Application of a modified BCR sequential extraction (three-step) procedure for the determination of extractable trace metal contents in a sewage sludge amended soil reference material (CRM 483), complemented by a three-year stability study of acetic acid and EDTA extractable metal content

This paper provides additional data on a sewage sludge amended soil certified reference material, CRM 483, which was certified in 1997 for its EDTA and acetic acid extractable contents of some trace metals, following standardised extraction procedures. The additional work aimed to test the long-term stability of the material and the applicability of an improved version of the BCR three-step sequential extraction procedure on the sewage sludge amended soil (CRM 483). The paper demonstrates the CRM 483 long-term stability for EDTA and acetic acid extractable contents of Cd, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb and Zn and gives the results (obtained in the framework of an interlaboratory study) for the extractable contents of the same elements in the CRM 483, following the BCR three-step sequential extraction scheme. The aqua regia extractable contents following the ISO 11466 Standard are also given. The data are given as indicative (not certified) values.     

Apportionment of ambient primary and secondary pollutants during a 2001 summer study in Pittsburgh using U.S. Environmental Protection Agency UNMIX

Apportionment of primary and secondary pollutants during the summer 2001 Pittsburgh Air Quality Study (PAQS) is reported. Several sites were included in PAQS, with the main site (the supersite) adjacent to the Carnegie Mellon University campus in Schenley Park. One of the additional sampling sites was located at the National Energy Technology Laboratory, located approximately 18 km southeast of downtown Pittsburgh. Fine particulate matter (PM2.5) mass, gas-phase volatile organic material (VOM), particulate semivolatile and nonvolatile organic material (NVOM), and ammonium sulfate were apportioned at the two sites into their primary and secondary contributions using the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency UNMIX 2.3 multivariate receptor modeling and analysis software. A portion of each of these species was identified as originating from gasoline and diesel primary mobile sources. Some of the organic material was formed from local secondary transformation processes, whereas the great majority of the secondary sulfate was associated with regional transformation contributions. The results indicated that the diurnal patterns of secondary gas-phase VOM and particulate semivolatile and NVOM were not correlated with secondary ammonium sulfate contributions but were associated with separate formation pathways. These findings are consistent with the bulk of the secondary ammonium sulfate in the Pittsburgh area being the result of contributions from distant transport and, thus, decoupled from local activity involving organic pollutants in the metropolitan area.     

Assessing ecological correlates of marine bird declines to inform marine conservation

Identifying drivers of ecosystem change in large marine ecosystems is central for their effective management and conservation. This is a sizable challenge, particularly in ecosystems transcending international borders, where monitoring and conservation of long‐range migratory species and their habitats are logistically and financially problematic. Here, using tools borrowed from epidemiology, we elucidated common drivers underlying species declines within a marine ecosystem, much in the way epidemiological analyses evaluate risk factors for negative health outcomes to better inform decisions. Thus, we identified ecological traits and dietary specializations associated with species declines in a community of marine predators that could be reflective of ecosystem change. To do so, we integrated count data from winter surveys collected in long‐term marine bird monitoring programs conducted throughout the Salish Sea—a transboundary large marine ecosystem in North America's Pacific Northwest. We found that decadal declines in winter counts were most prevalent among pursuit divers such as alcids (Alcidae) and grebes (Podicipedidae) that have specialized diets based on forage fish, and that wide‐ranging species without local breeding colonies were more prone to these declines. Although a combination of factors is most likely driving declines of diving forage fish specialists, we propose that changes in the availability of low‐trophic prey may be forcing wintering range shifts of diving birds in the Salish Sea. Such a synthesis of long‐term trends in a marine predator community not only provides unique insights into the types of species that are at risk of extirpation and why, but may also inform proactive conservation measures to counteract threats—information that is paramount for species‐specific and ecosystem‐wide conservation. Evaluación de las Correlaciones Ecológicas de las Declinaciones de Aves Marinas para Informar a la Conservación Marina     

Effects of wind‐energy facilities on breeding grassland bird distributions

The contribution of renewable energy to meet worldwide demand continues to grow. Wind energy is one of the fastest growing renewable sectors, but new wind facilities are often placed in prime wildlife habitat. Long‐term studies that incorporate a rigorous statistical design to evaluate the effects of wind facilities on wildlife are rare. We conducted a before‐after‐control‐impact (BACI) assessment to determine if wind facilities placed in native mixed‐grass prairies displaced breeding grassland birds. During 2003–2012, we monitored changes in bird density in 3 study areas in North Dakota and South Dakota (U.S.A.). We examined whether displacement or attraction occurred 1 year after construction (immediate effect) and the average displacement or attraction 2–5 years after construction (delayed effect). We tested for these effects overall and within distance bands of 100, 200, 300, and >300 m from turbines. We observed displacement for 7 of 9 species. One species was unaffected by wind facilities and one species exhibited attraction. Displacement and attraction generally occurred within 100 m and often extended up to 300 m. In a few instances, displacement extended beyond 300 m. Displacement and attraction occurred 1 year after construction and persisted at least 5 years. Our research provides a framework for applying a BACI design to displacement studies and highlights the erroneous conclusions that can be made without the benefit of adopting such a design. More broadly, species‐specific behaviors can be used to inform management decisions about turbine placement and the potential impact to individual species. Additionally, the avoidance distance metrics we estimated can facilitate future development of models evaluating impacts of wind facilities under differing land‐use scenarios.     

