A cost function for neutralizing acidic Adirondack surface waters

A cost function for neutralizing acidic surface waters by base addition (liming) is derived based upon constrained cost minimization. The model is estimated using a sample of 547 acidic Adirondack lakes with total costs projected for neutralizing each lake to one of six possible target alkalinity levels. Empirical findings indicate that relatively accurate forecasts of lake neutralization costs can be obtained given target alkalinity levels and various limnological characteristics. The results provide a model for predicting lake neutralization costs which can potentially be used in evaluating the relative merits of alternative strategies for reducing acidic deposition damages.     

SEDIMENT DEPOSITION ESTIMATION FROM CESIUM-137 MEASUREMENTS1

ABSTRACT The movement of fallout ¹³⁷Cs carried by soil particles was studied as an indicator of erosion and sedimentation in the Allerton watersheds and 4-H Memorial Lake located near Monticello, Illinois. Sediment deposition was greater in the waterway draining from watershed IB than in the waterway from watershed IA. At the average rate of 2.3 cm/yr of sediment deposition in the lake (from 1954 to 1979), there will be a loss of over 2 meters of water depth in the next century. However, there appears to be a decreasing rate of sediment deposition in the 4-H Memorial Lake as a result of improved conservation practices on the watersheds and the increased effectiveness of vegetated waterways and buffers for retaining sediment.     

The Gathering Storm: managing adaptation to environmental change in coastal communities and small islands

Small island communities are inherently coastal communities, sharing many of the attributes and challenges faced by cities, towns and villages situated on the shores of larger islands and continents. In the context of rapidly changing climates, all coastal communities are challenged by their exposure to changing sea levels, to increasingly frequent and severe storms, and to the cumulative effects of higher storm surges. Across the globe, small island developing states, and small islands in larger states, are part of a distinctive set of stakeholders threatened, not only by climate change but also by shifting social, economic, and cultural conditions. C-Change is a collaborative International Community–University Research Alliance (ICURA) project whose goal is to assist participating coastal communities in Canada and the Caribbean region to share experiences and tools that aid adaptation to changes in their physical environment, including sea-level rise and the increasing frequency of extreme weather events associated with climate change. C-Change researchers have been working with eight partner communities to identify threats, vulnerabilities, and risks, to improve understanding of the ramifications of climate change to local conditions and local assets, and to increase capacity for planning for adaptation to their changing world. This paper reports on the knowledge gained and shared and the challenges to date in this ongoing collaboration between science and society.     

Physical basis of coastal adaptation on tropical small islands

Small tropical islands are widely recognized as having high exposure and vulnerability to climate change and other natural hazards. Ocean warming and acidification, changing storm patterns and intensity, and accelerated sea-level rise pose challenges that compound the intrinsic vulnerability of small, remote, island communities. Sustainable development requires robust guidance on the risks associated with natural hazards and climate change, including the potential for island coasts and reefs to keep pace with rising sea levels. Here we review these issues with special attention to their implications for climate-change vulnerability, adaptation, and disaster risk reduction in various island settings. We present new projections for 2010–2100 local sea-level rise (SLR) at 18 island sites, incorporating crustal motion and gravitational fingerprinting, for a range of Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change global projections and a semi-empirical model. Projected 90-year SLR for the upper limit A1FI scenario with enhanced glacier drawdown ranges from 0.56 to 1.01 m for islands with a measured range of vertical motion from ?0.29 to +0.10 m. We classify tropical small islands into four broad groups comprising continental fragments, volcanic islands, near-atolls and atolls, and high carbonate islands including raised atolls. Because exposure to coastal forcing and hazards varies with island form, this provides a framework for consideration of vulnerability and adaptation strategies. Nevertheless, appropriate measures to adjust for climate change and to mitigate disaster risk depend on a place-based understanding of island landscapes and of processes operating in the coastal biophysical system of individual islands.     

Taxation of uranium mining in Canada and Australia

The objective of this paper is to compare the nature of the taxation schemes facing uranium mine operators in Australia's Northern Territory and in Canada's Province of Saskatchewan. The findings demonstrate that, although the Canadian system appropriates up to 85% of incremental sales revenue, it is extremely sensitive to industry profitability. Its Australian counterpart is, in contrast, a regressive scheme which, at the current selling price of yellowcake, captures a significantly larger proportion of available economic rent.     

The problem of acid rain: An overview

Summary The solution to the problem of acid rain is perhaps one of the main environmental and political issues facing the peoples of the industrialized nations, and their neighbours today. There is no doubt about the damage which acid rain has caused, but what remains unclear are the precise causes of acid rain and the most efficacious means of reducing its environmental, economic and political impacts. We have presented a balanced look at the differing points of view on the current state of knowledge in acid rain research with respect to atmospheric processes, environmental effects, measurement procedures, and the legal and political issues surrounding acid rain. This review indicates that the atmospheric processes creating and transporting acid rain are not well enough understood to enable its reduction with any guarantee of success. This conclusion is based on the confusing or conflicting evidence presented by recent scientific studies. It appears that more research must be undertaken to understand the problem of acid rain before final recommendations may be made for its solution.Mr Eney is a lecturer and Dr. Petzold is Professor of Climatology in the Department of Geography at the University of Maryland. They have recently completed research on the spatial distribution of acid rain over the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area of USA.     

A DYNAMIC SYSTEM MODEL FOR SIMULATING SEDIMENT DISCHARGE1

ABSTRACT: A dynamic sediment discharge model was developed and proposed for the simulation of watershed systems. It war developed from an expansion of splash and flow erosion relationships under steady state conditions. It was described as a general erosion model that can be reduced to forms comparable to many conceptual soil erosion and sediment yield models. The model incorporates eight parameters such as rainfall intensities, runoff rates, and previous sediment discharges. The model was tested with two small watersheds with simulation results which were very satisfactory compared to the data.     

Water Resources Research Prioritization and Management-Problems and Perspectives1

ABSTRACT: At a time when productive water resources research is essential to protecting the quality of and wisely using our limited water resources, pervasive trends toward consumerism, fiscal restraint, centralized management, and using research for other social objectives threaten research productivity. The research prioritization and management structure that these trends have created was examined in the microcosm of its application at the Utah Water Research Laboratory. The result indicated that ephemeral prioritization and the failure of research users to target researchers to their own particular needs is diluting productivity. Incremental research prioritization and greater use of advisory councils in facilitating user-researcher interaction are suggested as corrective approaches, but the only firm conclusion at this point in time must be that empirical studies of the performance of alternatives in research management structure are solely needed.     

A performance history of the base catalyzed decomposition (BCD) process

Remediation of halogenated organic compounds—such as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs), and polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDFs)—poses a challenge because these compounds are resistant to microbial attack and to degradation by many common chemicals. Since the mid-1980s, the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA's) Office of Research and Development in Cincinnati, Ohio—the National Risk Management Research Laboratory (NRMRL)—has funded research and development efforts to develop specialized, chemical dehalogenation processes for detoxifying PCBs and related compounds. NRMRL owns domestic rights for “basic process” patents on a chemical dehalogenation process commonly known as Base Catalyzed Decomposition (BCD). EPA has licensed the process to two firms for use in the United States. This article summarizes laboratory-scale, pilot-scale, and field performance data on BCD technology collected to date by various governmental, academic, and private organizations.