An analysis of effects of San Diego wildfire on ambient air quality

The impact of major gaseous and particulate pollutants emitted by the wildfire of October 2003 on ambient air quality and health of San Diego residents before, during, and after the fire are analyzed using data available from the San Diego County Air Pollution Control District and California Air Resources Board. It was found that fine particulate matter (PM) levels exceeded the federal daily 24-hr average standard during the fire. There was a slight increase in some of the gaseous pollutants, such as carbon monoxide, which exceeded federal standards. Ozone (O3) precursors, such as total hydrocarbons and methane gases, experienced elevated concentration during the fire. Fortunately, the absence of sunlight because of the cloud of thick smoke that covered most of the county during the fire appears to have prevented the photochemical conversion of the precursor gases to harmful concentrations of O3. Statistical analysis of the compiled medical surveillance data has been used to establish correlations between pollutant levels in the region and the resultant health problems experienced by the county citizens. The study shows that the increased PM concentration above the federal standard resulted in a significant increase in hospital emergency room visits for asthma, respiratory problems, eye irritation, and smoke inhalation. On the basis of the findings, it is recommended that hospitals and emergency medical facilities engage in pre-event planning that would ensure a rapid response to an impact on the healthcare system as a result of a large wildfire and appropriate agencies engage in the use of all available meteorological forecasting resources, including real-time satellite imaging assets, to accurately forecast air quality and assist firefighting efforts.     

THERMAL MAPPING OF STREAMS FROM AIRBORNE RADIOMETRIC SCANNING1

This paper begins with a brief review of radiation theory as applied to water temperature determinations. Errors introduced in “radiant” temperature measurements due to nonblackness of the water surface and the effects of the atmosphere are included in this discussion. The airborne scanner system is described. Analysis and display of scanner data using the Laboratory for Applications of Remote Sensing (LARS) display system are discussed. Thermal maps of four sections of the Wabash River are included and points of interest of each map are discussed in the text.     

A review of approaches for classifying benthic habitats and evaluating habitat quality

We have assessed the current state of knowledge relative to methods used in assessing sub-tidal benthic habitat quality and the classification of benthic habitats. While our main focus is on marine habitat, we extensively draw on knowledge gained in freshwater systems where benthic assessment procedures are at an advanced stage of maturity. We found a broad range of sophistication/complication in terms of the methods applied in assessing and mapping benthic habitats. The simplest index or metric involved some assessment of species richness, while the most complicated required utilizing multi-variate analysis. The simplest mapping attempts equated physical substrate with benthic habitat while the most sophisticated relied on extensive environmental preference and groundtruth data for species of concern. The leading edge of methods for benthic habitat mapping involves combining the advances in optical and acoustic methods that allow for routine classifying and mapping of the seafloor with biological and habitat data for species of concern. The objective of this melding of dispirit methods is to produce benthic habitat maps with broad system wide coverage and sound biological underpinning. It is clear that the disparity in information density between the physical and biological sides of the equation currently hinder applicability and acceptability of benthic habitat mapping efforts. In addition to the lack of basic information on the biological and environmental tolerances of targeted species, the proliferation of metrics for characterizing and assessing biological conditions further clouds the usefulness of any broad scale mapping attempt. The problem of data density mismatch between physical and biological methods will likely not be solved until acoustic methods can routinely resolve the elusive biological components that make a physical substrate a habitat.     

Development of a Model for Simulation of Solute Transport in a Stream–Aquifer System

A model for simulation of solute transport in a dynamic stream–aquifer system is developed by integrating four existing sub-models. Interface packages are created to link the sub-models. The developed model is successfully used to simulate chloride transport in the stream–aquifer system of the Arkansas River and the Equus Beds Aquifer in Kansas and demonstrates that chloride concentration in the aquifer decreases in the vicinity of the simulated channel over time.     

Resource Use Rates and Efficiency as Indicators of Regional Sustainability: an Examination of Five Countries

We examine trends from 1970 to the mid 1990's of some variables related to development and sustainability for Costa Rica, Korea, Mexico, the Netherlands and the United States: first, by calculating energy and agricultural efficiencies over time, second, by examining the environmental impacts of economic activities, and third, by estimating ecological footprints. We find that many "optimistic" arguments about sustainability have been misleading, and that there is little or no indication that we are becoming any more sustainable or even efficient. Total quality-corrected energy consumption has increased for all five countries and the renewable energy portion is decreasing. The efficiency of turning energy into both agricultural production and GDP has declined for all countries except for the US. In general, there is a remarkable linearity between resource use and economic and agricultural production over all countries and all years, suggesting severe biophysical constraints to sustainable objectives. On the other hand, per capita ecological footprints have decreased somewhat in Costa Rica, Mexico, and the United States, while national ecological footprints have tended to remain constant except for Korea. While there has been a reduction of specific pollutants in the United States, some of this has been achieved by exporting heavy manufacturing industries. We conclude that continued population and economic growth in each country is likely to make the achievement of any kind of sustainability increasingly unlikely. Sustainability, if that is desirable, requires a very different approach than what we have undertaken to date.     

