Sensors and enabling technologies are becoming increasingly important tools for water quality monitoring and associated water resource management decisions. In particular, nutrient sensors are of interest because of the well‐known adverse effects of nutrient enrichment on coastal hypoxia, harmful algal blooms, and impacts to human health. Accurate and timely information on nutrient concentrations and loads is integral to strategies designed to minimize risk to humans and manage the underlying drivers of water quality impairment. Using nitrate sensors as the primary example, we highlight the types of applications in freshwater and coastal environments that are likely to benefit from continuous, real‐time nutrient data. The concurrent emergence of new tools to integrate, manage, and share large datasets is critical to the successful use of nutrient sensors and has made it possible for the field of continuous monitoring to rapidly move forward. We highlight several near‐term opportunities for federal agencies, as well as the broader scientific and management community, that will help accelerate sensor development, build and leverage sites within a national network, and develop open data standards and data management protocols that are key to realizing the benefits of a large‐scale, integrated monitoring network. Investing in these opportunities will provide new information to guide management and policies designed to protect and restore our nation's water resources. 相似文献
Does religion affect legislators’ behavior on environmental policy in the US? Studies of environmental policy making have not examined this question, although the literature suggests that religion might affect legislative behavior on environmental policy. This study examines the relationship between US House members’ religion and roll-call voting on environmental legislation from 1973 to 2009. It finds significant differences across religious traditions. Legislators’ party and characteristics of constituencies relevant to environmental politics increasingly, but not entirely, mediate these differences. 相似文献
Recent conjecture on the potential primacy of physical environmental components in education for sustainable development (ESD) efforts serves to question the centrality of social justice education as a component of ESD. This research explores a sustainable development student’s basic knowledge of social justice conditions in their country of residence and its relationships to policy attitudes that should be of importance to ESD, including beliefs about the importance of corporate social responsibility, their endorsement of gross national product as an effective measure of progress, their overall assessment of the social fairness of current national social justice policy, and their endorsement of the goals of Occupy Wall Street. Results obtained using path-model hypothesis testing indicate that accuracy of knowledge of US standing on social justice issues is significantly related to these policy attitudes, providing support for social justice content in ESD endeavors to create students empowered for engagement in broader policy goals. 相似文献
The southeastern United States is experiencing rapid urban development. Consequently, Georgia's streams are experiencing hydrologic alterations from extensive development and from other land use activities such as livestock grazing and silviculture. A study was performed to assess stream hydrology within 18 watersheds ranging from 500 to 2500 ha. Study streams were first, second, or third order and hydrology was continuously monitored from 29 July 2003 to 23 September 2004 using InSitu pressure transducers. Rating curves between stream stage (i.e., water depth) and discharge were developed for each stream by correlating biweekly discharge measurements and stage data. Dependent variables were calculated from discharge data and placed into 4 categories: flow frequency (i.e., the number of times a predetermined discharge threshold is exceeded), flow magnitude (i.e., maximum and minimum flows), flow duration (i.e., the amount of time discharge was above or below a predetermined threshold), and flow predictability and flashiness. Fine resolution data (i.e., 15-min interval) were also compared to daily discharge data to determine if resolution affected how streams were classified hydrologically. Urban watersheds experienced flashy discharges during storm events, whereas pastoral and forested watersheds showed less flashy hydrographs. Also, in comparison to all other flow variables, flow frequency measures were most strongly correlated to land cover. Furthermore, the stream hydrology was explained similarly with both the 15-min and daily data resolutions. 相似文献
