainfall events, efficiencies can be affected by different types of complex pollutant mixtures and wetland design and implementation should accommodate varying efficiencies.