Electroremediation part II: A study of the movement of heavy metals during an electroremediation process in Andisol soil

In the Summer 2004 issue of Remediation, the authors presented a study of the influence of buffering behavior in contaminated Andisol soil. This article, Part II, expands on this research by presenting the results of laboratory tests conducted to study the movement of heavy metals in contaminated Andisol soil during the first stage of an electrochemical remediation process. The analysis was performed on the soil after treatment and also on the washing solutions collected during the first four hours. In order to analyze the effectiveness of fast and simple techniques for monitoring the electroremediation process, computer‐aided modeling of speciation in the soil solution was performed in connection with the remediation treatment. The results show that the metals moved mainly as positive species in the soil and later occurred as insoluble forms relative to the pH value in the washing solution from the cathode chamber. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Wind energy in the Isthmus of Tehuantepec: conflicts and social implications

Social acceptance is fundamental, and directly affects the installation of wind farms. In this paper, the factors that have had the greatest influence on the development of wind energy in the Itsmo region of Tehuantepec, Mexico are identified. The data were collected face to face through a semi-structured questionnaire of 31 people: owners, municipal authorities, opposition groups, and academic members. The results of the interview highlight the social impact, the lack of application, and concerning ILO Convention 169, the abuse of community rights. As a result, people interviewed perceive that the environmental impact of the installation, and operation of wind farms has been ambivalent: positive due to the intrinsic benefits that wind energy generates compared to other energy sources, and negative in terms of affectation by the noise, and the landscape. However, the income received by the owners of land in which wind facilities are located is lower compared to other parts of the world. In general, the facts show a disintegration between the authorities (federal, state, and municipal), universities are isolated from wind projects, communities are not consulted in projects, and large companies are the main beneficiaries.

     

Numerical Modeling of the Impact of a Pumped-Storage Hydroelectric Power Plant on the Reservoirs’ Thermal Stratification Structure: a Case Study in NW Spain

Pumped-storage hydroelectric power plants are generally perceived as an environmentally respectful technology. Nevertheless, the pumping of water from a lower reservoir to an upper impoundment, and the return of that water during power generation, can strongly affect the water quality of the reservoirs. In particular, plant operation can alter their thermal structure, deep water mixing, and water circulation characteristics. The objective of this study is to quantify, through the use of 3D hydrodynamic modeling, the potential impacts of a pumped-storage hydroelectric plant on the thermal stability and mixing of two reservoirs in Galicia, northwest of Spain. To this end, three-dimensional hydrodynamic simulations were conducted using the model Delft3D. Two different coupled models, one for each reservoir, were constructed and subsequently tested for several stratification scenarios, according to measured temperature profiles during the spring and summer season. Several reservoir minimum and maximum operation water levels were also considered. Model simulations demonstrated a high level of mixing in the vicinity of the intake-outlet structures, in particular during startup of the power plant, regardless of the water level in the reservoir. Beyond this area, the results showed a limited overall effect on stratification and mixing in the upper reservoir, owing to the relation between the inflow temperatures and the initial temperature profile of this reservoir. A more significant alteration of the thermal structure is expected in the lower reservoir due to its narrow shape and shallow depth at the structure location, as well as the temperature differences between receiving waters and inflow.     

Effects of beach tourists on bathing water and sand quality at Puerto Velero,Colombia

Fragile coastal areas suffer from human activities. Environmental quality is one of the most important aspects in a tourist destination of sun and sand. The quality of bathing water and sand became indicators in the worldwide competition of beach destinations. We studied the water and sand quality along the beach of Puerto Velero, in northern Colombia. Water and sand beach quality were monitored during thirteen months. This allowed identifying the most significant sources of pollution along the beach, and understanding the interrelationship between tourism and the effects on the environment. Linear correlations allow assessing the association between the number of visitors and the physicochemical and microbiological parameters. The number of visitors was directly correlated with the presence of grease and oils, both in water and sand, as well as with fecal coliforms in water. A relation between the suspended solids and the presence of fecal coliforms in water and sand was observed. This statistical approach allows understanding the origin of beach sand and swimming water pollution at tourist beaches. Overall, sand quality has an important influence and is directly related to the water quality of the beach. Both the number of tourists and their activities are main factors explaining the contamination of the water and sand. This shows the importance of management of waste and wastewater in combination with awareness raising initiatives. More research should include monitoring and evaluating of both water and sand beach and provide data to revise the existing legal framework.