Field experiments were conducted to optimize the phytoextraction of weathered p,p'-DDE (p,p'-dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene) by Cucurbita subspecies. The effects of two soil amendments, mycorrhizae or a biosurfactant, on p,p'-DDE accumulation was determined. Also, p,p'-DDE uptake was assessed during plant growth (12, 26, 38, and 62 d), and cultivars that accumulate weathered p,p'-DDE were intercropped with cultivars known not to have that ability. Cucurbita pepo L. ssp. pepo accumulated large amounts of the contaminant, having stem bioconcentration factors, amounts of p,p'-DDE translocated, and contaminant phytoextraction that were 14, 9.9, and 5.0 times greater than C. pepo L. ssp. ovifera (L.) D.S. Decker, respectively. During 62 d, the stem BCF (bioconcentration factor) for p,p'-DDE in subspecies pepo remained constant and the total amount of contaminant accumulated was correlated with plant biomass (r(2) = 0.86). For subspecies ovifera, the stem BCF was highest at 12 d (1.5) but decreased to 0.39 by 62 d, and p,p'-DDE removal was not correlated with plant biomass. Mycorrhizal inoculation increased p,p'-DDE accumulation by both subspecies by an average 4.4 times. For subspecies pepo, mycorrhizae increased the percentage of contaminant extracted from 0.72 to 2.1%. Biosurfactant amendment also enhanced contaminant accumulation by both subspecies, although treatment reduced subspecies ovifera biomass by 60%. The biosurfactant had no effect on the biomass of subspecies pepo, increased the average contaminant concentration by 3.6-fold, and doubled the overall amount of p,p'-DDE removed from the soil. Soil amendments that enhance the mobility of weathered persistent organic pollutants will significantly increase the amount of contaminant phytoextraction by Cucurbita pepo. 相似文献
Dredged material levees in coastal Louisiana are normally associated with pipeline canals or, more frequently, canals dredged
through the wetlands to allow access to drilling locations for mineral extraction. The hydrologic impact on marshes behind
the levee is of concern to coastal resource managers because of the potential impact on sediment transport and deposition,
and the effect on estuarine organism access to valuable nursery habitat. This study examined the effects of gaps in dredged
material levees, compared to continuous levees and natural channel banks, on these two aspects of marsh function. Field studies
for sediment deposition were conducted biweekly for a year, and nekton samples were collected in spring and fall. Variation
in nekton density among study arears and landscape types was great in part because of the inherent sampling gear issues and
in part because of differences in characteristics among areas. Nekton densities were generally greater in natural compared
to leveed and gapped landscapes. Differences in landscape type did not explain patterns in sediment deposition. The gaps examined
appear to be too restrictive of marsh flooding to provide efficient movements of floodwaters onto the marsh during moderate
flooding events. The “trapping” effect of the levees increases sediment deposition during extreme events. Gapping material
levees may be an effective method of partially restoring upper marsh connection to nekton, but this method may work best in
lower elevation marshes where nekton use is greater. 相似文献
Human-induced urban growth and sprawl have implications for greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions that may not be included in conventional GHG accounting methods. Improved understanding of this issue requires use of interactive, spatial-explicit social–ecological systems modeling. This paper develops a comprehensive approach to modeling GHG emissions from urban developments, considering Stockholm County, Sweden as a case study. GHG projections to 2040 with a social–ecological system model yield overall greater emissions than simple extrapolations in official climate action planning. The most pronounced difference in emissions (39% higher) from energy use single-residence buildings resulting from urban sprawl. And this difference is not accounted for in the simple extrapolations. Scenario results indicate that a zoning policy, restricting urban development in certain areas, can mitigate 72% of the total emission effects of the model-projected urban sprawl. The study outcomes include a decision support interface for communicating results and policy implications with policymakers.
Nitrate contamination of water sources is a concern where large amounts of nitrogen fertilizers are regularly applied to soils.
Ingested nitrate from dietary sources and drinking water can be converted to nitrite and ultimately to N-nitroso compounds,
many of which are known carcinogens. Epidemiologic studies of drinking water nitrate and cancer report mixed findings; a criticism
is the use of nitrate concentrations from retrospective drinking water data to assign exposure levels. Residential point-of-use
nitrate data are scarce; gaps in historical data for municipal supply finished water hamper exposure classification efforts.
We used generalized linear regression models to estimate and compare historical raw water and finished water nitrate levels
(1960s--1990s) in single source Iowa municipal supplies to determine whether raw water monitoring data could supplement finished
water data to improve exposure assessment. Comparison of raw water and finished water samples (same sampling date) showed
a significant difference in nitrate levels in municipalities using rivers; municipalities using other surface water or alluvial
groundwater had no difference in nitrate levels. A regional aggregation of alluvial groundwater municipalities was constructed
based on results from a previous study showing regional differences in nitrate contamination of private wells; results from
this analysis were mixed, dependent upon region and decade. These analyses demonstrate using historical raw water nitrate
monitoring data to supplement finished water data for exposure assessment is appropriate for individual Iowa municipal supplies
using alluvial groundwater, lakes or reservoirs. Using alluvial raw water data on a regional basis is dependent on region
and decade. 相似文献