Combinations of Horizontal and Vertical Flow Constructed Wetlands to Improve Nitrogen Removal

Nitrogen removal in wetlands is achieved through two pathways: (a) N cycling and (b) storage. N cycling is a permanent removal pathway. There has been an increasing interest in the development of technologies to alleviate permanent nitrogen removal limitation in constructed wetlands by ensuring prevalence of conditions enhancing N cycling. The purpose of this study is to review an emerging technology of vegetated submerged bed constructed wetland system aimed at improving nitrogen removal in wetlands through rational system design. The design and performance of this system type is evaluated. The oxygen transfer capacity and nitrogen removal mechanisms on system performance are evaluated. Constructed wetland combinations most commonly consist of vertical flow (VF) and horizontal flow (HF) beds where VF and HF are aimed at nitrification and denitrification, respectively. Nitrate nitrogen accumulation is the most limiting factor in typical VF based systems.     

Low dose effects and non-monotonic dose responses for endocrine active chemicals: Science to practice workshop: Workshop summary

A workshop was held in Berlin September 12–14th 2012 to assess the state of the science of the data supporting low dose effects and non-monotonic dose responses (“low dose hypothesis”) for chemicals with endocrine activity (endocrine disrupting chemicals or EDCs). This workshop consisted of lectures to present the current state of the science of EDC action and also the risk assessment process. These lectures were followed by breakout sessions to integrate scientists from various backgrounds to discuss in an open and unbiased manner the data supporting the “low dose hypothesis”. While no consensus was reached the robust discussions were helpful to inform both basic scientists and risk assessors on all the issues. There were a number of important ideas developed to help continue the discussion and improve communication over the next few years.     

Editorial: Special issue on composite sampling

Environmental and Ecological Statistics -     

The Accuracy of Mortality Reporting in Displaced Persons Camps During the Post-emergency Phase

For humanitarian organisations, accurate data are essential to identify emerging health problems and determine programme needs. We visited 45 post-emergency phase displaced persons camps and collected three months' mortality data which we compared with organisations' routine mortality reports. Organisations reported 612 deaths and we identified 741 deaths, for a mortality-reporting ratio, defined as the number of organisation-reported deaths divided by the number of investigator-identified deaths, of 83 per cent. For the majority of camps which under-reported deaths, mortality reporting ratios were significantly higher for women than men, and for camps with central mortality registers rather than those without. In the few camps which over-reported deaths, these occurred primarily among children younger than five years of age, probably due to the inclusion of abortions and stillbirths. Despite the overall under-reporting of deaths by humanitarian organisations, the existing health information systems appear to estimate mortality rates adequately in these post-emergency camps. However, organisations should improve the precision and completeness with which they report the characteristics of deaths in order to provide valuable data to target their programmes at the most vulnerable people.     

Immediate and long-term assistance following the bombing of the US Embassies in Kenya and Tanzania

On 7 August 1998 truck bombs destroyed the US Embassies in Kenya and Tanzania.(1) The response in both countries was characterised by an absence of incident command, limited pre-hospital care, a disorganised hospital response and a lack of transportation for those injured. In the next five years USD 50 million was provided by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to alleviate the resulting suffering, support reconstruction and strengthen disaster preparedness capacity in the two countries. These two programmes have enhanced awareness of disaster management issues, improved training capacity, built response structures and provided material resources. Their design and implementation provide lessons for future disasters in developing countries. The assistance programmes evolved very differently. In Kenya the programme largely excluded the public sector and the potential for government coordination, while the Tanzanian programme concentrated heavily on central government and regional hospital structures-largely omitting the non-governmental or civil society sector. Excluding key stakeholders raises concerns about programme sustainability and the ability to respond effectively to future emergencies.     

Groundwater phosphorus in forage-based landscape with cow-calf operation

Forage-based cow-calf operations may have detrimental impacts on the chemical status of groundwater and streams and consequently on the ecological and environmental status of surrounding ecosystems. Assessing and controlling phosphorus (P) inputs are, thus, considered the key to reducing eutrophication and managing ecological integrity. In this paper, we monitored and evaluated P concentrations of groundwater (GW) compared to the concentration of surface water (SW) P in forage-based landscape with managed cow-calf operations for 3 years (2007–2009). Groundwater samples were collected from three landscape locations along the slope gradient (GW1 10–30 % slope, GW2 5–10 % slope, and GW3 0–5 % slope). Surface water samples were collected from the seepage area (SW 0 % slope) located at the bottom of the landscape. Of the total P collected (averaged across year) in the landscape, 62.64 % was observed from the seepage area or SW compared with 37.36 % from GW (GW1?=?8.01 %; GW2?=?10.92 %; GW3?=?18.43 %). Phosphorus in GW ranged from 0.02 to 0.20 mg L^?1 while P concentration in SW ranged from 0.25 to 0.71 mg L^?1. The 3-year average of P in GW of 0.09 mg L^?1 was lower than the recommended goal or the Florida’s numeric nutrients standards (NNS) of 0.12 mg P L^?1. The 3-year average of P concentration in SW of 0.45 mg L^?1 was about fourfold higher than the Florida’s NNS value. Results suggest that cow-calf operation in pasture-based landscape would contribute more P to SW than in the GW. The risk of GW contamination by P from animal agriculture production system is limited, while the solid forms of P subject to loss via soil erosion could be the major water quality risk from P.     