Hazards from carbon dioxide capture, transport and storage

Carbon capture and storage (CCS) is a developing technology which raises a number of issues in terms of safety. CCS involves a chain of processes comprising capture of carbon dioxide, transport and injection into underground storage. In work carried out for the IEA Greenhouse Gas R&D Programme, a number of high-level hazard identification (HAZID) studies have been performed with the help of industry experts. The HAZIDs considered a carbon capture and storage chain involving capture, pipeline transport and injection. HAZID has been performed at a high-level for such a CCS chain with three types of capture technology and using pipeline transport. It is hoped that the results of the HAZID studies will be of use to those carrying out CCS projects, but should not be a substitute for them carrying out a full suite of integrated hazard management processes. A number of example hazards have been described to raise awareness of the range of hazards in a CCS process and to identify barriers which could prevent, minimise, control or mitigate CCS hazards. Bow-tie diagrams have been produced to record the information from this study and to organise it in a systematic way so that it is far less likely that contributors to and mitigators of hazards will be missed. The diagrams are available in Excel spreadsheet format so that they can be used as the starting point for development by specific CCS projects. CCS technology is still advancing and a number of knowledge gaps in terms of safety have been identified which require further development.     

Application of the paleolimnological method to assess metal contaminant distribution (As,Cu, Pb,Zn) in pulp mill stabilization basin sediments,Nova Scotia,Canada

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - The paleolimnological method was used to decouple geogenic and anthropogenic metal (loids) contributions in a sediment stabilization basin (Boat...     

Perspective and trends in the environmental remediation industry

The approach to management and execution of remediation projects has changed drastically over the past decade, as remedial project managers have begun to understand and accept the numerous environmental regulations developed in the mid-1980s. For example, the adversarial relationship that once existed between regulators and owners has become more cooperative. This article documents trends over time in remediation project practices and quantifies the impact these trends have had on the cost and schedule performance of projects. Proven successful practices are highlighted, and those with the potential for improving project performance further are also discussed.     

Reducing Nitrogen Export from the Corn Belt to the Gulf of Mexico: Agricultural Strategies for Remediating Hypoxia

SPAtially Referenced Regression on Watershed models developed for the Upper Midwest were used to help evaluate the nitrogen‐load reductions likely to be achieved by a variety of agricultural conservation practices in the Upper Mississippi‐Ohio River Basin (UMORB) and to compare these reductions to the 45% nitrogen‐load reduction proposed to remediate hypoxia in the Gulf of Mexico (GoM). Our results indicate that nitrogen‐management practices (improved fertilizer management and cover crops) fall short of achieving this goal, even if adopted on all cropland in the region. The goal of a 45% decrease in loads to the GoM can only be achieved through the coupling of nitrogen‐management practices with innovative nitrogen‐removal practices such as tile‐drainage treatment wetlands, drainage–ditch enhancements, stream‐channel restoration, and floodplain reconnection. Combining nitrogen‐management practices with nitrogen‐removal practices can dramatically reduce nutrient export from agricultural landscapes while minimizing impacts to agricultural production. With this approach, it may be possible to meet the 45% nutrient reduction goal while converting less than 1% of cropland in the UMORB to nitrogen‐removal practices. Conservationists, policy makers, and agricultural producers seeking a workable strategy to reduce nitrogen export from the Corn Belt will need to consider a combination of nitrogen‐management practices at the field scale and diverse nitrogen‐removal practices at the landscape scale.     

Respiratory Responses of Exercising Asthmatic Volunteers Exposed to Sulfuric Acid Aerosol

Young asthmatic adult volunteers (N = 27) were exposed in an environmental chamber to sulfuric acid aerosol at concentrations near 0, 122, 242, and 410 μg/m³, in purified background air at 22° C and 50 percent relative humidity. The polydisperse aerosol had a mass median aerodynamic diameter near 0.6 μm. Exposures occurred in random order at one-week intervals. Each lasted 1 h, during which subjects exercised (mean ventilation 42 L/min) and rested during alternate 10-min periods. Specific airway resistance and forced expiratory function were measured pre-exposure, after the initial exercise, and at end-exposure. Bronchial reactivity was determined by challenge with cold air immediately post-exposure. Symptoms were monitored during exposure for one week afterward. Exercise-induced bronchospasm was observed under all conditions. Physiologic and symptom changes possibly attributable to sulfuric acid exposure were small and not statistically significant. Our largely negative results contrast with positive findings elsewhere at lower acid doses. Possible explanations include different clinical characteristics of subjects and different routes of breathing.     

Some characteristics of a plume from a point source based on analytical solution of the two-dimensional advection–diffusion equation

The moments of the concentration distribution obtained using a recent analytical solution of the steady-state two-dimensional advection–diffusion equation are presented. The solving methodology is the Generalized Integral Laplace Transform Technique, which allows obtaining a reliable solution of the advection–diffusion equation without any restrictive assumption about the eddy diffusivity coefficients and wind speed profiles. The first four moments and value and position of maximum ground level concentration are calculated. The concentration standard deviation is compared against the semi-empirical ones used in operative Gaussian models.