Environmental assessment of different advanced oxidation processes applied to a bleaching Kraft mill effluent

Basic research on remediation of polluted sediment by leaching has, to date, been carried out exclusively with suspended material. For economic reasons, only solid-bed leaching is applicable to large-scale processes. Abiotic and microbial solid-bed leaching were comparatively studied in a percolator system using ripened and therefore permeable heavy metal polluted river sediment. In the case of abiotic leaching, sulfuric acid was supplied to the sediment by circulating water; the lower the pH of the percolating water, the higher the percolation flow, and the lower the solid-bed height was, the faster the heavy metals were solubilized. However, the pH and percolation flow are subjected to restrictions: strongly acidic conditions result in dissolution of mineral components, and the percolation flow must not exceed the bed permeability. And a high solid bed is an economic requirement. In the case of bioleaching, elemental sulfur added to the sediment was oxidized to sulfuric acid within the package which, in turn, solubilized the heavy metals. Here, the percolation flow and the solid-bed height did not affect the rate of metal solubilization. Solid-bed leaching on a larger scale will thus be much more efficient applying bioleaching with sulfur as the leaching agent than abiotic leaching with sulfuric acid.     

Caps yes,but how? A response to Alcott

This articles argues that extraction and emission caps are a promising strategy for a sustainable degrowth transition, but that their design and implementation is far from simple. We draw attention to the institutional structures and processes through which caps are to be set, designed and enforced, and discuss the danger of eco-authoritarian politics in the name of enforcing caps or other environmental limitations.     

Forest management policies and elk summer carrying capacity in theAbies amabilis forest,western Washington

Effects of different forest management policies on long-term vegetation development are incorporated into a computer simulation of a western Washington watershed. The response of a Rocky Mountain elk(Cervus canadensis nelsoni) population to these vegetation changes is simulated using information on their differential use of vegetation types. Simulations include: 1) a cessation of timber harvesting leading to an immediate decline in elk members resulting from a reduction in summer habitats; 2) a stable elk population, similar to the present one, resulting from a constant timber harvesting rate, and 3) initial increases in herd size, followed within 50 years by a sharp decrease, resulting from cutting all old growth timber within the next decade and then a cessation of timber harvestings.     

Channel change,sediment transport,and fish habitat in a coastal stream: Effects of an extreme event

A study on sediment transport and channel change was conducted on Zayante Creek and the lower San Lorenzo River in Santa Cruz County, California. A rainstorm with a recurrence interval locally in excess of 150 years occurred during the study year, 1982 WY. Stream surveys indicated that significant aggradation occurred during and after the peak flood. Upper study reaches were substantially recovered after high flows of early April, but the lower study reaches still had significant filling of pools and burial of riffles by sand. Increases in width-depth ratio were minor and localized in upper reaches, but were significant in lower reaches. Large inputs of sand, primarily from landsliding, altered the sediment transport regime. A higher proportion of the bedload is now transported by lower flows than before the January event. Roads and sand quarries contributed significantly to sediment input to the stream. A proposed dam may alter the sediment transport regime of Zayante Creek. Mitigating the effects of this dam on downstream fish habitat may require occasional bankfull discharges.     

Maternal age in the epidemiology of common autosomal trisomies

The birth prevalence rate of each common autosomal trisomy generally increases with advancing maternal age and there is a substantial fetal loss rate between late first trimester and term. The literature is reviewed in order to provide the best estimates of these rates, taking account where possible of biases due to prenatal diagnosis and selective termination of pregnancy. There is an almost exponential increase in Down syndrome birth prevalence between ages 15 and 45 but at older ages the curve flattens. There is no evidence of the claimed relatively high birth prevalence at extremely low ages. Gestation-specific intra-uterine fetal loss rates are estimated by follow-up of women declining termination of pregnancy after prenatal diagnosis, comparison of observed rates with those expected from birth prevalence and comparison of age-specific curves developed for prenatal diagnosis and birth. Down syndrome fetal loss rates reduce with gestation and increase with maternal age. Edwards and Patau syndrome birth prevalence is approximately 1/8 and 1/13 that of Down syndrome overall, although the ratio differs according to maternal age, particularly for Patau syndrome where it reduces steadily from 1/9 to 1/19. Fetal loss rates are higher for Edwards and Patau syndromes than for Down syndrome.     

The contingent behavior of charter fishing participants on the Chesapeake Bay: Welfare estimates associated with water quality improvements

Water quality in the Chesapeake Bay has deteriorated over recent years. Historically, fishing has contributed to the region's local economy in terms of commercial and recreational harvests. A contingent behavior model is used to estimate welfare measures for charter fishing participants with regard to a hypothetical improvement in water quality. Using a truncated Poisson count model corrected for endogenous stratification, it was found that charter fishers not only contribute to the local market economy, but they also place positive non-market value on preserving the Bay's water quality. Using two estimates for travels costs it is estimated that the individual consumer surplus is $200 and $117 per trip, and the average individual consumer surplus values for an improvement in water quality is $75 and $44 for two models estimated.     

Spatial and Temporal Comparison of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons and Spheroidal Carbonaceous Particles in Remote European Lakes

Spheroidal carbonaceous particles (SCP) and polycyclicaromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) have been measured in the dated sediment cores of 10 remote lakes distributed across Europe. The geographic trends were evaluated by examination of the superficial sediment fluxes and total sediment inventories. The highest levels of both markers were observed in the Eastern European lakes whereas the minimal values corresponded to the lake located in the Arctic. However, this SCP-PAH correlation was not observed after exclusion of the end member lakes from the series. The temporal trends of both pollutant markers are consistent with the history of pyrolytic emissions over Europe. However, the downcore SCP distributions are shorter than the PAH profiles in nearly all lakes. The differences are probably related to the different size particle fractions involved in the measurement of each marker, >5 and >1 m for SCP and PAH, respectively. Thus, the two proxies probably reflect pollution inputs from closer (SCP) and more distant sites (PAH).