The Use of Atmospheric Dispersion Models in Risk Assessment Decision Support Systems for Pesticides

In the evaluation of potentially adverse effects oforganic chemicals such as pesticides on theenvironment the atmosphere may play an important role.After its release to the atmosphere the chemical willbe transported/dispersed in the atmosphere and finallyit will be removed either by atmospheric-chemicaldestruction or by deposition to the underlying soil orsurface water. In a risk assessment decision supportsystem both ambient concentrations and depositionfluxes must be known to evaluate the risk of directexposure (inhalation) or the risk of soil and watercontamination caused by deposition. This paperdiscusses the use of atmospheric dispersion models insuch risk assessment decision support systems.     

Soil-extractable phosphorus and phosphorus saturation threshold in beef cattle pastures as affected by grazing management and forage type

Grazing can accelerate and alter the timing of nutrient transfer, and could increase the amount of extractable phosphorus (P) cycle from soils to plants. The effects of grazing management and/or forage type that control P cycling and distribution in pasture's resources have not been sufficiently evaluated. Our ability to estimate the levels and changes of soil-extractable P and other crop nutrients in subtropical beef cattle pastures has the potential to improve our understanding of P dynamics and nutrient cycling at the landscape level. To date, very little attention has been paid to evaluating transfers of extractable P in pasture with varying grazing management and different forage type. Whether or not P losses from grazed pastures are significantly greater than background losses and how these losses are affected by soil, forage management, or stocking density are not well understood. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of grazing management (rotational versus “zero” grazing) and forage types (FT; bahiagrass, Paspalum notatum, Flugge versus rhizoma peanuts, Arachis glabrata, Benth) on the levels of extractable soil P and degree of P saturation in beef cattle pastures. This study (2004–2007) was conducted at the Subtropical Agricultural Research Station, US Department of Agriculture–Agricultural Research Service located 7 miles north of Brooksville, FL. Soil (Candler fine sand) at this location was described as well-drained hyperthermic uncoated Typic Quartzipsamments. A split plot arrangement in a completely randomized block design was used and each treatment was replicated four times. The main plot was represented by grazing management (grazing vs. no grazing) while forage types (bahiagrass vs. perennial peanut) as the sub-plot treatment. Eight steel exclosures (10?×?10 m) were used in the study. Four exclosures were placed and established in four pastures with bahiagrass and four exclosures were established in four pastures with rhizoma peanuts to represent the “zero” grazing treatment. The levels of soil-extractable P and degree of P saturation (averaged across FT and soil depth) of 22.1 mg kg^?1 and 11.6 % in pastures with zero grazing were not significantly (p?≤?0.05) different from the levels of soil-extractable P and degree of P saturation of 22.8 mg kg^?1 and 12.9 % in pastures with rotational grazing, respectively. On the effect of FT, levels of soil-extractable P and degree of P saturation were significantly higher in pastures with rhizoma peanuts than in pastures with bahiagrass. There was no net gain of soil-extractable P due to the presence of animals in pastures with rotational grazing. Averaged across years, soil-extractable P in pastures with rotational grazing and with “zero” grazing was less than 150 mg kg^?1, the water quality protection. There had been no movement of soil-extractable P into the soil pedon since average degree of P saturation in the upper 15 cm was 14.3 % while the average degree of P saturation in soils at 15–30 cm was about 9.9 %. Overall, average extractable P did not exceed the crop requirement threshold of 50 mg P kg^?1 and the soil P saturation threshold of 25 %, suggesting that reactive P is not a problem. Our study revealed that rhizoma peanuts and bahiagrass differ both in their capacity to acquire nutrients from the soil and in the amount of nutrients they need per unit growth. Rhizoma peanuts, which are leguminous forage, would require higher amounts of P compared with bahiagrass. The difference in the amount of P needed by these forages could have a profound effect on their P uptake that can be translated to the remaining amount of P in the soils. Periodic applications of additional P may be necessary especially for pastures with rhizoma peanuts to sustain their agronomic needs and to potentially offset the export of P due to animal production. Addition of organic amendments could represent an important strategy to protect pasture lands from excessive soil resources exploitation.